“Getting Caught”...OT14.5 Handwriting on the Wall ©Beverly Wilson 2020 When we do sin, we need...

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OT14.5 Handwriting on the Wall ©Beverly Wilson 2020

Unit 14: Captivity Daniel and Esther OT14.5 Handwriting on the Wall Lesson

Scripture: Daniel 5

Lesson Goal: Daniel is a major prophet during the time of Israel’s captivity in Babylon. Daniel was a young man who had been captured by King Nebuchadnezzar and taken to the land of Babylon. This lesson is about a king who thought he could deliberately do wrong and get away with it, until God sent him a secret message. We will learn how it is important to honor God in everything that we do.

Introduction: The book of Daniel is in the Old Testament. It is the last book in the section of books called the Major Prophets. Daniel was a prophet when Israel was in captivity in Babylon. In his book he tells about the faithful Jews living in captivity and shows how God is sovereign. Let's say the books of Major Prophets--Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel.

Attention Getter: “Getting Caught” Have you ever heard someone brag about getting away with doing wrong? They may even stick their tongue out at you when you say something to try to stop them! Bragging is one way to feel proud but it can get you into a lot of trouble. This girl thinks she is smarter than everyone else. But that is not true. She is not smarter than God! Thinking that you are better than everyone else can cause you to try to do things that are wrong and then you believe that you won't get caught. Some kids think that you can take what belongs to someone else and nobody will know. Perhaps you have done wrong and thought that you got away with it. Did you know that God sees and hears everything that we do? In this lesson we are going to hear what happened when a king who thought he could deliberately do wrong and get away with it, until God sent him a secret message. . This story is found in the book of Daniel chapter 5. Daniel is in the Old Testament.

Opening Prayer: “Dear Father, forgive us our sins and help us not to yield to temptation. Keep us away from evil and guard us from the attacks of our enemy Satan. Give us a desire in our hearts to honor you with everything that we think, everything that we say, and everything that we do. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.”

Memory Verse: The memory verse is Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/uOkhUYiVsNc As a young boy Daniel had been taken captive from Israel to live in land of Babylon. Daniel loved and wanted to obey Him even in this foreign land that worshipped idols. Daniel had served King Nebuchadnezzar for many years as one of his advisors. He lived in beautiful city of Babylon. It was the capital of one of the greatest empires of the ancient world. More than a million people lived behind its towering walls and gates of polished brass. The Babylonians were pagans who worshipped idols of gold, silver, wood, and stone. And they were a warlike people.

https://youtu.be/uOkhUYiVsNc

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During the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar his armies conquered the surrounding countries. They took captive the strong young men and women to be their servants. Some these were from the land of Israel. Among them was a young man named Daniel. In the court of King Nebuchadnezzar Daniel became a trusted advisor and was made chief of the wise man. Through Daniel the king came to know that there was only one God the Lord of heaven and earth. But idols were worshipped by most of the people. And as the years past and after King Nebuchadnezzar died, God and his prophet Daniel were forgotten. Eventually Belshazzar became king. He was a cruel selfish man who thought only about having a good time. Although he was Nebuchadnezzar's grandson he did not believe in God. Under his rule the city of Babylon was full of wickedness and sin. As Daniel saw the foolishness of the people his heart was sad and so he prayed and quietly waited for time when he could again be of special service to the Lord and that time was soon to come. Far outside the mighty city of Babylon was the army of the Medes and Persians led by Cyrus king of Persia but Belshazzar just laughed at them unafraid. He said, "Aren't the walls of Babylon three hundred feet high and eighty feet thick? Cyrus could never conquer this city!” But Belshazzar did not know just how powerful the enemy was nor how clever their plan was to capture Babylon. Feeling safe Belshazzar decided to give a great feast to honor the evil idols the people worshipped. A thousand lords and ladies were sent an invitation to attend the great banquet. He was certain that the great Babylonian Empire would never end. Suddenly Belshazzar had an idea. He remembered the cups made of gold and silver which his grandfather King Nebuchadnezzar had stolen many years before from the Temple of God in Jerusalem. "Bring the golden goblets here," he ordered. He would show that he didn't believe in the God of Israel even if his grandfather had worshipped Him. Finally the day of the feast arrived. All the food and wine was prepared for the huge banquet. When the temple goblets were brought, the king filled them with wine. Then the king and his nobles, his wives, and all the guests drank wine from the beautiful golden cups. The king did not care that these things belonged to God. The king did not love God or obey God. Belshazzar held his cup high. "Let us drink to our gods of gold, silver, brass, wood, and stone!" he cried. But just as Belshazzar lifted the cup to his lips, a strange thing happened. A big hand appeared! The fingers of the hand began to write on the wall of the king's palace. King Belshazzar watched the hand. The king's face turned pale with fright. His knees knocked together and his legs gave way beneath him He was very, very frightened! The words were “Mene, mene, tekel parsin.” The king shouted for the enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers to be brought to him. "Whoever can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in purple robes of royal honor and will have a gold chain placed around his neck. He will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom!" But none of the wise men could read the writing or tell him what it meant. The king grew even more alarmed and his face turned pale. His nobles too were very scared. None of them knew what the writing meant. The king didn't know what to do! The queen mother heard what was happening and hurried into the banquet hall. She saw the writing on the wall and heard that no one could tell what the words meant. The queen said to the king. "I remember a Jewish man who is very wise. He used to tell your grandfather King Nebuchadnezzar the meaning of

