Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

“But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from His temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines 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 honour the God who holds in His hand your life and all your ways.” (Daniel 5:22-23)

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (James 4:10)

King Belshazzar thought that he was safe. He thought that the incredible wealth and security he had within his kingdom was all he needed; but he was wrong. He failed to learn from what happened to his Grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, and did not honour the one true God. When a disembodied hand wrote a message on the wall during a drunken banquet, only Daniel was able to decipher its message. “Mene Mene, Tekel Parsin”. God had numbered the days of his reign and was bringing it to an end. He had been weighed and found wanting, and his kingdom would be divided among his enemies.

God teaches us through Daniel that God is all we need. If we live life humbly and put nothing else before him, He promises to lift us up. Belshazzar learnt this lesson too late, but we can choose to live lives that are pleasing to God.