The Writing on the Wall

Introduction

Control. It seems like everyone wants to be in control, until you have to make choices that people don’t like, that is. How do we measure control? We look at our own lives and we know that there are some things that we can control like our attitude and our responses to other people. But there are also things that are outside of our control. Even if you were to be a governor, CEO, or president, there would be much more under your control but still there would be many things outside of our control that we can quickly forget until God reminds us of our limitations as humans.

Earlier this week we had some storms rumble through the Ozarks and spring storms here often bring with them the chance for tornadoes. We can likely all remember a day in our lives when there was a storm that scared us and possibly caused some damage in our yard or town - just like our church about 7 years ago when our gym blew in! We’re reminded that there are things outside of our control each day, and scenes like this reinforce this reality. Nearly 150 years ago, there was a volcano in Indonesia that erupted with more force than 10,000 atomic bombs and boats as far away as South Africa shook in the harbor as the earth quaked. In the midst of the industrial revolution, where people were making progress and inventing new things left and right, this natural disaster literally shook the world and reminded everyone once again of how small we truly are.

As we look around our world these last 4 years we have once again been reminded that we are not as in control of things as we previously might have thought. COVID, political instability, a deteriorating culture, and a world marked by change. Where is our hope in this world? In a God who does not change and in a God who is in control. As we continue walking through the book of Daniel, we turn to Daniel 5, and we’re going to see that our God is sovereign. He raises kings and kingdoms up and He brings kings and kingdoms crashing down. Let’s read from God’s Word

Daniel 5:1–6 CSB

1 King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine in their presence. 2 Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that his predecessor Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, wives, and concubines could drink from them. 3 So they brought in the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, wives, and concubines drank from them. 4 They drank the wine and praised their gods made of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 5 At that moment the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the king’s palace wall next to the lampstand. As the king watched the hand that was writing, 6 his face turned pale, and his thoughts so terrified him that he soiled himself and his knees knocked together.

Daniel 5:13–31 CSB

13 Then Daniel was brought before the king. The king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the Judean exiles that my predecessor the king brought from Judah? 14 I’ve heard that you have a spirit of the gods in you, and that insight, intelligence, and extraordinary wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men and mediums were brought before me to read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not give its interpretation. 16 However, I have heard about you that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Therefore, if you can read this inscription and give me its interpretation, you will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain around your neck, and have the third highest position in the kingdom.” 17 Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts and give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription for the king and make the interpretation known to him. 18 Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, greatness, glory, and majesty to your predecessor Nebuchadnezzar. 19 Because of the greatness he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages were terrified and fearful of him. He killed anyone he wanted and kept alive anyone he wanted; he exalted anyone he wanted and humbled anyone he wanted. 20 But when his heart was exalted and his spirit became arrogant, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken from him. 21 He was driven away from people, his mind was like an animal’s, he lived with the wild donkeys, he was fed grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky until he acknowledged that the Most High God is ruler over human kingdoms and sets anyone he wants over them. 22 “But you his successor, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of the heavens. The vessels from his house were brought to you, and as you and your nobles, wives, and concubines drank wine from them, you praised the gods made of silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or understand. But you have not glorified the God who holds your life-breath in his hand and who controls the whole course of your life. 24 Therefore, he sent the hand, and this writing was inscribed. 25 “This is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the message: ‘Mene’ means that God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end. 27 ‘Tekel’ means that you have been weighed on the balance and found deficient. 28 ‘Peres’ means that your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” 29 Then Belshazzar gave an order, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans was killed, 31 and Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.

