UBF Daily Bread

WEIGHED ON THE SCALES AND FOUND WANTING

Passage: Daniel 5:13~31

Key verse: 27

¹³So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah?^(A) ¹⁴I have heard that the spirit of the gods^(B) is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom.^(C) ¹⁵The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it.^(D) ¹⁶Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems.^(E) If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck,^(F) and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”^(G)

¹⁷Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else.^(H) Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.

¹⁸“Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar^(I) sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor.^(J) ¹⁹Because of the high position he gave him, all the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death;^(K) those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled.^(L) ²⁰But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride,^(M) he was deposed from his royal throne^(N) and stripped^(O) of his glory.^(P) ²¹He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign^(Q) over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.^(R)

²²“But you, Belshazzar, his son,^[a] have not humbled^(S) yourself, though you knew all this. ²³Instead, you have set yourself up against^(T) the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives^(U) 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.^(V) But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life^(W) and all your ways.^(X) ²⁴Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.

²⁵“This is the inscription that was written:

mene, mene, tekel, parsin

²⁶“Here is what these words mean:

Mene^[b]: God has numbered the days^(Y) of your reign and brought it to an end.^(Z)

²⁷Tekel^[c]: You have been weighed on the scales^(AA) and found wanting.^(AB)

²⁸Peres^[d]: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes^(AC) and Persians.”^(AD)

²⁹Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck,^(AE) and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.^(AF)

³⁰That very night Belshazzar,^(AG) king^(AH) of the Babylonians,^[e] was slain,^(AI) ³¹and Darius^(AJ) the Mede^(AK) took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.^[f]

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Footnotes

Daniel 5:22 Or descendant; or successor
Daniel 5:26 Mene can mean numbered or mina (a unit of money).
Daniel 5:27 Tekel can mean weighed or shekel.
Daniel 5:28 Peres (the singular of Parsin) can mean divided or Persia or a half mina or a half shekel.
Daniel 5:30 Or Chaldeans
Daniel 5:31 In Aramaic texts this verse (5:31) is numbered 6:1.

1. Your father learned the hard way (13-21)

A terrified King Belshazzar called Daniel to interpret the handwriting on the wall. Daniel refused any reward. He reminded the king of how God had humbled his father when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride. God had taught Nebuchadnezzar that God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men.

2. You did not honor God (22-31)

Belshazzar did not honor the God who holds in his hand men's lives and all their ways. He was a spoiled young man who spent his time drinking and partying. He did not think about the serious issues of life. He was arrogant, and he dishonored God. When God weighed him in the scales, he fell too far short of God's righteous standard. God's judgment would--and did--fall on him that very night.

Prayer: Lord, the people of our times also have become very proud, and pleasure-seeking seems to be our major activity. Forgive our sins. Help me not to fear men, but to fear and honor you, as Daniel did.

One Word: Honor God