Read Daniel 5:18-31. What was Belshazzar’s defining mistake (v. 22)?
“He had not humbled himself (though he knew what had happened to his grandfather).”
Can you think of any easier route to victory than learning from the mistakes of others? Oh, the pain we’d avoid! Really think about it: why do we tend to be more like Belshazzar, refusing to learn from others’ mistakes?
“We pridefully think we are stronger, smarter, etc., and can handle what they couldn’t.”
Have you ever witnessed difficult consequences or severe chastisement in someone else’s life that scared you so badly that you determined never to follow suit? Please don’t give names, but describe why it had such an enduring effect on you.
“I don’t remember when I inwardly vowed that I would wait until marriage. I think it was at a very young age, but watching a few friends get pregnant and others suffer torturous break ups certainly cemented my resolve.”
I submit to the pain of God‘s refining fire, but I don’t want Satan to get another chance to burn me.
How about you? Are you beginning to learn without getting burned? “[﹖] yes [﹖] no” If the answer is yes, give a relatively recent example.
“Two weeks ago, my iPod locked up for about 20 hours and after foxhole prayers, promises, whining, etc., and an hour of tech support, God restored it before we had to resort to the dreaded ‘Restore’ button. Now I’m trying to cut back a little and keep all my promises.”
According to Daniel 5:23, what did Belshazzar do instead of humbling himself based on what he knew?
‘Instead, you have “set yourself up against” the Lord of heaven.’ Bad idea.
According to 1 Peter 5:5, how does God respond?
“He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Read the rich verses of Isaiah 63:7-10. How do they underscore the concepts of Daniel 5:23 and 1 Peter 5:5?
“God is a powerful ally or a powerful enemy.”
Let’s look at the meaning of the renowned ‘handwriting on the wall.’ What four words did God write on the wall of Belshazzar’s banquet hall (v. 25)?
“Mene
“Mene
“Tekel
“Parsin”
How did Daniel apply the handwritten words to Belshazzar (vv. 26-28)?
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: “Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
Dearest Rachel –
From a distance of nearly a decade and a half, your ‘recent’ example seems so much funnier; I remember how devoted you were to keeping up your daily streaks on games like Gardens of Time and Candy Crush (imagine how impressed you might be that I’ve been putting out something here on WordPress every day for over fifteen hundred days! Or maybe you’d just be jealous), so while I can’t recall this particular moment of panic over your malfunctioning iPod, I can imagine what it was like to deal with (and you do refer to the incident in the first person plural, so I must have at least tried to help out, before you contacted tech support – or God intervened more mysteriously). At the same time, this is probably not something I would have gone to God about as soon as you; and afterward, you took the moment as a lesson to try not to be so obsessed with those games (although I don’t think that resolve quite stuck, to be honest)
The amusing part is in your assessment as to why we tend to have to make and learn from our own mistakes, as opposed to observing and learning from others; we think that we would do better, were we in their place, only to find out otherwise when we may happen to be thrust into such a situation. At least you were able to recognize this fact, whether or not you could actually apply it to your situation.
Then again, with regard to larger situations, such as remaining pure before marriage, it seems you did learn from others’ mistakes (although you and I did inadvertently fool your parents into thinking otherwise, which sort of keeps the amusement factor going). Maybe little things like momentary panic are easier to engage in and slip into, though – not to mention solitary pursuits such as the iPod games you so enjoyed and tried to keep up with.
I’m not sure how much else of this chapter can be applied to us, honey. Sure, our days have been numbered – your departure brought that home for the rest of us, and by writing you, I’m constantly reminding myself of that fact. But how we balance out on His scales of justice? Hasn’t that been taken care of for us through Jesus, since we can never manage to be “good enough” on our own? And with that being said, isn’t it true that what we have been given can never be split up and given to others?
Now, granted, I suppose what you left behind here on earth has been split between Daniel and myself; but considering where you are, that’s of little concern. The things of earth have long since grown dim for you, I suppose. Still, if you were to squint a bit in the direction of the darkness every now and then, I’d appreciate you keeping an eye on us. Oh, and wish us luck, as we’re still going to need it.
Letters to Rachel 