Inscribed Destiny

Daniel 5:1–7 NRSV

1 King Belshazzar made a great festival for a thousand of his lords, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar commanded that they bring in the vessels of gold and silver that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 So they brought in the vessels of gold and silver that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 5 Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the wall of the royal palace, next to the lampstand. The king was watching the hand as it wrote. 6 Then the king’s face turned pale, and his thoughts terrified him. His limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. 7 The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the diviners; and the king said to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and tell me its interpretation shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around his neck, and rank third in the kingdom.”

Daniel 5:13–16 NRSV

13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king said to Daniel, “So you are Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard of you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that enlightenment, understanding, and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and tell me its interpretation, but they were not able to give the interpretation of the matter. 16 But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you are able to read the writing and tell me its interpretation, you shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around your neck, and rank third in the kingdom.”

Daniel 5:22–31 NRSV

22 And you, Belshazzar his son, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this! 23 You have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven! The vessels of his temple have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them. You have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know; but the God in whose power is your very breath, and to whom belong all your ways, you have not honored. 24 “So from his presence the hand was sent and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 Tekel, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; 28 Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed in purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made concerning him that he should rank third in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed. 31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

I want to focus on two inscriptions:

The Inscription of Judgement: Belshazzar desecrated God’s temple and sacred items for worship. This inscription on the wall was God showing the king that his Babylonian kingdom doesn’t compare to the kingdom of Heaven. We worship presidents and political parties in America, red vs. blue. It’s election season and our country is going bonkers right now. Not matter who your favorite candidate is, or what party you are affiliated with, I hope that they never take the place of God in your life.

The little gods that Belshazzar worshipped by desecrating the Hebrew artifacts can’t compare. I am reminded of the correction given to Israel as they turned away from God to serve other gods, “Deuteronomy 4:28 “28 There you will serve other gods made by human hands, objects of wood and stone that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.”

This inscription is proof that the world and its pride will face judgement. It will pass away. It is vanity. Today, I challenge us to check our pride. Have we exalted ourselves and our worldly wants over God? Belshazzar’s party was interrupted when he chose to mock God, and when he exalted himself over God.

We went hiking as a family this weekend which involved somewhat of a cliff. As we were walking the smooth easy path, my daughter Naomi randomly, said, “see Daddy this is easy, I do not need God.” “Don’t ever say that”, I said. “Just because this is easy does not mean that you do not need God. The fact that you are breathing and blood is flowing through your veins is because of God.” She shrugged away. Then, we made it to the steepest part of the hike. She began crying and complaining that it was too hard and scary. I looked at her, and with as much sarcasm as humanly possible, I said, “Are you sure you do not need God?” What a teaching moment.

Soon Belshazzar found that he needed God but it was too late.

Here is the heartbreaking truth, our society has a made up its mind that humans do not need God. I do not want to exalt myself over God like Belshazzar did because we see how that turned out for him.

The Inscription of Mercy: Daniel choosing to be obedient to the call of God on his life, released God’s blessing into his life. I am reminded of the Kingdom of Christ that is coming. I can see faithful people like Daniel, dancing in praise and worship to God in the eternal Kingdom because he chose to follow God over the culture. He risked his life because he knew that living for the world can not even compare to dying while choosing God. The Apostles that Jesus appointed were killed because that would not compromise the truth that they witnessed the Resurrection of Jesus.

So what is the inscription of mercy? For God’s children, Isaiah 49:14–16 “14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me.” 15 Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. 16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.”

Daniel could make the same gripe towards God. Imagine Israel in captivity to Babylon longing to be free from colonization. Longing to freely worship their God, to control their own economy, and to have peace that their family will be safe from hurt, harm and danger. Daniel could have said, “sense God has forgotten us, I will choose to live within the culture. Yet, Daniel chose God, because Daniel understood that he had a personal relationship with God, the God who inscribed him on His hands.

This inscription is proof God will never forget those who walk with him.

This kingdom will not pass away. It will never fade. It eternal. It is sealed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Today, God wants to silence your fears so that you can radically live for his glory, just like Daniel.

John 20:24–27 “24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.””

The Resurrection is proof of God’s love. As he showed the inscription, its like he was reminding Thomas of his promise back in Isaiah. “I know you felt alone and lost, but I will never forsake you. I have inscribed in my nail scarred hands.”

**Closing with Challenge

I will add to my challenge. Pride leads to destruction, as we see with Belshazzar. The first inscription doesn’t have to be true for us. The writing on the wall is a symbol of man’s defiance towards God, pride, as if we have life figured out. It’s the choosing of little gods and wordly pleasures.

Will you trust God with your faith today