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dreams, riddles and difficult problems. Send for him! Ask Daniel what the writing means! His God will know." Daniel was brought to see King Belshazzar. "I am told that you can give interpretations and solve difficult problem," the king told him. "If you can read these words and tell me their meaning, you will be clothes with purple robes of honor and you will have a gold chain placed around your neck. You will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom.” "You can keep your gifts," Daniel told him. "You are like your grandfather King Nebuchadnezzar. You have become proud and arrogant. Don't you remember how your grandfather was taken from the throne? He became like a wild animal eating grass. God judged him for his pride but then after seven years he came to realize who God was and worshipped him.” "You, too, Belshazzar are proud and vain. You have not humbled yourself before the God of heaven but have defied him. "You have taken sacred vessels from God's temple drinking wine from them and praising your dead idols." Then Daniel told the king that the message on the wall came from God. And this is what God says to you, Belshazzar. "Mene, mene, tekel parsin.” "Mene means "numbered." God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end. "Tekel" means weighed. You have been weighed on the scale and have not measured up. "Parsi" means divided. Your kingdom will be divided and given to your enemies the Medes and the Persians. Now," said Daniel, "God is going to end your time as king. Other people will take your place." At Belshazzar's command, Daniel was dressed in purple robes and a gold chain was hung around his neck. He was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. Outside something was happening. The great army of Cyrus which had been camped outside the city for two years finally began to move. The soldiers crept into the city, opened the gates, and began killing the guards. Finally the warning came but it was too late. Belshazzar tried to escape but it was no use. The Medes were already in the palace and they were determined to kill him. That very same night, God's warning came true. Another king --King Darious-- came and took over the city and the Babylonian kingdom. Long before the day Belshazzar lost his throne he had made his choice to live for the pleasures of this world. He had turned away to worship idols of wood and stone. As Daniel reminded him Belshazzar knew that God ruled over all but the king had dared to defy the Lord. So the proud and beautiful city of Babylon was destroyed and the king and the people with it for they had despised God. God's Word says Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Don't be fooled into thinking that God won't care if you sin "just a little," or that, since He's promised you everlasting life in heaven, that you can just live any way you want to. Let's say our verse again. Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” God will not take away our salvation when we sin, but God does hold you responsible for the way you choose to live your life as a Christian. If you continue to practice sinning, God will discipline you on earth and He may withhold rewards from you in heaven. The best way to avoid God's discipline in our lives is to stay away from things that you know are sin. Reading your bible will help you to know what God wants you to do and what He expects you to avoid.

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When we do sin, we need to confess that sin to God. He promises to forgive our sin when we honestly, from our heart, admit to Him that we've done wrong. Then we can ask Him to help us do what is right. Let's pray. Dear Father, forgive us our sins and help us not to yield to temptation. Keep us away from evil and guard us from the attacks of our enemy Satan. Give us a desire in our hearts to honor you with everything that we think, everything that we say, and everything that we do. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Remember "Let's love the Lord our God and obey Him."

Review Questions: “Alphabet” Cards Preparation: You will need at least one letter per child in your class. Print the set of letters below—one for the class and one set for yourself. Cut apart the letters placing 1 set of letters in a container for the teacher or leader. Procedure: Distribute the letters to the children. If you have extra letters in the alphabet left continue to distribute the letters. Be sure to give each student an equal number of letters. Say: “In this lesson we learned that God wrote a hidden message on the wall using words and letters that King Belshazzar did not know. Today we are going to play a review game using the letters of the alphabet. I will pull a letter from my container. If you have the matching letter, stand up and answer the review question.” You can keep score of the number of correct answers that each student gives, if desired.

1. Who in this lesson were captured from Israel and taken to Babylon? (Daniel was part of the young men taken as captives to go to Babylon as slaves

2. How was Daniel different from the other slaves who were taken to Babylon? (Daniel loved and wanted to obey Him even in this foreign land that worshipped idols.)

3. What job was Daniel given in Babylon? (God gave Daniel great wisdom and he interpreted the dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel served King Nebuchadnezzar for many years as one of his advisors.)

