The Advice of the Queen Mother
5: 10-12
The advice of the queen mother DIG: Who was the queen mother? Why was she so confident? Who were the magi, enchanters, sorcerers and diviners? How did the queen mother know about Dani’el? What six characteristics did Dani’el possess?
REFLECT: What do you think it takes for a believer to achieve the kind of reputation Dani’el had? What does the world see when they look at your life? Does your reputation precede you? When they look at you, do they see the Messiah? How so?
The queen mother sensed that Dani’el knew God (October 12, 539 BC).
Just as he was not present when Nebuchadnezzar had his dreams, Dani’el was not present when the miraculous writing appeared at Belshazzar’s banquet. The rest of the palace heard about the crisis in the banquet hall (to see link click Cq – The Handwriting on the Wall), and when the news came to the queen mother, she immediately went to her son to offer counsel and encouragement.268 Everything in the story depends on her intrusion. Without her counsel Belshazzar would have been left staring at the wall or watching his body quiver. The role of the queen mother here is like Nabal’s unnamed servant in First Samuel 25:14-17 and of Mrs Naaman’s Israelite servant girl in Second Kings 5:2-3. These are all minor, unnamed characters, and yet the whole sequence of events in each case depends on their words.269 The queen mother, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. Her first words were: “May the king live forever!” she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale (5:10)! Things aren’t as bad as they seem to be! She was optimistic about the whole situation and certain that, once the handwriting was accurately interpreted, everything would be fine.
The queen mother was most likely the wife of his father, the famous Nitocris. On this occasion the queen mother took the liberty of entering the king’s presence without being called for (Esther 4:11). Her attitude didn’t match the gravity of the situation, but she reminded Belshazzar that Dani’el could solve the king’s problem. She said: There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your grandfather he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods (5:11a). Often overlooked is the fact that women were the keepers of family stories in the ancient biblical world, and the queen mother admirably filled that role.
Then, she added: Your grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magi, enchanters, sorcerers and diviners (5:11b). Magi (Hebrew: chartom, refers to a magician or wise man, often associated with the practice of interpreting dreams, or performing magic), enchanters (Hebrew: ashshaph, refers to a class or wise men who were often consulted for their ability to interpret dreams, signs, and omens, and as such, were key figures in the king’s advisory team), sorcerers (Hebrew: kashaph, refers to the use of drugs, potions, or spells and is associated with “sorcery” or “witchcraft”) and diviners (Hebrew: gezar, primarily conveys a sense of separation or determination, often implying authority or finality in a decision being made. They were important in a theocratic society that was shaped by divine and royal decrees).
So Belshazzar was not entirely ignorant of Dani’el, for he knew something of Dani’el’s life before coming to Babylon (5:13), something the queen mother didn’t explicitly mention. Moreover, 8:27 implies that Dani’el was serving in some bureaucratic capacity as recently as the third year of Belshazzar (8:1). He may have been relegated to a minor role under the new regime; apparently not among the movers and shakers in the Babylonian government at that time. Therefore, Belshazzar knew something of Dani’el; but it seems that what he didn’t know, or had forgotten, was Dani’el’s indispensable service to his grandfather by interpreting his dream (see Aq – Nebuchadnezzar’s First Dream).270
Finally, after referring to Dani’el by his Hebrew name, the queen mother mentioned that the man in question was renamed Belteshazzar by King Nebuchadnezzar. The king did this because Dani’el, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. This description reminds us of the prophetic description Isaiah gave of the Messiah: The Spirit of ADONAI will rest on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and power, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of ADONAI – His delight is the fear of ADONAI, He will not judge by what His eyes see or decide by what His ears hear (Isaiah 11:2-3).
How did she know this? Her father-in-law, Nebuchadnezzar, had confessed it (4:8-9 and 18). However, there was still another reason: Dani’el’s own holiness, which was the obvious driving force in his life since his first days in Babylon (1:8). He was a wonderful illustration of the principle that ADONAI’s character is known by others through our own character and lifestyle. Dani’el had a share of the Spirit of Messiah (without the permanent indwelling) just as surely as what believers now experience is a share of the Spirit of Messiah (with the permanent indwelling). No wonder there were so many ways that Dani’el resembled Messiah. This was what the queen mother was trying to express; Dani’el was in fellowship with ADONAI. She sensed that he knew God and his reputation preceded him.271
Here was information to act upon, even if it was a last resort. Normally, it would have been extremely humiliating for a woman to solve a king’s dilemma, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and Belshazzar was desperate. The king not only had to rely on the help of a woman, but he needed the help of a Jewish exile whose God he had defied! Nevertheless, for the reasons above, the queen mother had the utmost confidence in Dani’el’s ability to explain the riddle of the handwriting on the wall. Her directive to the king was this: Call for Dani’el, and he will tell you what the writing means (5:12). Thus, the scene was set for Dani’el’s dramatic entrance onto the scene (see Cs – Dani’el Interpreted the Handwriting on the Wall).
Dear heavenly Father, praise You for Your omniscient wisdom that knows and foretells with complete accuracy, events that are yet in the future! You wisely had the queen mother tell about Dani’el’s ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. But he had to humble himself to take the advice of a woman who sensed that Dani’el knew God and could solve the riddle. Thank You for always bringing the right people to come forward at the right time to fulfill Your will. Please continue to do so today. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen.
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