Overview
During King Belshazzar's blasphemous feast, a disembodied hand wrote four Aramaic words on the palace wall: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. The prophet Daniel interpreted these words as God's judgment upon the king. Tekel specifically means 'weighed,' indicating that God had examined Belshazzar's character and deeds and found them deficient.
Key Scriptures
"This is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end" (Daniel 5:25, ESV).
"TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting" (Daniel 5:27, ESV).
Application
Believers should examine their own lives in light of God's holy standards, remembering that our deeds are weighed against Christ's righteousness and that only through faith in Him can we be found acceptable before God.