Daniel 4-6
Devotion by John Tullis (Ohio)
Have you ever heard someone say “I see the writing on the wall…”?
Sometimes the truth of a situation can be so obvious and plain that we can do nothing but accept it as reality. After the reign of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, his son Belshazzar took the Babylonian throne (Daniel 5:1-2). As a son, he no doubt saw the amazing transformation of his father from a king who worshipped gods of gold and silver to a devoted worshipper of the one True Living God (Daniel 4). But he failed to acknowledge God as the source of his wealth and power. Instead, Belshazzar gave praise and thanksgiving to the old gods of his father Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 5:4). As a consequence, The One True Living God (our God Yahweh) decided to destroy the Babylonian empire because of the sinfulness of its leader, King Belshazzar.
What Belshazzar needed to read was “the writing on the wall”. Daniel tells us that the “fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace” (Daniel 5:5). The king was terrified and pleaded for someone to help him understand the writing that had appeared on the wall. Once again, Daniel was brought before the king to interpret the strange message – Mene, Mene, Tekel, Peres.
As we have seen, Daniel was a devoted follower of the One True Living God. All the days of his captivity in Babylon, Daniel had been richly blessed by God. Daniel was able to read the writing on the wall. He delivered the terrible message that Belshazzar would be brought to an end, that he had been found guilty of sin, and that his kingdom would fall to his enemies. Stunned by the message, Belshazzar rewarded Daniel for his honesty and skill in deciphering the message. That very night, the king would be killed by the enemies of Babylon, the Medes and Persians.
It is difficult to face the truth of sin in our lives. Each of us, like Belshazzar, has been “weighed in the balances and found wanting” (Daniel 5:27). Each of us has been found guilty by God because of the sin that is in each of us. His word says that each of us has sinned and fallen far short of God’s glorious, holy standards (Romans 3:23). Like Belshazzar, we deserve to suffer the consequence of that sin (Romans 6:23). But God desires to offer His grace to each of us. He wants to forgive us of our sin and restore us to a right relationship. He gave us this chance by delivering up His only Son to be the “atoning sacrifice” to take away our sin (Romans 3:25). Though we deserve spiritual and eternal separation from God, He graciously offers to us a path of salvation. Some believe that Nebuchadnezzar may have submitted himself to the one True God. This new faith in God could have resulted in his redemption. God himself refers to Nebuchadnezzar three times as his “servant” (Jeremiah 25:9, 27:6, and 43:10). Perhaps, just maybe he was a recipient of God’s amazing grace.
The message is so clear and is freely given to each of us. It is as if He wrote the message clearly upon the walls of our hearts and minds (Ezekiel 36:27-28). The message of grace, freely given by God, to offer us salvation and adoption into His family – through faith (Ephesians 2:8). This very moment, will you read the “writing on the wall” and place your faith in the Son of God, for the forgiveness of sin?
Questions for Discussion:
- Why did God continue to bless Daniel during the reign of three different kings?
- Why do you suppose Belshazzar fully accepted Daniel’s interpretation of the writing on the wall?
- Daniel consistently stood for God despite dangerous opposition. How can you faithfully submit to God in your situations?
Seek Grow Love 