He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
The Effects Of Foolishness: Wicked Leadership:
Proverbs 29:12-14
12) If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants [are] wicked.
13) The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the LORD lighteneth
both their eyes.
14) The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be
established for ever.
In
this chapter, Solomon examines the effects of foolishness on the lives of the
foolish and those who are around them….
EXPOSITION:
In
this devotion, we will look at one of the great effects of foolishness… sinful
leadership…
12) If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants [are] wicked.
1. If an authority holder hears and accepts
untruths
2. all of those who wait upon him become wicked
When
a leader selfishly follows sinful counsel all of those under his leadership
will follow his example as well This
will result in their living selfishly wicked lifestyles.
It
is of utmost importance for leaders to understand that, due to their position
of authority, they are role models for all of their subjects. As such they are held accountable by God to
set the proper example of wisdom and Godliness.
“Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him
will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.” (Psalms 101:5)
13) The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the LORD lighteneth
both their eyes.
1. The destitute and those who abuse others
through their lies have something in common…
2. The Lord gives them both light to their eyes
in two ways…
a. The Lord mercifully gives the light of the physical
SUN to warm them both (temporal, earthy blessings)
“for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth
rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45)
“But love ye your enemies,
and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be
great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the
unthankful and [to] the evil. Be ye therefore merciful,
as your Father also is merciful.” (Luke 6:35-36)
b. The Lord mercifully
gives the light of His only begotten SON through nature to them both… (The revelation
of his existence)…
“To the chief Musician, A
Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth
his handywork. Day unto day uttereth
speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. [There is] no speech nor language, [where] their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out
through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world…” (Psalms 19:1-4)
Both poor subjects and deceitful rulers are
physically blessed of the Lord through His use of nature. It is because of this principle that the poor
man should never turn their back on the deceitful ruler. They should recognize that they share in
common their sinfulness and need of Christ and, since the Lord has shown His
mercy to the deceitful ruler, the poor are to follow His example. Although they are abused by the deceitful
ruler, they are to show mercy and grace to them by sharing with them the gospel
of Christ as the Lord opens the opportunity and prepares their heart for the
truth. They are to keep the deceitful in
their prayers and submit to their authority when possible (without breaking the
laws of God).
14) The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be
established for ever.
1. The ruler that can be trusted to render a
just sentence upon those who weak
2. The authority of the faithful king will be made
sure without an end in sight.
When
a ruler is faithful to the Lord, by being a fair and just judge to all his
subjects without partiality, will be blessed of the Lord and settled unmovable
in his position of authority.
He shall judge thy people
with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by
righteousness. He shall judge the poor of
the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces
the oppressor.” (Psalms 72:2-4)
SUMMARY:
Wicked leadership results
when the foolish receive the authority to rule.
Their rule results in havoc for their nation and their individual
subjects. The wise are to share the
gospel with the wicked who are placed over them, as well as praying for them and
submitting to their authority.
By
God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value
that they deserve.
May the
Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
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