BELSHAZZAR was the last King of the Chaldeans, and though he little
suspected that this was the last Feast he would ever make, the time had
suddenly come when his proud reign was ended, and his enemies would be
victorious.
But all this was among the hidden things of the very next day. It is
only God who knows the end from the beginning, unless He makes it known
to His own servants, who serve and love Him.
So it came to pass that Belshazzar made a great Feast to a thousand of
his lords, and he drank wine before his lords.
While he was drinking the wine, he thought that he would show off some
of the Holy Vessels, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from God's Temple
at Jerusalem.
And Belshazzar knew very well that these Vessels had been made entirely
for the Service of the Great God, the King of the whole earth.
But knowing this, he went on in his profane determination to have the
Vessels brought into the feast; and he and his princes, and his wives
and concubines, drank wine in them, and praised their gods of gold, and
of silver, and of brass, and iron, of wood and of stone.
But there fell a sudden hush on the great assembly, for without the
slightest warning, there appeared the fingers of a man's hand which
were writing on the plaster of the Wall, just above the candlestick of
the King's Palace; and the King saw the part of the hand that wrote.
[Illustration: THE WRITING ON THE WALL.]
Then his face grew white with fear, and his knees trembled and smote
one against another, for he could not control his terror.
So he called aloud to fetch the soothsayers, and promised, that if any
one could tell him the meaning, he should be clothed in purple, and
have a chain of gold, and be made the third ruler in the Kingdom.
Then all the wise men hurried in, but they could not read the writing,
nor give the interpretation.
[Illustration: Belshazzar commanded his servants to clothe Daniel in
scarlet.]
Belshazzar was very frightened. Then the Queen hastened into the
Banqueting Hall, and told him not to be frightened, as there was one
man in his Kingdom who could tell dark sayings, and in whom there was
the spirit which, she supposed, could only come from the gods.
She little knew that this man of whom she spoke, loved and served the
only True and Great God, who lives in Heaven.
So Daniel was brought in before the King, and Belshazzar asked him
if he were one of the Captives whom Nebuchadnezzar had brought from
Jerusalem? And the King hurried on to tell him of all the gifts which
he should receive, if he could tell him the meaning of the writing.
Then Daniel answered before the King: "Let thy gifts be to thyself, and
give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the King,
and make known the interpretation."
Then Daniel went on to explain to the King that the God who lived in
heaven had given Nebuchadnezzar a Kingdom and majesty: but when his
heart was lifted up with pride, he was deposed from his throne, and he
had to live with the wild beasts, till he knew that the most high God
ruled in the Kingdom of men, and gave it to whomsoever He willed.
And then Daniel went on to say that Belshazzar had not humbled his
heart, but had lifted up himself against the Lord of heaven, and had
even taken His holy vessels to be used at the feast, and had praised
the gods of silver and gold "which see not, nor hear, nor know." And
Daniel added these solemn words: "And the God in whose hand thy breath
is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified."
Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was
written.