To my kids,
Chapter five brings us to the famous writing on the wall: "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin." We meet King Nebuchadnezzar's successor through this divine messageāone of those tragic Bible stories that gets straight to the point.
We're introduced to King Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar's grandson, who "was admitted to a share in kingly authority at fifteen years of age" according to The Youth's Instructor, May 19, 1898 by Ellen G. White.
We find him throwing a great feast, committing the ultimate sacrilege by taking gold cups from the Temple of God in Jerusalem. While drinking from these holy vessels, they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone (Daniel 5:4).
As the story continues, the presence of an Unseen Guest is felt when they saw fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster wall of the king's palace. The king himself saw the hand as it wrote: "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin."
Of course, the king's wise men were called to interpret, and none couldāexcept Daniel. We see Daniel getting summoned to the kingdom and being offered gifts for his ability to interpret.
I'd like to idle my car here for a while as we dive into Daniel's character, because it continues to shock me as I read further.
We're not told how old Daniel was when he was commissioned, but I believe he was young. We also don't know his age when King Nebuchadnezzar died, nor what exactly took place during his time at the kingdom fulfilling his duties. The Bible doesn't detail what he faced during those yearsāit just skips to the successor who was fifteen when appointed to share kingly authority.
The point here is this: Daniel was faithful and obedient to God throughout his entire life.
God is strict, as seen throughout biblical stories. I believe that had Daniel disobeyed God, He would have found a replacement for His mission. There would have been features in the Bible of all the times Daniel disobeyedāwe see that with David and Paul, to name a few.
So it's safe to say that Daniel had integrity and maintained that integrity, faithfulness, and truthfulness to God for his entire lifetime. What Daniel was commissioned to do was so clear that he dared not allow life's temptations or the high positions he held to deter him from the gift God gave him.
How he lived his life is what I would call moving in the fear of God. I can imagine: how dare you think you can disobey God after He used you to interpret dreams of Him disciplining those who mock Him? He would have never dared (though some would have). It all boils down to the reverence he had for God.
Daniel is the perfect point of reference in this journey of life. We are all commissioned to work for His kingdom in different ways, and how dare we fall back into sins we begged Him to deliver us from?
How dare we neglect daily prayer?
How dare we doubt Him?
How dare we choose to disobey Him?
Daniel's obedience left a mark everywhere he went, evident in how his name was mentioned in rooms he wasn't even in. That is our duty on earthāif we would just be obedient, we will leave the marks God wants us to leave. He was so obedient that his story got featured in the blueprint of life for us to learn from.
As I was reading, I kept wondering: didn't King Belshazzar learn anything from the previous king? He was part of the royal family, so he definitely had a front-row seat to everything his grandfather experienced. We would expect him to have learned something.
Unfortunately, he didn't. The worst happened in the sense that God didn't give him the same mercy He gave his grandfather. Belshazzar was given a front-row seat to God's hand, yet learned nothing from it. Now, doomsday met him sooner than he anticipated. He took advantage of God's mercyāhe went beyond the gates of mercy.
Kids, God is not to be played with. A huge responsibility is given to us. As you grow closer to God, more gets revealed to you, and you ought to obey. If you don't obey, you will run but never be able to hide. God will one day find you, and it will not be nice at all.
Do not mess with God. (In the simplest form.)
A quick belief I hold: We are all on earth to play a part in working for the Kingdom that is to come. We all have a purpose in this day and age. We are right where we need to beāand sometimes we're not because of our disobedienceābut God is always by our side.
God has His own view on how the inhabitants of this earth should contribute to the coming Kingdom, and His way ALWAYS prevails. For illustration: I've been called to do something, to leave a specific mark. I can choose to dilly-dally through life in disobedience, but guess what? What I've been called to do won't stop. It can skip my generation because of my disobedience, but it definitely will not stop.
God knows His worth. I marvel at the confidence He holds. He will not beg you. He will skip your generation if necessary. What is meant to take place will take place, and you will reap the consequences of disobedienceānot only yours, but your entire generation will be affected by the disobedience of one person.
"But Belshazzar's love of amusement and self-glorification effaced the lessons he should never have forgotten; and he committed sins similar to those that brought signal judgments on Nebuchadnezzar. He wasted the opportunities graciously granted him, neglecting to use the opportunities within his reach for becoming acquainted with truth. 'What must I do to be saved?' was a question that the great but foolish king passed by indifferently. This is the danger of heedless, reckless youth today. The hand of God will awaken the sinner as it did Belshazzar, but with many it will be too late to repent."
Experience is not the best teacher. I repeat, experience is not the best teacher. King Belshazzar had the privilege of knowing and doing the will of God. The history of his grandfather stood out as vividly before him as the writing on the wall.
Guys, God is not to be messed with. You might not get the same grace as your friend does.
He is a Watcher who is unrecognized, but His presence is and will be felt in the end. Be sure you are found on the right side of the fence.
With Love,
Mom