Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. The vessels from His house were brought to you, and as you drank wine from them with your nobles, wives, and concubines, you praised your gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you have failed to glorify the God who holds in His hand your very breath and all your ways. Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven.This phrase highlights the pride and arrogance of Belshazzar, the Babylonian king. In biblical context, pride is often condemned as it leads individuals to challenge God's authority. The "Lord of heaven" emphasizes God's sovereignty over all creation, contrasting with the earthly power of Babylon. This act of self-exaltation is reminiscent of Lucifer's fall ( Isaiah 14:12-15) and the Tower of Babel ( Genesis 11:1-9), where human pride led to divine judgment. The vessels from His house were brought to you,
The vessels refer to the sacred items taken from the temple in Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1:2). Their use in a pagan feast symbolizes the desecration of what is holy. This act of sacrilege is a direct affront to God, showing a lack of reverence for the sacred. Historically, the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem and the looting of the temple were significant events, marking the beginning of the Jewish exile. and as you drank wine from them with your nobles, wives, and concubines,
The inclusion of nobles, wives, and concubines in this scene underscores the communal nature of the blasphemy. It reflects the opulence and moral decay of the Babylonian court. In ancient Near Eastern culture, such feasts were common, but using sacred vessels for a pagan celebration was a grave offense. This mirrors the moral decline seen in other biblical narratives, such as Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). you praised your gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone,
This phrase lists the materials of the idols worshiped by the Babylonians, highlighting their man-made nature. The futility of idol worship is a recurring theme in scripture (Isaiah 44:9-20). These materials, though valuable, are lifeless and powerless compared to the living God. The contrast between the true God and idols is stark, as seen in Elijah's challenge to the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:20-40). which cannot see or hear or understand.
This critique of idols emphasizes their impotence and inability to interact with the world. Unlike the living God, who is omniscient and omnipotent, idols are depicted as deaf, blind, and senseless. This echoes Psalm 115:4-8, which mocks the inability of idols to act or save. The biblical narrative consistently portrays God as actively involved in human affairs, unlike the inert idols. But you have failed to glorify the God who holds in His hand your very breath and all your ways.
This statement underscores God's sovereignty and the dependence of all life on Him. The imagery of God holding one's breath signifies His control over life and death, reminiscent of Genesis 2:7, where God breathes life into Adam. The failure to glorify God is a central sin, as humanity's purpose is to honor and reflect God's glory (Isaiah 43:7). This phrase serves as a reminder of the ultimate accountability to God, who governs all aspects of existence. Persons / Places / Events 1. BelshazzarThe king of Babylon during the time of this event. He is known for his pride and sacrilege, as he used the sacred vessels from the Jerusalem temple for a profane feast. 2. DanielA Jewish exile and prophet who interprets the writing on the wall for King Belshazzar. He is known for his wisdom and faithfulness to God. 3. BabylonThe city and empire where this event takes place. It was a center of power and idolatry during this period. 4. The Writing on the WallA miraculous event where mysterious writing appears on the wall during Belshazzar's feast, interpreted by Daniel as a message of judgment from God. 5. The Sacred VesselsItems taken from the temple in Jerusalem, used by Belshazzar in a blasphemous manner during his feast. Teaching Points The Danger of PrideBelshazzar's account is a cautionary tale about the dangers of pride and arrogance. Pride can lead us away from acknowledging God's sovereignty and result in our downfall. Respect for the SacredThe misuse of the temple vessels by Belshazzar highlights the importance of respecting what is holy. We should treat God's gifts and symbols with reverence. God's SovereigntyDespite human pride and rebellion, God's sovereignty is unchallenged. He holds the power to humble the proud and exalt the humble. The Importance of HumilityDaniel's role as a humble servant of God contrasts with Belshazzar's arrogance. Humility before God is essential for receiving His wisdom and guidance. Judgment and AccountabilityBelshazzar's judgment serves as a reminder that we are accountable to God for our actions. We must live with an awareness of His righteous standards. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Belshazzar's pride compare to that of Nebuchadnezzar, and what lessons can we learn from their accounts about the consequences of pride? 2. In what ways can we ensure that we are treating the sacred aspects of our faith with the respect they deserve? 3. How does the account of Belshazzar illustrate the truth of Proverbs 16:18, and how can we apply this principle in our daily lives? 