The Handwriting on the Wall (5:1-9):

Big Idea: Sacrilege against God can lead to a divine confrontation that worldly wealth, power, and wisdom cannot adequately address.

Understanding the Text

Daniel 5:1–31 is woven into the book’s overall literary structure in two ways. First, it advances the narrative of chapters 1–6, in which the first four focus on Nebuchadnezzar (chaps. 1–2 with historical markers and 3–4 without) and the last two show the transition from Belshazzar of Babylon to Darius the Mede (chaps. 5–6). Second, it completes the third of three parallel pairs of chapters (4 and 5) in the book’s concentric Aramaic center section. Comparatively, Daniel 4 and 5 reflect different situations and structures, yet they share the same theme: God’s punishment of proud rulers. This recalls Jeho…