HONOR GOD WHO HOLDS YOUR LIFE IN HIS HAND

Passage: Daniel 5:22-31

Key verse: 23b

NIV

22 “But you, Belshazzar, his son,[a] have not humbled(A) yourself, though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have set yourself up against(B) the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives(C) 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.(D) But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life(E) and all your ways.(F) 24 Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.

25 “This is the inscription that was written:

mene, mene, tekel, parsin

26 “Here is what these words mean:

Mene[b]: God has numbered the days(G) of your reign and brought it to an end.(H)

27 Tekel[c]: You have been weighed on the scales(I) and found wanting.(J)

28 Peres[d]: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes(K) and Persians.”(L)

29 Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck,(M) and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.(N)

30 That very night Belshazzar,(O) king(P) of the Babylonians,[e] was slain,(Q) 31 and Darius(R) the Mede(S) took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.[f]

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Footnotes
  1. Daniel 5:22 Or descendant; or successor
  2. Daniel 5:26 Mene can mean numbered or mina (a unit of money).
  3. Daniel 5:27 Tekel can mean weighed or shekel.
  4. Daniel 5:28 Peres (the singular of Parsin) can mean divided or Persia or a half mina or a half shekel.
  5. Daniel 5:30 Or Chaldeans
  6. Daniel 5:31 In Aramaic texts this verse (5:31) is numbered 6:1.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

22 And you his son,[a] (A)Belshazzar, (B)have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against (C)the Lord of heaven. And (D)the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. (E)And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, (F)but the God in whose hand is your breath, and (G)whose are all your ways, (H)you have not honored.

24 “Then from his presence (I)the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered[b] the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 Tekel, (J)you have been weighed[c] in the balances and found wanting; 28 Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to (K)the Medes and (L)Persians.”[d]

29 Then (M)Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel (N)was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

30 (O)That very night (P)Belshazzar the (Q)Chaldean king was killed. 31 [e] And (R)Darius (S)the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

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Footnotes
  1. Daniel 5:22 Or successor
  2. Daniel 5:26 Mene sounds like the Aramaic for numbered
  3. Daniel 5:27 Tekel sounds like the Aramaic for weighed
  4. Daniel 5:28 Peres (the singular of Parsin) sounds like the Aramaic for divided and for Persia
  5. Daniel 5:31 Ch 6:1 in Aramaic
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. Daniel rebukes King Belshazzar (22-24) King Belshazzar didn't humbly learn anything from history, that is, from King Nebuchadnezzar's arrogance and pride (2 ). Rather, he defied God by using the sacred goblets and praising lifeless idols. He didn't honor God who holds all our lives and ways in his hand. So God sent the king a rebuking message. Now Daniel would interpret it for him. 2. The meaning of the handwriting (25-31) The scary handwriting on the wall was from God: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin. Mene: The king's reign was numbered and now over; Tekel: the king did not weigh up to God's standard; Parsin: Babylon is divided and given to Media-Persia. Daniel was rewarded for the interpretation. But that very night the king lost his life and his kingdom.

Prayer: Lord God, forgive my arrogance and pride. Help me to walk humbly and acknowledge and honor you in all my ways. In Jesus' name. Amen.

One Word: Honor God in all your ways