Daniel 5:1-13 Knocking Knees
Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Belshazzar, has taken the throne. He disrespects God in a MIGHTY way! When God responds to this it leaves his knees knocking.
I have heard about this story as a child but I think this may be the first time I have actually LOOKED at it (maybe even read it). I’m looking forward to reading the rest of it, but for today, we get to look at the king’s behavior and changes since Nebuchadnezzar sat on the throne.
We are not told how long Belshazzar was on the throne before this happened. What we do know is that Daniel is no longer second in the kingdom. Belshazzar isn’t even familiar with Daniel, but the queen is.
This story begins with an OH NO event, in my book anyway. Belshazzar calls for all the cups and vessels to be brought out of the treasury that were taken from the Temple in Jerusalem when it fell. These items had been locked in storage. They were not set up in the house of the gods for worship or used for anything. They were safely locked away; out of sight out of mind.
King Belshazzar wasn’t content to leave it there. I believe he wanted to show off in front of the lords he had invited to dinner. What better way (he thinks) than to profane the God of the people who had been conquered and whom his father respected. Was it because his father turned to Israel’s God that he did this? Did he REALLY think this was a ‘good’ idea to make up for a lack of his own supplies? I DO NOT believe his motives were good.
God didn’t strike him dead or poison the drinks everyone was receiving from HIS vessels. In the Indiana Jones movie, The Last Crusade, one of the seekers of the holy grail dies when he chooses wrong. That’s not what God did here. But the king was NOT going to miss what God would do.
The room is set with the king being the center of everyone’s attention. All eyes are turned towards him. He has ordered the vessels of the Lord to be distributed throughout the room; especially to his ‘family’. Even his concubines receive a vessel from God’s Temple to drink from. NONE of this drinking is done to honor God. Instead, the people praise the ‘gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone” (verse 4b). There is great merriment going on in the room!
All of a sudden, a hand appears out of nowhere and begins writing on the wall. There is NO body attached to it. The king is the only one who is turned to view this event unobstructed. And this even TERRIFIES him! “Then the king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together” (verse 6).
The king can’t read what is written on the wall but he KNOWS it is important. He calls for those he believes can read and interpret it for him. He is so anxious to know what it says that he offers to put whomever reads it to him will be made third in his kingdom. (Daniel was made second under Nebuchadnezzar.)
It’s a wonder that the magicians didn’t come up with a false message to please the king. Instead, they stood there as dumbfounded as the king. They didn’t know what it said and they aren’t willing to make something up and hope it passes the king’s approval.
The queen steps in. She was in the banquet with the king and probably very close at his side. She most likely would have seen the hand while it was writing. She doesn’t freak out. She remembers Daniel and how helpful he was to King Nebuchadnezzar.
When the queen suggest Daniel interpret the handwriting, she gives Belshazzar the reason Daniel can do this and supporting testimony. She doesn’t say “who the king believed has the Spirit of the Holy God in him”, she stated it as a fact that SHE knew Daniel had the Spirit of God at work in him. She knew of Nebuchadnezzar’s raising Daniel up and trusting in his wisdom. She had faith that Daniel would be able to interpret the inscription. “Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation” (verse 12b). There was NO DOUBT in the queen’s mind about Daniel being able to solve this mystery for the king.
We will see what Daniel has to say tomorrow. Stay tuned for the next part of the story.
Having a parent who honors and fears God does NOT mean that the child will follow suit. But God ALWAYS has someone who will share His story when the need arises. I won’t call the queen a follower of God, but she was familiar with the hand of God because she had seen it in action through the king’s father. The king may not have been paying attention but the queen was. Which means she was ‘hand-picked’ by God for this day in the king’s life. I’m curious to know what happens to her after this story.
One last thing that this story tells us is that God is paying attention to our actions. NOTHING we do is hidden from Him. And when the need arises, He steps in to deal with those actions.
Father God, I’m sorry for the disrespect You suffered that day. I KNEW as soon as I read what they were doing that there was judgment coming. You care about my actions too. I PRAY I NEVER disrespect You. If I have in the past, which is a good possibility, please forgive me. Thank You for that forgiveness.
Let me be one who steps forward and tells of Your wonders when others are in need of finding the right direction or instructions. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I KNOW You do. Let me point to You ALWAYS in everything I do and say.
