Proverbs 28.2
“When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue.”
This proverb issues an ominous warning for our nation. “When a land transgresses” is a reference to a nation that rejects God and his standards, and it is an accurate description of America in our time. “Has many rulers” is a reference to the ideological and moral chaos that is the result of rejecting God and his standards.
Because America has abandoned the Judeo-Christian truths and traditions upon which the nation was founded, we now have “many rulers.” That is to say, there is no moral consensus in our country. There is no agreement on the foundational principles and standards that should guide policy decisions and public life.
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. Thus the “inalienable rights” of the Declaration of Independence.
Those core beliefs, however, have been mostly abandoned. They are given lip service from time to time, but they exert increasing little influence on public or private life in America.
The crisis we are facing is one of both leadership and citizenship. As Proverbs 28.2 tells us, national stability derives from leaders who have “understanding and knowledge.” Understanding is the Hebrew word bin, and it means to have discernment, to be able to perceive, to pay attention to what is happening and have the ability to apply God’s wisdom to the situations of life.
The second word, knowledge, is the Hebrew word yada, and it means to know. In the context of leadership, it refers to the ability to discriminate between what is right and wrong, good and bad. It also means knowing what to do, which in this case refers to what God desires the nation to do.
Consider these two words and ask, Do we have elected leaders today who are people of bin and yada? Do we have leadership in universities, media, and business who are guided by discernment and knowledge that is informed by God’s wisdom? Do we have church leaders guided by bin and yada?
The answer to those questions becomes more clear every day, and is being magnified by the CV-19 crisis. Our nation is on a very dangerous trajectory, and disaster awaits if we do not change course.
What then should we do? I will provide some ideas tomorrow …
“By me kings reign, and rulers enact just laws; by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.” (Proverbs 8.15-16)
