Dei Break
Daniel 5:1 – 31
Three descendants held the title of King in Babylon between Nebuchadnezzar's death and the reign of his son, Nabonidus. Nabonidus had murdered his young nephew in order to claim the throne, becoming the last king of Babylon. These four ruled successively over only six years, due to the internal deterioration consuming their nation.
Belshazzar, who suddenly appears and disappears in chapter 5, was Nabonidus' son and grandson of Nebuchadnezzar; however, grandsons or even great-grandsons often referred to their predecessors as "father".
Nabonidus appointed his son as co-regent to rule in the capital during the king's ten-year residence in an area of the Arabian Peninsula. That explains why Belshazzar could offer only the "third" place of rule in the kingdom instead of the second as reward to the successful interpreter of the writing etched on the wall by a supernatural hand. Some archaeologists have found evidence that the king's absence from the city was part of his effort to switch to a different god, the Moon god, and away from Marduk.
As improbable as it may seem for an ancient ruler to be entertaining a thousand guests in one room, archaeologists have unearthed a plastered hall in Babylon measuring 55' by 165', more than large enough to handle the party.
Belshazzar's actions were an arrogant defiance of Israel's God. Guests were using golden vessels looted from the Jerusalem temple to offer honor to their own gods. The kinglet may have intended the gathering to show honor to his gods, defiance to the true God, and defiance to the Persians who were already laying siege to the capital, but instead his actions brought terror to the party.
After Daniel's interpretation of the words on the wall, the Persians took the city and killed Belshazzar. The Persians entered the supposedly unconquerable city by diverting the flow of a river passing under the walls and through the city. That lowered the water level and the soldiers waded through the shallow water left in the entrance tunnel. They took control of the besieged city without a fight on October 12, 539 b.c.
Belshazzar learned a lesson that our world still denies—that God is sovereign over all kings and kingdoms. Whether they recognize Him or not, they are under His control and judged by His law.
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