We now come to the end of the Babylonian empire in this chapter as Daniel had prophesied in chapters 2, 7, and 8.
Belshazzar, the co-regent of Nabonidus, was reigning in Babylon at the time, and was holding a party while his city was under siege by the Medes and Persians.
Why were the Babylonians partying? Basically they were so confident in their defenses, that they thought they were invincible.
Little did they know that the Medo-Persian army had diverted the Euphrates river that flowed through the city and had thus created a path for themselves through the river gates.
Belshazzar, totally ignorant of this, was partying with the rest of his court. In his arrogance, he took the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem, and used them to worship his own gods.
At that point, he suddenly saw a hand writing on the wall of the banquet room. (Yes, this is where we get the phrase, “see the handwriting on the wall,” from.)
Upon seeing this, Belshazzar was terrified and called for his wise men to interpret it, but none could. At this point, Belshazzar’s mother heard the commotion, and suggested that they call in Daniel.
When Daniel came in, Belshazzar asked him to interpret it, offering him the third highest position in the empire (after Nabonidus and himself) if he could do so.
Daniel rejected the offer, but did say he would interpret the writing.
He recounted to Belshazzar the history of Nebuchadnezzar and how God had raised him up, but also humbled him until he recognized God as sovereign over all.
“You knew all this, Belshazzar,” accused Daniel.
“And yet, you did not humble yourself before God. Rather you set yourself up against him by using the goblets from his temple to worship your own gods. You failed to honor him, though he holds your life and all your ways in his hand.
So now he says this:
“Mene (meaning numbered) — Your days as king are numbered and have now come to an end.
“Tekel (meaning weighted) — You have been weighed on the scales and been found wanting.
“Peres (meaning divided) — Your kingdom has been divided and now your kingdom will be given to the Medes and Persians.” (Daniel 5:26-28)
Belshazzar’s reign did come to an end that night, and though he gave Daniel what he had promised, Daniel’s new position lasted all but a few hours.
What can we learn from this?
As with Belshazzar, our days are numbered. We will only be on this earth for a short time. And at the end of this time, our life will be weighed.
God will hold us accountable for what we have done on this earth. And if we are found wanting, we will lose everything.
If you’re not a Christian, this means that if, as with Belshazzar, you refuse to humble yourself before God and honor him in your life, namely, if you reject Jesus as Lord of your life, refusing to believe in his work on the cross, you will be condemned for all eternity.
As John wrote,
Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (I John 5:10-12)
For the Christian, it would be well to remember that God will hold us accountable for how we live as well. Paul wrote,
But each one should be careful how he builds [upon the life God has given us].
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.
It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.
If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)
So let us pray each day as Moses did,
The length of our days is seventy years– or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away…
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:10,12)
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 