The Handwriting on the Wall

Please note:  The following reference to Mike Shanahan in no way reflects his character or faith.  It is used only for the sake of comparison. 

And the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth.

—Psalm 25:9-10 

If I heard it once, I heard it a hundred times. “The handwriting was on the wall.” This is how reporters referred to the firing of Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan on Black Monday, the day following the final game of the regular season—the day after his team completed a 3-13 record.

“The handwriting was on the wall.” With a four-season record of 24-40 and rumors flying around about Shanahan’s demise, the coach’s firing came as no surprise to most of the team’s followers.

“The handwriting was on the wall” is a familiar idiom used to mean there were obvious warning signals.  For Shanahan, the numbers on the wall—the scoreboard—were his warnings.

For Belshazzar, king of Babylon, the handwriting really was on the wall.  The origin of the saying plays out in the fifth chapter of the book of Daniel.  As the story goes, the king hosted a great banquet—a drunken party was more like it—where he and his guests defiled the temple goblets by drinking from them, all the while praising the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone (vs. 1-4).

Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall and frightened the king so much that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way (vs. 5-6). After all his wise men failed to interpret the writing, the king finally called for the prophet Daniel who declared the warning of the inscription: “God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.  You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians” (vs. 26).  That very night the king lost his life and Darius the Mede took over (vs. 30-31).

This wasn't Belshazzar’s first warning about setting himself up against the Lord of heaven. For as the bible explains, Belshazzar knew all about what happened to his own father Nebuchadnezzar when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride. He was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory (vs. 20-22).

How many of us have failed to read the handwriting on the wall, choosing to go our own way rather than heed God’s warning signals? When we do, we are entering the enemy's end zone. For the bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

In football, our teammates may holler at us if we’re headed in the wrong direction. And while God may use His teammates to warn us, usually His signals are more subtle. God’s handwriting is the Word of God, and we can count on it to point us in the right direction. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Empty in the uprights--a sign
that a change is warranted

Not only has God given us road signs in Scripture, but He has sent the Holy Spirit to guide and teach and remind. Jesus said, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).

God has handmade each of us for a purpose and directs us in the way we should go through various means—His Word, the Holy Spirit, bible-based messages and godly counsel. It’s up to us to decide if we’ll follow His handwriting. If we truly have friendship with Him, we will walk in an upright way guided by His upright Word through the sincerity of an upright heart (Psalm 25:8; 33:4; Hosea 14:9) — M. William Ury. But as in football, if we’re empty in the uprights, there’s the sign that a change is warranted.

Recently I gave my son-in-law Ricky some “handwriting on the wall” for Christmas.  Actually it was handwriting on a wall decal, spelling out a quote from one of his heroes of the faith Abraham Lincoln: “Whatever you are, be a good one.”

Whatever God has called us to be—king, pastor, football coach, or writer—let us be a good one, following after Him all the days of our life—thereby resulting in a good track record.

Dear Lord, thank You for how You guide and direct me through Your Holy Word and Holy Spirit.  May I always follow Your lead and heed Your warnings.  May I never be weighed on the scales and found wanting.  Whatever you have called me to be, may I be a good one.  Amen.