Daniel (Greek) 5:25-31: a reflection

25“This is the writing that was inscribed: ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.’ 26“This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE: God has counted your kingdom, and brought it to an end. 27TEKEL: you are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting. 28PERES: your kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” 29Then Belshazzar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and proclaimed that he should be the third highest ruler in the kingdom. 30In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean King was slain. 31Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

When mysterious writing appears on the wall at Belshazzar's feast, Daniel interprets it as a message of reckoning: the king's life and reign have been weighed by God and found wanting. TEKEL, Daniel reads: you are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting. The king had lived in pride and irreverence, and now God's verdict is pronounced: weighed and found wanting. It is a sobering image, that a life can be weighed by God and found lacking, falling short of what it should have been. This confronts us with the reality that our lives are weighed by God, and calls us to consider what we would be found to be. A life can be weighed by God and found wanting. Our lives are weighed; what would we be found to be? God weighs a life; Belshazzar was found wanting. To be weighed and found wanting is a sobering verdict.

Notice the sobering image of the writing on the wall: weighed in the balances and found wanting. Belshazzar had lived in pride, irreverence, and self-exaltation; and now, at the height of his careless feasting, God's verdict was written out: his life and reign had been weighed and found lacking, falling short. This is a sobering picture, and it confronts each of us with a question. Our lives too are, in a sense, weighed by God, who sees what we truly are. If our lives were weighed, what would we be found to be? Would we be found wanting, falling short, as Belshazzar was, having lived in pride or self-exaltation, forgetful of God? This image is not given to make us despair, but to make us consider, to examine our lives, and to turn to God while there is time, that we might not be found wanting. It calls us to live in a way that reckons with God's weighing, humbly and reverently before him. Our lives are weighed by God; we do well to consider what we would be found to be. The image calls us to examine ourselves and turn to God. To reckon with God's weighing is to live humbly before him. Consider what you would be found to be, and turn to God.

That is worth taking to heart, for our lives are weighed by God, and we do well to consider what we would be found to be and to turn to him. We can live carelessly, in pride or self-exaltation, forgetful that God sees and weighs what we truly are; but Belshazzar was weighed in the balances and found wanting, his careless irreverence brought to reckoning. Our lives too are weighed by God. Do not live forgetful of God's weighing; consider what you would be found to be, and turn to God humbly while there is time. Take to heart that our lives are weighed by God, who sees what we truly are, as the writing on the wall declared to Belshazzar, you are weighed in the balances and are found wanting, after he had lived in pride and irreverence; for we can live carelessly, forgetful that God weighs what we are, but the sobering image confronts each of us with the question of what we would be found to be if weighed, whether found wanting like Belshazzar or not, and it is given not to make us despair but to make us examine our lives, live humbly and reverently before God who weighs us, and turn to him while there is time, that we might not be found wanting.

Lord, when mysterious writing appears on the wall at Belshazzar's feast, Daniel interprets it as a message of reckoning: the king's life and reign have been weighed by you and found wanting. TEKEL, Daniel reads: you are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting. The king had lived in pride and irreverence, and now your verdict is pronounced: weighed and found wanting. It is a sobering image, that a life can be weighed by you and found lacking, falling short of what it should have been. This confronts me with the reality that my life is weighed by you, and calls me to consider what I would be found to be. Show me the sobering image of the writing on the wall: weighed in the balances and found wanting. Belshazzar had lived in pride, irreverence, and self-exaltation; and now, at the height of his careless feasting, your verdict was written out. This confronts me with a question. My life too is, in a sense, weighed by you, who see what I truly am. If my life were weighed, what would I be found to be? Would I be found wanting, falling short, as Belshazzar was, having lived in pride or forgetfulness of you? This image is not given to make me despair, but to make me consider, to examine my life, and to turn to you while there is time, that I might not be found wanting. Take that to my heart, for my life is weighed by you, and I do well to consider what I would be found to be and to turn to you. Keep me from living carelessly, in pride or self-exaltation, forgetful that you see and weigh what I truly am; help me examine my life, Lord, live humbly and reverently before you who weigh me, and turn to you while there is time, that I might not be found wanting.