Chapter 5

5:1-31 Make a dramatic story about these events and act it out as a play.

Your play might be in several parts: 5:1-9; 10-12; 13-16; 17-21; 22-28; 29-30.

Note: Daniel's dreams that we read about in Daniel chapters 7 and 8 came during Belshazzar’s rule. That was before the events that we read about in Daniel chapters 5 and 6.

5:1 What do you learn about King Belshazzar? What do you think about that?

5:2 List extra facts that you learn about King Belshazzar. Which of those facts tell about Belshazzar's behaviour? What do you think about his behaviour?

5:3 List what happened. Which of those details might be important? Why do you think that these details might be important?

5:4 What did the people do? What do you think about what they did?

5:5 What happened next? Who saw what happened? What was unusual about what happened?

5:6 What happened to the king? Why?

5:7 List what the king did. What do you think about the advisers that he chose? What do you think about the promises that he made?

5:8 What do you learn? What might the king have thought about that?

5:9 What was the king’s reaction? What about his officials, what was their reaction?

5:10 List what happened? What do you think about that?

5:11 List the information that the queen gave. Why was her information valuable?

5:12 List the facts that the queen reported. What do you think about the truth of what she said?

5:13 What happened?

5:14 What had the king heard about Daniel? What do you think about that?

5:15 What did the king report? What was the problem? What do you think about that?

5:16 What had the king heard? What did he ask Daniel if he could do? What did the king say that he would do? What do you think about all this?

5:17 How did Daniel reply to the king? What did Daniel say that he would do? What do you think about Daniel's replies?

5:18 Where did Daniel start his explanation? Why might he have done that?

5:19 God had made Nebuchadnezzar great. List the results of that. Go through the list and say what you think about each detail.

5:20 What did Daniel say happened to Belshazzar's father? What do you think about that?

5:21 What did the people do? What happened to the king’s mind? What else did happened to him at that time? What did Nebuchadnezzar know at the end of that time? What do you think about that? (See Daniel 2:46-3:1; 3:12-28.)

5:22 How does Daniel accuse Belshazzar? What do you think about Belshazzar's memory? (See Daniel 5:10-12.)

5:23 What did Daniel say that Belshazzar's attitude to God was? What was his attitude to other gods? What differences did Daniel mention between the true God and these other gods? Who did Belshazzar honour? Why was that not wise?

5:24 Why had God 'sent the hand'? (See also Daniel 5:5, 6, 23.)

5:25, 26 What do you learn? What do you think about that? What might Belshazzar have thought when he heard this?

5:27 How has God measured Belshazzar? Why might the king be ‘too light’?

5:28 What was going to happen?

5:29 What was Belshazzar’s reaction to what Daniel had told him? What do you think about that?

5:30-31 What happened? What do you think about that? What chances did Belshazzar have to change?

(See also Daniel 2:48, 49; 4:1-8; 5:10-12.)