Belshazzar was the last king of the Babylonian Empire.  Nebuchadnezzar had built a vast empire which seemed to be invincible, but just a few years after his death, this great empire collapsed, conquered by the Medo-Persian Empire in 539 BC.

The event described below occurred the night Babylon fell.  King Belshazzar decided to have a great feast for one thousand of his lords, and to make the party interesting, he decided to bring out the gold and silver drinking vessels which had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem.  Everyone then began drinking from these holy vessels, praising their idols as they drank.

An amazing thing then began to happen.  A man's hand appeared and  wrote on the wall of the banquet hall.  Belshazzar was so afraid that his hips were loosened and his knees literally knocked together.

He immediately began calling in his astrologers and wise men, but none of them could interpret the writing on the wall.  The queen, who had not attended the banquet and was probably the only one who was sober, told her husband about Daniel.  She spoke of his important interpretations in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, and she was sure that Daniel could interpret these writings.  Daniel was brought before the great gathering of people at the hall.  Belshazzar offered great gifts to Daniel, including being the third ruler in the kingdom.  Daniel told him to keep his gifts, but that he would interpret the writing.

Daniel began by discussing the sins of Belshazzar, in particular the sins of worshipping false gods, and bringing the holy drinking vessels into his banquet for common use.  Daniel then reminded Belshazzar about how God humbled Nebuchadnezzar by turning him into an animal that lived in the wild and ate grass for seven years before restoring him to his throne.  Nebuchadnezzar learned to humble himself by this experience, and he then honored and worshipped the only true God.

Belshazzar was old enough to remember this amazing event, and God expected him to also learn the lesson that taught his father to be humble.  Daniel convicted him with these profound words:  "You knew all this."  Belshazzar refused to learn from the humiliation of Nebuchadnezzar and did not humble himself to worship and obey God.  So many people know what is right, yet they refuse to do it.  They may do some things that are right, but if it is inconvenient or requires sacrifice, they refuse to obey.  Those who know what to do and refuse to do it must repent or face condemnation.

Daniel then gave the interpretation of the handwriting on the wall.  The writing was MENE, MENE, TEKEL UPHARSIN.

MENE meant that the kingdom of Babylon was to be conquered.

TEKEL meant that Belshazzar had been weighed in the balance and found lacking.

PERES (form of UPHARSIN) meant that the kingdom had been given to the Medes and the Persians.

Imagine the pronouncement from God that you have been weighed and found lacking.  Belshazzar was lacking because he would not humble himself to worship and obey God.  If you are lacking, it will be for the same reason.  All of us will one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ.  Will you be found as Belshazzar, weighed and found lacking?