Based on "Daniel: Standing Firm for God" by Gene A Getz, this lesson covers the events of Chapter 5. Belshazzar throws a party and uses the vessels from the Temple to praise Babylon's gods. The disembodied hand pronounces God's judgment on Belshazzar. All of us are sinners, and God still show us grace and mercy.

1. A Disastrous Party
DANIEL 5:1-31
BASED ON DANIEL: STANDING FIRM FOR GOD BY GENE A GETZ

2. Historical Perspective
 Roughly 30 years have passed since Chapter 4 and Nebuchadnezzar’s bout
of insanity.
 Daniel is in his 80’s and was pretty much forgotten by Babylonian royal
leaders.
 The Persian king Cyrus had advanced and captured every major city except
Babylon.
 Belshazzar is co-regent with his absentee father, Nabonidus, and is in
charge of the city of Babylon itself.
 He believed the city was impregnable. There was a 30 foot high double
wall with over 100 strategically placed towers. The Euphrates River ran
under the wall, supplying water. They had food stockpiled for 20 years.

3. A Great Banquet (5:1-4)
 When you are surrounded by enemies and the people are nervous, some
believe the best thing to do is throw a party and project confidence.
 V.1 Belshazzar invites 1000 nobles to a great banquet, and probably lead
by example in the eat, drink, and be merry portion.
 In all honesty, this banquet probably degenerated into a drunken orgy like
most other Babylonian parties. (v.3 says all the wives and concubines were
present, so….)
 V.2-4 No other Babylonian king had ever had the nerve to drink from the
gold and silver goblets taken from the Temple in Jerusalem.
 V.4 He makes it worse by using them to toast the gods of Babylon and
praise them with God’s sacred vessels.
 V.3 says there were enough gold goblets for at least 2000 people.
Everyone there participated in this blasphemy.

4. The Fingers of a Human Hand (5:5-9)
 V.5 So a disembodied hand shows up and writes on the wall.
 V.5-6 Belshazzar was sober enough to see what was happening and be freaked
out by it.
 His knees were knocking and buckled under him, he turned pale, and he may
have peed himself.
 Crises have a way of making people sit up and pay attention. Belshazzar
immediately called for the wise men to explain what was going on (v.7).
 Whoever read and interpreted it would be clothed like the king and promoted
to 3rd place in the kingdom behind Belshazzar and his dad.
 No one could read it. (Haven’t they failed like this before?)
 V.9 This was not what Belshazzar wanted to hear; he freaked out even more.
 The nobles were “astonied,” meaning they were greatly confused or perplexed.
That’s 1000 people confused by the king’s behavior and unsure what to do.

5. “Call for Daniel!”
 V.10 The Queen who comes in was probably Belshazzar’s mom, Nitocris.
(Now he’s done it!) That’s why she remembered Daniel.
 V.11-12 She tells him of Daniel’s qualifications and history of service in the
kingdom. Her confidence in Daniel leads some to believe she believed in
God. We just don’t know.
 V.13-16 Belshazzar calls for Daniel and explains the situation to him and
describes the rewards if he succeeds.
 V.17 Daniel tells him to keep his reward.
 V.18-21 Daniel reminds him of what God had done in the kingdom
previously, how God had humbled Nebuchadnezzar until he acknowledged
God is sovereign.
 V.22 Daniel chides Belshazzar for not humbling himself and learning from
his grandfather’s example.
 V.23 Daniel points out Belshazzar deliberately defied God.

6. “You’ve been found wanting” (5:25-30)
 V.26 Mene: God says you are done being king. He says it twice so there is
no changing the course of history for Belshazzar.
 V.27 Tekel: God had given Babylon plenty of opportunities to acknowledge
His light and glory. Belshazzar sealed his fate by desecrating the golden
goblets from the Temple.
 V.28 Peres: God divided his kingdom and gave it to the Medes and
Persians.
 V.29 Belshazzar makes good on his rewards and honored Daniel, but not
Daniel’s God.
 Belshazzar was killed that night after the Persian army diverted the
Euphrates and attacked from under the wall during the party. They spared
everyone else.

7. 1. All of us have been weighed in the
balance and found wanting.
 Romans 3:23
 Romans 3:10-12
 Romans 6:23
 John 1:12, 29

8. 2. All people who inherit eternal life do so by
grace through faith, not works.
 Ephesians 2:8-9
 Romans 4:1-8
 Belshazzar neglected the knowledge he’d received.

9. 3. God continues to reach out to all people with His
grace- no matter how rebellious and sinful they
are.
 God wanted everyone to see His judgment of Belshazzar, despite their
idolatry and blasphemy.
 This was God’s grace to the people of Babylon. He also kept the Persian
army from killing anyone who witnessed the miracle.
 God brought judgment on a few to reach the many.

10. 4. God’s patience with sinful humanity is definitely
correlated with the way we respond to what we know
about His will for our lives.
 Daniel made this very clear to Belshazzar in v.22.
 Belshazzar used God’s vessels to worship his gods.
 Belshazzar tried to manipulate God by elevating Daniel.
 Hebrews 3:15
 Have you acknowledged that you, like all human beings, are sinful and need a
Savior?
 Do you understand that Salvation is a free gift?
 Do you understand that God is still reaching out to you no matter how many
sins you’ve committed?
 Do you understand that once people know the truth and deliberately,
flagrantly, and consistently reject it, they are living dangerously?
 Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ today!