Dan 5:22-28 | KingComments | STEP | When Daniel has presented the example of Nebuchadnezzar to Belshazzar, he addresses him directly and in a confronting way. We see, as it were, that his finger is piercing towards the king and we hear how his voice is raising. The message he speaks to Belshazzar is impressive. With his story about Nebuchadnezzar he hasn’t told Belshazzar anything new. He says to him: “Even though you knew all this.” Thus, every man who is not converted will hear the judgment from the mouth of the Lord Jesus. Every human being knew that he had to repent, that he had to humiliate himself under the powerful hand of God. He who does not allow himself to be warned, but “hardens [his] neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken beyond remedy” ( ). Instead of humiliating himself he has exalted himself against “the Lord of heaven”. His rebellion against Him has been demonstrated by the use of the vessels of God’s house to mock with them “the Lord of heaven” – “Lord” is Adonai , that is “Sovereign”, “Ruler” – and to toast his idols, who are not gods. Daniel sneers with his words about the worthlessness of the gods praised by Belshazzar. The only true God to Whom he owed his life, he did not take into account and did not honor Him. That his breath is in God’s hand means that he is completely dependent on God for every breath. When God withdraws His hand, the life of a man ends. Belshazzar has, as it were, repelled that hand. That is what in fact every person does who wants to have nothing to do with God. But whosoever repels the drawing hand of God, will have to deal with His hand in judgment. God makes Himself known in His works, also in works of judgment. That judgment also comes because Belshazzar has gone his own way, without remembering that his ways belong to Him, the Lord of heaven. Man is created to live for God and to do His will. If, however, he puts God aside as Someone Who does not matter, he declares Him dead as it were, and arranges his life as he wishes, the moment of judgment comes. To such a person the judgment must be announced, calling on him to repent in order to escape the judgment. God has announced judgment to Belshazzar by sending the part of the hand and writing this inscription. We do not hear Daniel say to him that he should repent, as he did say to Nebuchadnezzar ( ). For Belshazzar the time is over. Against his better judgment, he misappropriates the holy things of God to defy Him. Then comes the judgment without possibility of conversion. “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” ( ).

‏ Daniel 5:22-28

The Charge Against Belshazzar

When Daniel has presented the example of Nebuchadnezzar to Belshazzar, he addresses him directly and in a confronting way. We see, as it were, that his finger is piercing towards the king and we hear how his voice is raising. The message he speaks to Belshazzar is impressive. With his story about Nebuchadnezzar he hasn’t told Belshazzar anything new. He says to him: “Even though you knew all this.”

Thus, every man who is not converted will hear the judgment from the mouth of the Lord Jesus. Every human being knew that he had to repent, that he had to humiliate himself under the powerful hand of God. He who does not allow himself to be warned, but “hardens [his] neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken beyond remedy” (Pro 29:1).

Instead of humiliating himself he has exalted himself against “the Lord of heaven”. His rebellion against Him has been demonstrated by the use of the vessels of God’s house to mock with them “the Lord of heaven” – “Lord” is Adonai, that is “Sovereign”, “Ruler” – and to toast his idols, who are not gods. Daniel sneers with his words about the worthlessness of the gods praised by Belshazzar. The only true God to Whom he owed his life, he did not take into account and did not honor Him.

That his breath is in God’s hand means that he is completely dependent on God for every breath. When God withdraws His hand, the life of a man ends. Belshazzar has, as it were, repelled that hand. That is what in fact every person does who wants to have nothing to do with God. But whosoever repels the drawing hand of God, will have to deal with His hand in judgment.

God makes Himself known in His works, also in works of judgment. That judgment also comes because Belshazzar has gone his own way, without remembering that his ways belong to Him, the Lord of heaven. Man is created to live for God and to do His will. If, however, he puts God aside as Someone Who does not matter, he declares Him dead as it were, and arranges his life as he wishes, the moment of judgment comes. To such a person the judgment must be announced, calling on him to repent in order to escape the judgment.

God has announced judgment to Belshazzar by sending the part of the hand and writing this inscription. We do not hear Daniel say to him that he should repent, as he did say to Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 4:27). For Belshazzar the time is over. Against his better judgment, he misappropriates the holy things of God to defy Him. Then comes the judgment without possibility of conversion. “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31).

The Inscription and Its Meaning

Daniel is ready to tell what is written on the wall. There are four words that the sages could not read, which he pronounces in front of the king. The translation of the words is: ‘numbered’, ‘numbered, ‘weighed’, ‘and broken’ (or: ‘and divided’). The last word is ‘pharsin’. The initial ‘u’ means ‘and’. Even if the sages had been able to pronounce the words and knew their translation, they would not have known their meaning. These words have a meaning, not in the sense of a translation, but in the sense of a message. Daniel will interpret what that meaning is.

“Mene” contains the message that God numbered the days of the kingship of Belshazzar, i.e. determined the amount of them. The days of Belshazzar are over. His days are finished. Repeating the word “mene” underlines the importance and seriousness of this fact. Thus the days of the life of every human being are numbered by God, both of unbelievers and believers. For every human being the last day inevitably comes, during which the believer may look forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus which can take place at any time and he is taken up by Him to be with Him. God knows as the All-knowing God of every man the day and the hour of his death.

There is another side, however, and that is the side of human responsibility. Man can speed up the day of his death, for example by living unhealthy or by mocking his life by doing dangerous things. Also defying God, as Belshazzar did, can give him premature and also pre-timely death.

The explanation of “tekel”, ‘weighed’, is that God weighed the life of Belshazzar, in the sense of judging it, and that He found it too light, that is, that Belshazzar failed. It is not about weighing up good deeds on the one hand against evil deeds on the other hand, but about the person. Daniel talks about the person, he talks about “you”. It is about the person and how the heart is towards God. Not only the fruits are assessed, but also the tree is assessed. Being found too light means that his life was vain, empty, without weight, there was nothing in it for God.

In the interpretation Daniel changes the last word ‘pharsin’ into ‘peres’. According to experts, this is not a change in the meaning of the word, but a change from plural (‘pharsin’) to singular (‘peres’). “Peres” means ‘broken’. Daniel seems to make this change because of a play on words. The word ‘peres’ is reminiscent of Persia. In his interpretation Daniel says that the kingdom of Belshazzar is divided or broken and that it is given to the Medes and Persians.

This must have sound in Belshazzar’s ears as the last judgment. He is immediately and completely back in reality. If he had any thought of escaping this judgment or simply wanting to deny it, then he hears it pronounced clearly now. The Medes and Persians lie before the city to put an end to his kingdom.