Just as God raised Nebuchadnezzar up and brought him down, God does the same with Babylon. God did the same with the Persians. God did the same with the Greeks. God did the same with the Romans. God will continue to raise nations up, and when He is done with them, He will bring them back down. While this might make us feel a bit uneasy where we sit and where we stand, we remember that our citizenship is in heaven. We don’t boast in what we have or who we are, we celebrate WHOSE we are and we live a life that glorifies Him in all that we say, think, and do. Let’s pray

Pride Comes Before the Fall

Before Palm Sunday we concluded Daniel 4 by looking at King Nebuchadnezzar boasting in his achievements and power and then how God humbled the king. The king lost his mind and lived like an animal before ultimately looking to God and acknowledging that God is the one true ruler of all. The king praised God and promoted Daniel. Things look like they are on a positive trajectory in the book - but as we know, things don’t stay good forever. This morning in chapter 5, we fast forward to a new king, some 20 years after Nebuchadnezzar. There is a new king named Nabonidus who is ruling with his son, named Belshazzar. Nabonidus took over the throne after a few years of turmoil in Babylon following Nebuchadnezzar’s death. After ruling for a period of time, Nabonidus left Babylon to travel to modern day Saudi Arabia and he left his son, Belshazzar, in charge. This is unusual, especially since Belshazzar is so young and Babylon is still a mighty empire… but neither will last very long.

Look at how our text begins, we see that this ruler held a great feast with his nobles and military and political officials in the city present. 1000 seems like a large number, but based on what we see in this chapter, this number is a shrinking number as Babylon is on the decline. How do you cheer up your leaders who are suffering losses and with a massive army preparing to march on your capital city? The logical decision is to throw a party, right? We see that the king celebrates while his kingdom suffers. Don’t we see this in our world today? People celebrate themselves while people around them suffer. Why? Because ultimately their focus is on self. Not only does Belshazzar throw a party for his leaders, we see that the king orders some of the gold and silver vessels from the temple in Jerusalem to be brought before him.

Does God take worship seriously?

2 Samuel 6:6–7 CSB

6 When they came to Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it because the oxen had stumbled. 7 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there next to the ark of God.

Just for touching the ark because an ox had fallen, this man died because of his irreverence. He had broken God’s commands regarding the ark. That might sound harsh, but God is holy and He sets the rules for worship, not us. What Belshazzar is doing is not only showing off his power with this type of celebration, but he is intentionally mocking the one true God. Being under the influence of wine, the king begins to play with fire. Not only are these vessels brought into the palace for this party, but the king drinks from these cups in a celebration festival meant to honor the Babylonian gods. Let’s recap: this young king, with his armies being defeated and an enemy approaching, throws a party for the upperclass leaders and decides under the influence to announce a toast to his gods while drinking from the gold and silver vessels that came from the Temple in Jerusalem. Can you get any more insane than this? This man is dripping with pride.

Doesn’t pride often blind us to the dangers all around us? Take this king. While his enemy approaches, he sits comfortably behind his walls and parties. The walls of Babylon were as high as 350 feet in certain parts and as wide as 87 feet in others. This wasn’t just a big city, this was a sprawling metropolis that was better protected than many borders and cities of our world today! This city was blessed to have the Euphrates river that flowed straight into the city which supplied the city with water for crops and drinking water in the event of a siege. Babylon would not go quietly into the night, Belshazzar believed. He wasn’t worried about his enemy because he was too busy boasting in himself and his power. Pride brings about problems as Proverbs reminds us

Proverbs 16:18 CSB

18 Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.

This isn’t just a problem for this king… this is a problem for all of us. We experience problems and have weaknesses that need addressed, but it’s so tempting and easy to hide behind our walls and throw a party and pretend that everything is ok. This is what our pride does. There’s no problem here. All is well. In reality, pride is kind of like this animal (Pufferfish). You start out and everything is fine, but in certain situations you start to get too full of yourself and you get a really really big head. See, when a pufferfish does this, they are defending themselves against other fish and they contain a toxin that is 1,200 times more deadly than cyanide with no known antidote! Sometimes in certain situations, we like get a really really big head about ourselves… and this pride becomes toxic in our relationships, churches, schools, communities. Thankfully, there is an antidote to human pride, are you ready for it? Godly humility. God has a way of humbling prideful people and this is what He does in the text in verses 5-6 as immediately a finger appeared and wrote on the wall of the palace - the king turned pale, he was terrified, and he soiled himself. This isn’t a 2 year old who pooped in his diaper, this is a king who thought himself invincible who just lost complete control of his body! What a humiliation! Those with pride will be brought to their knees.

Pride reveals itself in several different ways: Arrogance, Blasphemy, Idolatry.

