06/03/2026
The Exilic Prophecies
Lesson 4
Daniel 4 – 5
Introduction
Last week Nebuchadnezzar decreed that everyone should worship the statue he made, but Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused. They were thrown into a furnace of fire, and God saved them. Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream that he would lose the kingdom and live among the animals until he learns that God is sovereign. Both incidences caused Nebuchadnezzar to praise God as the sovereign God.
Tonight we will begin with a prophecy from Jeremiah: “Now I have given all these lands into the hand of King of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him even the wild animals of the field to serve him. All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave. But if any nation or kingdom will not serve this king, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, then I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, says the LORD, until I have completed its destruction by his hand (Jer. 27:6-8).”
I. What actions caused the writing on the wall?
a) King Belshazzar, the son of King Nebuchadnezzar (as prophesied by Jeremiah) has a feast for this nobles/court. Being drunk, Belshazzar commanded that the vessels from the temple in Jerusalem be brought so that they might drink wine from them. “So they brought in the vessels of gold and silver that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone (Dan. 5:3-4).”
b) These vessels were taken from the temple and brought to Babylon because God allowed it (Jer. 27:22), but these vessels were still holy unto God. Solomon had dedicated these vessels to God to be used for the worship of God alone (1 Ki. 8:411; 14-21). Any use of these vessels other than the worship of God is idolatry.
c) In their drunkenness and revelry, a hand appeared and began writing on the wall in a language that the Babylonians could not understand. The King became terrified and called for his enchanters and diviners to read and interpret what was written, but they could not. “Then King Belshazzar became greatly terrified and his face turned pale, and his lords were perplexed (Dan. 5:9).” The Queen reminded him that there was a man named Daniel who had interpreted dreams for his father; and she suggested that he be called to read and interpret the writing on the wall (Dan. 5:10-12).
II. What was the interpretation of the writing?
a) King Belshazzar had promised that whoever could interpret the writing would be clothed in purple, have a gold chain around his neck and be ranked 3rd in the kingdom. However, when Daniel was brought before the king, he told the king to give those rewards to someone else. Daniel reminded King Belshazzar that God had given his father the kingdom, but when he became arrogant, he lost his kingdom until he learned that God was sovereign; and that the king knew what had happened to his father (Dan. 5:17-22).
b) “So from his presence the hand was sent and this writing was inscribed. And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN (Dan. 5:24-25).” Mene: God has numbered the days of his kingdom and brought them to an end. Tekel: he has been weighted on God’s scale and found wanting. Parisn: his kingdom will be divided between the Medes and the Persians (Dan. 5:26-27).
c) “That very night Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old (Dan. 5:30-31).”
III. Why was Daniel thrown into the lion’s den?
a) Daniel was placed in King Darius’ administration and was given a high position over other administrators; and Daniel distinguished himself because of the spirit within him, and because of this, the king planned to appoint Daniel over the whole kingdom. This caused jealousy among the other administrators, and they sought some complaint that they could bring before Darius but could find none (Dan. 6:1-4). So, they convinced the king to issue the following decree: “that whoever prays to anyone, divine or human, for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into a den of lions (Dan. 6:7).”
b) Daniel knew the seriousness of the decree but continued to pray to God. His conspirators told the king that Daniel had violated the decree. The king tried to save Daniel, but his conspirators insisted the decree be enforced, so the king ordered that Daniel be thrown into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you faithfully serve, deliver you (Dan. 6:16).”
c) After sealing the den with his own ring, the king was sleepless all night. At dawn he hurried to the den and called out to Daniel to ask if he had been delivered? Daniel responded that God had sent and angel to lock the lion’s mouths. Those who had conspired against Daniel were killed; they and their families; and the king issued a new decree praising Daniel’s God (Dan. 6:19-28).
Next Week: (June 17) Daniel 7 - 8
Questions for the week:
1. What is the vision of the four beasts?
2. What is the interpretation of the vision of the four beasts?
3. What was Gabriel’s interpretation of Daniel’s dream?
