The Book of Daniel, Mama is called but Daniel Delivers, Daniel 5:5-16 - Lesson 23

Today we again enter our study of chapter five of the book of Daniel to witness the events of the great banquet that the young King Belshazzar is enjoying in the halls of his palace.

It is obvious that this king has not learned the lesson of his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar, who after being humbled for a seven year period, came to know in a personal way, the Mighty God of Daniel.

And because of this lack the kingdom of Babylon was under the judgment of God for it, as a nation, had not functioned as God willed it to function.

It’s season was about to come to an end for God chose to pronounce his verdict against Babylon at this great gathering.

The message was to Belshazzar who had failed to heed the history and the lessons of the past and because of this deficit he was to suffer death that very night.

He is without excuse for God had provided much light to Belshazzar through the personal testimony of his grandfather.

But this king had chosen to ignore this light, instead going on his own path, the same path that his grandfather had gone on which was the path of pride.

I’m sure his history of governance was not good before God and this feast, with its use of the sacred temple vessels, was the capstone of his sin against the Most High God.

He has filled his thousand princes with wine and the room is noisy with praises and the toasting of wine to the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

But the merriment is not to continue for God chose to intervene in the festivities and because of God’s intervention everything changed in a moment of time.

All eyes are focused on Belshazzar as his countenance changes, accompanied by his quivering body shaking in such as way as to cause fear to all who witness the scene.

Daniel 5:5-9,  In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.  Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.  The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers (sooth means pleasing delighful, soothing, soft or sweet). And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.  Then came in all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.  Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied. (To be perplexed, to be astonished)

The hall is hushed; all merriment ceases.

The power of the wine is overcome by the scene before the guests.

A hand with it’s fingers eerily move on the wall and write out a message of doom.

There is no joy in the sight, for all know that this is not an acceptance of their praise to the gods, but a message from some unseen God, not a welcome message, certainly not a message of glad tidings.

The tables have turned, for instead of the king seeing others cower in humility before him, seeing others standing in fear and trembling before him, he is now the one to tremble.

Is the king having a heart attack?

His eyes bulge out with fear, his face has paled, and he appears to be gripped by terror.

It is not the wine which hinders him, but all control is lost as his shaking knees lose their ability to support him.

The king’s eyes and all his princes turn to the wall to see the hand writing out its message.

There is no understanding of its brief content, only an understanding that its message is not good, somehow it is a message to fear.

The king cries out for help.

Summon the wise men, call for the soothsayers, bring the Chaldeans who will reveal this writing to the king and soothe his heart.

Of course he offers great reward for such soothing, that of being clothed in scarlet, that of wearing a gold chain necklace and that of becoming the third ruler of the kingdom.

But as in the days of Nebuchadnezzar no help was found in the so-called wise men.

They too were astounded and could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.

Daniel 5:10-12,  Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:  There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.

What do to, what to do to banish the kings fear?

Do what Belshazzar had always done I suppose, call Mama.

She will get me out of this predicament.

Why wasn’t the first ruler called, why wasn’t Nabonidus called?

Perhaps he was elsewhere, we do not know, but we are only told that Mama was called.

Was Belshazzar a Mama’s boy?

In my childhood days names like this were used a lot by children but today the use of names to bring shame, which usually caused a change of behavior, seems to be shunned.

I guess it is not politically correct but it used to be quite effective between children for children are sometimes brutally honest and have not as yet been taught to be deceptive in their speech as adults are so very adept.

Shame used to be a powerful thing bringing much change of behavior but today shame has lost its strength and there seems to be no shame for anything these days.

So now there are many Mama’s boys who have grown into adults and still are Mama’s boys, if you know what I mean.

Now here in this passage Mama is called the queen but most likely she was Belshazzar’s mother.

We were told in verse two that his wives were at the feast so we can conclude that the woman that was called was his mother.

She had not been invited for no man invites his mother to a drunken orgy.

She comes quickly when her boy calls and tries to calm her son with soothing words, ¹

As with most mothers she has a solution.

Most mothers do, you know! and I suppose that is why children go to their mother when they are hurt.

She does have a solution and that solution is named Daniel.

Its been years since Daniel dealt with Nebuchadnezzar and we have no information as to his involvement with kings since Nebuchadnezzar’s passing.

But she knew fully of his success in dealing with such matters and she presses her son to engage him in providing a solution to this dilemma.

Daniel was the one man who could decipher the handwriting on the wall for in him she said, dwelt the spirit of the holy gods and possessed light and understanding and wisdom.

It seemed she knew quite well the testimony of Daniel.

Her husband was Nebuchadnezzar’s son and her account of his accomplishments were filled with details that convinced Belshazzar to bring forth this Daniel.

There is no indication on her part that she was a believer, for she uses general terms in her references to Daniel’s god as being simply one of the many gods but a very powerful and revealing God.

She refers to his wisdom as only coming from the gods.

There are no words like Nebuchadnezzar’s words which declared the sovereignty of God.

But she is the only one to provide a possible solution to the king’ perplexity. Mother knows best!

So the call goes out for Daniel who, as we said last week, is probably in his sixties, probably already in bed.

But when the king calls as of old, Daniel responds!

Daniel 5:13-16,  Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry? ¹⁴I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. ¹⁵And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not show the interpretation of the thing: ¹⁶And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.

Again Daniel hears the old story.

He hears of the uselessness of the wise men, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers.

This bureaucracy of Babylon continues, a typical government program that has outlived its usefulness.

But there are some things that cannot be solved by men.

It has been many years since Daniel was called to do what these men had been unable to do and they were still on the payroll.

I suppose that in all these years they continued to tell the kings what they wanted to hear.

Soothsayers predict the future but most times they predict a comfortable future, otherwise they lose their position.

They simply tell the king good things to provide soothing.

You have probably seen some of these modern soothsayers on television who claim to be able to talk to the dead.

Their message to the living from their departed loved ones is always of good things, healing things, comfortable things, things that provide soothing.

But this time they again were dumbfounded and had no soothing answer.

So Daniel was called and the king satisfied himself that this was the very man of whom his mother spoke.

He satisfied himself as to Daniel’s credentials as being adequate to perform such a task for the king knew that the message was all important to know.

But one thing the king should have known was that Daniel was no soothsayer for Daniel only spoke the truth for he was an agent of the Most High God.

His message was to be the truth and the truth on many occasions is not soothing but sometimes terrible, dreadful and on this occasion it was a portent of doom.

But whatever the message there would be great reward.

To the man so capable would go the royal clothing, the golden necklace and the position of third ruler in the kingdom.