“Mene, Mene, tekel, Upharsin”, the handwriting is on the Wall
Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba Wrote;
…the hand-writing is on the wall, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end. You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting.Upharsin: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians…
As I see the corruption upscaled, the suffering of Zambians get worse, the ruthlesness and autocratic rule take reign and dictatorial tendencies prevail, the petty politics, the political tensions and tribal divisions threatening the fabric of our society, I’m drawn to the story of Daniel and King Belshazzar.
In the book of Daniel (5) tells the story of the Babylonian ruler Belshazzar, a rich and debauched king, who gave a banquet to his court.
During the drunken party, the sacred vessels from the Jewish temple, stolen by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC, were used in a blasphemous manner.
At the height of the festivities, a man’s hand was seen writing on the wall with the mysterious words apoearing; “mene mene tekel upharsin” (verse 25).
The King was terrified. But no one could understand what the words meant. All attempts at interpretation by Belshazzar’s wise men failed until the prophet Daniel was called in.
Daniel was one of the captives from Judah brought earlier to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel was given wisdom from God to read and translate the words, which meant “numbered, numbered, weighed, divided.”
Daniel told the king, “Here is what these words mean”:
1. Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end.
2. Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
3. Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians” (Daniel 5:26–28).
The future of Zambia is collectively in our hands. We can build and make Zambia a prosperous, secure, peaceful nation, or sadly, because of the selfish and treacherous path we are on, we can break it!
The choice is entirely ours as a people.