团契与门徒训练

The Writing on the Wall (Daniel 5:1~12)

2016.07.24Mike Lee

Belshazzar, the king of Babylon, mocked God in arrogance and ignored the warning written on the wall, which led to his judgment that very night. Life is unpredictable, death is unavoidable, and salvation is always available, so we must not wait to respond to God.

Arrogance invites God's judgment (5:1-4)

Belshazzar, sitting at the height of his power and feeling untouchable, held a great feast with a thousand guests and did not prepare for the enemies gathered outside his walls. At the feast he ordered the cups taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem to be filled with wine, and he and his guests drank from them while praising gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. The speaker compares this to a man who pokes a chained dog: he thought he was safe, but he was playing with fire. Arrogance is a kingdom without a crown, and it prepares the way for God to act. Belshazzar did not know the consequences of what he was doing.

God's hand writes a message that no wise man can read

Once Belshazzar's arrogance was revealed, a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the palace wall. The king's color changed, his thoughts alarmed him, and his knees knocked together. He summoned the enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, but none of them could read the writing or give its interpretation. The king had the same problem that Nebuchadnezzar had in chapters 2 and 4. Only when God's message was not understood by human wisdom did the way open for Daniel to be called in. The king's mother remembered Daniel, and the king described the reward he would receive as the third ruler in the kingdom.

Daniel reminds the king of God's sovereignty and warning (5:18-28)

Daniel refused the reward and spoke the message plainly. He first recalled the history of Nebuchadnezzar, whose pride led to his humbling until he knew that the Most High God rules over the kingdom of men. He then said that Belshazzar had not humbled his heart even though he knew all this, and had lifted himself up against the Lord of heaven. Daniel interpreted the words: mene means numbered, so God has numbered the days of the kingdom and brought it to an end; tekel means weighed, so the king has been found wanting; and peres means divided, so the kingdom will be given to the Medes and Persians. Yet Belshazzar reacted only to the sight of the hand and did not confess his sin or seek repentance.

Judgment came that very night (5:30-31)

That very night Belshazzar was killed, and Darius the Mede received the kingdom. Belshazzar thought his kingdom was secure and would only grow stronger, but the Persians had secretly built a canal to divert the Euphrates and had silently marched under the walls. He did not realize what was happening beneath him, and he ignored God's warning to the very end, so he lost his last chance to turn to God.

Three lessons: life is unpredictable, death is unavoidable, salvation is available

Belshazzar's story teaches us three things. First, life is unpredictable, and no one knows the future except God, so we must leave room for God in our plans. Second, death is unavoidable, because Father Time is undefeated and every life has an expiration date, so we must prepare for it. Third, salvation is always available as a free gift that we only need to receive. The speaker warns against thinking we can accept Jesus on our deathbed, as if it were life insurance. The question is how we will invest our lives: in things that will not last, or in what we will see in heaven.

Apply to Life

  • Let us admit our pride and not think that we no longer need God, even when life is going well.
  • Let us confess our sins to God, as 1 John 1:9 teaches, and not let pride keep us from repentance.
  • Let us leave room for God in our plans, since only God knows the future.
  • Let us prepare for death today and not put off receiving the salvation God freely offers.
  • Let us invest our lives in what lasts for eternity rather than in things that will pass away.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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