BELSHAZZAR AND THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL
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5:1-4
King  Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with  them. While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in  the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the  temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his  concubines might drink from them. So they brought in the gold goblets that had  been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his  wives and his concubines drank from them. As they drank the wine, they  praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
We move ahead some years now, down to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar's grandson, Belshazzar. The Bible is often ridiculed when profane secular history doesn't seem to back it up. Such was the case concerning this man, Belshazzar, until the discovery of the Nabonidus Cylinder and other findings published by Raymond Daugherty.
 
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"The  Nabonidus Cylinder from Sippar is a  long text in which king Nabonidus of Babylonia (556-539 BC) describes how he repaired three temples: the sanctuary of the moon  god Sin in Harran ,  the sanctuary of the warrior goddess Anunitu in Sippar , and the  temple of Šamaš in Sippar. But it is most significant because it proves the  existence of a son named Belshezzar ,   who is mentioned in the Book of Daniel ." Wikipedia
May I "chase a rabbit" with you here for a moment? Secular history is often called "profane history" because historians write their works with a bias and have been known to get their facts mixed up ... and even to lie. However, the inspired Word of God is true and reliable in every detail. In fact, it has proved so reliable that I know of no unbiased modern scholar who seriously questions the historicity of the Bible. So, it is important to keep in mind that profane history doesn't corroborate the Bible ... rather, where applicable, the Bible corroborates profane history.
Coming back to our text,  Nabonidus and his son, Belshazzar, reigned together. They were one king away from  Nebuchadnezzar. Evil-Merodach had ruled before them. Both he and Nabonidus had  married daughters of Nebuchadnezzar. Nabonidus was gone a lot and his son, Belshazzar,  reigned in his absence. Apparently, it was during one of his absences that  Belshazzar got the bright idea of getting out the sacred gold and silver  goblets that his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the temple  at Jerusalem. He wanted to show them off and use them for eating and drinking purposes at  his party. To compound his transgression, as they drank, he and his guests began  to praise the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood  and stone as they partied. Now, keep in mind, that those vessels belonged  to the one and only true Lord God. They weren't the Jews' possessions ... they  were God's possessions. That's why I called them sacred. Belshazzar, and his  guests, were playing with fire but were too ignorant to know it. They would  shortly be educated, however.
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5:5-9
Suddenly     the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the     wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king     watched the hand as it wrote. His face turned pale and he was     so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way.     The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers and diviners to     be brought and said to these wise men of Babylon, 'Whoever reads     this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple     and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made     the third highest ruler in the kingdom.' Then all the king's wise     men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king     what it meant. So King Belshazzar became even more terrified     and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.
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One can only imagine the sudden change that  came over Belshazzar's banqueting hall when that hand appeared and began to  write on the wall! Doubtless, the noise ceased. The tinkle  and click of utensils stopped. The music stopped and the talking and laughter were replaced by silence.  Belshazzar himself turned stone sober and pale  and couldn't stand up ... for fear. Hebrews 10:31 comes to mind here, does it not?
It is  a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 
Belshazzar had stepped  over the line. He had been cocky and blasphemous. When his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, had  taken these sacred objects from God's temple at Jerusalem, he had stored them. His  grandson, under the influence of alcohol, did what his grandfather wouldn't have  dreamed of doing ... using these sacred vessels that had been dedicated to the  one true God (I Kings 6), for eating and drinking utensils and to toast dead,  lifeless idols.  Immediately, judgment on Belshazzar and his kingdom was pronounced. Then, it was just a matter  of carrying it out. The wise men were called in to decipher the words the hand  had written on the  wall, but none could do so.
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5:10-23
The     queen, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the     banquet hall. 'O king, live forever!' she said. 'Don't be alarmed!     Don't look so pale! There is a man in your kingdom who has the     spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was     found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the     gods. King Nebuchadnezzar your father�ｿｽ\your father the king, I     say�ｿｽ\appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers     and diviners. This man Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar,     was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and     also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve     difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell     you what the writing means.'
So Daniel was     brought before the king, and the king said to him, 'Are you     Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? I     have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have     insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom. The wise men and     enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me     what it means, but they could not explain it. Now I have heard that     you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult     problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means,     you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around     your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the     kingdom.'
Then Daniel        answered the king, 'You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else.        Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and        tell him what it means.
O        king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar        sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor.        Because of the high position he gave him, all the        peoples and nations and men of every language dreaded        and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death,        he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared;        those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he        wanted to humble, he humbled. But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed        from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.  He was driven away from people and given the mind of an        animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate        grass like cattle; and his body was drenched with the        dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most        High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets        over them anyone he wishes.
But        you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself,        though you knew all this. Instead, you have set        yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the        goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your        nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from        them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of        bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear        or understand. But you did not honor the God who        holds in his hand your life and all your ways.'
Word of this extraordinary event spread like wildfire throughout the palace. The Queen mother, Nitocris, Nebuchadnezzar's wife and Belshazzar's grandmother, rushed to the Hall. Her quick analysis and immediate advice was ... Call     for Daniel. Daniel was summoned and, when he arrived, he didn't mince      words. Belshazzar wanted an interpretation ... but he got a sermon.     Daniel struck at Belshazzar's pride, his neglect of the truth, his     sensuality and his idolatry. You knew what happened to your     grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar. How he was humbled. How he learned to     acknowledge that the Most High God is sovereign over the     kingdoms of men but you chose to ignore that great truth     and deliberately did not honor the God who holds in his     hand your life and all your ways.
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