by Jules Gomes, The Stream
Rembrandt’s painting and the book of Daniel remind us that the writing is on the wall
“What is this world if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare,” writes the poet William Henry Davies. When I lived in London, I would visit the National Gallery and simply stand and stare at the great works of art.
One of the paintings I delighted in was Belshazzar’s Feast by the great Dutch painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. The story of King Belshazzar comes from the Book of Daniel. Belshazzar was king of Babylon — the most powerful empire of the sixth century BC. Mighty Babylon had defeated puny Judah. The Jews were exiled.
Belshazzar threw a party for a thousand of his lords. He got drunk. He commanded his servants to fetch the sacred vessels from the Jerusalem Temple. The king, his lords, his wives, and his concubines began to drink wine from them “and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone” (Daniel 5:3-4).
It was the height of hubris.
Suddenly a hand appeared and began writing on the wall: “God has numbered the days of your rule and brought it to an end” (Daniel 5:26). Daniel describes King Belshazzar’s shock: “Then the king’s color changed, his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together.”
Rembrandt’s Painting: A Study in Shock
Rembrandt’s Belshazzar is a study in shock: The king’s head is turned at least 90 degrees. His neck is tense. His eyes open wide in horror. He raises his left arm to protect himself. In shock, he jerks backward and sends a cup of wine flying with his right arm. The woman to the right spills a pitcher of wine like a waterfall. The man and woman on the far side of the table watch with open mouths.
That night, Belshazzar was killed. For him the writing was literally on the wall. Humpty Dumpty has a great, big fall.