Proverbs 29.26
“Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the Lord that a man gets justice.”
The message here is that our ultimate trust should be in the Lord, not in human government. The growing list of problems facing our country will not be solved by political means alone. Indeed, most of our problems are the result of turning away from God. The problems will not be solved until we turn back to God.
As the result of a generation-long social revolution, the core principles that have been central to the American republic have lost their compelling cultural power. Empowered by a combination of corrosive ideologies, social change in America has gone too far, and political change can do little to resolve the conflict. At stake are the core beliefs and guiding principles that will prove decisive in shaping the public and private lives of Americans, and that will determine how America will tackle its lengthening list of serious problems.
God created a world where human leadership matters in all institutions: government, business, schools, ministry, athletics, hospitals, family, etc.. But there is an overriding principle that must always be remembered. The sovereign leader, the ultimate authority, is the Lord Himself.
God intended for human leaders first to be faithful to Him, and then to be faithful to their management responsibilities in their respective institutions. Indeed, a principle that I recognized and embraced many years ago is this: If God doesn’t rule in your heart, you cannot lead effectively in the world.
However, because of arrogance and disbelief, many leaders exercise their management role untethered from God and His truth. Rather than directed by the principles and standards of scripture and natural law, they are directed by personal agendas and political ideology. Their judgments are corrupted by self-interest.
This means that seeking justice from human rulers is inconsistent and fickle. It all depends on the particular ruler to whom you appeal. Some leaders will be wise and fair, many will not.
The tragedy of this reality is recorded for us in the OT, as we are told the stories of the corrupt kings of northern Israel during the time of the divided kingdom. Read through the books of Kings and Chronicles, and you will see that all of the kings of northern Israel were crooked and corrupt. All of them. The consequences were devastating.
Judah in the south was barely any better, with mostly corrupt rulers and only a handful of righteous kings.
The lesson for us today is that we should be very careful about placing too much hope in human government. By all means we should be responsible citizens who are informed about issues. Absolutely we should be discerning about the people seeking office, and we should vote wisely.
However, we must always seek the Lord first. So again, we must never lose sight that our ultimate trust should be in the Lord, not in politicians. The growing list of problems facing our country will not be solved by political means alone. Indeed, most of our problems are the result of turning away from God. They will not be solved until we turn back to God.
“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7.13-14)