4. What did God do to King Nebuchadnezzar because of his arrogant pride? (The king suddenly lost his mind and became like an animal roaming in the field and eating grass for seven years. He lost his kingdom during this time.)

5. What happened at the end of the seven years of King Nebuchadnezzar losing his mind and wandering in the field like an animal? (He repented and came to know that God is the Most High One who rules the earth and gives rulers the power they have. King Nebuchadnezzar was healed and returned to his throne in Babylon.)

6. After King Nebuchadnezzar’s death what happened? (King Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson, Belshazzar became king. Under his rule the city of Babylon was full of wickedness and sin and idolatry. Everyone forgot about Daniel and the worship of God.)

7. What did Daniel do while Babylon was worshipping the idols? (He remained faithful to God and prayed for the country. He prayed that God would one day use him again to influence the king.0

8. What happened to the city of Babylon during the reign of King Belshazzar? (The armies of the Medes and Persians led by Cyrus king of Persia surrounded the city.)

9. What did King Belshazzar think about this army that surrounded the city? (Belshazzar just laughed at them unafraid. He said, "Aren't the walls of Babylon three hundred feet high and eighty feet thick? Cyrus could never conquer this city!” But Belshazzar did not know just how powerful the enemy was nor how clever their plan was to capture Babylon.)

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10. What did King Belshazzar do to mock the armies and show that he was unafraid? (He decided to have a huge feast and invite 1,000 guests. They would eat and drink and be merry.)

11. What did King Belshazzar do at the feast that was especially offensive to God? (He called for the gold and silver cups that his grandfather King Nebuchadnezzar had stolen from the temple in Jerusalem. He and his guests drank wine from the cups and praised their idol gods. He said, "Let us drink to our gods of gold, silver, brass, wood, and stone!")

12. What did God do to show how he felt about King Belshazzar’s pride and arrogance? (God caused a mysterious human hand to appear and begin writing on the wall of the banquet hall. The words were a warning of coming judgment to King Belshazzar.)

13. What were the words that were written on the wall? (The words were “Mene, mene, tekel parsin.”) 14. How did King Belshazzar feel when he saw the mysterious human hand and the words? (The

king's face turned pale with fright. His knees knocked together and his legs gave way beneath him He was very, very frightened!)

15. What did King Belshazzar do to find out the meaning of the words? (The king shouted for the enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers to be brought to him. He promised anyone who could interpret the words that they would wear a purple robe and be given the power to be the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”)

16. When no one could interpret the words, who came to help King Belshazzar? (The queen mother heard what was happening and she suggested to her son that he call Daniel. She remembered that he had interpreted dreams for her father King Nebuchadnezzar.)

17. When Daniel was brought before King Belshazzar what did he tell King Belshazzar about the gifts he offered? (He did not want the gifts because King Belshazzar had become like his grandfather King Nebuchadnezzar. He was arrogant and very proud.)

18. What meaning did Daniel say that the words had? (Mene means "numbered." God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end. “Tekel" means weighed. You have been weighed on the scale and have not measured up. Parsi" means divided. Your kingdom will be divided and given to your enemies the Medes and the Persians.)

19. What happened after Daniel interpreted the words? (King Belshazzar dressed him in a purple robe and made him third in command over the nation of Babylon.)

20. What happened later that very same night? (The Medes and the Persian army invaded the city. They killed the guards and even killed King Belshazzar. A new king of Persia named Darius was made the ruler of the land).

21. Why did God allow the Medes and Persians to take over the land of Babylon? (King Belshazzar had decided to live for the pleasures of the world. He worshipped idols of wood and stone. He became arrogant and proud like his grandfather King Nebuchadnezzar.)

22. What is our memory verse? (Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”)

23. What does our memory verse mean? (This verse means we should not be fooled into thinking that God doesn’t care if you sin "just a little," or that, since He's promised you everlasting life in heaven, that you can just live any way you want to. Just like a seed grows into a plant, we will have consequences for our misbehavior.)

24. What lessons can we learn from this Bible lesson about King Belshazzar and how he was humbled? (God hates pride. God wants us to be humble and recognize his absolute authority. God loves us and shows us mercy when we sin. He desires for us to confess our sin and be healed. We are to live a humble life submitted to Him.)