Belshazzar was arrogant regarding his power. There are times where we believe strongly about ourselves in a way that we shouldn’t.

Belshazzar blasphemed the God of the Bible by treating these vessels as if they were ordinary. People in our world blaspheme God when they say that He doesn’t judge sin or that He affirms sinful actions.

Belshazzar commits idolatry and uses these vessels to worship his false gods. Don’t we all do this? We’re tempted to bend the knee to a number of things in our lives. Causes, organizations, people, family, sports, politics, social media, we use what God has given us not to worship Him, but to worship something in His place - which is idolatry. Listen to Proverbs 13 as we find this piece of wisdom

Proverbs 13:1 CSB

1 A wise son responds to his father’s discipline, but a mocker doesn’t listen to rebuke.

Belshazzar is a mocker. Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 4 responded to God’s punishment upon his pride… but not this new king. He doesn’t listen. He trembles. And then he never humbles himself. What we’ll see in the rest of our chapter is that God holds people accountable for their sin - He must do this as a just judge. Those who boast in self will suffer the consequences of their actions.

God is Sovereign Over All

God is not unfamiliar with prideful people. Pride does not surprise Him, although it does grieve Him. Pride is an elevation of the person above the Provider. The creation above the Creator. Pride puts God subservient to us as we believe that we know better than Him. This is the foolishness of pride! Why do we know that this is foolish, though? In our world there is a growing number of people who believe that believing in self and boasting in self are good things that should be normalized and celebrated. That this world is all that there is. That we are the master of our own fate. That we are the ones in control of all things at all times. That we have suddenly become sovereign. The entire book of Daniel proves to us that this simply isn’t the truth. We go looking for security in all of these places with powerful armies and behind promising leaders, but human security simply doesn’t last. Babylon was the biggest dog on the block. They had the best army, the most money, the best location, all was well. But we see why they had these things in the first place. It wasn’t because of luck. It wasn’t just because they had excellent leaders. Go back with me to Daniel 2:21

Daniel 2:21 CSB

21 He changes the times and seasons; he removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.

God is the one who establishes and removes kings. We can honestly say that every leader is in power because God put them there - and that’s not always a good thing! Sometimes it is because God had given a nation or a country over to their depravity and that leader is in their position to give the people what they want, much like Saul as the King of Israel before David. God is the one who gives power. This is what Daniel reminds Belshazzar - you aren’t as big as you think you are

Daniel 5:18 CSB

18 Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, greatness, glory, and majesty to your predecessor Nebuchadnezzar.

Everything that we have is from the Lord. It’s not by chance or luck or karma. It’s because of God’s providence that we are blessed with what we have. For Nebuchadnezzar, that meant that God was the one who put him in power, God used him to bring judgment upon Jerusalem. God made him a mighty leader over a powerful people. God gave him this power. True power isn’t gained, it is given. Whenever pride reared its head, God brought Nebuchadnezzar crashing down. Here Daniel gives the king a history lesson that serves as a Bible study - you are not the king of kings. Further, you have dishonored the one true God and instead of humbling yourself, you directly challenged Him and He is not to be mocked! Daniel says that Belshazzar didn’t glorify the God who holds his life breath in His hand and who controls the whole course of your life. Is this a little God or a big God? This is OUR God, church! He isn’t just king - He is King of Kings! Consider what the Psalmist shares in Psalm 8:3-4

Psalm 8:3–4 CSB

3 When I observe your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you set in place, 4 what is a human being that you remember him, a son of man that you look after him?

This is our God who formed the moon and stars with His fingers - the same finger that wrote this inscription on the king’s wall. Just as God created all things, we know that God sustains all things. That our days are numbered and planned

Psalm 139:16 CSB

16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began.

Some people don’t like this as they don’t think it’s fair - but we know that God is just, He by definition cannot be unfair and whenever we think that He is, we are the ones in the wrong. Others don’t like this because if it is true - which the Bible says that it is - it means that we aren’t as big as we like to think that we are. Yet, this is what the Bible says. God is sovereign - for Him not to be sovereign would mean that He wouldn’t be God. Spurgeon put it like this, “The sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which the child of God rests his head at night, giving perfect peace.” To the unbeliever, the idea of God being sovereign might be something to get flustered about but to the believer, God’s sovereignty is foundational to our faith. Daniel tells the king that God controls the whole course of his life.

