The writing on the wall

Ezekiel

Have you ever read the book pf Ezekiel? It is prophesy and parable and illustration. One right after another. Through Ezekiel God spoke a message to the sinful people of Israel. For the first half of the book God tells them how they will be destroyed, killed, exiled and essentially how their God who was an ally would become an enemy.

Romans 8:31 NLT

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

We quote something from time to time let me just see if you know it. If our God is __________ us, who could ____________ against us!

We quote something from time to time let me just see if you know it. If our God is __________ us, who could ____________ against us!

Now that is more of a statement than a question. At least it is a rhetorical question. But if this statement is true, and it is, what would that mean for the Isralites who were just told not only was God not for them, but He would now be against them.

Let me ask it this way. If God is against us , who could ever stand for us? This was the reality the Israelites faced as Ezekiel told them a day of reckoning was coming. See the Lower Nation of Israel had been rebellious and worshiping false gods for 390 years. The Northern nation of Judah had been doing the same for 40 years. And God in His providence knew without intervention his people would be lost forever.

So Ezekiel got to warn them of the impending intervention. His methods included but was not limited to laying on his side for 390 days then rolling over and doing it again for 40. He shaved his beard and hair with a sword divided it into three equal sections and destroyed it as God told him. Oh yeah he also ate small portioned food and water for those 390 days, but not just any food bread cooked over an open fire. Did I mention the fire was burning cow manure.

Any volunteers to become a prophet? The entire first half of the book was God giving similar type messages to the Israelites through Ezekiel. The second half however spook of reconciliation, and God finding the lost and bringing them back. The first half showed God’s anger, the second half showed He would not abandon His promises.

The purpose of the first half was so when the second half happened those who were brought back would know God and worship only Him. If you haven’t read it, I would encourage you to. it is not an easy read, but an important part of history as well as glimpse into an all knowing God who is patient, yet firm and who knows when to hit the reset button so to speak.

Now I have told you all of that because I want to look at a man by the name of know what you are thinking. Why would you go on and on about Ezekiel if we are going to be talking about Daniel?

The answer is quite simple Daniel’s story is heavily impacted by the book of Ezekiel. See Daniel is living in a time when the prophesies of the first half of Ezekiel are being played out. Daniel amoung with other Israelites are in exile.

Daniel himself has found himself in Babylon. Babylon was a pagan nation and one of the invading nations to destroy Israel. Not only that but they found the most strong and promising men from the temple in Jerusalem and took them captive to serve the kings of Babylon.

When Danny and his boys get to Babylon, which if you were wondering, yes the place where the tower of babel was started, Danny and his boys made a name for themselves by being respectful yet uncompromising. Daniel refused to eat food that did not align with their beliefs, and Shad rack and benny also did this as well as refusing to bow to a golden statue later on.

Now Nebby K. was a dreamer. His problem was he couldn’t interpret his dreams nor could anyone else in the kingdom. That is except a man named Daniel, the exile. Daniel interpreted dreams for the King and was put in a place of leadership for it.

Of course Daniel and the boys were not just there for a short visit and so they saw a change in leadership, more than once actually. After Nebby K. came King Belshazzar. The story we are going to be looking at actually happens during the rule of King Belshazarr.

Daniel 5 NLT

Many years later King Belshazzar gave a great feast for 1,000 of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. While Belshazzar was drinking the wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups that his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. He wanted to drink from them with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. So they brought these gold cups taken from the Temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. While they drank from them they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. Suddenly, they saw the fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster wall of the king’s palace, near the lampstand. The king himself saw the hand as it wrote, and his face turned pale with fright. His knees knocked together in fear and his legs gave way beneath him. The king shouted for the enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers to be brought before him. He said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in purple robes of royal honor and will have a gold chain placed around his neck. He will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom!” But when all the king’s wise men had come in, none of them could read the writing or tell him what it meant. So the king grew even more alarmed, and his face turned pale. His nobles, too, were shaken. But when the queen mother heard what was happening, she hurried to the banquet hall. She said to Belshazzar, “Long live the king! Don’t be so pale and frightened. There is a man in your kingdom who has within him the spirit of the holy gods. During Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, this man was found to have insight, understanding, and wisdom like that of the gods. Your predecessor, the king—your predecessor King Nebuchadnezzar—made him chief over all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers of Babylon. This man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, has exceptional ability and is filled with divine knowledge and understanding. He can interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.” So Daniel was brought in before the king. The king asked him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles brought from Judah by my predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar? I have heard that you have the spirit of the gods within you and that you are filled with insight, understanding, and wisdom. My wise men and enchanters have tried to read the words on the wall and tell me their meaning, but they cannot do it. I am told that you can give interpretations and solve difficult problems. If you can read these words and tell me their meaning, you will be clothed in purple robes of royal honor, and you will have a gold chain placed around your neck. You will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom.” Daniel answered the king, “Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means. Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, majesty, glory, and honor to your predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar. He made him so great that people of all races and nations and languages trembled before him in fear. He killed those he wanted to kill and spared those he wanted to spare. He honored those he wanted to honor and disgraced those he wanted to disgrace. But when his heart and mind were puffed up with arrogance, he was brought down from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. He was driven from human society. He was given the mind of a wild animal, and he lived among the wild donkeys. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he learned that the Most High God rules over the kingdoms of the world and appoints anyone he desires to rule over them. “You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself. For you have proudly defied the Lord of heaven and have had these cups from his Temple brought before you. You and your nobles and your wives and concubines have been drinking wine from them while praising gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor know anything at all. But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny! So God has sent this hand to write this message. “This is the message that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. This is what these words mean: Mene means ‘numbered’—God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end. Tekel means ‘weighed’—you have been weighed on the balances and have not measured up. Parsin means ‘divided’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was dressed in purple robes, a gold chain was hung around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. That very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed. And Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.

This is a story of a King who had no regard for God. Not only did he use the items sanctified for God, but used them to worship false gods. It was like the King of Babylon was outright mocking God. Not to mention the idol worship. So finally God said enough is enough.

Sometimes it feels like we are exiles living in a foreign land doesn’t it? Sometimes it feels like we are living in a society that not only denies God but seems to want to mock Him publicly.

Imagine being in Daniel’s shoes. Daniel is a God fearing man living in a culture who not only refuses to acknowledge God’s authority but instead chooses to mock Him. Does that sound familiar to anyone else?

Sometimes it feels like we are living in the first half of Ezekiel waiting for the good shepherd to come in the second half and take His lost sheep home.

What do I mean? Ok so New York state passed a bill allowing the murder of unborn children up to the day of delivery. Was this done in disgrace? No it was celebrated.

Our Governing forces continue to be full of corruption and controversy. Sin is celebrated in the streets while Holy living is ridiculed, and each day it seems the world grows more and more sinful.

The Question I want to answer is

The question I want to ask is…

What can we learn from the writing on the wall?

Me: Mark Lowery Mamma had enough

We: Have you ever wondered when God is going to have enough?

God: Well that is what happened in this passage. God had enough and sent a hand to write on the wall.

What did He write:

מְנֵא, מְנֵא, תְּקֵל, פְּרֵס

מְנֵא, תְּקֵל, פְּרֵס

מְנֵא,

Mene: Numbered

תְּקֵל,

Tekel: Weighed

פְּרֵס

Parsin: Divided

You: I suggest to you the writing is on the wall.

We: God has already told us the days of this kingdom are numbered, and that a day is coming when we will all be weighed, and without Jesus on our side will we will not measure up, and that The kingdom will be divided. Those who are His sheep will be taken home and those who are goats will be destroyed.

What can we learn from the writing on the wall?

Be ready!