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Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Match the Grid”

The memory verse is Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Have students locate the verse in scripture and read aloud together several times. Say: “This verse means we should not be fooled into thinking that God doesn’t care if you sin "just a little," or that, since He's promised you everlasting life in heaven, that you can just live any way you want to. Just like a seed grows into a plant, we will have consequences for our misbehavior.” Preparation: You will need a set of index cards, markers, and butcher paper or a white board. Procedure: Print the words of Galatians 6:7 on index cards. Example: Galatians 6:7/ “Do not /be deceived. / God /cannot/ be mocked. / A /man/ reaps /what /he /sows.” Number the backs of the cards in verse order. Draw a four across and three down grid on butcher paper or on the white board. Make the spaces large enough to hold the index cards. Number the spaces going left to right and from the top down. Mix up the index cards and lay them number side up on a table or floor. Children are to take turns choosing the cards and placing them in the matching number spaces on the grid. Say: "There is a very special message on the backs of these cards that everyone should know!" Children are to turn the cards over one at a time in numerical order. Read the verse together. Encourage children to recognize that the being humble is a part of repentance and repentance is how we respond to the gospel. Group Learning Activity: “Words on the Wall” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need a large sheet of poster paper or a roll of butcher paper, colored markers or crayons, and tape. Procedure: Print the following words on the sheet of poster paper using large block letters. (Bubble letters work well for this activity.) Tape the paper to a wall at the children’s eye level. Words: Daniel, king, wall, listen, obey, gold cups, pride, Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, handwriting etc. Say: “In this Bible lesson King Belshazzar saw words appear on the wall. The words were a special message from God for the king. Daniel obeyed God by telling the king what the words meant. As we review the story, we are going to have volunteers come to the wall and color in that key word from the story.” Have students color in the letters as you talk about the Bible story. If you have a large class, prepare more than one paper. If you are unable to attach the paper to walls so that children may reach the paper, place the paper on the table. After coloring is complete, then tape the paper to the wall. Here are some suggested ideas to discuss for each word:

Daniel—a young boy who had been taken captive to Babylon; worshipped God and prayed three times daily; interpreted dreams for King Nebuchadnezzar; became a ruler in Babylon; was now an old man

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King Nebuchadnezzar—prideful and arrogant king who built the powerful kingdom of Babylon; came to believe in God because of Daniel’s witness; God judged him by making him lose his mind for seven years becoming like an animal in the forest. King Belshazzar—grandson of King Nebuchadnezzar; proud and arrogant king who loved pleasure and worship of idols; saw handwriting on wall Handwriting—God warning to King Belshazzar; words were “Mene, mene, tekel parsin.” Listen—We should listen to God by reading his Word the Bible; listen to lessons taught from the Bible. Obey—We should not just listen by do what God’s Word says. We obey God and our parents. Gold Cups—vessels that were stolen from the temple in Jerusalem; should be used to worship God not for idol worship Pride—a belief that we are better than others; that we can do whatever we want and will not get caught

Group Learning Activity: “Riddles” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need a small note pad and pencil for each child. You will also need a poster board or large chart paper and markers. Procedure: Distribute note pads and pencils to the students. Say: “In this lesson we learned that Daniel had to solve a mystery message for King Belshazzar. Mystery messages are sometimes called riddles. Riddles are fun. I am going to read a riddle and you are to solve the riddle by writing an answer on the pad. Let’s see how many you can get correct.”

“There is something that belongs to you, but other people use it more than you do. What is it?” (Your name)

“What has teeth but does not eat?” (A comb)

What goes up and down but never moves from its location? (an escalator)

What is full of holes but still holds water? (A sponge)

What become wetter the more it dries? (A towel)

What question can you never say yes to? (Are you asleep yet?)

What has a neck but no head? (A bottle)

What has hands but does not clap? (A clock)

What has to be broken before you can use it? (An egg)

What can you catch but not throw? (a cold)

Say: “Were you able to get the answers to the riddles? Was it hard or easy? Were you surprised at some of the answers? Many times riddles make us guess the correct answer. In our lesson today Daniel interpreted the riddle that God wrote on the wall. We also learned that the Bible helps us know what God wants us to do. It gives us wisdom and understanding.” Write “wisdom” and “understanding” on the chart paper. “Do you know the difference between wisdom and understanding? (Accept various answers.)

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Write the following definitions on the chart paper. Wisdom: the knowledge and ability to use it to help oneself and others. Understanding: the ability to get the meaning of and judge between what is the best answer or direction Call attention to the definitions. Have children read the definitions aloud. Explain and apply the definitions to children’s lives. Read the following questions and use the children’s answers as the discussion starter to illustrate the meaning of wisdom and understanding.

Name a way people can tell if we listen to and follow God’s instructions. (Wisdom is “knowing what the Bible says.” Understanding is “obeying the commandments.” Example: We read the Bible and hear the command to “Love one another.” Understanding is

Name a way we can help people learn to listen and follow God’s instructions. (Wisdom is “inviting people to come to church or listen to a Christian video that teaches a Bible lesson.” Understanding is helping people apply God’s Word to a situation they are facing. Example: Wisdom is telling people that God loves them and cares for them. Understanding is praying with them for a specific situation.

