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Twitter Writer: Wang Chu Qiao
“Weighed in the balances and found wanting.”
This was the last thing he thought to hear about himself on a night of drunken revelry.
This night, of all nights.
The golden goblet hung loosely in his grip—yes, the same one looted from the Temple of Solomon for his feast.
He knew that by this time tomorrow, life and everything as he knew it would be over.
Photo credit: Sharon Huang-Wok
The images in this haunting passage have always fascinated me: the strange fingers of a disembodied hand appears out of thin air; a cryptic inscription; a pronouncement that changs the lives of everyone in the Babylonian empire within 24 hours. It has all the ingredients of a gripping pot-boiler.
The words ??? ,???, ???, ?????? (Mene, Mene, Tekel u-Pharsin) as interpreted by the eponymous prophet and visionary in the Book of Daniel are curious.
In Daniel 5:25–28, the man of God gazed upon these words and weighed them in his heart. Then he turned to the king and spoke:
“25And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
26This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
27TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
28PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”
Many have noted that these words are possibly known Aramaic terms denoting measures of currency: MENE (a mina), TEKEL (another spelling of shekel), and PERES (half a mina).
Counting change.
Then, it dawns on me—my God is keeping score. By all accounts, this fact should make me very afraid, except on the account of one Person. Jesus.
One of the many revealed names of God, Jehovah Tsidkenu is mentioned twice in the Old Testament ( Jer 23: 5, 6 & 33:15,16) and is derived from the word “tsidek” (straight, stiff, balanced—as on scales—full weight, justice, right, righteous, declared innocent).
It is a word that illustrates God’s just dealing with men and has to do with the weighty issues like justification, righteousness and acquittal.
In Jeremiah 23:5 & 6, Jehovah Tsidkenu refers to the future Davidic King who will reign in Israel.
5Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
6In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
What is amazing is the context in which the same name Jehovah Tsidkenu appears a second time in the Old Testament. Further into the same book in Jeremiah 33:15 &16, the weeping prophet proclaimed that Jerusalem will be called by the same name as her righteous Messiah. She shall be declared “righteous”.
15In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.
16In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.
Righteousness is the divine attribute of our Saviour Jesus Christ who imputes His righteousness unto His followers, reconciling them to God. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor 5:21).
We have a God who tells, who counts, who weighs nations on the scales and declares them morally bankrupt. Yet this is the same God who acted, and still is acting on our behalf and in our interest through the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. Jesus, as it is, has climbed onto the balance and weighed in on the side of sinful humanity.
He paid the ransom of a King. He paid for us with His blood.
And the scale tipped.
This same love and righteousness that accrue to us on the account of Jesus render us forever insolvent and indebted to one another. Owe no man any debt, except the debt of love for he who loves another has fulfilled the law (Rom 13:8). God the Father who wrote off our debt of sin on account of the Son has also made us forever indebted in one and only one aspect: we must forever pay and repay the debt of love by loving one another.
In an outrageous act of love, this same God counted the cost, “violated” the ledger and tore up the books by squandering His love on His prodigals and made us righteous in Him.
Righteous.
Right-side-up on the scales again.
May we read the writing on the wall.
This is so refreshing because I’ve always read that from the judgmental pronouncement-view. Yes, putting Jesus in the old Testament makes me so grateful for the eternal freedom that I can never earn but crave. God’s grace is costly, and to be honoured in worship.