When the Writing Is on the Wall

5 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. 6 Then the king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. 7 The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed.
Daniel 5:5-9
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When the Writing Is on the Wall
Pride has a way of blinding us to the warnings of God. King Belshazzar mocked the Lord by using the sacred vessels from the temple for his drunken feast. Then came the fingers of a man's hand, and with them, terror. God’s judgment was immediate and undeniable. The king’s face changed, his thoughts troubled him, and his strength gave way. But even in this chilling scene of divine judgment, we are reminded that our God does not delight in destruction. The handwriting on the wall exposed sin, but it also pointed forward to the greater writing, this time, not on a wall but on a cross. There, God wrote in blood His judgment and mercy: Jesus crucified for sinners. When pride tempts us to mock or ignore God, let us remember His holiness. But let us also flee to Christ, in whom judgment is satisfied and mercy flows freely.