Then came in all the king’s wise men, but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. Daniel 5:8
The world’s bestselling book is not difficult to read for a Christian. We read the history books of the Old Testament, and learn lessons about God and receive guidance for our lives. We read the poetry books such as Psalms and Proverbs and learn more about God’s character and holiness. We read the prophets and learn about God’s purposes and plans. We read the Gospels and learn about our Saviour. We read the epistles and learn God’s purposes for His people. We read the Revelation to see what God has laid out in the ages to comer. Through it all, we learn great truths and gain great knowledge, and are brought to focus on the Person of Christ, of Whom the Word speaks. But what about the wise of this world, what do they learn when they read Scriptures. Nothing more than Belshazzar’s wise men could understand from the handwriting on the wall.
Even the least learned Christian has an open Book when he reads his Bible. Because the Holy Spirit dwells within, He can shed light and impart truth from the word of God. The unsaved have no such Guide and Teacher, although the Spirit does strive with Sinners when they hear the Gospel. The Bible is a closed book that has little meaning other than as a guide for right living and a source of interesting stories. The wise men of Babylon had no idea what to do with the writing they saw, and their successors around us still have no idea what the Bible means or how to use its wisdom. Many mock it and write it off as irrelevant or old fashioned. Many appreciate only the majesty of its poetry and some of its practical wisdom. Some twist its words to form doctrines of their own desiring and earn a deeper damnation thereby. But the truth of the Bible remains locked to all who are not born of the Spirit.
Remember what the Lord Jesus told the Pharisees: Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of Me (John 5:39). Although the Bible reveals our sinfulness, that is not its greatest purpose. It testifies of the Lord Jesus Christ. Its purpose is to bring sinners to the Saviour, and to bring saints into conformity with the image of Christ. The wise men of Babylon had no reference points, but you and I do. That is why we treasure the Word.
When a child of God looks into the Word of God and sees the Son of God, the Spirit of God changes him into the image of God, for the glory of God. -Jim MacIntosh