4. What does Daniel's response to the writing on the wall teach us about the importance of humility and reliance on God for wisdom? 5. How can we live with a greater awareness of God's sovereignty and our accountability to Him in our personal and communal lives? Connections to Other Scriptures Daniel 4The pride and downfall of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar's predecessor, serves as a backdrop and warning for Belshazzar's own prideful actions. Proverbs 16:18This verse speaks to the theme of pride leading to destruction, which is evident in Belshazzar's account. Isaiah 47A prophecy against Babylon, highlighting its arrogance and eventual downfall, which aligns with the events in Daniel 5. People Babylonians, Belshazzar, Belteshazzar, Daniel, Darius, Micah, Nebuchadnezzar, PersiansPlaces Babylon, JerusalemTopics Brass, Breath, Bronze, Concubines, Consorts, Drank, Drinking, Drunk, Exalted, Glorified, Glory, Goblets, Gods, Gold, Hast, Hearing, Heaven, Heavens, Holds, Honor, Honored, Honoured, Iron, Life-breath, Lifted, Lifting, Lords, Nobles, Power, Praise, Praised, Seeing, Silver, Stone, Temple, Thyself, Understand, Vessels, Wine, Wives, Women, WoodDictionary of Bible Themes Daniel 5:23 1265 hand of God
4016 life, human
4312 bronze
4333 gold
4336 iron
4363 silver
4552 wood
5147 deafness
5326 government
5672 concubines
5870 greed, condemnation
5973 unreliability
6163 faults
8710 atheism
8804 pride, examples Daniel 5:17-28 1443 revelation, OT Daniel 5:22-23 4303 metals
8741 failure Daniel 5:22-28 5352 inscriptions Daniel 5:22-30 1310 God, as judge Daniel 5:22-31 5878 honour Library Mene, Tekel, Peres
'Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another: yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation. 18. O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: 19. And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureThe Scales of Judgment
There has never been a deed of persecution--there has never been a drop of martyr's blood shed yet, but shall be avenged, and every land guilty of it shall yet drink the cup of the wine of the wrath of God. And especially certain is there gathering an awful storm over the head of the empire of Rome--that spiritual despotism of the firstborn of hell. All the clouds of God's vengeance are gathering into one--the firmament is big with thunder, God's right arm is lifted up even now, and ere long the …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859 "So Then they that are in the Flesh Cannot Please God. "
Rom. viii. 8.--"So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." It is a kind of happiness to men, to please them upon whom they depend, and upon whose favour their well-being hangs. It is the servant's happiness to please his master, the courtier's to please his prince; and so generally, whosoever they be that are joined in mutual relations, and depend one upon another; that which makes all pleasant, is this, to please one another. Now, certainly, all the dependencies of creatures one upon …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Human Government.
Human governments a part of the moral government of God. In the discussion of this subject I will,-- I. Inquire into the ultimate end of God in creation. We have seen in former lectures, that God is a moral agent, the self-existent and supreme; and is therefore himself, as ruler of all, subject to, and observant of, moral law in all his conduct. That is, his own infinite intelligence must affirm that a certain course of willing is suitable, fit, and right in him. This idea, or affirmation, is law …
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology Eastern Wise-Men, or Magi, visit Jesus, the New-Born King.
(Jerusalem and Bethlehem, b.c. 4.) ^A Matt. II. 1-12. ^a 1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem [It lies five miles south by west of Jerusalem, a little to the east of the road to Hebron. It occupies part of the summit and sides of a narrow limestone ridge which shoots out eastward from the central chains of the Judæan mountains, and breaks down abruptly into deep valleys on the north, south, and east. Its old name, Ephrath, meant "the fruitful." Bethlehem means "house of bread." Its modern …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Messiah Unpitied, and Without a Comforter
Reproach [Rebuke] hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. T he greatness of suffering cannot be certainly estimated by the single consideration of the immediate, apparent cause; the impression it actually makes upon the mind of the sufferer, must likewise be taken into the account. That which is a heavy trial to one person, may be much lighter to another, and, perhaps, no trial at all. And a state …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1 Sovereignty of God in Administration
"The LORD hath prepared His Throne In the heavens; and His Kingdom ruleth over all" (Psa. 103:19). First, a word concerning the need for God to govern the material world. Suppose the opposite for a moment. For the sake of argument, let us say that God created the world, designed and fixed certain laws (which men term "the laws of Nature"), and that He then withdrew, leaving the world to its fortune and the out-working of these laws. In such a case, we should have a world over which there was no intelligent, …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God Jesus Sets Out from Judæa for Galilee.
