Word to the Wise
Wednesday, November 26, 2025 - Wednesday in the 34th Week in Ordinary Time
[Dan 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 and Luke 21:12-19]But the God in whose hand is your life breath and the whole course of your life, you did not glorify. By him were the wrist and hand sent, and the writing set down. This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, TEKEL, and PERES. These words mean: MENE, God has numbered your kingdom and put an end ot it; TEKEL,you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; PERES,your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persian. [Daniel]
THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL!!! One of the most famous stories from the Book of Daniel concerns the vision that interrupted the banquet of King Belshazzar. He and his entourage are enjoying using the treasures taken from the temple in Jerusalem. A hand appears and writes on the wall, giving us one of the most common biblical allusions in use: THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL, to refer to signs that there is an imminent end to something going on, probably something bad! Sure enough, the Persians replaced the Babylonians as a power and set the Jews free to return to Jerusalem! And King Belshazzar died that same night!
In my pastoral experience, it has been my sometimes uncomfortable duty to point to "the handwriting on the wall" in someone's life. This is the prophetic side of ministry. I can't say that I received a golden chain around my neck, like Daniel, for my efforts! The only satisfaction that can come from such a ministry, in my opinion, is that the imperiled person(s) recognize the danger and take action. In my years in campus ministry, the freedom of undergraduate life can lead to poor decisions about lifestyle that yield "handwriting on the wall" in the form of poor grades, poor health and poor relationships. Similar scenarios exist at all stages of life. What one can hope for is that a "handwriting on the wall" will not be necessary! But if that does occur, one can hope that there is a Daniel on hand to interpret! AMEN
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