Day 262 Reading Schedule: Daniel 5-6

Daniel 5: King Belshazzar's Pride and Destruction

[Overview]

Despite his difficulties at the time, Belshazzar displayed extreme arrogance by holding a grand banquet and using God's sacred vessels for banquet service (verses 1-4). While many people gathered to praise idols, a human hand appeared and wrote on the wall, greatly astonishing the people (verses 5-9). Belshazzar heard about Daniel and called him to interpret the meaning of what happened at the banquet (verses 10-16). Daniel said that Babylon would be divided due to Belshazzar's pride. This prophecy of Daniel was fulfilled, and Belshazzar was put to death by Darius the Mede (verses 17-31).

Daniel 6: Daniel Victorious by Faith

[Overview]

Daniel was accused by the prime ministers and satraps who were jealous of his intelligence, and the content of the accusation was to make Daniel abandon his faith in God. However, Daniel did not bend his faith, so he was severely punished by the jealous ones by being thrown into the lions' den. The group that put Daniel in the lions' den went away confident of their victory, but the power of God was with Daniel, and a miracle occurred where the lions' mouths did not open. In the end, those who accused the innocent Daniel were thrown into the lions' den, and King Darius made all the people in Babylon aware of the power of God that Daniel believed in. This chapter shows a stark contrast between the prime ministers and satraps who plotted against the innocent Daniel (verses 1-9), Daniel's refusal to bend his faith despite the king's command (verses 10-18), and Daniel's victory by the power of God and the miserable end of those who accused him (verses 19-28).