What are the benefits of listening to and doing what God tells us to do? (God promises to do what is best for us. God promises to always be with us. God promises to guide us in the path we should go. God promises to give us wisdom and understanding.)

Share a time in your life when you had to depend on God for wisdom. Conclude by reading Proverbs 8:33 “Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it.” Say: “We can ask God to give us wisdom and understanding, but unless we are willing to do what God tells us to do, the wisdom and understanding will not help us. We must do what God tells us is right and trust Him.” Pray: Ask God to help the children trust Him for wisdom and understanding.

Group Learning Game Activity: “Listen to God” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need a Bible, a variety of household items that make sounds such as a zipper, paper, small bell, timer, pencil, scissors, etc.) Procedure: Have children cover their eyes and listen while you make a sound (zip zipper, crumple paper, ring bell, set timer, write on paper, cut paper, etc.) Children are to guess the sound and then open their eyes to see if they are correct. Repeat with the other sounds. Say: “Did you think it was easy or hard to listen to the sounds? Did you know the sounds that the things we had made? Listening to sounds can be easy or hard. Just like we have to learn to listen to sounds around us, we need to learn to listen to what God tells us.” Say: “In our lesson we learned the King Belshazzar did not listen or obey God. He was proud and arrogant and because he was rebelling against God, he lost his kingdom. Listening to God and obeying Him is a way that we show God that we love Him. God’s Word tells us to obey Him. God loves us and wants what is best for us. Let’s listen to God and obey Him.”

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Group Learning Activity: “Words of Wisdom” (Grades 3-5) Purpose: To help students learn that we should seek God’s Word for instructions on how to face difficult situations. Preparation: You will need Bibles, spiritual journal page, pencils or pens. Say: “In this lesson we learned that when King Belshazzar saw the handwriting on the wall, he sought his wise men, sorcerers, and astrologers for advice. They could not understand or interpret the words. How was Daniel able to interpret the writing on the wall?” (Daniel depended on God for wisdom and understanding.) Say: “When we face difficult situations we can ask people to help us. Better than talking with people we can read the Bible and pray. God wants to help us. God uses what we read and remember from the Bible to help us be wise and make good choices. The more we read the Bible, the wiser we will become. Today we are going to find some scriptures that will help us when we feel certain ways.” Procedure: Have students look up the following scripture. Preface each scripture with the question, “What should I do when I feel .angry? selfish? Tempted to cheat?” Discuss the meaning of each verse with the group.

• Angry—Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Learning to control our anger will help us avoid a lot of difficult situations. Our anger only encourages others to respond by being angry with us. It is difficult to argue with someone who only uses peaceful words. We should choose to use gentle words.

• Tempted to Cheat—Exodus 20:15 “You shall not steal.” Stealing is taking things that belong to others. God wants us to use the things that he has given to us not what belongs to someone else. Stealing is attempting to take the reward of work that belongs to others. We would not want others to take from us and so we should treat them as we would want to be treated.

• Selfish—1 John 4:7-8 “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” God loves us unselfishly. He gave us His only Son to die on the cross for our sin. When we accept the gift of salvation we become a part of the family of God. We are to become like our heavenly Father and show unselfish love to others. Loving others is a sign that we have been “born again” into God’s family.

• Tempted to be unfriendly—Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” What kind of friend are you? There is a vast difference between knowing someone well and being a true friend. The greatest evidence of genuine friendship is loyalty or loving at all times. To love means to be available to help in times of stress not just when someone is having fun or being successful. Friendship means we stick around when we are not getting anything out of the relationship.

• Need to know what God wants—Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” When we have an important decision to make we sometimes feel that we cannot trust anyone—not even God. But God knows and wants what is best for us. We should trust Him completely in every choice we make. We must be willing to listen and be corrected by God’s Word and wise Biblical counselors. We should ask God in prayer, use the Bible as a guide, and follow God’s Spirit in directing our thoughts. He promises to protect and lead us if we are obedient to Him.

Have students record what they have learned about wisdom and knowledge in their spiritual journals.

