Have the courage to be honest
key words
biblical reference
Daniel 5.
lesson objective
To help the preadolescents understand what the judgment of God means.
memory verse
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
Preadolescents often do not recognize the danger of disobeying until they suffer the consequences. Many people have the belief that “if they do not catch you, you are not in trouble.” However, that way of thinking is dangerous, especially when they do not understand that their behavior harms others. Perhaps they justify their way of behaving by claiming that everyone does it. But preadolescents must know that God is holy and that one day he will judge everyone. The story of Belshazzar will show them that God’s judgment is true.
As we said before, perhaps your students would be willing to compromise their beliefs to establish or maintain a friendship if the person acts or speaks contrary to Christian morals and beliefs. It is difficult for preaadolescents to tell their classmates that they are doing something wrong. It is therefore important to teach them that, in the love of Christ, they have the obligation to warn or point out to their friends when they break the commandments of God.
biblical commentary
Read Daniel chapter 5. When Daniel interpreted the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, he announced that the Medes and the Persians would defeat Babylon. Years later, when Belshazzar was the new king, he decided to hold a large banquet to which he invited his wives and concubines, which was forbidden. He also ordered his guards to bring him the sacred vessels of the temple of Jehovah that Nebuchadnezzar had stolen from Israel.
The king used these vessels to toast the pagan gods of Babylon. Perhaps he wanted to show that he was more powerful than Yahweh, the God who had announced the destruction of the empire.
Suddenly, the party was interrupted when a hand, without the rest of the body, began to write on the wall. The terrified king ordered his sages to interpret the writing, but they could not. Then the queen, remembering what Daniel had done in the past, recommended that they call him.
Daniel spoke fearlessly to the evil king, reminding him that Nebuchadnezzar had ignored God. In addition, he accused Belshazzar of deliberately rejecting God.
The words on the wall, written in Aramaic, accused Belshazzar of his sin. The message read: “counted, weighed and divided.”
God had counted the days of Belshazzar, which had come to an end. God had weighed him in the balance and found him lacking. The Medes and the Persians would conquer the kingdom and divide it. God had dictated his judgment and, once again, confirmed his power.
introduce the lesson
I do not want to hear it!
Distribute Student Activity Sheet #360-A.
Tell them: “Not everyone likes to be told they are doing something wrong. Let us look at some sayings that preadolescents use when their friends confront them with the truth.”
Then, tell them that in today’s story, Daniel had to confront someone with the truth of God.
teach the lesson
Write the words of the inscription on the blackboard, whiteboard or on a large poster on a wall: counted, weighed, divided.
Ask the students to look up Daniel 5 and read it silently. Then, tell everyone the Bible story.
connect the lesson
A message
On Student Activity Sheet #360-B, they will find a blackboard to write down some of the messages God has for preadolescents today. Use as references: Philippians 2:3; Colossians 3:2; Ephesians 6:1-3; Titus 3:1-2; and Deuteronomy 10:12.
As they work, tell them: “God had a message for Belshazzar, and he let him know by writing it on the wall of the palace. Today God also has messages for us. However, he does not need to write them on the wall. They are written in the Bible; so that we can, all read and understand them.”
practice the memory verse
For this activity you will need long strips of paper and tape.
Form a path before class by fastening the strips of paper on the floor. Encourage your children to follow the path while repeating the memory verse. Repeat the exercise several times with different variations such as jumping, walking backwards, etc.
wrap-up
Pray
This is a good time to lead your students in a time of prayer, thanking God for their blessings, and asking for strength to be able to tell others the truth.
Encourage
Encourage the group to find ways during the week to tell family and friends the truth.
Invite
Tell the students something interesting about the next session to encourage them to attend. Remind them to welcome visitors.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™