(Based on Daniel Zine Chapter 5: Handwriting on the Wall)
Dear Grown-ups,
God has chosen some pretty creative ways to interact with his world, including a talking donkey (Numbers 22:28-30), a dove from the sky (Luke 3:22), a wrestling man (Genesis 32:24-30), and many more. But out of all the strange ways God has communicated, a hand coming out of a wall and writing a cryptic message might take the cake. It sounds like something out of The Addams Family or some horror film.
Here’s the thing: God will not be ignored. King Belshazzar was not only ignoring God’s power by nonchalantly using the temple goblets of silver and gold for his own glory (in the form of a wild party), but he and his guests went even further and worshiped the “gods” of silver and gold. They denied the true God and instead glorified false ones.
But our God is too mighty and loves us too much to let something like that slide. And so he spoke to King Belshazzar in an alarming and attention-grabbing way… a hand writing on the wall!
And God’s message (as is usually the case) was not just for show and to demonstrate his own strength and power and praise-worthiness over those false gods… it was personal. His message, interpreted by Daniel, of “you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting” (Daniel 5) called out King Belshazzar specifically, and it was not good news for him.
Just as God spoke to the king in a mysterious and miraculous way, sending his own son (who was fully God and fully man) to die a criminal’s death is a strange way to communicate as well. We hear the message of the cross so often that sometimes we forget how scandalous it really was. And just like God’s message to Belshazzar, the cross is personal. In that event, God is telling us, “you have been weighed and found wanting.” Judgment is necessary. But unlike the message to the king, God puts his own son on the scale to make the necessary payment. This is good news for each one of us!
The lengths God will go to show his presence is truly amazing…
Even so, sometimes God feels far off. We may even be tempted to believe he is not present with us, or our doubts may kick in. But God shows us time and time again in his word that he is never far off, though his presence might not manifest in ways we expect..
Imagine that you are the disciples, three miles off the coast on the Sea of Galilee… the winds pick up and the waters grow rough. Jesus is not there to help. But then you see a figure on the water… walking on top of the water! Jesus shows up in a very creative way.
Imagine that you are in the locked room with the disciples after Jesus has died. You’re scared, and you don’t know what is going to happen. Jesus is not there, and you may never see him again. Until suddenly, he appears in the locked room, very much alive and showing you his scars.
So when the disciples watched as Jesus ascended into heaven, they had enough experience with him to know that this was not goodbye for good. Jesus would continue to be present with them in very creative ways.
Now, imagine how God will creatively show up for you today!
Written by Juliette Alvey
