Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. —Daniel 5:29, KJV
God had a message that He wanted to give to everybody just before the end, and He wanted to do it His way. So here was the handwriting on the wall.
What do the words mean? Everybody knew what they meant. They knew the words were, “Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin.” The word mene simply means numbered; it was in Aramaic, and everybody knew the word. Tekel means weighed. Upharsin means shared. They knew what the words meant, and yet they didn’t know, because Belshazzar knew in his heart of hearts there had to be a hidden meaning.
Daniel was needed again, and yet they didn’t send for him at first. I suppose the last person Belshazzar wanted to send for was Daniel. He wanted to defy his father’s God, the God of Israel.
It may be that you are waiting to be noticed and to be used, and they are sending for everybody else but you. Don’t worry about those who are sent for first.
Daniel had been refined over the years; he had been put to one side, and he wondered, “Will God ever need me again?” Daniel was waiting for this moment, and though there is no doubt he had been refined by the Holy Spirit as God chiseled away that which was unlike Jesus would be, Daniel was still in preparation.
You still need preparation. You never outgrow the need of preparation, but you may ask the question, “How will they know about me if I don’t pull some strings?” Well, they came looking for Daniel, and they’ll come looking for you. How will they know about you? It may be that the president will send for you, or an advisor to the president, but they will find you. God has a way of bringing right to the top those who are ready for it. The worst thing that can happen to you is to succeed before you are ready, and only God knows when you are ready.
Excerpted from The God of the Bible (Authentic Media, 2002).
