Daniel 4 - The Writing On The
Wall
Daniel 5
Click here for Coloring Page
In our first story from the book of Daniel, we learned how the gold and silver vessels were taken out of the temple when Jerusalem was conquered by king Nebuchadnezzar. After a long time passed, when Daniel was still captive in Babylon, Belshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar became king of Babylon. And he made a great feast for 1,000 of his men and drank wine. And he ordered that the gold and silver vessels be brought so that he, his men and many other people could drink from them.
And so the vessels that were taken out of the house of God were brought to Belshazzar and they all drank wine from them and praised the gods of gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and wood, and stone.
And that very same hour the fingers of a man's hand came forth and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. And the look on his face changed, and he became very frightened, and his knees knocked together. And he cried out to bring in the soothsayers of Babylon and told them that whoever could tell him what the words meant, he would be clothed with scarlet and be given a golden chain to wear around his neck and be the third ruler in the kingdom. But none of the king's wise men could tell him what the words meant. And the king was very troubled.
But the queen came in and told him that there was a man in the kingdom in whom the spirit of the holy God dwelt, and that he was found to be very wise in the days of king Nebuchadnezzar, and that Daniel would be able to tell the meaning of the words. And so Daniel was brought before the king.
And Belshazzar said to Daniel "Are you that Daniel that my father brought captive from Jerusalem? I have heard of you, that the sprit of the gods is in you, and that excellent wisdom is found in you. The wise man can not show me the meaning of the words, but I have heard that you can interpret. Now if you can read the writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold around your neck and be the third ruler in the kingdom."
And Daniel answered and said "Keep your gifts, and give your rewards to someone else, but I will read the writing and give you the interpretation. Your father, when his heart was lifted up and his mind was hardened in pride, lost his kingdom until he knew that the most high God rules in the kingdom of men. But you have not humbled your heart even though you knew all this. But you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven, and you have brought the vessels of His house and drunk wine in them, and you have praised gods which do not see or hear or know, and the God in whose hand your breath is, and who holds all your ways, you have not glorified. This hand was sent from him, and this writing was written:
MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation: MENE - God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL - You are weighed in the balances and found wanting. PERES: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and the Persians." Then Belshazzar commanded Daniel be clothed with scarlet, and given a golden chain and he made a proclamation that Daniel should be the third ruler in the kingdom. And that very night Belshazzar was killed, and Darius the Mede took the kingdom when he was 62 years old.
Memory Verse: Daniel 5:23".....and the God in whose hand your breath is, and who holds all your ways, you have not glorified."
Questions:
1 Who Was Belshazzar?
2 Where did the gold and silver
vessels come from?
3 What wrote on the wall, and what
did it say?
4 What happened to Belshazzar that very
night?
Answers:
1 The son of king Nebuchadnezzar
2 They were taken from the temple in Jerusalem when it was conquered by king
Nebuchadnezzar
3 The fingers of a man's hand..MENE, MENE, TEKEL UPHARSIN
4 He was killed and Darius the Mede took the kingdom
Vicki C. Gross/Feb'03