The origin of the phrase “feet of clay” comes from Daniel 2 in the Bible, verses 31–45. I won’t copy the verses here since most people have a Bible somewhere to check it out. It is where the prophet Daniel interprets a scary dream for the great King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Historically known as Nebuchadnezzar the Great, he is typically regarded as the Babylonian empire’s greatest king. Like so many potentially great men, his power and riches turned him from a potentially great man into one who would eventually fail based on his inflated sense of self importance.
“The Bible narrates how Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Kingdom of Judah, besieged, plundered and destroyed Jerusalem, and how he took away the Jews in captivity, portraying him as a cruel enemy of the Jewish people. The Bible also portrays Nebuchadnezzar as the legitimate ruler of all the nations of the world, appointed to rule the world by God. As such, Judah, through divine ruling, should have obeyed Nebuchadnezzar and should not have rebelled. Nebuchadnezzar is also depicted as carrying out death sentences pronounced by God, slaying two false prophets. Nebuchadnezzar’s campaigns of conquest against other nations are portrayed as being in-line with God’s will for Nebuchadnezzar’s dominance”. (Wikipedia)
Per the Biblical accounts of Nebuchadnezzar, he was a fickle tyrant as a leader who was used by God to conquer Judah and the disobedient Jews of that time. Because of the Jews disobedience, God used a tyrant such as this to punish them and destroy the Great Temple of Solomon. Later, through the influence of Daniel and his three fellow Jewish leaders of the captive Jews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, these men were able to persuade the king to believe in the one true God of Israel…albeit for a period of time… by interpreting his dreams.
The “feet of clay” metaphor from one of his dreams basically illustrates that no matter how great or good a man is, he eventually succumbs to his fallen state of sin and disobedience to God. Nebuchadnezzar became dark and crazy towards the end of his life though the scriptures say he came back to faith towards the very end. God uses all men according to HIS purpose, even their fallen and false characters. The Bible doesn’t depict ANY perfect leaders apart from Jesus. All who have been used by God have their weaknesses and frailties. The good and the evil all have their role in playing out God’s sovereign will. It is very difficult to understand from a human standpoint. Yet, I find it interesting that in the Christian church we cast out the leaders who are found out to be “in sin”. We shoot our own wounded and have little grace towards them spiritually. Why are we surprised when great men or women fall or fail? Why do we forgive others but not them?
I review all of this story as it applies to our world so clearly today. Mankind is still ruled and led by tyrants for the most part. In both politics and religion, our world history is defined by the ups and downs and flaws of human characters in leadership. “No one is good, no not one” as the scriptures state in Romans 3:10-12. In light of this backdrop, it seems silly listening to the politicos during this election period stating how “great” and “righteous” they are or have been when every sane person knows otherwise. Yet even the religious people of today get sucked into the vortex of believing in humans as their leaders or rulers. It is a Biblical theme actually that we are to obey those in authority above us even when we know they are not righteous or holy. This is a tough issue to chew on, yet what it is basically saying is that we have no choice but to be affected by human evil or our sinful natures until God delivers us from ourselves at the end of time.
We are not to elevate any man to a stature above or replacing God…the one true God who has revealed Himself in the Holy Scriptures over thousands of years. We all have “feet of clay”. We all go through periods of doing right and wrong. We all are affected by the original fall of man into the dark state we are in by the flesh. There is little room for self pride even when we do right…because any good that we are is a gift and privilege given or revealed to us by God. The spirit God has given us has the potential to be renewed or trampled on. We all face the daily battle of whether we will live to our flesh or our spirit. No matter how great or successful we become, we have the likelihood to fall any given day. As Solomon proclaimed in Ecclesiastes 3:20, we are all but “dust in the wind”.
Today we are seeing a great “falling away” from spiritual truths and God’s reality. We have replaced those truths with our own faulty humanism or religions, being silly enough to believe we are an end unto ourselves and that the world revolves around “us”. Many of us have a “form” of faith or spiritual belief, but for the most part we are false and full of ourselves…not the God who made us. We have replaced truth with lies. We tend to be dishonest to the core about ourselves and see the world in a delusional, false context based on our own imaginations, feeling, and self conceit.
Pastors, popes, and presidents alike are falling into the abyss of corruption and manipulation towards unGodly ends. We have many proclaimers of religion, but few living up to their own claims or the truth of the Gospel. We have political candidates to lead the free world, yet they all are leading us into the pits of corruption and falsehood. Who are you going to believe these days…all these tyrants with “feet of clay”? Why do we place any long term hopes or dreams at the feet of these rulers and leaders?
Thankfully, we do have a spirit of truth we find only in the Gospel of Christ. Jesus came once and for all to redeem whoever will put their faith in Him, the only perfect man to ever live and teach among us. While in the flesh, he did not have feet of clay. He was the blameless lamb of God sent to save us from the tyrants and ourselves. Only in Him do we find redemption and reconciliation with the God of the universe. He is the promised Messiah and king of kings. As promised, He WILL return to restore order and take His church to rule with him forever and ever. This is our only hope and salvation.
Therefore, do not put your faith or hope in men or women. Do not be anxious or try to guess who the next leaders will be and why. Vote, but don’t place your hope there. Instead, we are to keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Do not trade Him in for feet of clay.