The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Numbers 32:23b, “…if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD,

and be sure your sin will find you out.”

Belshazzar, King of Babylon (Daniel 5), is having feast with a thousand of his lords. They were eating and

drinking, when the thought pierced the king’s mind. Bring the sacred vessels, vessels that King Nebuchadnezzar

had brought from Judea, when he conquered it and took captive Daniel and his three Hebrew friends. It was an

undeniable effort to mock and deride the LORD God of the Hebrew people. That’s when the mysterious hand

appeared and wrote on the wall. The merryment of the partyers suspended immediately, and Belshazzar’s knees

began to knock from the fear that blanketed them all.

Daniel, who had previously possessed the LORD’s knowledge in such matters, was immediately summoned to

give meaning to what the mysterious hand had written. Belshazzar promised Daniel valuable rewards if he would

but share the meaning of what the hand had written. Interestingly enough, Daniel launched into an historical description of the penalty Nebuchadnezzar received for his failure to honor and believe the LORD (vv 18-21). That being done, Daniel boldly excoriated Belshazzar for his sacreligous attitude toward the LORD God (vv. 22-24).

The meaning of the writing on the wall consisted of three word, one of which was repeated: “MENE” says, “God

has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.” “TEKEL” says, “You have been weighed on the scales and

found deficient.” “UPHARSIN” and “PERES” are virtually the same, meaning “Your kingdom has been divided and

handed over to the Medes and Persians.” In short, Belshazzar, you’re done! And in that same night, Belshazzar

was killed, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom.

All of this supports our key verse for this letter: when you sin against the LORD, “…be sure your sin will find you out.”

None of this Old Testament account was lost on the Apostle Paul, who wrote: “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the

hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). When our lives are spiritually clean before the LORD, we can, in His strength,

stand and bear witness before kings. When they are not, we are open to destruction at His command.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”