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Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
What does the phrase “Time is Running Out” mean to you? Perhaps you think of an athletic game with seconds left on the clock; or maybe a friend serving in the military and their overseas deployment is nearing its end.
Yesterday I left you in the King’s palace in Babylon. A grand celebration of the empire’s nobles had been disrupted by a very frightening experience. A disembodied hand had miraculously appeared in the air and written words on the palace wall which only Daniel seemed able to read!
King Belshazzar had led this grand celebration to become a mockery of God and Daniel’s words to the king had left everyone who heard them in shock: “You have set yourself up against the LORD of heaven. You had the golden goblets from His temple brought to you and you and the nobles drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds your life in His hands. Therefore, HE has sent the hand that wrote this inscription: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.“ (Daniel 5:23-25)
As far as we know these three words were unknown to king Belshazzar and everyone else in the room. These words, according to scholars and linguists, were most likely from a dialect spoken in the Galilee region of Israel, Aramaic. In fact it was the language Jesus grew up speaking in Nazareth.
Daniel did not shy away from chastising the king that he had made a grave error in judgment. His party was blaspheming and mocking the very God who had created him; the God who gave him his every breath and the God who daily held the king’s very life in His hands! As a result, this arrogant king was about to experience the judgment of the Almighty God whom he mocked!
Daniel next proceeded to explain what the words meant for God’s pronouncement over King Belshazzar: “MENE: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.” (Daniel 5:26) The word “mene” could be understood to mean ‘to number’ something. This must have been shocking news to king Belshazzar.
Babylon as a great city was impregnable as far as everyone could imagine. The city was completely surrounded by a great wall at least 40 feet high and wide enough that several chariots could ride side by side on the top of the wall. 250 watchtowers with watchmen and armed guards were on top of this great wall providing 24 hour surveillance as far out on the horizon as they eye could see. The wall was absolutely unscalable and so thick it was impossible to penetrate.
Outside this great wall was a large mote of water all around the city of Babylon, crossed only by drawbridges which could easily be drawn up if any threatening army was approaching. Entrance through that great wall was guarded by huge gates of iron which also were impregnable.
Inside this great city was sufficient farmland to feed the city for many months even if the city was under siege, and running through the city was the great river Euphrates providing more than enough water for every need. The Babylonian forces stationed to guard this great city were seasoned warriors.
King Belshazzar had not even a hint of concern for his city and thus Daniel’s pronouncement of doom must have seemed preposterous, yet terrifying!
Did Daniel pause, giving King Belshazzar and his officials some time to process this horrifying news? Had the music stopped in the grand banquet hall? Had the servers stopped pouring wine and serving food? Had the highest-ranking officials gathered around King Belshazzar so they could hear Daniel’s explanation of the unexplainable hand in the air which they had all seen write the words on the banquet hall wall which now pronounced God’s judgment?
We have no record that the King or any other official argued with Daniel or questioned him, so Daniel continued: “TEKEL: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.” (Daniel 5:27) Tekel in Aramaic described the method of weighing on a scale to assess value. So ‘tekel’ was used in the market as people purchased food for instance. I’m confident the significance became quickly evident to King Belshazzar and his 1000 official guests, most of whom had likely consumed too much food and wine in this lavish party which was a reflection of the outlandish lifestyle many people lived in Babylon.
God was using ‘tekel‘ to declare the moral deficiency of King Belshazzar and his officials. While they ruled over the most dominant empire in the world, they were corrupt, decadent, immoral, untrustworthy and fell far short of God’s expectations for leadership integrity!
I believe Daniel paused again, perhaps this time a lengthy pause before declaring the final word on the wall and explaining its significance. The combination of “MENE” and “TEKEL” could only mean one thing. Almighty God was preparing His judgment upon leadership who had failed morally, and their days were numbered, their leadership would soon come to an end.
But if Babylon defenses were impregnable, the city wall unscalable and indestructible, and the city immune to siege, then Daniel’s warning seemed illogical. But the terrifying image which they had all seen, of a disembodied hand writing these words on the wall, was evidence of a power unknown to any kingdom in the world! What could it possibly mean for Babylon?
Let’s pause right here and tomorrow we’ll hear the remainder of Daniel’s explanation and witness what God did. For today, let’s be wise and consider “MENE” and “TEKEL” as it relates to you and me, my friends.
* “MENE”... do you believe God holds your life in His hands?
Do you agree that God created you, you didn’t create yourself, and God has given you every breath you’ve ever breathed, and God knows exactly when, where and how you’ll take your last breath? What is your attitude about your mortality and what choices have you made to prepare for your eternity?
* “TEKEL”... is God now, or will God someday weigh, evaluate the moral condition of your life and mine?
What do you think is God’s assessment of the morality and moral values of our lives thus far and what is God’s response to what He sees in you and me?
Ponder those questions my friends and let this worship song help you consider your life from God’s perspective, and I’ll see you right back here tomorrow.
Today’s Scripture: Daniel 5:22-27.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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