He yelled out for the enchanters, the fortunetellers,
and the diviners to come. He told these Babylonian magi, "Anyone who can
read this writing on the wall and tell me what it means will be famous and
rich—purple robe, the great gold chain—and be third-in-command in the
kingdom." One after the other they tried, but could make no
sense of it. They could neither read what was written nor interpret it to the
king. So now the king was really frightened. All the blood drained from his
face. The nobles were in a panic. The
queen heard of the hysteria among the king and his nobles and came to the
banquet hall. She said, "Long live the king! Don't be upset. Don't sit
around looking like ghosts. There is a man in your kingdom who is full of the
divine Holy Spirit. During your father's time he was well known for his intellectual
brilliance and spiritual wisdom. He was so good that your father, King
Nebuchadnezzar, made him the head of all the magicians, enchanters,
fortunetellers, and diviners. There was no one quite like him. He could do
anything—interpret dreams, solve mysteries, explain puzzles. His name is
Daniel, but he was renamed Belteshazzar by the king. Have Daniel called in.
He'll tell you what is going on here." So Daniel was called in. The king
asked him, "Are you the Daniel who was one of the Jewish exiles my father
brought here from Judah? I've heard about you—that you're full of the Holy
Spirit, that you've got a brilliant mind, that you are incredibly wise. The
wise men and enchanters were brought in here to read this writing on the wall
and interpret it for me. They couldn't figure it out—not a word, not a
syllable. But I've heard that you interpret dreams and solve mysteries. So—if
you can read the writing and interpret it for me, you'll be rich and famous—a
purple robe, the great gold chain around your neck—and third-in-command in the
kingdom." Daniel answered the king,
"You can keep your gifts, or give them to someone else. But I will read
the writing for the king and tell him what it means. "Listen, O king! The
High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar a great kingdom and a glorious
reputation. Because God made him so famous, people from everywhere, whatever
their race, color, and creed, were totally intimidated by him. He killed or
spared people on whim. He promoted or humiliated people capriciously. He
developed a big head and a hard spirit. Then God knocked him off his high horse
and stripped him of his fame. He was thrown out of human company, lost his
mind, and lived like a wild animal. He ate grass like an ox and was soaked by
heaven's dew until he learned his lesson: that the High God rules human
kingdoms and puts anyone he wants in charge. You are his son and have known all
this, yet you're as arrogant as he ever was. Look at you, setting yourself up
in competition against the Master of heaven! You had the sacred chalices from
his Temple brought into your drunken party so that you and your nobles, your
wives and your concubines, could drink from them. You used the sacred chalices
to toast your gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone—blind,
deaf, and imbecile gods. But you treat with contempt the living God who holds
your entire life from birth to death in his hand. God sent the hand that wrote
on the wall, and this is what is written: mene, teqel, and peres. This is what
the words mean:
Mene: God has numbered the days of your rule and they
don't add up.
Teqel: You have been weighed on the scales and you
don't weigh much.
Peres: Your kingdom has been divided up and handed over
to the Medes and Persians.
Belshazzar did what he had promised. He robed Daniel
in purple, draped the great gold chain around his neck, and promoted him to
third-in-charge in the kingdom.
Has there ever been a time when you have sought
wise council only to have them completely clueless? Have you ever had someone
tell you to “keep your gifts”? That is what happened to Belshazzar and his bad day
was turning into a scary night. So as he took out the sacred golden chalices—feasting with the nobles of his kingdom—he probably knew that the
Persian armies were outside the walls of Babylon and it wouldn’t be long before
they attacked and overthrew his government. One last fling as King of Babylon.
The initial silence from the shock of seeing a
hand alone writing on the wall in the banquet hall ended as Belshazzar yelled
for his Babylonian wise men to come and interpret the handwriting on the wall. Those
wise guys couldn’t make heads or tails of the strange words that “the hand” had
scribed on the wall. So the wise queen suggested sending for Daniel. Now Daniel
had some respect for his old king, Nebuchadnezzar, but not much for this king,
Belshazzar. He laid it on the line telling the story of Nebuchadnezzar and how
he learned to revere the true God. Belshazzar was brazen and had desecrated the
sacred vessels from the Jewish Temple by serving wine in them at his drunken
party, so God was punishing him. The hand writing on the wall which was
deciphered by Daniel spelled out Belshazzar’s future, specifically the end of
his life and his kingdom.
Dear Jesus, give us
grace to see our lives through your eyes and to make decisions that are
pleasing to you—to bring You honor and respect.
Happy Birthday, Melissa—May God continue to
bless you and your family as you seek a miracle.
Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give
you the desires of your heart, Psalm 37:4.
© 2012 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Scripture from The Message, except where noted.
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