Subdivision A. Reasons for Retiring to Galilee. ^A Matt. IV. 12; ^B Mark I. 14; ^C Luke III. 19, 20; ^D John IV. 1-4. ^c 19 but Herod the tetrarch [son of Herod the Great, and tetrarch, or governor, of Galilee], being reproved by him [that is, by John the Baptist] for Herodias his brother's wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done [A full account of the sin of Herod and persecution of John will be found at Matt. xiv. 1-12 and Mark vi. 14-29. John had spoken the truth to Herod as fearlessly …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Eternity of God
The next attribute is, God is eternal.' Psa 90:0. From everlasting to everlasting thou art God.' The schoolmen distinguish between aevun et aeternum, to explain the notion of eternity. There is a threefold being. I. Such as had a beginning; and shall have an end; as all sensitive creatures, the beasts, fowls, fishes, which at death are destroyed and return to dust; their being ends with their life. 2. Such as had a beginning, but shall have no end, as angels and the souls of men, which are eternal …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity That Upon the Conquest and Slaughter of vitellius Vespasian Hastened his Journey to Rome; but Titus his Son Returned to Jerusalem.
1. And now, when Vespasian had given answers to the embassages, and had disposed of the places of power justly, [25] and according to every one's deserts, he came to Antioch, and consulting which way he had best take, he preferred to go for Rome, rather than to march to Alexandria, because he saw that Alexandria was sure to him already, but that the affairs at Rome were put into disorder by Vitellius; so he sent Mucianus to Italy, and committed a considerable army both of horsemen and footmen to …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners Or, a Brief Relation of the Exceeding Mercy of God in Christ, to his Poor Servant, John Bunyan
In this my relation of the merciful working of God upon my soul, it will not be amiss, if in the first place, I do in a few words give you a hint of my pedigree, and manner of bringing up; that thereby the goodness and bounty of God towards me, may be the more advanced and magnified before the sons of men. 2. For my descent then, it was, as is well known by many, of a low and inconsiderable generation; my father's house being of that rank that is meanest, and most despised of all the families in …
John Bunyan—Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners There is a Blessedness in Reversion
Blessed are the poor in spirit. Matthew 5:3 Having done with the occasion, I come now to the sermon itself. Blessed are the poor in spirit'. Christ does not begin his Sermon on the Mount as the Law was delivered on the mount, with commands and threatenings, the trumpet sounding, the fire flaming, the earth quaking, and the hearts of the Israelites too for fear; but our Saviour (whose lips dropped as the honeycomb') begins with promises and blessings. So sweet and ravishing was the doctrine of this …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12 The Life and Death of Mr. Badman,
Presented to the World in a Familiar Dialogue Between Mr. Wiseman and Mr. Attentive. By John Bunyan ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. The life of Badman is a very interesting description, a true and lively portraiture, of the demoralized classes of the trading community in the reign of King Charles II; a subject which naturally led the author to use expressions familiar among such persons, but which are now either obsolete or considered as vulgar. In fact it is the only work proceeding from the prolific …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 The Harbinger
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD , make straight in the desert a high-way for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. T he general style of the prophecies is poetical. The inimitable simplicity which characterizes every …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1 The Greater Prophets.
1. We have already seen (Chap. 15, Nos. 11 and 12) that from Moses to Samuel the appearances of prophets were infrequent; that with Samuel and the prophetical school established by him there began a new era, in which the prophets were recognized as a distinct order of men in the Theocracy; and that the age of written prophecy did not begin till about the reign of Uzziah, some three centuries after Samuel. The Jewish division of the latter prophets--prophets in the more restricted sense of the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible Meditations Before Dinner and Supper.
Meditate that hunger is like the sickness called a wolf; which, if thou dost not feed, will devour thee, and eat thee up; and that meat and drink are but as physic, or means which God hath ordained, to relieve and cure this natural infirmity and necessity of man. Use, therefore, to eat and to drink, rather to sustain and refresh the weakness of nature, than to satisfy the sensuality and delights of the flesh. Eat, therefore, to live, but live not to eat. There is no service so base, as for a man …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Chorus of Angels
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour and glory, and blessing! I t was a good report which the queen of Sheba heard, in her own land, of the wisdom and glory of Solomon. It lessened her attachment to home, and prompted her to undertake a long journey to visit this greater King, of whom she had heard so much. She went, and she was not disappointed. Great as the expectations were, which she had formed from the relation made her by others, …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2 Daniel
Daniel is called a prophet in the New Testament (Matt. xxiv. 15). In the Hebrew Bible, however, the book called by his name appears not among the prophets, but among "the writings," between Esther and Ezra. The Greek version placed it between the major and the minor prophets, and this has determined its position in modern versions. The book is both like and unlike the prophetic books. It is like them in its passionate belief in the overruling Providence of God and in the sure consummation of His …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Daniel 5:23 NIVDaniel 5:23 NLTDaniel 5:23 ESVDaniel 5:23 NASBDaniel 5:23 KJV
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