Daniel 5
From King Belshazzar's Chronicles
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As is the custom of kings, I gave a banquet for a thousand of my nobles. I ordered barrels of the finest wine and plenty of the richest foods in the kingdom.
Years ago my father, King Nebuchadnezzar, invaded and conquered the Jews living in Judah. Slaves by the thousands were brought here, to Babylon, along with chariots full of plunder taken from their great city, Jerusalem.
Buried in my treasury were some of the finest pieces of gold and silver goblets I have ever seen. The Jews certainly have excellent craftsmen. I was told these pieces came from the temple for their God.
We had an exquisite gold or silver goblet for each nobleman's place setting. The table looked magnificent.
We drank wine and ate, and drank more wine, praising the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone. We laughed and drank some more.
Suddenly I saw fingers of a human hand appear. They were much larger than life. The fingers wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lamp stand in the royal palace for all of us to see.
I couldn't tear my eyes away from what the hand was doing. Even knowing I had drink inside me, seeing the hand with no body and writing on the wall frightened me. My knees knocked together and my legs gave away. My servants ran to my side to help me stand.
"Quick!" I could barely speak. "Get the enchanters, astrologers, and diviners here at once."
Several guards ran out of the room while my servants helped me to my chair. "Hand me my goblet." I drank some more, but it didn't calm me any. Surely it was just the drink playing with my mind. By the time the guards left, the hand had vanished.
Seeing the hand vanish unnerved me as much as it's first appearance. What was happening? Did everyone else see the same thing? Surely they did because all the nobles gasped when I did. No I am not going crazy.
The guards escorted the enchanters, astrologers, and diviners into the banquet hall moments later. "Come," I ordered, waving them forward.
They approached my chair. "Look at the wall." I pointed to the writing. Their eyes widened. Good. At least they could see the writing as well.
"Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck. He will also be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom."
I expected these rewards to pry one of them to tell me the meaning. They all walked to the wall and stroked their beards.
I leaned forward, waiting to hear the interpretation.
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1. Who was King Belshazzar's father?
2. What things had his father taken from Jerusalem?
3. What special place in Jerusalem did these thing belong?
4. What did he do with them?
5. Why did the people praise the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone?
6. What frightened King Belshazzar?
7. What did he offer to have someone tell him what it meant?
8. Do you think any of these men can give him the answer?
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