We can see that mocking God has consequences from the story of Daniel and the handwriting on the wall. The king in the story, Belshazzar, ruled over the city of Babylon while his father ruled over the empire. The city was full of idols. “There were in Babylon 53 temples to honor the major deities, 55 smaller shrines to honor the heavenly gods, 180 altars to Ishtar, consort of Marduk; 180 altars to the gods Nergal and Addad, plus altars to lesser deities.”[1]
Belshazzar had brought corruption, idolatry, and sacrilegious practice to a new level in the city. Daniel was a Jewish exile who had served Belshazzar’s ancestors as an advisor. Nebuchadnezzar had brought Daniel to Babylon and even came to know the true God under his influence. Now, years later, the king and the people praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
Insulting God to Worship an Idol
Nebuchadnezzar had taken the gold and silver cups from the Temple in Jerusalem because of their great worth. But he had never used them. After drinking wine, Belshazzar called for these sacred cups so he and the other partiers could drink from them. Why now?
The people of Babylon knew that the army of Darius was heading for their city. Yet, they felt relatively safe. “Babylon was a strong city with walls 350 feet high and eighty-seven feet thick. The Euphrates River ran diagonally through the city, and great brass gates controlled the city entrances.[2]
They wanted to ensure they had not offended one of their many idols during this critical time; thus, the party was really a pagan revival. I think the king intended to please his idol gods by insulting the God of Israel. Mocking the true God was a twisted way of worshipping his idol gods.
Consequences
It seems at this point God had had enough. He sent a supernatural hand to write a message on the wall. Daniel, a servant of God, was the only one who could read it. The pompous king seemed to sober up immediately. Daniel 5: 5 Suddenly, they saw the fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster wall of the king’s palace, near the lampstand. The king himself saw the hand as it wrote, 6 and his face turned pale with fright. His knees knocked together in fear and his legs gave way beneath him. [3]
The consequences of Belshazzar’s mocking came swiftly. This story teaches us that the same thing can happen to us if we mock God. Galatians 6: 7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. [4] Let us live to please the Spirit.
To learn how mocking God has consequences, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/handwriting-on-the-wall
[1] Carpenter, E. (2010). Daniel. In P. W. Comfort (Ed.), Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Ezekiel & Daniel (Vol. 9, p. 375). Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (Da 5:1–4). Victor Books.
[3-4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.