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Group Learning Activity: “Name Acrostic” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need Bibles, a large sheet of paper, markers, construction paper, and pencils. Say: “What do you like about your friends? (List the student’s ideas on a large sheet of paper.) We often describe people by telling things they do. Proverbs 20:11 says “Even small children are known by their actions, so is their conduct really pure and upright?” This verse says that people can tell what we are like by whether we are obeying God or not! What are some ways that kids your age can obey God? (Spend time with friends who love God. Learn about God’s Word. Talk to God about times you want to do things that are not right and ask His help in obeying.)” Procedure: Add additional ideas to the list of ways that we show that we can obey God. Give each student a sheet of construction paper and a pencil. Have students write their names vertically in large letters. (See sketch.) Using the letters in their names, have students write phrases or by using sentences from the large sheet of paper for ideas. Encourage the students to tell ways they want to be described and ways they plan to obey God. After students have made their acrostics, they may decorate the paper with markers. After students have had time to work on their acrostics, you can have them make acrostics for other people in their family. Encourage the students to take their papers home and let each person in their family add words to the acrostics to tell how they plan to obey God. If students begin to say negative things about friends of family member, encourage them to think of positive things by saying, “People can always think of mean things to say about other people, but we should always think of good things to say. Let’s think of things we like about our families and friends.” Say: “The things we write about ourselves and others tell us about our reputations. What others think about us is important. We want to have a reputation that pleases God.” Say: “In this lesson we saw several people with very different reputations. King Belshazzar’s reputation was not good. He liked to party, glorify himself, worship idols, and dishonor God. Daniel had a very different reputation. He was known for his faithfulness to God, his wisdom in reigning, and his ability to interpret dreams. The Queen mother was known for her ability to remember who was a great help to her father King Nebuchadnezzar. She recognized that Daniel had God’s Spirit of insight and intelligence.” Say: “What kind of reputation do we have? Are we known for our faithfulness to God? Are we known for our kindness and love? The greatest thing that a person can be known for is his or her love and obedience to God. Remember that we can ask God to help us have the reputation that He wants us to have! We can ask God for courage to obey Him in every situation of life.”

Group Learning Activity Game: “Handwriting Study” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need Bibles, pencils, and a copy of the “Graphology” sheet below for each child. Say: “Did you know that there are actually people who study handwriting? The study of handwriting is called graphology. By studying a person’s handwriting, you can learn a lot about the person’s personality and behavior. Let’s see if we can discover something about ourselves.”

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Procedure: Distribute the paper and pencils. Have the children write “I can ask God to give me wisdom and understanding.” Say: “Now let’s study our handwriting.” Use the “Graphology” page to study the children’s writing. Say: “God sent a message to King Belshazzar that his life was about to end. None of the king’s wise men could tell him what the handwriting on the wall meant. God gave Daniel wisdom and understanding to tell the king God’s message.” Have children locate and read aloud Proverbs 2:6 “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Say: “The Book of Proverbs includes a lot of information that can help us know how God wants us to live. One thing we can do to gain wisdom is to read the Bible. The Book of Proverbs has 31 chapters. If we read one chapter each day, we can read the whole book in a month. We should ask God to help us understand what we read.” Have the children form a circle and pray for their friends stand to the right and to the left, asking God to give them wisdom and understanding. Group Learning Activity: “What’s Next?” Bible Book Cards Preparation: You will need Bibles, index cards, markers or print the names of the books of the Major and Minor Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi) on index cards. Bibles that have commentaries are especially good for this activity. Children’s Bibles such as “What is the Bible All About for Young Explorers” are examples. CD or DVD of Books of the Bible songs are also helpful. Procedure: Print the names of Major and Minor Prophets--one name on each card. Make several sets. Divide the class into teams of four to six students each. Combine and shuffle several sets of Bible book cards. Place cards face down in a stack. Say: “The books named on these cards tell what God wanted His people to know about Him and about the future. What are they called? (The Major and Minor Prophets) Have students locate the books in the Table of Contents page in their Bibles. Before playing the game repeat the names of the books of the Bible together or sing along with a Bible Book song. Encourage children to learn the books of the Bible by singing along together. Say: “What did the prophet Daniel tell King Belshazzar about God and about the future in our lesson? (King Belshazzar’s kingdom would soon be taken away from him.) Have a student from the first team choose a card from the stack and read the name of the Book on the card. That student must then tell what book of the Bible comes after that book. If the student answers correctly, then that team scores a point. Another student from that team then finds the named book in the Old Testament. If a description of the book is given in their Bible is given then have that student read that description aloud. If the first student gives an incorrect answer about what book of the Bible is next, then a volunteer from the second team takes a turn. Continue turning over cards and reading information as time permits. The team with the most points wins.

