MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN

Daniel 5:22-30 “But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives 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. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription. “This is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN  “This is what these words mean: 

Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty–two.

Thumbing your nose at the almighty, is not a wise thing to do. Belshazzar, in the book of Daniel is the poster child for that one. Unfortunately, there are many in our world that have yet to learn this lesson. Their hubris can be the result of a lifetime of self absorption coupled with the happy circumstance of never having really been in an all consuming crisis. By all consuming I mean something that is totally beyond your own ability to cope or survive. This hubris may be the result of a lifetime in academia surrounded by fellow nonbelievers. Granted, many in academia are believers but I suspect they are the minority rather than the majority. The chilling words, to me, in the Daniel 5 passage above are “You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.” As Christians, we know all too well that is our condition. We are lost. Sinners and unable to save ourselves. That is why we are so desperately in need of a Savior. 1 Corinthians 15:57 gives us the hope we need. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Without Jesus, the scales would be irrevocably tilted to the wanting side. And what of the lost, and those filled with hubris or ignorance? What is to be our interaction when we are blessed with that chance to share the love of Christ? We share the real Jesus. We share the truth in love. We stand our ground, firm in our conviction as sinners lost but for the love of God. We share the Jesus who healed the sick, drove out demons, fed the masses and spoke of the real God in heaven. The message he delivered was unpopular at the time. His message we deliver will be equally as unpopular today. But if we do not deliver the message, who will? Pray friends. Pray for the right words. Pray for the opportunities. Pray for the patience in reaching out to those who need to hear the truth. And pray for our words to be filled with love and not sprinkled with harsh tones. Please, let the Holy Spirit speak through you. 

PRAYER: Father, our world is filled with brokenness. Sometimes our words just add to the fractured nature of our land. Help us, O God, to share Your love, the love of Jesus with our world. Fill us with the wisdom to know when to share, the faith to share, and Your words to share. For Your love we are forever thankful and offer this humble prayer in Jesus’ name, Amen.