Proverbs 8.15-16
“By me kings reign, and rulers enact just laws; by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.”
The purpose of the book of Proverbs is to provide us with a pathway to wisdom. It communicates God’s principles and insights about how life should be lived. If Psalms is the worship book of the Bible, then Proverbs is the teaching book of the Bible. In clear and concise fashion, the book of Proverbs addresses a wide variety of life’s issues and topics: morality, relationships, philosophy, the meaning of life, spiritual issues, social issues, and political issues.
Wisdom according to Proverbs is a progressive thing; it is not something you arrive at quickly or easily. It takes time and effort. Indeed, it is lifetime journey. There is always more to learn, more to adjust and correct, more areas of life to get better.
It is something of a paradox: The wise person is aware of their deficiencies and recognizes that they need to grow and get better, whereas the foolish person is blind to their deficiencies and resists the need to learn and grow.
Our nation would do well to heed the lessons of the book of Proverbs. As I have mentioned previously, America is suffering from a serious crisis of both citizenship and leadership. Modern society has abandoned the Judeo-Christian truths and traditions upon which the nation was founded, and that abandonment has created a dangerous vacuum at the heart of Western civilization.
The vacuum of ideas and ideals cannot continue forever, of course, and we are now experiencing a fierce battle for what social and political philosophy will fill the cultural vacuum and thus shape the future of our country.
Thus Proverbs 8.15-16 quoted above: “By me kings reign, and rulers enact just laws; by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.”
The recent Supreme Court nomination/vote debacle put America’s foolishness on display for all to see. And considering that the process was overseen by Senators — supposedly senior leaders from every state in the Union — it was beyond embarrassing.
The reality is that the world, as Christians have known it for many centuries, is gone—and gone for good. We are confronting an altogether new situation. Os Guinness describes it this way: “The recognizably Christian world that Christians helped to create and that has been dominant in the West for more than a thousand years has severely eroded, rival faiths (supremely secularism) are growing in both numbers and power, their damaging influence has spread far beyond their own circles, and the future we are all facing together is in some ways radically new for us all as human beings.”
It is in the midst of this culture charos that Proverbs speaks. It speaks truth to individuals, leaders, and entire nations. Wise kings and rulers honor God and his standards, Proverbs tells us. National and social justice is enacted by political leaders who are faithful to the Lord’s principles. Proverbs also tells us that the opposite is true. Foolish leaders reject God’s standards, and foolish people elect (and keep electing) foolish leaders.
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14.34)
The pillars upon which America was founded were individual liberty and responsibility, limited government, separation of powers, and virtuous citizens. At the heart of our national heritage was the humble recognition that God exists, and that he has inscribed upon the universe objective standards of right and wrong.
Most of the Founders were not “conservative Christians.” However, all of them recognized and honored that God exists, and that truth and morality flow from God and can be objectively known and must be wisely applied in order to our nation to thrive. Thus the cornerstone reference to “nature and nature’s God” in the Declaration of Independence.
This is no longer the case. We now live and work in a post-truth culture where various forms of postmodernism are assaulting and distorting virtually every institution in our society. The notion of nature and nature’s God has been rejected to the point where we now have a culture driven and shaped by subjective narrative, not objective truth.
In response, the book of Proverbs speaks clearly and quietly: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1.7)
Most ordinary Americans do not knowingly embrace the postmodernism philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche and Michel Foucault. Nevertheless, Americans have enabled a post-truth culture without realizing it, and are now experiencing the consequences: radical subjectivism in the universities, abuse of power in politics, fake news in journalism, domestic violence in families, and bullying in social and sexual relationships.
The question is: What will the body of Christ do? How will we respond?
Proverbs 14.15-16 says this: “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps. One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.”
Will be wise in the midst of the foolishness of our time? Will we be agents of the Kingdom in the midst of the chaos? Will be light in the midst of the darkness? Will we do the work of musar, gain wisdom, and be catalysts of truth in a post-truth culture?
Time will tell.
