Daniel 5 opens with a dramatic shift: a new king, a new crisis, and the final hours of Babylon’s reign. After Nebuchadnezzar died, Babylon went through a rapid and chaotic series of rulers — assassinations, short reigns, political upheaval. Scripture doesn’t pause to list them because God is not focusing on Babylon’s history; He is focusing on the kings whose hearts He confronts. We now meet Belshazzar, the son of Nabonidus, ruling as co-regent in Babylon. This is why he later promises Daniel “third place” in the kingdom — he could only offer what he had; his father was first, he was second, and the highest honor available was third. This small detail shows us something important: women who know their God pay attention to the details in Scripture because God never wastes information.
Belshazzar had witnessed the legacy of Nebuchadnezzar. He knew the story of a proud king whom God humbled and restored. But instead of trembling before the God who rules nations, Belshazzar hardened his heart. He throws a great feast and, in reckless pride, commands that the holy vessels stolen from God’s temple be brought out for drinking. This wasn’t ignorance — it was deliberate defiance. Women who know their God do not treat what is holy as common. Belshazzar handled God’s sacred things carelessly, and that became the very moment Heaven stepped into the room.
As the king mocks God, a mysterious hand appears and writes on the wall. His confidence evaporates. The man who exalted himself is now shaking in fear. His wise men cannot interpret the message because human wisdom cannot understand what only God reveals. Women who know their God understand that spiritual truth is spiritually discerned — and that the world cannot explain what only God can speak.
Daniel is brought in, still faithful, still steady, still honoring God after decades in a foreign land. He reminds Belshazzar of Nebuchadnezzar’s story — how God humbled a proud king until he lifted his eyes to heaven. Then Daniel confronts him with piercing clarity: “You knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself.” Belshazzar’s sin wasn’t ignorance; it was willful pride. Women who know their God learn from the warnings God gives — they refuse to repeat the sins God has already exposed.
Daniel then interprets the writing on the wall:
Mene — God has numbered your days.
Tekel — You have been weighed and found wanting.
Peres — Your kingdom is divided and will be given away.
Belshazzar had measured himself by his power, wealth, and influence, but heaven weighed him differently. Women who know their God measure themselves by God’s standard, not the world’s. That very night, the prophecy was fulfilled. Babylon fell. Belshazzar died. And Daniel, the faithful servant of God, stepped into a new kingdom still anchored in the same God who never moves.
Through Daniel, we learn one more lesson: women who know their God stand firm when kingdoms fall. Nations rise and crumble, leaders come and go, but the woman who knows her God remains steady, unshaken, and full of truth in every season.
Belshazzar had witnessed the legacy of Nebuchadnezzar. He knew the story of a proud king whom God humbled and restored. But instead of trembling before the God who rules nations, Belshazzar hardened his heart. He throws a great feast and, in reckless pride, commands that the holy vessels stolen from God’s temple be brought out for drinking. This wasn’t ignorance — it was deliberate defiance. Women who know their God do not treat what is holy as common. Belshazzar handled God’s sacred things carelessly, and that became the very moment Heaven stepped into the room.
As the king mocks God, a mysterious hand appears and writes on the wall. His confidence evaporates. The man who exalted himself is now shaking in fear. His wise men cannot interpret the message because human wisdom cannot understand what only God reveals. Women who know their God understand that spiritual truth is spiritually discerned — and that the world cannot explain what only God can speak.
Daniel is brought in, still faithful, still steady, still honoring God after decades in a foreign land. He reminds Belshazzar of Nebuchadnezzar’s story — how God humbled a proud king until he lifted his eyes to heaven. Then Daniel confronts him with piercing clarity: “You knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself.” Belshazzar’s sin wasn’t ignorance; it was willful pride. Women who know their God learn from the warnings God gives — they refuse to repeat the sins God has already exposed.
Daniel then interprets the writing on the wall:
Mene — God has numbered your days.
Tekel — You have been weighed and found wanting.
Peres — Your kingdom is divided and will be given away.
Belshazzar had measured himself by his power, wealth, and influence, but heaven weighed him differently. Women who know their God measure themselves by God’s standard, not the world’s. That very night, the prophecy was fulfilled. Babylon fell. Belshazzar died. And Daniel, the faithful servant of God, stepped into a new kingdom still anchored in the same God who never moves.
Through Daniel, we learn one more lesson: women who know their God stand firm when kingdoms fall. Nations rise and crumble, leaders come and go, but the woman who knows her God remains steady, unshaken, and full of truth in every season.
Application Question Chapter 5
Application Questions
Where do I see the Lord warning me — and am I learning from those warnings or repeating the same patterns Belshazzar ignored?
Have I treated anything holy as common? (My time with the Lord, His Word, my worship 🙌, my prayer life 🙏, my obedience, or the convictions He has given me.)
What does it look like for me to humble myself before God instead of waiting for Him to humble me?
Where do I rely on human wisdom instead of seeking God’s interpretation, God’s voice, and God’s counsel?
If God weighed my life today — my motives, my loyalty, my obedience — what would He find?
What would He want to refine?
Which kingdom am I standing with — the kingdom of this world, or the unshakable kingdom of God?
What does Daniel’s faithfulness teach me about standing firm in seasons of change, uncertainty, or pressure?
Lord, search my heart and show me any pride, any hardness, or any place where I’ve treated what is holy as common. I don’t want to repeat Belshazzar’s mistakes. Teach me to learn from every warning You give and to walk in humility before You. Make me a woman who listens, who discerns, who honors Your presence, and who stands firm even when the world around me is shaking. Strengthen me like Daniel to stay faithful in every season. Keep my heart soft, my mind clear, and my life surrendered to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Where do I see the Lord warning me — and am I learning from those warnings or repeating the same patterns Belshazzar ignored?
Have I treated anything holy as common? (My time with the Lord, His Word, my worship 🙌, my prayer life 🙏, my obedience, or the convictions He has given me.)
What does it look like for me to humble myself before God instead of waiting for Him to humble me?
Where do I rely on human wisdom instead of seeking God’s interpretation, God’s voice, and God’s counsel?
If God weighed my life today — my motives, my loyalty, my obedience — what would He find?
What would He want to refine?
Which kingdom am I standing with — the kingdom of this world, or the unshakable kingdom of God?
What does Daniel’s faithfulness teach me about standing firm in seasons of change, uncertainty, or pressure?
Lord, search my heart and show me any pride, any hardness, or any place where I’ve treated what is holy as common. I don’t want to repeat Belshazzar’s mistakes. Teach me to learn from every warning You give and to walk in humility before You. Make me a woman who listens, who discerns, who honors Your presence, and who stands firm even when the world around me is shaking. Strengthen me like Daniel to stay faithful in every season. Keep my heart soft, my mind clear, and my life surrendered to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.