Scripture to Read: Daniel 5:7–9
If we’re not careful, we might miss the fact that as God had the hand show up, it was not just to set fear in the heart of Belshazzar and the people, but it was God revealing His grace to Belshazzar and giving him a chance to repent and turn from his wicked ways. God could have chosen to have all of them killed on the spot for defiling the articles reserved for His temple. But instead, God showed up and gave a message of warning—that is God’s abundant grace. In Daniel 5:7–9, we read how Belshazzar sought answers; the problem was that he sought those answers from all the wrong people. When we are searching for Truth, there is only one direction that we must choose to go and that is in the direction of God, His Word, and those who walk with Him. We must also note that Belshazzar offers the person who can interpret the writing to be the third ruler in the kingdom. The reason for this was found in 1854. An archeologist named Taylor, through his work in southern Iraq, discovered what is called the Nabonidus Cylinder. It’s an inscription written by Nabonidus; Belshazzar was Nabonidus’ oldest son, and what the inscription reveals is Nabonidus entrusted the kingship to his eldest son, Belshazzar, and the two of them, Nabonidus and Belshazzar, reigned together. Nabonidus ran the military, and Belshazzar ran the rest of the province of Babylon. God’s Word is always correct, even when we may not have all of the answers when we want them.
Challenge & Application
• When we’re seeking answers to questions, why is it unwise to seek answers from those with worldly wisdom?
• Where should we go for answers to our questions, and why is it so important to choose wisely?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!