Chandler Heights Community Church
Wednesday Bible Study-Daniel 5
  • Come Let Us Worship And Bow Down
  • I Will Sing Of The Mercies (I Will Sing Of The Mercies Of The Lord)
  • As The Deer

      • Daniel 5NLT

      • Daniel 5:1–4NLT

      • Daniel 5:5–9NLT

      • Daniel 5:10–17NLT

      • Daniel 5:18–31NLT

  • Text: Daniel 5 Length: 30 minutes
    Purpose
    To understand how Daniel 5 speaks to pride, spiritual amnesia, leadership transitions, and God’s unchanging authority, and to apply those truths personally and corporately today.
    1. Opening & Context (5 minutes)
    Setting the Scene
    Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1–4): Though pagan, he was confronted by God repeatedly and ultimately humbled.
    Belshazzar (Daniel 5): A later ruler, likely co-regent, who knew the history but ignored its lessons.
    Daniel’s role has dThe Writing on the Walliminished under the new leadership. He is no longer in the inner circle—but God has not diminished. Archaeological evidence shows us that a lot of time has passed between the closing of chapter 4 and the opening verse of chapter 5. Nebuchadnezzer has been dead for 23 years and it has been 70 years since Daniel was deported to Babylon and he is now in his eighties. 
    Key Observation: God’s servants may lose status, but they never lose significance.
    Opening Question
    Have you ever experienced a leadership change (church, work, family, nation) where values clearly shifted?
    What did that feel like?
    2. The Problem: Pride That Forgets God (Daniel 5:1–4, 22–23) (7 minutes)
    What Belshazzar Does
    Uses holy vessels from the temple as party ware.
    Publicly mocks the God of Israel.
    Elevates pleasure and power over reverence.
    Daniel’s Rebuke (vv. 22–23)
    “And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this…”
    Belshazzar’s sin is not ignorance—it is willful disregard.
    Discussion Questions
    Why do you think Scripture emphasizes that Belshazzar knew Nebuchadnezzar’s story?
    2. What are modern ways people, “drink from holy vessels” without reverence for God?
    3. How does pride today often disguise itself as confidence, success, or autonomy?
    Application Point: Spiritual decline often begins not with rebellion, but with forgetfulness.
    3. The Writing on the Wall: God Interrupts the Party (Daniel 5:5–9) (6 minutes)
    Key Moment
    A mysterious hand writes during the height of celebration.
    The king is physically undone—fear exposes the illusion of control.
    Truth Revealed
    Human power collapses instantly when confronted by divine reality.
    What no one else can interpret, God already understands.
    Discussion Questions
    Why do you think God interrupts the feast rather than waiting until later?
    2. What “writing on the wall” moments have you seen personally or culturally?
    3. Why do people often ignore warning signs until a crisis forces attention?
    Application Point: God’s warnings are acts of mercy, not cruelty.
    4. Daniel Returns: Faithfulness Without Favor (Daniel 5:10–17) (6 minutes)
    Daniel’s Position
    Forgotten, sidelined, but not compromised.
    Refuses reward before delivering truth.
    “Let your gifts be for yourself…” (v. 17)
    What This Teaches Us
    Faithfulness is not dependent on recognition.
    God may remove influence temporarily, but He never removes purpose.
    Discussion Questions
    How does Daniel model integrity when he has nothing to gain?
    2. What temptations arise when influence or position is lost?
    3. How can believers remain faithful when they feel overlooked or marginalized?
    Application Point: God often does His clearest work through people the world has dismissed.
    5. The Judgment: Weighed and Found Wanting (Daniel 5:18–31) (4 minutes)
    Meaning of the Words
    Mene – God has numbered your days.
    Tekel – You have been weighed and found wanting.
    Peres – Your kingdom is divided and given away.
    Sobering Reality
    Belshazzar loses everything the same night.
    Opportunity for repentance has passed.
    Discussion Questions
    What does it mean to be “weighed” by God today?
    2. How does this challenge the idea that God always delays judgment?
    3. In what ways do individuals or societies assume they have more time than they do?
    6. Closing Application & Prayer (2 minutes)
    Key Takeaways
    God is sovereign over leaders, nations, and eras.
    Forgetting God’s past faithfulness leads to present arrogance.
    Faithfulness matters more than favor.
    God weighs hearts—not appearances.
    Final Reflection Question
    If your life were “weighed” today—not by success, but by faithfulness—what would be revealed?
    Prayer Focus
    Humility before God
    Attentiveness to His warnings
    Faithfulness regardless of position
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