O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will.And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.
“Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
This speech, and it’s actually a sermon; an explanation of God’s words that were written on the wall, was delivered by Daniel to King Belshazzar of Babylon. Belshazzar had thrown a huge feast which had devolved into a drunken party with Belshazzar the drunkest of the drunk. The wine being drunk was consumed from the sanctified cups from the temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem that had been pilfered by the Baylonians. Interrupting the party was the hand of God writing a message upon the wall of the palace. Belshazzar’s knees buckled and he became pale at the sight. Daniel, now in his 80s, was called to interpret the message based upon his reputation for wisdom. This, history's greatest political speech, points up man's attempt to take God's place and God's refusal to cede his control.
As we approach our elections in the US, we should remember Daniel’s bold words: The Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will.
