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The Writing on the Wall

Daniel 5:1-31 Old Testament PrincipleHumility

In a grand feasting hall, glowing fingers write on the white plaster wall by the lampstand as King Belshazzar and his guests stare in fear.

King Belshazzar of Babylon threw a huge party. He drank from the gold cups taken from God's temple and praised idols. Suddenly, the fingers of a hand appeared and wrote on the wall! No one could read it, until old Daniel came. Daniel said, "You knew how God humbled King Nebuchadnezzar, but you did not humble yourself." The words meant God had ended the king's rule. That very night, Babylon fell. God is the true King, and He wants us to walk humbly with Him.

God rules over every king and gives every breath we take. Humility means honoring Him instead of ourselves, and pride that refuses to learn from Him will fall.

  1. CreationGod made it
  2. FallWe broke it (this lesson)
  3. RedemptionJesus fixes it
  4. RestorationJesus makes it new

Memory verse

“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Micah 6:8 BSB

Christ Connection · Better than

Belshazzar used holy things to lift himself up, and he fell. Jesus, who truly is King, "humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place" (Philippians 2:8-9). Jesus is the humble King we can follow.

Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 14:11; 1 Peter 5:5-6

The Big Story · Fall

Ever since the fall, people have tried to lift themselves up in God's place. God brings down the proud and lifts up the humble, and His kingdom outlasts every empire.

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King Belshazzar threw a giant party. He drank from the gold cups taken from God's temple, and he praised idols. Suddenly, fingers wrote on the wall! No one could read it but Daniel. Daniel said, "You knew how God made the last king humble. But you stayed proud." The words meant God was ending Belshazzar's rule. That very night, his kingdom was taken away. God is the true King. We should walk humbly with Him.

Memory verse

“What does the LORD require of you but … to walk humbly with your God?”

Adapted from Micah 6:8

Start here

Ask, "Have you ever been warned about something, and you did it anyway?" Let a few kids share. Say, "Today a king knew exactly how God treats proud people. Let's see what he did."

Bible story 6 min

Belshazzar was king of Babylon. One night he had a giant party. A thousand people came!

The king said, "Bring the gold cups from God's house!" Those cups were just for God. But the king and his guests drank from them. They sang to gods made of gold and stone. The king was very proud.

Then fingers of a hand came out! They wrote on the white wall. The king's face went pale. His knees shook and knocked!

The rest of the story, discussion questions, songs, Live It and prayer are for members.

Try an activity

Act it out 10 min

You’ll need: Paper cups, A large sheet of paper taped to the wall, A marker

  1. Choose the king, the queen, Daniel and a wise man. Everyone else is a party guest. A helper writes on the paper "wall."
  2. Act out the skit.
  3. Switch so more kids get a turn.
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More lessons on Humility

The same principle in other Bible stories.

Kings and ProphetsGod Chooses David1 Samuel 16:1-13God sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a new king, and instead of the tall older brothers, God chose David, the youngest shepherd, because the LORD looks at the heart.Old TestamentHumilityKings and ProphetsNaaman Is Healed2 Kings 5:1-19Naaman, a proud army commander with a serious skin disease, was healed when he humbly obeyed God and washed seven times in the muddy Jordan River.Old TestamentHumilityMake Way for Jesus: John the BaptistMark 1:1-8; John 1:19-34; John 3:26-30God sent John the Baptist to get people ready for Jesus. John lived in the wilderness, wore camel's hair and ate locusts and wild honey. Crowds came to hear him, and people turned from their sins and were baptized. Leaders asked, "Who are you? Are you the Christ?" John said, "No. I'm just a voice getting the way ready. I'm not even worthy to untie His sandals." When Jesus came, John pointed and said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" Later he said, "He must increase; I must decrease." Humility means making much of Jesus, not of ourselves.New TestamentHumilityJust Say the Word: The Centurion’s ServantLuke 7:1-10A Roman army officer in Capernaum had a servant who was very sick. The town leaders told Jesus, "This man is worthy of Your help." But the officer sent word, "I am not worthy for You to come to my house. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed." Jesus was amazed at his faith, and the servant was healed. When we come to Jesus humbly, we can trust His powerful word.New TestamentHumilityIn the BeginningThe Tower of BabelGenesis 11:1-9; Genesis 12:1-3People tried to make themselves great without God, but God brought their tower down and began His own plan to bless every nation.Old TestamentHumility