Analyzing The Handwriting Of God

ANALYZING THE HANDWRITING OF GOD

I. THE FIRST HANDWRITING OF THE LAW REVEALS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD:

The Ten Commandments, written by God Himself on the original tablets of stone, declared His sovereign holiness, His righteousness, as well as the fundamental rules He had established for His people to live by.

“And the Lord delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words which the Lord spoke to you in the mount” Deuteronomy 9:10

“And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.” Exodus 32:16

II. THE SECOND HANDWRITING OF THE LAW ON MT. SINAI REVEALS HIS FORBEARANCE:

The original tablets containing the Ten Commandments were shattered when Moses cast them to the ground in his fierce anger occasioned by the great sin of the Israelites in worshipping the golden calf that Aaron had fashioned for them.

This second writing of the commandments reveals to us that, even though God might be greatly displeased with our actions, He understands our frailty and will not abandon us.

In Deuteronomy 10:1-4, Moses recounts God’s great forbearance when he spoke to the Israelites, saying:

"At that time the Lord said to me, ’Cut out for yourself two tablets of stone like the former ones, and come up to Me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood for yourself. And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered, and you shall put them in the ark.’

"So I made an ark of acacia wood and cut out two tablets of stone like the former ones, and went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. And He wrote on the tablets, like the former writing, the Ten Commandments which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly; and the Lord gave them to me."

III. THE HANDWRITING ON BELSHAZZAR’S PALACE WALL REVEALS GOD’S JUDGMENT AND JUSTICE:

When Daniel interpreted the writing for Belshazzar, there was no mistaking that this handwriting revealed the certainty of God’s judgment upon those who blaspheme God. The scripture text clearly sets forth the king’s great sin.

"Belshazzar the king held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank the wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone." Daniel 5:1-4.

The queen told Belshazzar not to be alarmed, that Daniel could give an interpretation of the writing on the wall. Daniel was summoned before the king and fearlessly delivered the message of impending judgment facing the king.

Daniel’s divinely inspired interpretation reads: “Then was the part of the hand sent from Him; and this writing was written. This is the writing that was written. This is the writing that was written” MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; thou art weighted in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom I divided and give to the Medes and Persians. Daniel 5: 24-28.

God’s judgment was swift and complete. "That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two." Daniel 5:30-31.

IV. THE HANDWRITING ON THE FLOOR OF THE TEMPLE REVEALS GOD’S COMPASSION AND FORGIVENESS:

Early one morning as Jesus was in the temple, teaching those who came to Him, the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the very act of adultery and set her in the midst before Him. Hoping to find reason to accuse Him, they said: "Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?"

We do not know what Jesus wrote both of these times in the sand of the temple area, but we can safely assume that it concerned love, compassion and forgiveness and not condemnation toward the woman taken in adultery but judgment as regarding her accusers.

“But Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground, as though He heard them not. So when they continued asking Him, He stood up, and said unto them: ‘He who is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

"And again He stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And when they heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one and the woman standing in the midst.