"We all need signs from God"

Daniel 5:1-12
Dr. Anne M. Cameron
August 28, 2011
Third in a series, "Unlikely Heroes and Heroines in the Bible"

      Today we consider Daniel the prophet. As a young teenager, Daniel (along with several friends) was deported to Babylon. He and his friends were among the first group of captives. Along with others from the far-flung empire, they would be trained for Babylonian civil service. In the biblical book of Daniel, we hear how Daniel advanced to top administrative positions under three different kings. His lifetime spanned the entire period of the Babylonian captivity.

      Daniel's Hebrew name means "God is my judge." He is best known for his God-given wisdom, his talent as a dream interpreter, his rapid rise to power in the Babylonian/Persian dynasties, and his faith and courage in the lion's den. Lesser known (but interesting!) facts about Daniel: he had a period of vegetarianism and teetotalling, and he was a linguistic whiz kid.

      Who knew an unknown young man from Judah would become an unlikely hero in God's story? Who knew God would use Daniel to communicate important messages and even, to change history?

      Who knew? God knew!

      The book of Daniel is divided into two main parts: (first) the stories of Daniel's life, and (second) his visions and prophecies. The first part---the stories---were written in Aramaic, the language of the Gentile world. (This is one of the very few parts of the Bible that was written in Aramaic). It is thought therefore that the book of Daniel was written with a special eye to communicate to non-Jews, indeed, to a broad range of people in the ancient near east.

      When we enter this story, it is toward the end of Daniel's life. He is about 80 years old. Daniel has been all but forgotten by the king. King Belshazzar has called a huge feast. There are a few strange things we discover about this feast right from the get-go. Usually the King would not join others at a feast, but he does so here. Women were also usually not invited to feasts, but they are present here as well. Because of what the king does---he takes the sacred objects which had been plundered from Temple in Jerusalem and uses them for drinking games----because of this, it seems he was trying to make some kind of profane insult to the Hebrew God. It is a raucous, drunken and probably out of control party scene we come upon here in the beginning of the 5th chapter of Daniel:

      King Belshazzar made a great festival for a thousand of his lords, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar commanded that they bring in the vessels of gold and silver that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. So they brought in the vessels of gold and silver that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

      Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the wall of the royal palace, next to the lampstand. The king was watching the hand as it wrote. Then the king's face turned pale, and his thoughts terrified him. His limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the diviners; and the king said to the wise men of Babylon, "Whoever can read this writing and tell me its interpretation shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around his neck, and rank third in the kingdom." Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king the interpretation. Then King Belshazzar became greatly terrified and his face turned pale, and his lords were perplexed.

      This is rather freaky! A disembodied hand, writing on the wall. Had they all had far too much to drink, or is there something more going on? Belshazzar is terrified. Why is he so frightened? This King would have been a man of great confidence and power. Why would a little disembodied handwriting shake him to the core?

      Even before the King knows what it means----his own guilty conscience gets the best of him. And it is ironic that this strange message appears on the very same wall where the king's exploits, titles, and victories would also have been written! (We continue in Scripture.)

      The queen, when she heard the discussion of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall. The queen said, "O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts terrify you or your face grow pale. There is a man in your kingdom who is endowed with a spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father he was found to have enlightenment, understanding, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and diviners, because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation."

      Later on, Daniel reads and interprets the markings on the wall:

      Mene, Tekel and Parsin are three coins: a mina, a shekel and a half-shekel. Each is smaller than the last. This alone tells Belshazzar that his kingdom is coming to an end. His kingdom will be reduced, then divided. Later that year Babylon fell to the combined forces of the Medeans and Persians (539 B.C.).

      None of the king's magicians and advisers, not his most trusted aides, nor his most learned guides, could begin to interpret this 'handwriting on the wall.' This event echoed what happened earlier, too, when the King's wisest advisors couldn't interpret his troubling dreams. It was Daniel, aided by God, who unraveled their mysteries to the King.