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Group Learning Activity: “Mystery Words” Experiment (Grades 2-5) Preparation: You will need lemon juice, a Q-tip, a sheet of paper, and a desk lamp. Procedure: Before class take a Q-tip, and dip it into lemon juice. Write the words, “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin” on a sheet of paper. Allow the lemon juice to dry. When ready for the demonstration, have the children gather around and place the paper over the lamp and close to the bulb. The heat should make the letters seemingly appear from nowhere. (Be sure to test this demonstration at home first to get used to how it works.) (You can also iron the picture with a warm dry iron. Children should not be using a hot iron! This is recommended for adult use only!) Say: “The handwriting on the wall was meant for Belshazzar, but judgment would also fall upon the Babylonians because of their corruption. Daniel proceeded to interpret the meaning of these words. He explained that MENE means “numbered”: God has numbered the days of your reign and they are ended. And, TEKEL means "weighed”: You have been weighed in God’s balances and have failed the test. UPHARSIN means “divided”: Your kingdom will be divided and given to the Medes and Persians.’ Say: “Did you know that God will hold you responsible for the way you choose to live your life as a Christian? There is a day of judgment coming for those who refuse to turn from their wicked ways. If you continue to practice sinning, God will discipline you on earth and He may withhold rewards from you in heaven. The best way to avoid God's discipline in our lives is to stay away from things that you know are sin. Reading your Bible will help you to know what God wants you to do and what He expects you to avoid.” Give children the opportunity to make their own Lemon Juice Mystery Message! Bring the lemon juice and water mixture. Form pairs of students and give each pair of students some cotton swabs and paper. Say: “I have some very special ink. Dip a cotton swab in this lemon water and write a secret message to your partner.” Have students exchange papers and bring them to the lamp. Hold the paper by the lamp to see the message. Allow time for all to participate. Say: “What happened to your message when you wrote it? (It disappeared) What happened when you held the message near the light? (It reappeared.) In our lesson a message that no one understood suddenly appeared on a wall. The king sent for Daniel to tell him what it meant. Daniel read God’s message to the king. And God want us to read and share His message with others too!” Craft Learning Activity: “Word Reveal Picture” Color Etching (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need watered down black tempera paint, 1 paint brush per child, and one printed coloring sheet for each child. Say: “In this lesson we learned that God gave a mysterious message written on a wall to warn King Belshazzar. We are going to make our own message using a color etching to help us remember the story.”

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Print the coloring sheet below on heavy drawing paper or cardstock. OR you can have the students write the key message from the lesson “Love and Obey God” on the drawing paper using bubble letters. Before class, put a plastic table covering over the table. Put paint smocks or old men's shirts on the children to protect their clothing. Instruct students to color the “handwriting words” picture for this lesson with brightly colored crayons. Allow them to use the black paint to paint over their picture. They will be amazed as the colored crayon picture comes through the black paint. Crayon Etching: Have student solidly color the words in the picture solidly with bright colored crayons (red, orange, white, yellow, light green, light blue.) Then have students color over the picture with black crayon until all the other colors are covered. You must color very heavily with the black crayon. Then take scissors and scrape the black off with the scissor blades. Move in "scribbling" fashion across the picture. The colors will appear through black streaks! Be sure to color the black very heavily for this to work best. Say: “In this lesson God gave Daniel the meaning of the words to warn King Belshazzar of a coming judgment. He “revealed” the words! This is the meaning of the words: “Mene” means "numbered." God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end. “Tekel" means weighed. You have been weighed on the scale and have not measured up. Parsi" means divided. Your kingdom will be divided and given to your enemies the Medes and the Persians.” “God warns us through His Word that someday we too will have to give an account of what we have done in our life. Will we be like King Belshazzar who came up wanting or will we receive God’s approval. God will say, “Well done, you good and faithful servant” to those who love and obey Him.” Optional: For younger children, write a phrase like “Obey God” in bubble letters for them to color and make an etching. Encourage children to make a decision to accept Christ if they have not done so already.

Craft Learning Activity: “Sand Sayings” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need Bibles, sand or pre-colored sand, food coloring, newspapers, large sheets of paper, markers, white construction paper or heavy drawing paper, pencils, and glue. Procedure: Pour sand into several containers. Add food coloring to each container, a teaspoonful at a time and mix. (Note: a large amount of food coloring will be needed to make bright colors. You can purchase colored sand at a craft store.) Cover the work area with newspapers. Say: “How did the queen describe Daniel in this lesson? What are some things Daniel had done that caused the queen to say those things about Daniel? (Daniel had helped King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel said wise things. He showed love for God.} How would you want someone to describe you? What are some things you can do that might lead others to say that you love and obey God? (Spend time talking with God every day. Choose to obey God even when your friends are doing wrong things. Be kind to others.) List the students’ ideas on a large sheet of paper. Give each student a sheet of construction paper. Each student chooses one action he or she plans to do that will show love for God. Students may choose actions from a large sheet of paper.

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Students write their words or phrases on paper and draw designs to fill the empty spaces. Students squeeze glue over the letters and designs and then sprinkle colored sand over the glue. Students then gently shake off the excess sand. Optional: Instead of food coloring, mix sand with powdered tempera paint. You may wish to supply pre-moistened cloths for easy clean-up of students’ hands.

