Spoooooky

When I read through this bible passage, the very first thing that came to my mind was, "How appropriate for Halloween!" I mean you have to admit, it really is pretty "spooky". A hand (and just the hand, no body is mentioned) begins writing on the wall at a big party. I mean this almost sounds like a scooby doo special, can't you just picture the cheesy cartoon and creepy music. Then we read that the king calls in all kinds of "specialists" to solve the mystery, and surprise surprise, they can't! And as usual, it's the queen who has any good sense about her. She suggests calling in the real expert Daniel Doo (Note: doo was added for effect!).

Now this story just leaves you hanging! No conclusion is offered and honestly, I was too into the mystery to be content to stop there. So I got out the handy dandy bible and finished the story. I'll bet you'd like to know what happens wouldn't you? Well I could be mean and tell you to go out and read your own bible, but then, I don't want to assume everyone reading this has a bible, so I will be nice and sum up the ending for you.

Essentially the king, Belshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar, has been a naughty man and is following in his father's footsteps. Daniel reminds Belshazzar that his old man forgot to humble himself before the Lord God. God didn't take kindly to this attitude and offered Nebuchadnezzar an attitude adjustment (basically he went insane, ate grass, and hung out with wild donkeys - go figure!) Now you'd think that would make an impression on a son, you know, seeing his father go mad, eat grass, and lay down with wild animals, but apparently not! For Belshazzar is desecrating holy equipment and again, not humbling himself before the Lord Almighty. (to consecrate is to dedicate something to God thus making it Holy, to desecrate is the exact opposite!). So the hand of God (perhaps the Holy Spirit?) writes this message on the wall:

"Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin"

Now that probably means about as much to you as it did for me, and apparently as much it meant to the king. Fortunately we have Daniel to explain.

Mene: God has numbered the days of the king's reign and brought it to an end.
Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
Peres: The kingdom is to be divided and given to the Medes and the Persians.

And to quote vs. 30-31 "That very night Belshazzar king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of 62."

So quite literally the writing was on the wall.

So what does all this mean for our lives? I think there are many pearls of wisdom in this story. I think however the most applicable element is that we always need to remember our place. When we as individuals, or as a community, achieve great and wonderful things, it's easy to over inflate our worth and value. I am certainly guilty of this! There have been retreats and events that I have coordinated that went even better than I had hoped for and it's easy for me to say, well I guess I really know what I am doing, instead of saying wow I am so much in awe of how God worked through me and used me to bring Him the glory! I think we can all fall into the trap that Belshazzar fell into. His life was good, very good in fact. He was living the life, wives, concubines, parties, wine, riches, etc. He was living the rock star lifestyle. He was all about his own glory and his own success and importance, to the point where he has no respect for things considered holy.

When we elevate ourselves above God it's a long fall back to earth! In Belshazzar's fall, it cost him his life. And before you go saying that God killed Belshazzar that night, wouldn't it also be fair to think that perhaps his own actions and decisions got him there. Consider this, he had a HUGE party with over 1000 guests. When someone throws a party that is that big the word is going to get out. And like many parties, a lot of alcohol is being served. So isn't it possible that Darius 1) heard about this huge party and 2) concluded that the king may get a little impaired which would make taking the castle by storm a little easier? So is God to blame or are Belshazzar's decisions to be blamed?

So in conclusion, always remember that blessings in our lives, the talents and abilities we possess, are in fact God's gifts to us! God has given us these gifts and blessings because he loves us and hopes that we might use them to give glory back to God. It's pretty simple, when you get an amazing gift that is very important and special to you, most likely you will enjoy the gift and thank the giver. God wants us to enjoy the gifts he gives, but I think he would appreciate a thank you as well. Give glory and honor where glory and honor are due!

And so we pray...
Dear Father in Heaven, you have given me blessings that I can't even count. Abilities I can't even understand, and love that I don't deserve. I thank you God from the bottom of my heart for the gifts you have showered on me. Give me the faith and wisdom of Daniel that I might read the writing on the wall, and always remember to give you the credit, and the glory! In your son's name I pray.
Amen.