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Belshazzar held a drunken banquet for royal guests. To add excitement to the party, he called for the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem many years before. The revellers praised their false gods and used the holy temple objects to drink wine from. In the midst of this disrespect, a human hand mysteriously appeared from nowhere and wrote on the wall. The king’s court could not interpret the writing, so Daniel was brought to the feast. Daniel interpreted the writing to mean that Belshazzar and the kingdom would fall. That night, Belshazzar was killed, and Darius, king of the Medes, took over Babylon.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Daniel 5

Outline:

1. A mysterious hand writes words on the wall during King Belshazzar’s drunken party. (Daniel 5:1-9)
2. Daniel is brought in to interpret the words. (Daniel 5:10-28)
3. Daniel is promoted and the king falls to a new king. (Daniel 5:29=32)

Tips for teaching children:

• Spend time talking about respect for God in the light of the king’s disregard.
• Allow the children to show their best interpretations of the king’s partying and then extreme fear.
• Before class, use a white crayon to write “Mene, mene, tekal, parsin” on white paper. These words should not be visible to others. As you tell the story, brush dark paint over the words to make them appear.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Read the text, dividing up the reading according to outline in the show notes.
• Discuss the following questions: how did Belshazzar demonstrate his inability to rule over the kingdom?  What can we learn about who he was from this story?  What does Daniel do and say to demonstrate who God is and what God does or can do?  What do you think is the primary point to this story?
• Hand out blank paper to the class members.  Ask them to draw four lines in a row across the page.  If God were to write four words to describe your life, what would he write?  If appropriate, ask class members to share what they wrote..
• End the class with a prayer asking God to guide the political leaders of your nation and to guide your life into deeper obedience and trust.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Writing on the Wall

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

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