The Writings on the Wall

What happens when arrogance meets divine intervention? Join me, Jessi Morgan, as we celebrate our 20th episode milestone by exploring the compelling story of King Belshazzar from Daniel 5. You'll hear how Belshazzar's arrogance led to a mysterious, divine message and the subsequent fall of his kingdom, as interpreted by Daniel. I'll share personal reflections on recent challenges that echoed this story, demonstrating how God calls us to fortify our faith, even amid financial stress and life's unpredictable setbacks. Focusing on God's enduring provisions and blessings, we learn to rise above fear and find strength in our faith journey.

Follow Jessi Morgan on social:
IG - @JessiMorganlife
IG dedicated to Home & Design - @JessiMorganHome
Website: www.jessimorganhome.com/devotions
Contact: jessi@jessimorganhome.com

Podcast Music by: prazkhanal
Song: Whip

Chapters

• 0:00 Devotional Podcast
• 10:26 Weekly Devotional Podcast Recap

Transcript

Key Passages:

Daniel 5:18-21

"Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. Because of the high position he gave him, all nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.”

Daniel 5:1-6

The Writing on the Wall

King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

Daniel 5:20-21

But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.

Daniel 5:25-28

“This is the inscription that was written:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN

“Here is what these words mean:

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.

Parsin: Your kingdom is divided and given to Medes and Persia.”

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.

Let’s get started....

I was talking to some friends recently, and I asked them if they knew where the phrase "the writing on the wall" came from. To my surprise, many didn't know! Honestly, I didn’t either until I studied it. Of course, it comes from the book of Daniel, which is filled with incredible dream interpretations, mysterious messages, and political drama that could literally be a blockbuster movie today in my opinion. 

Let me give you some context: Daniel, a young Jewish noble, was taken into captivity by Babylon when Israel was overthrown due to its continuous disobedience to God that was under poor leadership. Despite being far from home, Daniel remained faithful and obedient to God, who loved and protected him always. 

Now, let’s get to the story of the writing on the wall. Daniel 5: 1-6 are the actual verses but here is a quick summary of it. 

After the death of the famous Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, his son, King Belshazzar, took the throne. One night, during a luxurious banquet, Belshazzar ordered that the sacred vessels taken from the temple in Jerusalem be used for drinking wine—an incredibly disrespectful act. I mean, has he lost it a bit? He and his guests drank from the holy cups while praising other gods. This blatant disrespect for the things of God would backfire horribly.

Belshazzar had likely seen how God humbled and disciplined his father, Nebuchadnezzar, who had once been the most powerful king in Babylon. At one point, Nebuchadnezzar lost his kingdom because of

his arrogance against God and he was reduced to living like an animal, eating grass in the fields, until he acknowledged God's sovereignty. (Daniel 5:20-21). Even though Belshazzar knew this story, he failed to learn from his father’s mistakes.

While they were partying, a mysterious floating hand suddenly appeared and began writing on the wall. Everyone at the banquet was terrified, and to make matters worse, no one could understand the message. Just imagine a floating hand appears, writes a message on a wall and you don’t understand it. That would get my attention and fear all at once. Eventually, Daniel was called in to interpret the writing, just as he had interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams in the past.

The message, written in Aramaic, read: Mene, Mene, Tekel , Parsin

Daniel explained the meaning (found in verse Daniel 5:25-28)

• 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 lacking.
• Parsin: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

That very night after the banquet, Belshazzar was killed, and his kingdom was taken over by the Persian & Medes armies. 

---

So why am I reflecting on this story today? Because recently, God has been trying to get my attention, and it feels like He’s writing on the wall for me. These past few weeks have been filled with both blessings and setbacks, but I found myself focusing on the setbacks instead of God's provision. My faith hasn’t been measuring up to the expectation that God and I have. 

Life’s been financially stressful lately. Between our daughter’s birthday, repairing the AC, paying medical bills, and just keeping up with daily costs, it feels overwhelming. Satan knows how to attack me, especially in the area of finances, and it’s been tough. I had a moment of panic where I thought we wouldn’t have enough for everything. But my husband reminded me that even though things are tight, we’re still able to provide for our family in ways that others may not be able to. His words hit me hard. Here I am, trying to encourage others in their faith through this podcast, while I’ve been living in fear.

---

"Honestly, as I’ve been reflecting on the story of the writing on the wall, it felt like God was showing me my own version of it. I realized the message He was sharing with me: 'I don’t have time to lose faith. I need to step up.' I’ve been letting fear run my life instead of leaning on the salvation I have in Christ. It hit me hard—I need to separate myself from that fear and start walking in faith again.

So let’s break down that message from Daniel 5 and how it applies to us today:

• Mene: Our days on earth are numbered, but when we trust in God, we step into His eternal presence.
• Tekel: We need to measure up in our faith. God has done so much for us, and our faith should reflect that.
• Parsin: We need to separate ourselves from negativity and doubt—the things that hold us back from fully trusting in God's provision. Don’t let Satan fool you into thinking you’re powerless.

So, what’s the 'writing on the wall' in your life? How is God trying to get your attention and call you back to a place of trust in Him? For the king in Babylon, it was a literal floating hand. For me, it was our AC unit breaking down! What about you? In that moment, I had to trust that God would provide, and guess what? He did! All my bills are paid.

I wanted to share this today to remind you that my life is far from perfect. We’re all in this together. We all slip in our faith sometimes, but the important thing is that we find our balance and stand firm with God by our side. Consistency is key when it comes to faith.

There’s a great verse that really ties this up for me. It’s 1 Corinthians 15:58:

'Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.'

We’ve got to keep standing strong. Love you all, and remember: God’s got this. Amen."