This post is written by Shaq Hardy and is published as a companion to Unit 16, Session 3 of The Gospel Project for Adults Vol. 6 (Winter 2022-23): From Captivity to Restoration.
Most of us believe God to be a good God. When we think about God, for many of us, we think about His love, His mercy, and His Grace. We think about those three attributes of God as if they are all sunshine and rainbows, but they’re not. In fact, it’s the love, mercy, and grace of God that sent Jesus to the cross. It’s the love, mercy, and grace of God that caused Jesus to be judged, instead of you.
Daniel chapter 5 is a great picture of God’s judgment towards sin. Daniel 5 recounts the story of the Babylonian ruler by the name of Belshazzar. Belshazzar was a foolishly prideful man who placed himself above God. In fact, in Daniel 5:2-4, Belshezzar basically challenges God by drinking from vessels from God’s temple and then worshiping his manmade gods all at the same time. And immediately a human hand (unattached from a human body) appears and writes the words MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PERES on the wall next to the lampstand. This was God’s way of pronouncing judgment on Belshazzar for his actions. God sent Daniel to Belshazzar to explain what the writing meant. Obviously, this was a message for Belshazzar, but we can learn quite a bit from what God had to say to him. Here are three things we learn about God’s judgment from Daniel 5:25-28:
1. Our time on this earth is limited.
The word MENE was written twice for emphasis. The message to Belshazzar was that God had numbered his days, and his kingdom was being brought to an end. At this point in time, Belshazzar wasn’t even really the king, but the little bit of power that God allowed him to have, God was taking away.
The message to us is that our days are numbered as well. God has given each of us gifts and He really does care how we use them. If we use what the Lord has given us to build our own kingdom, one day, whatever we’ve built will come to an end because we all have an expiration date. As C.T. Studd has so poetically put it: “Only one life, twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Reflection Question: How are you leveraging your gifts and time for God’s kingdom?
2. We will all one day be judged.
The word TEKEL means weighed. The message for Belshazzar was that God had weighed him against the standard of His holiness, and he was found lacking. Belshazzar not only worshipped gods made by human hands, but he also blasphemed God and defiled artifacts from His temple.
The message for us is that we will one day be judged. One day, God is going to judge us and the measure by which we are judged will be His holiness. Truth is, none of us can ever measure up. None of us can ever be good enough to get ourselves to God on our own. But God sent His Son, Jesus, to take the judgment we deserved for not measuring up. So for those that submit to Jesus as King and trust Jesus as Savior, they are not judged based on their work, but on the finished work of Christ.
Reflection Question: If your life came to an end right now, how would you measure up? Is the measure for your holiness your own work, or the finished work of Jesus?
3. Our lives are not our own.
The word PERES means divided. The message for Belshazzar was that his kingdom would now be given to another. He lived as if the kingdom that God had given him was his. But it wasn’t. And because of his foolish pride, God took the kingdom from him and gave it to the Medes and Persians.
The message for us is that no part of our lives belongs to us. God owns every part of us. Even if we refuse to surrender our lives to Jesus, God is still in control of every aspect of our lives. The Bible tells us that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). Every day of our lives, we have a choice. Either we will live to build our own kingdom, leading to death, or we will build the kingdom of God, leading to eternal life.
Reflection Question: What do your actions say about whose kingdom you are building?
Shaq Hardy and his wife, Racheal, live in Asheville, North Carolina, where they are committed to faithfully serving the high school students of Biltmore Church. He is currently a student at Southeastern Seminary and is passionate about being a part of life-change, whether through sharing a sermon or through intentional life-on-life discipleship.
