When The Writing Is On The Wall

Daniel is replete with numerous cultural references that remain with us today, whether we realize it or not. One prominent example is the idiom “the writing is on the wall”, referring to a clear warning or a sign that something unpleasant or unfortunate is about to happen. In chapter 4, we saw the humbling of the the pride of Nebuchadnezzar; in Chapter 5, we see the destruction of the pride of King Belshazzar.

The year is now 539 BC and Daniel is over 80 years old. After Nebuchadnezzar’s dominant 43 year reign, a king named Nabonidus and his son Belshazzar are ruling as co-regents. In this account, we see a tale as old as time - a spoiled rich kid throws a massive drinking party while dad is out of town. However, this party is not merely debaucherous, but blasphemous and Belshazzar crosses the line when he brings in the temple vessels taken from Jerusalem to flaunt them before his guests and toasts to the name of the man-made gods of Babylon.

What happens when the sacred is profaned? According to the prophetic sociologist Philip Rieff, “No culture has ever preserved itself where it is not a registration of sacred order.” Belshazzar’s act constitutes what Rieff termed a “deathwork”, which refers to the act of using the sacred symbols of a previous era in order to subvert, and then destroy, their original significance and purpose. When the sacred is rejected, cultural and personal destruction ensues. This is the epitome of arrogance and defiance of pride. If Nebuchadnezzar showed us how to deal with pride, Belshazzar shows us how pride ultimately deals with us.