God has a plan for your life, friend. God brought you here this morning. Sure, you woke up and you made a decision as to what you would wear. You made a choice as to which route you’d take to drive to church. You made a choice as to where you’d sit in our sanctuary. You made choices, God brought you here. This is how life works. We make choices every single day. God is in control. As one pastor shared years ago it is as if we are all on an cruise ship going across the ocean, we wake up each morning on the trip and choose how to fill our day. Will we stay in our room? Will we go to one of the many restaurants on board? Will we go to the water park? We make choices aboard the ship, but the ship is going to its destination regardless of the choice that we make. God has set forth a plan from eternity past to redeem lost sinners like you and me. In this life we make choices each day that either glorify God or magnify self and we will be held accountable on the last day for those choices. But regardless of our choices, God is the one who will see this world to its rightful end. He is working all things to their appropriate end. He works all things for the good of His people and His ultimate glory. He is sovereign, not just over some things, or most things, but over all things. In other words, He doesn’t make mistakes. He takes bad things and turns them into good things - even things that hurt, even things that sting, even loss, God turns things for our ultimate good.

God has used this nation, and continues to use all nations, for His purpose. Sometimes that was obvious, other times it was not, but in the midst of it all there were opportunities to repent. There were opportunities to worship the one true God. Yet, Belshazzar doesn’t even know Daniel. He mocks him. He mocks Daniel’s God. How often is this us? How often do we trust in self instead of our Savior? How often did people in Jesus’ day mock His message of turning from sin and trusting in Him as Lord? That message turned many against Him. Daniel’s message could have gotten him killed. We don’t like hearing the truth, many times, but we must hear the truth in order to properly respond. Consider the cross. Don’t we see the cross as the greatest display of the devastating effects of sin and the ultimate expression of God’s love all at the same place? This is the truth. God is sovereign. He set forth a plan to send His Son to save sinners like you and me. He holds us in His hand. He brought us here this morning. The blood of Jesus is a warning sign that says, “Turn around. Sin will not satisfy. Repent and believe. Come and I will give you rest.” This is what our God has done!

We Must Respond to His Call

Jesus points out the severity of our sin and this puts each of us at an intersection right now. How are we to respond? Look at the conclusion of our text as Daniel provides the writing and its interpretation:

Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin. What does this mean? In the Aramaic, like the Hebrew, there are no vowels - this is why the magicians and wisemen couldn’t figure out what God had written down. It would be like you and I seeing 8 consonants and being told to figure out what words it spells without any vowels. Look at this word on the screen: PNDPNDNCHLF. What does it mean? Pound, Pound, Ounce, Half-pound - do you see how this could be difficult? These are specific weights in the text and that can be a surface meaning, but Daniel provides the true meaning.

Mene means numbered - God has numbered not only the days of Belshazzar but the Babylonians. They are going to be brought to an end.

Tekel means weigh - God looked at the king and based on what the king had done, he was found deficient or not measuring up.

Peres means to divide - God was going to take Babylon, divide it, and give it to another nation.

If we look at the vowels added to the consonants we can see God’s judgment: God paid out. You are too light. Persia will conquer you. Daniel is telling him exactly what will happen.

So, we see two kings in chapters 4 and 5 who struggle with pride. One repents. One resigns. One was humbled. One was humiliated. They both had the whole world seemingly at their finger tips, but it was God who had given them that power.

Matthew 16:26 CSB

26 For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life?

We see that the Persians moved in on the city, historians note that they knew they couldn’t climb over the walls or break down the gate, so they built a dam that moved at least part of the Euphrates River that allowed their army to enter the city undetected and eventually the Persians found Belshazzar and killed him. God’s judgment is both righteous and it is often swift. Are you ready for some good news? The God of the Bible is also patient.

Consider this message: God paid out. You are too light. Does this not points you to 600 years down the line to the cross of Calvary?

