“This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. This is the interpretation of the message: MENE means that God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end. TEKEL means that you have been weighed in the balance and found deficient. PERES means that your kingdom has ben divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” Daniel 5:25-28 HCSB
Have you ever played one of those games where the letters of a word or the words of a phrase are scrambled and you have to unscramble the letters or the words to discover the true meaning? The words that were written on the wall did not make any sense to the king or any of his advisors. God gave Daniel the special ability to understand the words and interpret the meaning for the king.
Defying God can be very dangerous. Even though King Belshazar’s kingdom was very large and powerful, its days were numbered and the kingdom would be divided. The message from God that was written on the wall literally meant: “numbered, numbered, weighed, and divided”. The king’s behavior was weighed on God’s scale of justice. His power and wealth did him no good and did not withstand the judgment of God.
Challenge: If you have forgotten God and turned from His holy ways, there is still time to repent and do what is right. If you fail to follow God’s way, you may face the same destruction and judgment that King Belshazar experienced. Repent now and pray for forgiveness.