Daniel 5:1-6 Video Devotional

King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand.

Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. Then the king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. – Daniel 5:1-6

King Belshazzar was the son of Nebuchadnezzar. We see clearly that he picked up his father’s personality traits, specifically arrogance. Belshazzar, probably wanting to show off to his friends the gold from Jerusalem’s destruction, had them brought out and cheerfully drank from them.

We don’t get as much detail about Belshazzar as we do his father, but it is clear that he enjoyed his pride and worshipped other gods. Not a good mix. God didn’t seem impressed either, as He made a hand appear and write on the wall. This act turned Belshazzar’s face white and brought to a point of great fear.

It is interesting to know that the common phrase “the writings on the wall” comes from this story. In the connotation we use that phrase, it is rarely (if ever) used to convey a positive message. Usually, it is a dire warning or the obvious factors that show a decision has already been made. Have you ever felt like you’ve crossed a line? It seems like that is what Belshazzar has done here. He took things one step too far and, well… the writing was on the wall.

One of the many things we can be thankful for is that we know we haven’t crossed a line yet. As long as we are still living and breathing, we can still choose God (Hebrews 9:27). Let’s not waste our time on ourselves or our sin and choose Christ now, so that we can begin the eternity living in the fullness of God – now! Eternity starts at the moment we open ourselves to Jesus – in this life – don’t wait until the end, and don’t miss out!



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