See, you and I have been found deficient. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We are all guilty of treason before God. The writing is on the wall - we’re guilty and God is holy! Yet, out of God’s love, He sent His Son who comes to smash all of these nations as chapter 2 told us. Jesus came declaring that the Kingdom of God was at hand and that people must repent and trust in Him. He not only balances the scales, but He gives us His perfect righteousness so that our account is in the black! Our God rules and our God reigns. He is good. He died on the cross to save us from our sins and He rose to demonstrate His power and the hope that we can have in Him alone! What has your response been to Jesus’ message? Time is running out as Acts 17:30-31 tells us

Acts 17:30–31 CSB

30 “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

We must heed this warning and run to our God. God calls us out of our sin. Daniel spoke the truth to Belshazzar. He could have lied and said that the message says that God loves you and so do I! But that would be to lie. God convicts us of our sin not to condemn us but to change us! He saves us. He helps us. He holds us fast. He loves us enough to warn us of the seriousness of our sin - this is the writing on the wall and we must each respond! The clock is ticking. Just as judgment was coming on Babylon, judgment is coming on this modern Babylon - this godless world that celebrates sin. Judgment will come. We will all stand before our Creator. We don’t know when, but God does - He has it written down. When that day comes, will you be surprised like Belshazzar? Or will you be prepared? God has graciously warned us, not just by writing a message with His finger on a wall half a world away, but He has warned us with His Word, with the Work of His Son, and with His creation all around this world. We are all without excuse, we must respond to Him in faith!

How Do I Respond to God’s Work?

Repentance (not reluctance)

Praise (not pride)

Speak the Truth (don’t celebrate sin)

This world promises much, but it fails to deliver on all of those promises. Jesus promises life, hope, joy, and peace - and if you have Jesus, you have everything you need.

Kent Hughes shares a story of a father who had one son. He was the apple of his eye. The father was a collector of art, and when his son was old enough, he took him around the world to teach him how to collect the finest paintings at the best price. Over the years this man’s house became quite a museum of fine art, from Picasso to Raphael.

One day his son responded to the call of his country to go to war. The father kissed the son and proudly, though reluctantly, sent him off to the conflict. He received word a few weeks later that his son had been killed in battle saving the life of another man. Stricken with grief, the man would not leave the house.

Some weeks later a soldier appeared at his door with a large wrapped package under his arm. The soldier said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart, and he died instantly. He often talked about you and your love for art.”

He did not know how to say thank you to the father, but he knew he loved paintings. The soldier was not a painter, but he had tried his hand at painting a picture of the beloved son. The father took the wrapping off the portrait and wept as he saw his son. It was not a good painting, but it had a good resemblance. The soldier had captured the personality of the son in the painting.

The father thanked the man for the painting and offered to pay. The soldier replied, “Oh no, sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. This is a gift.”

The father placed the portrait upon the mantel and looked at it every day. As the man became older, dealers in the area began to makes plans for the day he would auction off all his paintings. Soon the day came that the man died, and the date of the auction was set.

The auctioneer began by holding up the painting of the man’s son. “We will start the bidding with this picture of his son. Who will bid for this picture?” There was silence.

The buyers complained, “Forget about that amateur portrait—let’s get to the good stuff. We’re here for the famous paintings.”

The auctioneer said that it was in the will of the father that this painting should go first. He insisted, “What am I bid for this painting of the son? One hundred dollars? Two hundred dollars?” No one offered a bid.

“We want the treasures,” they complained. “Give us the treasures. We want to bid on the true works of art. Give us van Gogh and Rembrandt. Get on with the real bids.”

An old man in the back of the room had been the gardener of the father and the son. So he raised his hand and bid ten dollars.

“Is there another bid?” asked the auctioneer. Hearing no one he said, “Going once, going twice, sold for ten dollars.” He banged the gavel and announced that the auction was over.

All the art dealers began protesting loudly. “How can you say the auction is over when we haven’t had a chance to bid on the good paintings? Let’s start bidding on the treasures.”

The auctioneer announced with a smile, “It was in the will of the father that he who gets the son, gets it all.”

Psalm 46:10 CSB

10 “Stop fighting, and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”

The writing is on the wall - He is faithful through it all

Turn to Jesus. Trust in Him. God rules. God reigns. Come to Jesus today - let’s pray