18 As for you, O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness, glory and honor. 19 Because of the greatness that He bestowed on him, the people of every nation and language trembled in fear before him. He killed whom he wished and kept alive whom he wished; he exalted whom he wished and humbled whom he wished.

20 But when his heart became arrogant and his spirit was hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21 He was driven away from mankind, and his mind was like that of a beast. He lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like an ox, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he acknowledged that the Most High God rules over the kingdom of mankind, setting over it whom He wishes.

22 But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this. 23 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. 24 Therefore He sent the hand that wrote the inscription.
25 Now this is the inscription that was written:
MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.
26 And this is the interpretation of the message:
MENE means that God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
27 TEKEL means that you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.
28 PERES means that your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”

29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and proclaimed him the third highest ruler in the kingdom.

30 That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain, 31 and Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Vincent Chan

It’s hard to imagine what it would have been like to be the King of Babylon. Babylon was the greatest empire of its time—nations and kings literally bowed down to it. Its wealth was staggering, almost otherworldly. Its influence and power were on a scale that’s hard to grasp, even by today’s standards. And to be its king was to rule it all. A single word from your mouth could shape reality for those around you. Cities rose and fell at your command. The King of Babylon was, in earthly terms, all-powerful.

And yet, two kings of Babylon reached two very different endings.

King Nebuchadnezzar, for all his might, humbled himself. He came to recognize that there was a Most High God who ruled above him. And because of that, he was restored. He experienced mercy.

But how different the ending is for Belshazzar. As we reach the conclusion of this chapter, we see that Belshazzar never repented. The writing on the wall was God’s judgment: his days were numbered, his kingdom was divided, and his reign was coming to an end. Belshazzar is about to learn that his power was not absolute—it was given to him by God, and just as easily, it would be taken away. The chapter ends with a quiet but devastating sentence: the great Babylonian empire is handed over as Darius the Mede takes control.

Hebrews 9:27 reminds us: “People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” No matter who we are—whether kings or commoners—we will all one day stand before the judgment throne of God.

Have you turned to Jesus yet? At the start of His ministry, Jesus declared: “The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). That invitation still stands today.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vinno is one of our Assistant Ministers.