The Writing On The Wall Bible Verse Meaning And Study

What did “the writing on the wall” mean? What does this Bible verse have to do with Christians today?

The Phrase

The phrase “the handwritings on the wall” probably came from the verse in Daniel 5:5 which says “Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote” but what prompted this mysterious handwriting? Who was controlling the fingers? What was the message all about? To make sure of the text we should look at the context and the setting in which it was written.

King Belshazzar’s Blaspheme

When King Belshazzar, the son of King Nebuchadnezzar had a feast, they “brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone” (Dan 5:3-4) but it was an abomination to God having a pagan, idolatrous nation use the vessels that were set apart for holy use in the duties of the temple. Even the king’s concubines drank from them and God responded by sending the king a very bad message that would spell the end for King Belshazzar.

The Handwriting on the Wall

Just after King Belshazzar desecrated the vessels of the temple, something strange happened; “Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote” (Dan 5:5). That’s when “the king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together” (Dan 5:6) so after he summoned the “enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers,” including all the wise men of Babylon, but they said they “could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation” (Dan 5:8) at which “King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed” (Dan 5:9). After the queen remembered Daniel interpreting King Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams, she recommended that Daniel to the king and so “Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you” (Dan 5:13-14).

The Meaning

Given the fact that neither the king nor any of his wisest men could translate the handwriting, it must have been in a language unknown to them. Was it in Hebrew which may be why Daniel knew exactly what was written? Some of the phrases sound very much like the Aramaic words, particularly in Daniel 5:26-31, which Daniel probably knew as well. Whatever the case, and it really doesn’t matter, “this is the writing that was inscribed: “Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians” (Dan 5:25-28). The handwriting was on the wall for King Belshazzar and Babylon. His time had come to an end. He and his kingdom had been weighed and found wanting. He had reached a point of no place for grace.

Conclusion

If you have read the Bible or read many Christian articles that clearly proclaim the gospel (Acts 4:12; Rom 10:9-13, etc.) and have closed your ears and covered your eyes to the truth, then you are distancing yourself further and further from God. He will resist you if you have too much pride but will extend His grace if you humble yourself (James 4:6). Peter warns “it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them” (2nd Pet 2:21) meaning that everyone is held more responsible for the more truth they hear and reject than those who didn’t know as much about God’s mercy, grace, and justice. Jesus puts it this way; “that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating but the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more” (Luke 12:47-48). Is the handwriting on the wall today?  I am sure it is because the unsaved world’s been weighed and been found seriously wanting.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.