Craft Learning Activity: “Wise Up” Zipper Pulls (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need the ingredients for the clay recipe (see recipes below), toothpicks or straws, scissors, craft paint, paint brushes, fine-tipped permanent markers, zipper pulls or key rings, jewelry cord, and a ruler. Say: “What are some words that mean smart? (Be sure to include the word “wise.”) Why do you think that Daniel was a smart man? How did Daniel know how to interpret the writing on the wall? Daniel knew what to tell the king because God told Daniel how to read and understand the words. How do we gain wisdom and understanding? (By reading and studying the Bible, praying, and learning more about God we can learn what God wants us to do. For this lesson we are going to make “Wise Up” zipper pulls to remind us to always ask God to help us make wise decisions.” Say: “We are going to make clay beads and when they dry they will become hard like this.” (Place sample beads on the table.) Each of you will make ten beads and then write one letter on the bead to spell “Wise Up” You can decorate the extra beads. Place the ingredients on the table and instruct children to follow the recipe. Select one of the recipes and form medium sized balls. Insert a toothpick or straw through the clay to form holes. You can also use a pipe cleaner to clean the straw out after about two beads. Allow to dry. Make ten beads for each child. Cut 8 inch strips of jewelry cord for each child.

Jewelry Clay: ½ cup cornstarch, ½ cup flour, ½ cup salt, and warm water. Combine the dry items. Slowly add water until a clay consistency forms. Form dime-sized balls. Allow to air dry. Sawdust Clay: 2 cups sawdust, 1 cup flour and water. Combine the sawdust and flour. Add water until a clay consistency forms. If the mixture is clumpy add more flour. Knead until smooth. Form dime sized balls. Allow to dry in sun. Sand and paint, Salt Dough Recipe: 1 cup salt, 2 cups flour, 3.4 cups plus 2 Tablespoons water, 1 Tablespoon vegetable or olive oil, and liquid or gel food coloring. Mix the salt and flour together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add 3.4 cup of water and oil. Begin mixing with a spoon and then finish kneading with hands. If the dough is crumbly, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water until the dough stays together and is smooth. Allow the dough to rest before you begin to work with it. This allows the salt to absorb more of the liquid and the dough is less crumbly. Place the dough in a zip lock bag. Try to remove all the air from the bag and let rest at least an hour, but overnight is even better. Shape dough into beads. Salt dough will air dry in several days. If you would like to speed up the process, place finished pieces on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or on a silicon mat and bake at 200 F for 1-3 hours. The drying time will depend on how large the beads are. When they are dry, they will have a chalky appearance. Remove from heat before the bottom starts to brown.

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When working with the dough, keep the other pieces in zip lock bags. Salt dough tends to dry out quickly. To a piece of dough add 10 drops of food color in the center of the dough. Fold dough over itself until the color is thoroughly mixed. If the dough color is too light, add several more drops of food color at a time until you get the color you want. Generally you will use 20 drops on food coloring on each piece of dough. You can use two colors of dough for a marble effect on the balls if desired. OR you can just paint with tempra or craft paint. When the beads are dry and cooled, you will want to seal the beads to stop them from cracking and give them a nice sheen. Use Modge-Podge or any non-toxic sealer. Paint the beads with the sealer and set on a piece of waxed paper to dry. A light coat of sealer is fine. When the beads are dry, the students can string the beads on cords and attach them to rings. Say: “Attach your zipper pull to your backpack to remind you to ask God to give you wisdom as you make decisions this week.” Close in prayer asking God to give the children wisdom and understanding.

Life Application Challenge: “Balloon Message” Preparation: You will need helium balloons that are tied with a string, index cards, and pencils. You can also use your church’s pamphlet or other advertising card. Say: “In this lesson we learned that Daniel was God’s messenger. He shared with King Belshazzar the meaning of the handwriting on the wall. It took courage for Daniel to give a message to the leader of the land especially when the message was a warning. We too are all God’s messengers while we are here on earth. We can be sure that when we deliver His words to others, He will be with us and help us.” Give each child an index card and a balloon with helium. Have the children write a message about God’s love on the card such as “Jesus loves you.” Punch a hole in the card and attach the card to the string on the helium balloon. Encourage the children to get their parents’ permission and then give the balloon to the postman, the clerk at the local store, gas station, teacher or friend. Gather in a circle and ask God to bless the person who will receive the card. Pray that God will give us all opportunities to share His words with others this week.

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Handwriting on the Wall

Galatians 6:7

“Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

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Babylon Falls

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“Getting Caught”...OT14.5 Handwriting on the Wall ©Beverly Wilson 2020 When we do sin, we need...

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Transcript of “Getting Caught”...OT14.5 Handwriting on the Wall ©Beverly Wilson 2020 When we do sin, we need...