DANIEL 5
JUDGMENT
Application Guide
READ THE TEXT
DANIEL 5:1-6
1 King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine in their presence. 2 Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that his predecessor Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, wives, and concubines could drink from them. 3 So they brought in the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, wives, and concubines drank from them. 4 They drank the wine and praised their gods made of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
5 At that moment the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the king’s palace wall next to the lampstand. As the king watched the hand that was writing, 6 his face turned pale, and his thoughts so terrified him that he soiled himself and his knees knocked together.
DANIEL 5:13-17
13 Then Daniel was brought before the king. The king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the Judean exiles that my predecessor the king brought from Judah? 14 I’ve heard that you have a spirit of the gods in you, and that insight, intelligence, and extraordinary wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men and mediums were brought before me to read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not give its interpretation. 16 However, I have heard about you that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Therefore, if you can read this inscription and give me its interpretation, you will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain around your neck, and have the third highest position in the kingdom.”
17 Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts and give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription for the king and make the interpretation known to him.
DANIEL 5:23-31
23 “…you have exalted yourself against the Lord of the heavens. The vessels from his house were brought to you, and as you and your nobles, wives, and concubines drank wine from them, you praised the gods made of silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or understand. But you have not glorified the God who holds your life-breath in his hand and who controls the whole course of your life. 24 Therefore, he sent the hand, and this writing was inscribed.
25 “This is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the message:
‘Mene’ means that God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end.
27 ‘Tekel’ means that you have been weighed on the balance and found deficient.
28 ‘Peres’ means that your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
29 Then Belshazzar gave an order, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans was killed, 31 and Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
In general, was there anything that stood out to you from the sermon or the reading of the text? Was there anything you were encouraged or confused by?
Daniel refused to be influenced by the promise of position and wealth from Belshazzar. What are some ways that you find yourself tempted to compromise on God’s truth for the sake of position, comfort, or acceptance?
Daniel warned the king because he “did not glorify the God who held his very life-breath in His hand and who controlled the course of his whole life”. When you reflect on this truth over your life, do you actually believe it to be true? What are some ways your actions betray your belief of this truth?
When you hear that God controls the entire course of your life, what does this cause you to feel?
How was the gospel and the work of Jesus magnified through the text or sermon?
Is there anything the Spirit is calling you to obey as an individual or as a group?