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Ring of Truth provides 366 daily ‘proofs’ that the Bible is consistent throughout from Genesis to Revelation, and relevant for our lives today!
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Daniel 5:5
Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The King (Belshazzar) watched the hand as it wrote.
You have been judged. It’s a ‘Ring of Truth’!
God had humbled Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, and now Belshazzar, his son, had succeeded him as king.
Unfortunately, he had learnt nothing from Nebuchadnezzar’s humiliation. He decided to have a banquet and entertain 1000 of his nobles. He, with his wives, concubines and nobles, took the dedicated gold and silver goblets, which had belonged to the Temple in Jerusalem and drank from them, praising “the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone” (v 4) as they did so.
Suddenly the king was transfixed. He saw the vision of a human hand writing on the wall. Understandably, he was terrified, as he should have been. He called for all his wise men and astrologers but they were no help and so he was gripped with panic. The queen, however, had heard of Daniel and so he was summoned before Belshazzar. For providing the interpretation, Daniel was offered a purple robe, a gold chain and the position of third highest ruler.
“Then Daniel answered the king, ‘You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means’” (5:17). He began with an introduction, telling Belshazzar that although God had raised up Nebuchadnezzar and given him wealth and power, he had not acknowledged God, so He humbled him until he did. Belshazzar had not learnt from the lesson so he was given the vision.
The writing was “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin” (v 25). Only four words but what a message.
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 [Parsin] – Your Kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians (5:26-28).
Daniel did receive the honours, but that night Belshazzar died and Darius, the Mede, took over the kingdom.
What does God see of your life? Each of us has “Tekel” said about us. We have been weighed in the scales and found wanting. Only Jesus can balance the scales on our behalf.
Don’t worry when the wicked appear to triumph. They too are weighed in the same balance as Belshazzar, just like us. Our role is to rejoice that Jesus has ‘balanced’ us out.
Why not spend a bit of time thanking Father for His love and grace, mercy and forgiveness, righteousness and justification – right now?
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