Daniel and the writing on the wall – 24 May 2007

Belshazzar is now king of Babylon and Daniel is somewhat older. Belshazzar is throwing a feast and he thinks it would be good to bring out the goblets and of gold and silver that were taken from the temple in Jerusalem so they can drink wine from them and “praise the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone” Daniel 5:4 [NIV]

The fingers of a human hand appear and write on the wall the words:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN

None of the wise men could read the writing or explain the meaning to the king – then the queen remembered about Daniel:

Not only is he wise and intelligent, but he can explain dreams and riddles and solve difficult problems. Send for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.
Daniel 5:12b [CEV]

Daniel read and interpreted the writing to mean:
· God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end
· You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting
· Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes & Persians

Belshazzar rewarded Daniel for his interpretation, yet that very night Belshazzar was slain and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom.

I am thinking:
· God knows the number of days I am allotted and can determine the end
· If I am weighed in the scales, I am certainly found wanting
· Is there some writing on my wall or in my heart which I need to read and understand?
· Is there a wise and intelligent person who can tell me what it means?

What do you need to change about your life today? – so that you can be weighed and not found wanting.

Lord, reveal to us the writing on the wall of our lives, Amen