Commentary - Daniel 5:13-16

Bird's-eye view

In this passage, we are brought into the throne room of a terrified king. Belshazzar's knees are knocking together, not because of a foreign army at the gates, but because of the finger of God writing on his wall. The world's wisdom has failed him utterly; his magicians and conjurers are as useless as screen doors on a submarine. And so, in desperation, he calls for the man his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had learned to respect, the man who had been largely forgotten in the intervening years of arrogant decadence. This scene is a stark illustration of the fundamental theme of Daniel: the God of Israel is the sovereign ruler over all the kingdoms of men, and He gives them to whomever He will. Earthly power is a fleeting thing, a vapor, and the proud rulers who think they have built their own kingdoms are standing on a trap door. God is about to pull the lever.

The interaction between Belshazzar and Daniel is a study in contrasts. We see the worldly king, dripping with fear but still puffed up with his own importance, attempting to deal with God's prophet on his own terms. He offers Daniel the typical baubles of a pagan court: purple robes, gold chains, and a promotion. He treats the interpretation of God's judgment as a transaction, a service to be purchased. Daniel, on the other hand, stands as a representative of another kingdom entirely. He is not impressed by the king's bling or his offer of power. His wisdom is not for sale. This confrontation sets the stage for the pronouncement of judgment, reminding us that the City of Man, for all its drunken revelry and golden cups, is always and ever accountable to the King of Heaven.

Outline

Context In Daniel

Chapter 5 of Daniel is a pivotal moment. The book has already established the pattern: the great pagan empire of Babylon, personified in its king, comes to the end of its rope. Nebuchadnezzar had his encounters with the God of Israel, culminating in a period of madness that taught him humility (Daniel 4). But lessons learned by the father are often forgotten by the son, or in this case, the grandson. Belshazzar represents the apex of arrogant, blasphemous rule. He is not just ignoring God; he is actively mocking Him by drinking wine from the sacred vessels looted from the Temple in Jerusalem. This is a high-handed sin, a deliberate act of contempt.

God's response is immediate and terrifying. The writing on the wall is a divine interruption, a direct message from the heavenly court to the earthly one. The failure of Belshazzar's wise men echoes the earlier failure of Nebuchadnezzar's advisors in chapter 2. Human wisdom, astrology, and magic are shown to be utterly bankrupt when faced with the revelation of God. This recurring theme serves to exalt the wisdom that comes from God alone, a wisdom embodied in His servant Daniel. Daniel's re-emergence here, after being apparently sidelined, shows that God always has His man ready for the appointed time. The stage is set for the fall of Babylon, an event that will pave the way for the next phase of God's redemptive plan.

Verse by Verse Commentary

Daniel 5:13

Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the exiles from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah?”

So the old prophet is brought in. Notice the king's opening line. It is dripping with condescension. "Are you that Daniel?" He identifies Daniel not by his renowned wisdom, not by his history of faithful service, but by his status as a captive. "One of the exiles from Judah." This is the world's way of thinking. It defines people by their earthly station, their origin, their social standing. To Belshazzar, Daniel is just a piece of plunder that his grandfather, whom he calls "my father," had hauled back from a conquered territory. The king is trying to establish the pecking order from the outset. He is the king; Daniel is the exile. He is in charge; Daniel is the subject. But the man standing before him is not just an exile. He is a prophet of the Most High God, the ambassador of the true King, and it is Belshazzar who is about to be put in his place. This is the constant clash we see in Scripture: the kingdom of man, with all its pomp and posturing, versus the unshakeable kingdom of God.

Daniel 5:14

Now I have heard about you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight, and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you.

Having put Daniel in his place (or so he thinks), Belshazzar now acknowledges why he has summoned him. He has heard the reports. Here is a pagan king, a blasphemer, admitting that there is a spiritual reality and power in Daniel that is beyond the natural. He uses pagan terminology, of course: "a spirit of the gods." He doesn't know Yahweh, but he recognizes the effects of Yahweh's Spirit. He sees the fruit: illumination, insight, extraordinary wisdom. The world can often recognize the genuine article, even if they mislabel the source. They see a life, a wisdom, a peace that their own systems cannot produce. But notice the tragic disconnect. Belshazzar acknowledges the supernatural power in Daniel, yet he has just been toasting his own false gods with the sacred vessels of the true God. He sees the evidence of God's power in the prophet, but he does not connect it to the God he is defying. This is the essence of a reprobate mind. It can see the truth, acknowledge it on a superficial level, but refuse to bow before it.

Daniel 5:15

Just now the wise men and the conjurers were brought in before me that they might read this writing and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not declare the interpretation of the message.

Here is the admission of failure. The entire brain trust of the Babylonian empire has been summoned, and they are stumped. The wise men, the conjurers, the whole sorry lot. This is a public declaration of the bankruptcy of pagan wisdom. All their accumulated knowledge, all their occultic arts, all their impressive titles, and they cannot even read the handwriting of God. God has written in a language they cannot comprehend. This is always the case. "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). Belshazzar's court is a living embodiment of this truth. Their failure is not just an intellectual shortcoming; it is a spiritual blindness. God has designed it this way to show that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with Him. He is clearing the stage of all the pretenders before He brings on His true servant.

Daniel 5:16

But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Now if you are able to read the writing and make its interpretation known to me, you will be clothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will rule with power as the third ruler in the kingdom.

The king concludes with a business proposition. "I've heard you're the man for the job. You can solve difficult problems." And then comes the offer, the quid pro quo. "If you deliver the goods, I'll make you rich and powerful." Purple robes were a sign of royalty, incredibly expensive. A gold necklace was a mark of high honor. And the position of third ruler was a significant promotion, likely because Belshazzar was co-regent with his father Nabonidus, making this the highest available spot. Belshazzar is operating entirely within his materialistic, transactional worldview. He thinks God's wisdom can be bought. He thinks God's prophet can be motivated by the same trinkets that motivate his own courtiers. He has no category for a man who serves God for God's own sake. This offer reveals just how spiritually clueless the king is. He is trying to bribe the messenger who is about to deliver his death warrant. He is offering earthly glory to a man who serves the King of heavenly glory. As we will see, Daniel is not impressed. The man who has stood before the Ancient of Days in visions is not going to be dazzled by a purple robe.

Application

This scene is a powerful reminder for the church in every age. We live as exiles in a modern Babylon, a culture that is often drunk on its own arrogance and contemptuous of the things of God. Like Belshazzar, our ruling elites often define us by our perceived marginalization, seeing us as quaint relics of a bygone era. They may even acknowledge a certain "spirituality" or "wisdom" in us when it serves their purposes, but they fundamentally misunderstand its source and its authority.

When crisis hits, when the handwriting appears on their wall, the world's wise men will always be found wanting. Their philosophies, their technologies, their political solutions will fail them. And in those moments, they may turn to the people of God, not out of repentance, but out of sheer desperation. They will want our solutions, but they will want them on their terms. They will try to buy our wisdom, to co-opt our message, to offer us a seat at their table in exchange for a message that is palatable to them.

Our response must be that of Daniel. We must not be impressed by the purple robes and gold chains of worldly acceptance. Our loyalty is to another King, and our reward comes from Him. We are called to speak the truth of God, whether it is a message of salvation or a message of judgment, without fear or favor. We must remember that the seemingly all-powerful kingdoms of this world are temporary. They are weighed in the balances of God, and many are found wanting. Our task is to be faithful witnesses to the unshakable kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, the stone cut without hands who will one day fill the whole earth.