The chapter begins with a new king, Belshazzar, making a great feast for a thousand of his lords. He commands that all of Nebuchadnezzars gold and silver be brought to them so they could drink out of them and worship the gold and silver gods. As they drank, a human hand appears on the wall and begins to write something on then wall but no one could understand the language. Could you imagine the fear and awakening from that? The king demanded that the astrologers, soothsayers and chaldeans come and interpret the writing on the wall. He tells them that whoever reads it will be clothed in purple and gifted a gold chain necklace and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. However, non of them could tell the king what the three words said. 

            The queen reminded the king of Daniel and that's when the king demanded that Daniel come and interpret it, he offered Daniel the same deal as the others but Daniel didnt want the gold or purple robe. He didnt care about those items and knew better than to worship gold like the others. 

            Daniel began by reminding Belshazzar of Nebuchadnezzars reign and fall from pride and how his heart was hardened and had to be humbled. But Belshazzar, his son, had not humbled his heart dispite knowing all of this, and had now lifted himself up against the Lord of heaven. Belshazzar was guilty of worshipping and praising gold and silver but not the God who holds his life. So three words were written, " Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin"  

            Mene: God has numbered your kingdom and finished it. 

            Tekel: you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting.

            Peres: your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and the Persians.

            King Belshazzar took what was set aside for God, the gold and silver, and used and worshiped it rather than God. He allowed these items and falsely placed worship to come between him and God. We must always make sure that whatever we wre wanting in life doesn't come between us and God and doesnt push us further from God but rather closer to Him. 

            Daniel was given the gifts and placed the third ruler in the kingdom. That same night Belshazzar was slain and Darius the Mede received the kingdom at 62 years old.