Mene, mene, tekel, parsin
By Paul Bawden
Words written by mysterious fingers of a human hand. They were written on the wall of king Belshazzar’s palace banquet hall, where the king gave a great feast for a thousand of his lords, their wives, and his concubines.
When the king saw the writing, his color changed, his thoughts alarmed him, his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. He called loudly for his enchanters, the Chaldeans, and astrologers. He promised that the one who could read the writing and give the interpretation would be clothed with purple, have a chain of gold around his neck, and shall be a third ruler in the kingdom. The king’s wise men were of no help.
But there was good news. The queen remembered that there was a man in the kingdom who had the ability to interpret dreams and riddles. Daniel was called in by the king and was able, with the biblical God’s help, to give the reading of the writing on the palace wall: Mene, Mene, Tekei, Parsin. Then Daniel gave the interpretation.
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.
Parsin – Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.
Obviously, the good news that Daniel could read the writing on the wall and give its interpretation turned into bad news for king Belshazzar. Why?
Note the words of Daniel In Daniel 5:23, “And you have praised the gods of sliver 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.” That night the Babylonian king Belshazzar was killed, and Darius the Mede received the kingdom.
Why am I telling this old account which took place around 540 B.C.? I believe this historical account is speaking to all of us in America as we approach our national election. For the question is this: “Are we as a nation weighed in the balances, and found wanting?” Are we as a nation honoring the gods of men rather than the biblical eternal God who created life, yes, us – either male or female, with the capacity to know Him personally through faith in Jesus Christ.
For consider:
**We see convicted peaceful pro-life protestors for praying at an abortion clinic.
**An FBI spy program that targeted traditional Catholics fearing they may be part of the “far-right nationalist movement,”
**An executive order is issued to override state protections of the unborn.
** Title IX was changed to include men in women’s sports, and allow for bathroom use to align with students’ gender ideologies.
**Then there was introduced the “Do No Harm Act” which would radically limit federal protections for religious liberty, and a sponsoring of the “Equality Act” which would also limit religious liberty, a direct attack on faith-based organizations.
When the value of life in the womb is not held sacred, even believing in killing the baby to the time of birth, we have become a culture of death. When religious liberty is tried to be curbed, and boys who transition as girls can be in women’s sports and bathrooms, there is trouble in River City.
That’s why who you vote for in this election will give an indication if you believe our nation can be salvaged somehow from being weighed in the balances and found wanting. Choose wisely. Your choice is brief yet endless. Pray that Americans will be awakened to vote for Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness! Be an answer to your prayer!! VOTE!!
Paul Bawden is married and served in the pastoral ministry for 45 years, retiring in 2011. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in Speech and attended Dallas Theological Seminary, receiving a Master of Theology. He has taken counseling courses at Trinity Evangelical Seminary in Deerfield, Illinois. Paul is a lifetime member of the Evangelical Free Church of America, as well as being a member of Interim Pastor Ministries (IPM), which serves churches during their time of transition in searching for a new pastor. He writes for Union Gospel Press, as well as being a volunteer writer for GotQuestions.org. Paul likes to write, read, bike, and work in the yard. The Bawdens have had the privilege to travel to Mexico and Romania on mission trips and visited various countries in Europe.