“But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this.”
Daniel 5:22 (NIV)
The story of the writing on the wall is a terrifying story of the ability of God to humble all who walk in pride. Don’t you think Belshazzar should have learned from his father’s experience with the LORD? Didn’t his father write out his experiences to teach all people that God is able to humble all who walk in pride? I wonder if it is possible to learn the necessity of a life of humility from the experiences of others, or are these lessons only learned through personal experience?
When the writing appeared it was too late for Belshazzar, no opportunity to change or repent as his father had, judgment was upon him. However we use the expression “writing on the wall” to speak of the inability of others to heed clear warning signs - we might say “the writing was on the wall for quite some time, but that poor fellow didn’t see it”.
Pride blinds, pride distorts reality, and pride destroys whomever it possesses.
Will we pay attention to the stories of Nebuchadnezzar and his son Belshazzar?
Will we take the action of humbling ourselves this day?
The responsibility is ours, for we will not be able to point at anyone else and blame them. If Belshazzar knew all this, then we REALLY know all this.
Will we choose the path today that humbles us even though everything in us longs for the path that fulfills us?
Will we value others - even one other person-more than ourselves?
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