      This is a strange and memorable story, the source for the phrase, "reading the handwriting on the wall", which we know means understanding when things are about to get really bad, heeding the warning, and hopefully, doing something different. (hurricane warning) But there is more in this story.

      The wisest people we gather around us often cannot give us answers to life's most important and pressing questions. "What should I do with my life?", "How do I set priorities?", "Who am I, really?" and "What are we here for?" "How do I get myself out of this rut?" "How can I turn things around with my spouse/friend/child?" "How can I stop doing things I know I shouldn't be doing?"

      These are the kinds of questions we cannot answer solely on the basis of information. They are so hard to wrestle with, we often avoid asking the questions.

      Worldly wisdom is different from God's wisdom. When we surround ourselves with like minded people, we may be at risk. When we rely too much on the wisdom of the world, we can get into trouble. When all we read is the list of our own accomplishments, when all we think about is how to get on to the next thing, we are headed for heartache. Oh, we may not realize we are in trouble. We run along at a rapid clip, until something snags us, and we founder.

      Our best laid plans do not take shape. We don't get the award, or the degree, or the promotion we worked so hard for, the thing we put our heart and soul into. Our personal relationships may overwhelm us; they may languish, or worse. Life happens; bad things happen. They happen to everyone, eventually. Some people get hit harder than others. A family propensity for cancer, a series of genetic flaws, an ongoing cycle of poverty or addiction.

      We all need messages from the wisdom that comes from God. We need signs from God to point us in the right direction. We need words of guidance to counteract our own tendency to do only that which feels good or right at the time.

      The good news is that we have these things from God. We have a wealth of messages, a whole epic story of messages, God's living word that not only speaks of things long past but continues to touch our minds and hearts for our times. It is the Holy Spirit, not a disembodied hand, that continues to write and interpret God's word to us today so that we might hear a fresh message in the ancient words of scripture.

      No, the Bible isn't an answer book. No, the Bible isn't an easy quick guide, a "10 Easy Steps to a Better. . ." (you fill in the blank). The Bible is more often mystery, every bit as mysterious as that disembodied hand, writing a warning to an overly confident king.

      The Bible isn't the only handwriting we get from God, either. God's message is delivered in different forms. Through inspiring literature and life-changing story. Through uplifting film and disturbing documentaries. Through people, too, especially people who are willing to tell us the truth, even when it hurts. "Speaking the truth in love," these people---friends, loved ones, a boss, a counselor---can be prophets for us.

      God writes messages to us, as well, in and through the circumstances of our lives. How many times have you been able to see this, especially in retrospect?

      Sheila had her heart set on one particular young man. She just knew he was "the one." He seemed to think so, too. The date was set and plans were made to begin their lives together. Sheila was packing boxes with him in his apartment, helping get ready for the move. Imagine her shock when she came upon a packet of letters---letters that revealed a past he had hidden from her, and which changed her mind about him. The heartbreak of the moment paved the way later for Sheila to find a godly mate. She thinks of that packet of letters as God's handwriting.

      Or take Jane and Joe--- They so desperately longed to have children of their own, but could not become pregnant. The grief they walked through made it possible for them to open their hearts to the idea that God had other plans for them, plans which would take them to places where orphaned children needed parents just as desperately as the parents needed those children. Jane and Joe tossed those files of medical records from their past, no longer needing that particular message.

      Consider John, who lost his wife suddenly when he was 58 years old. Stricken with grief, he had no idea how he could move on from this terrible loss. Over time, opportunities arose for John. He had loved his wife dearly, but she had loomed large in his life and in the life of their children. John was able to find himself, to discover his own passion and direction, in a way that would not have been possible before. He also found renewed relationships with his children, which gave him great joy. Though he still missed his wife, he could see God's hand in this.

      We all need signs from God, and if we are open to them, we can see that God sends them. We may need to wait to understand them, we may need help interpreting them, but if we persevere, we will begin to understand.

      God sends us messages through scripture and Christian community, through experiences and disappointments.

      Through doors that are shut, and windows that are opened.

      Through successes and failures, too.

      Watch for God's handwriting on the wall, in all its forms. It may be a message, just for now, just for you.