In today’s reading from Daniel, God’s judgment on Babylon’s King Belshazzar was announced in a very dramatic way. A disjointed man’s hand suddenly appeared and wrote on the wall. History tells us the pronouncement in “the handwriting on the wall” was carried out that very night.
God’s Word may not suddenly appear on the walls of our government. It may not appear on the walls of our homes or businesses, but it’s just as sure in our lives and the world at large.
Today’s New Testament reading warns of God’s judgment, too. This time against false teachers. Their doctrines are man-centered and appeal to the flesh and our selfish nature. No wonder they are still popular today. Yet, because they are often mixed with truth, their lies can seem plausible. But they will pull us away from knowing God as He really is and often shipwreck our faith. So, we need to be able to recognize them.
Today’s Readings:
Daniel 5 & 6
Psalm 136.10-26
Proverbs 29.12-13
2 Peter 2.1-22
As Sure as the Handwriting on the Wall
Daniel 5 & 6:
The Handwriting on the Wall – the Party’s Over!
Every chapter of Daniel is packed with more excitement than any action movie. Today’s reading is no different.
King Belshazzar was having a party for a thousand of his lords, his wives, and his concubines. As the party wore on, he ordered his servants to bring out the gold and silver vessels that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem.
4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.
5 In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 6 Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other.
Can you imagine something like that taking place at your company Christmas party or next family gathering? What if a disjointed man’s hand suddenly appeared and began to write on the wall? Such was the scene at Belshazzar’s party!
Besides the drunkenness and immorality, he had the arrogance to bring out the temple instruments and drink from them. But God used this party with all these people present to let them know the party was over!
Belshazzar and his leaders thought they were safe inside the castle and its walls and were free to live any way they pleased. But that very night the kingdom fell to the Medes and Persians and Belshazzar was killed (Dan. 5.30-31). God’s judgment had fallen on an ungodly, prideful king and on a corrupt, ungodly nation.
The Handwriting on the Wall & Legalized Sin
Today in our society, we have taken it a step further. In our arrogance, we haven’t just sinned, we’ve legalized it. As if making something legal will protect us from the judgment of a Holy God.
The truth is our choices and behaviors have consequences. And one day each of us will stand before one of two judgments (2 Cor. 5.10; Rev. 20.11) and give an account.
God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13.8). He is patient and merciful, but one day He will judge all sin. Unless we have repented, believed the gospel, and our sin has been covered by the blood of Christ, we will answer for it.
There may not be any handwriting on the wall because He has already written all of His warnings and commands in His Word and on our hearts (Rom. 2.12-16). That’s one reason why there is so much fear and anxiety in the world today. When we are not living according to what is right, our own hearts condemn us.
And just as in Belshazzar’s life, the things He’s written will one day, possibly soon, come to pass and the party will be over for many. Romans 6.23 says, “The wages of sin is death …” But for those who repent and turn to God, “… the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.”
Today’s Other Readings:
Psalm 136.10-26:
His Mercy Toward Those Who Turn to Him
Who remembered us in our lowly state, for His mercy endures forever … Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever (vv. 23, 26).
God in His mercy did indeed provide a way of escape from the eternal consequences of our sin for all those who will put their faith and trust in Him. But we must turn from our wicked ways, self-effort, and false gospels and receive what He did for us!
Proverbs 29.12-13:
When a Ruler Believes Lies
If a ruler pays attention to lies, all his servants become wicked (v. 12).
I don’t know how many actually died that night, but Belshazzar took those lords, wives, and concubines down with him. They thought because they had the king’s favor, they, too, could live however they pleased. But the handwriting on the wall was for them, too.
As I said, many kinds of sin have become accepted and legalized today. But we are responsible for what we choose to believe, what we accept, and what we condone. What God has called wicked still is. We can’t accept what God hates simply because it’s become acceptable in the culture at large.
2 Peter 2.1-22:
Beware!
Peter sends a strong warning to beware of false teachers. False teachers don’t necessarily stand up and deny God or preach that Buddha or Mohammed is the answer. The enemy who uses them is much smarter and more subtle than that. Often what they preach sounds good, even biblical.
But if you look closer you will see that it is a man-centered doctrine, not a God-centered one. It appeals to the flesh and to our selfish nature.
We like the idea of a god who doesn’t allow us to suffer, who always heals, who blesses us financially, who overlooks our sin and selfishness, and who gives us favor with everyone.
Most of us would prefer a doctrine that doesn’t focus on sin or require us to change. We want a god who always answers our prayers according to our will not His and enables us to command demons and have them obey us or at least have someone else do that for us.
Spirit & Truth
Instead, we need to become students of the Word of God and not create a god of our own making. Those who worship the true God must worship Him in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4.23)!
We need to read the Word of God in its proper context. Peter said in yesterday’s reading, “… no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation.” False teachers often take verses out of context or try to make them say something they don’t. Or they pick and choose the passages that fit their doctrine and neglect or explain away those that don’t. But 2 Timothy 3.16 says:
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.
When they neglect to teach about sin and the need for repentance, they forget that Proverbs 27.5-6 tells us:
Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Pleasing God, Not Ourselves
And while God does bless faithful giving, when teachers promise a return on financial “investments” in the kingdom, they can fuel a selfish “give to get” attitude. In contrast, God’s Word teaches that we are to become givers, not takers who are merely focused on ourselves (Eph. 4.28).
We are to live our lives to please God (2 Cor. 5.9), not expecting God to please us (Lk. 22.42).
God is good. He told us through the prophet Jeremiah:
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jer. 29.11).
But we must seek to know Him as He really is—to know Him, His Word, and His ways and to understand His purposes so that we can worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Your Thoughts:
How has God spoken to you today? Perhaps you saw a passage in a new light or an area where you need to grow and change. Did you find a promise to hold on to? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Get Ready for the Coming Year with a Plan for Your Bible Reading
The holidays are just around the corner and the new year will be on us before we know it. What will you do to make Bible reading an ongoing habit in the coming year? I want to encourage you to set a goal to read through the Bible again or for the first time. If you join me here, I’ll take you through a plan that covers both the Old and New Testaments in about 15 minutes a day. Sign up here for my daily email. It can serve as a gentle reminder to stay on track and I believe you’ll benefit from the additional background and application comments that I share.
Start today so you can begin the habit and it will be a regular part of your day come January.
You can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. Just click on the social media icons. But nothing replaces having the daily devotion pop up in your inbox each day. It, usually (once in a while life gets in the way), goes out at 6 a.m. MST.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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