DANIEL 5
22 And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.24 “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; 28 Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. 31And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old. Daniel 5:22-31
DANIEL 5 THE MEANING OF THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Watch out all of those who boast about their power and glory
You are in for God’s wrath who hates all forms of idolatry
If you desecrate and dishonor what belongs to the Lord
You will be annihilated and destroyed from this world.
This chapter ends with Daniel explaining the interpretation of the handwriting on the wall to King Belshazzar. It was not a good ending because just right after Belshazzar heard the meaning of the handwriting, he didn’t even have a full day to understand the aftermath of his sacrilege and arrogance. He died that night. The handwriting’s meaning came to pass. It is a sad fate for someone who could have learned from his ancestors.
This is what happens if we think highly of ourselves and engage in desecrating the house of God and its contents. It doesn’t take much pride to bring you to a deep fall. Belshazzar stirred God’s wrath over his sacrilege and idolatry. He dishonored God.
REFLECTION
- Why do you think Belshazzar wasn’t given much time to repent?
