Part One
Daniel 5:1–12
King Cyrus and his Persian army had surrounded Babylon. But Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was holding a great feast in honor of his god. “Bring the gold and silver cups from Solomon’s temple,” Belshazzar commanded. The Babylonians praised their false gods. Mean-while, they drank from the holy cups stolen from Jerusalem.
Suddenly a hand and fingers appeared. They wrote on the palace wall. King Belshazzar was so frightened, his knees knocked together. “Call the magicians and psychics!” he commanded.
“Read this writing,” Belshazzar commanded the psychics. “If you do, I’ll make you rich and famous.” But they couldn’t read the words the hand had written.
Then the queen said, “There’s a certain man in your kingdom. He has the spirit of the holy gods. Let Daniel be called. He’ll read these words.”
Questions: What was happening in Babylon while Belshazzar held his feast? What did Belshazzar offer for reading the writing on the wall?