This week’s lesson for families is based on Daniel 5 — the handwriting on the wall. In this passage, Belshazzar learns a pretty big lesson about humility and keeping God in His rightful place. Use this lesson to help your kids understand that God is worthy and deserving of our honor, respect, and praise. This is also a good time to talk with your kids about ways that they might dishonor or disrespect God and how to keep from doing that.
Enjoy the lesson! We have one more lesson for you next week and then this series will be finished. Thanks for sticking with me — I hope you’ve been able to use these lessons!
Opening Activity
Today’s video is a parody of the game show Wheel of Fortune. Start the lesson off by playing a similar game with your family – hangman! Use the phrase “Humble yourself before the Lord” as the phrase. When the puzzle has been solved, ask: What does it mean to humble yourself before the Lord? Discuss that question and then say: Today we are going to learn about someone who didn’t humble himself and the disastrous consequences.
The Lesson
Watch today’s GamFam video. (Note: we base this on Daniel 5 when Belshazzar had a party and drank out of the vessels that were from God’s temple. We use sparkling grape juice but the characters do act drunk for part of this.)
Discussion Questions/Application
Read Daniel 5. Use the following questions to aid your discussion.
- What happened during Belshazzar’s party?
- Who was able to interpret the writing on the wall?
- How was he able to interpret it?
- What else do you know about Daniel?
- What did the interpretation mean?
- What happened to Belshazzar?
- What can we learn from today’s lesson?
Belshazzar basically laughed in the face of God! He took the vessels from the temple and used them for a party – all the while praising false gods. Belshazzar knew about the one true God. His father, after all, was Nebuchadnezzar. Yet, even though Belshazzar knew about God, he didn’t have a relationship with God. He made fun of God and denied His power. Are there ever times when you are in danger of making fun of God? Do you ever treat God as less than He is?
- What are some ways that we might treat God as less than He is?
- How can we give God the honor and praise He is due?
Additional Activities
- In today’s lesson, there was a wall of writing. Make your own “Wall of praise”. Design posters that glorify God and focus on a different attribute of God. Then hang those posters on one of your walls to remind you that He is worthy of our praise and honor.
- Design your praises to God using shaving cream! Fill a rectangular baking dish with shaving cream (or whipped cream if you want your kids to be able to eat it) and then let your kids use their fingers to write praises to God in the shaving cream. Have fun!
- Make your own “Wall of Writing” praise snack. Cover a graham cracker with frosting. Then use colored chocolate candies or some other small candy to form words of praise on the cracker. Enjoy eating the creations!
- Sing “Humble Yourself in the Sight of the Lord” together.
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Cheri Gamble 
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