The Writing on the Wall
Belshazzar succeeds his father Nebuchadnezzar as ruler over Babylon. Once established, he throws a grand party for one thousand of his nobles.
While drinking wine—perhaps too much—he orders that the goblets taken from the temple in Jerusalem be brought out to serve his guests. In doing so, they praise their gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
Suddenly fingers from a disembodied hand appear and write four words on the wall. Belshazzar is understandably frightened. His face turns pale, and his knees grow weak.
He must know what it says, but no one can read the words or decipher its meaning. At the suggestion of the queen, he calls for Daniel, promising grand rewards if Daniel can interpret the message.
Daniel dismisses the king’s offer and instead chastises him.
Despite knowing what happened to Nebuchadnezzar when he became proud, Belshazzar repeated his father’s error. He refused to humble himself.
Daniel reads the words and interprets them: “Your days are numbered. I repeat, your days are numbered. You’ve been judged and fall short. Your kingdom will be taken from you and given to the Medes and Persians.”
That night Belshazzar is killed, and his kingdom is taken over by Darius, the Mede.
Though Nebuchadnezzar received a warning and a second chance, Belshazzar did not. This is perhaps because he should have known better.
What must we do to avoid committing the same mistakes as our parents?
Though God is a God of mercy, are we wrong to assume he’ll always give us a second chance?
[Read about Belshazzar in Daniel 5. Discover more in Daniel 7:1 and Daniel 8:1.]
Learn about 100 more biblical characters in More Old Testament Sinners and Saints, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.
More Old Testament Sinners and Saints is part of the Bible Character Sketches series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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