Of Governments and Men
Notes
Transcript
Technically, I should probably have preached this sermon last week, but I had to finish up the previous passage. It’s now a week and a half since the election. Half of the nation is happy. The other half is not. When I was preparing this sermon, I had no idea what the result would be. I just knew that it would be contentious.
What do we do moving forward? How do we act distinctively Christian in this new era under this new regime. You might say: Oh, it will be so easy. Or you might say: oh it is going to be so difficult.
I have a friend who shared the Gospel more when Joe Biden was president than when Trump was. Because he was lulled into thinking that everything was okay in this world, forgetting that everything is not.
No matter who is in office, we as Christians have a task to fulfill and a character to exemplify.
Solomon in our passage speaks of this, using the terms: wise and foolish. The wise one is the one who fears God and the fool is the one who does not.
Let’s read what he writes:
If a ruler’s anger rises against you,
do not leave your post;
calmness can lay great offenses to rest.
There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
the sort of error that arises from a ruler:
Fools are put in many high positions,
while the rich occupy the low ones.
I have seen slaves on horseback,
while princes go on foot like slaves.
Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;
whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;
whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.
If the ax is dull
and its edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed,
but skill will bring success.
If a snake bites before it is charmed,
the charmer receives no fee.
Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,
but fools are consumed by their own lips.
At the beginning their words are folly;
at the end they are wicked madness—
and fools multiply words.
No one knows what is coming—
who can tell someone else what will happen after them?
The toil of fools wearies them;
they do not know the way to town.
Woe to the land whose king was a servant
and whose princes feast in the morning.
Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth
and whose princes eat at a proper time—
for strength and not for drunkenness.
Through laziness, the rafters sag;
because of idle hands, the house leaks.
A feast is made for laughter,
wine makes life merry,
and money is the answer for everything.
Do not revile the king even in your thoughts,
or curse the rich in your bedroom,
because a bird in the sky may carry your words,
and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
In this passage, Solomon shares a DNA of Government and the wise response to that DNA.
Before we dive in, will you pray with me?
1. DNA of Government
1. DNA of Government
Solomon discusses the DNA of Government. But, before we discuss what Solomon states, I need to fill in one point.
A. Placed by God
A. Placed by God
This is a point that I have driven home several times over the past few months. Governments are placed by God.
Paul writes in Romans
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
Paul, when he wrote this letter, was living under a dictator: Nero, a guy who would capture Christians, pour oil on them and light them on fire when they were still alive and use them as human torches along the streets of Rome.
And he writes this. How could he write this? Because it is true. God is the king of kings and he brings rulers into power and he takes those rulers out of power. Why does he do this?
Well, Paul writes:
For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
Even if they are the most wicked person in the world, they are still God’s servant to reward good and punish evil. Sometimes, God brings a really wicked ruler, an immature ruler, into power to judge the nation.
“I will make mere youths their officials;
children will rule over them.”
People will oppress each other—
man against man, neighbor against neighbor.
The young will rise up against the old,
the nobody against the honored.
That’s a judgment passage.
Governments are placed by God.
B. Filled with Sinful Humanity
B. Filled with Sinful Humanity
Even though Governments are placed by God, they are still filled with sinful humanity. Even if they are staffed by the most godly, righteous people we can think of, they are still filled with sinful humanity.
And, most of the time, we can look at the government and say: yeah, that’s a no brainer. Everyone knows they are sinful: let’s drain that swamp. Unfortunately, it is a swamp because it is made up of humans. If all of us were elected to office it would still be a swamp.
Solomon looks at government, mind you, he is the king of Israel. He is the government, and he points out that these sinful humans promote folly.
a. Promotion of Folly
a. Promotion of Folly
Solomon writes:
There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
the sort of error that arises from a ruler:
Fools are put in many high positions,
while the rich occupy the low ones.
I have seen slaves on horseback,
while princes go on foot like slaves.
The thing with humanity, we too easily do not follow God. In fact, we like to create our own gods, because they make more sense to us. Sometimes those gods are deities which we make up out of thin air, sometimes those gods are appetites and desires. Sometimes those gods are other people and their views and applause. Sometimes that god is ourselves and our pride.
Whatever they are, those gods dictate what a ruler will do and who a ruler with promote. Left to our own sinfulness, we will all promote folly rather than wisdom. Because folly is easier and in the moment it can even seem wise. Even though everyone is looking at the ruler saying: Why in the world would you do that?
It’s part of the DNA of government.
b. Speaking Foolishness
b. Speaking Foolishness
Not only does Governments promote folly, but they speak foolishness as well.
Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,
but fools are consumed by their own lips.
At the beginning their words are folly;
at the end they are wicked madness—
and fools multiply words.
No one knows what is coming—
who can tell someone else what will happen after them?
Warren Wiersbe points out four characteristics of the words of fools.
They speak destructive words. Not only do they hurt others, but as Solomon says: they hurt themselves the most. Proverbs says that destructive words are like weapons of war. James says they are like a fire and a poisonous beast.
The fool speaks unreasonable words. Solomon says they are wicked madness. Jewish writer Shalom Aleichem said: “You can tell when a fool speaks: he grinds much and produces little.”
The fool speaks uncontrolled words. He keeps speaking and speaking, not knowing when to stop, not realizing that for all his words, he is speaking nothing.
The fool speaks boastful words. The fool speaks of the future as though they know about it or that they are in control of it.
So often, these characteristics are what we see in our government. That’s because they are part of the DNA of government.
You know, I’m sounding really cynical.
c. Living for Sloth
c. Living for Sloth
Not only do governments promote folly and speak foolishness, but they live for sloth.
Solomon writes:
The toil of fools wearies them;
they do not know the way to town.
Woe to the land whose king was a servant
and whose princes feast in the morning.
Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth
and whose princes eat at a proper time—
for strength and not for drunkenness.
These rulers care only about: eating all you can, enjoying all you can, and getting all you can.
“they are totally indifferent to the responsibilities of their office or the needs of the people.”
Woodrow Wilson wrote: “A friend of mine says that every man who takes office in Washington either grows or swells; when I give a man an office, I watch him carefully to see whether he is swelling or growing.”
There is a difference between people who use an office and who hold an office. We see this a lot, because it is in the DNA of government.
2. Response of the Wise
2. Response of the Wise
We as humans, even though governments are made up of sinful people, still for some reason put our trust in them. Not only that, we put our hope in them. We try to find satisfaction in them.
but, instead of finding our satisfaction in election, the wise have a different response.
A. Steadfastness
A. Steadfastness
The Wise have a response of steadfastness.
Solomon writes:
If a ruler’s anger rises against you,
do not leave your post;
calmness can lay great offenses to rest.
As humans, we don’t like it when people are angry against us. We don’t like serving under despots, unruly leaders.
However, the wise sees beyond what is happening right now and looks toward what could happen. What is God doing and how can the position help in that path.
Should we stay when we are being abused? My advice would be no. But, there is a difference between unruly leaders and abusers.
I think about Martin Niemoller. A strange story. He was a contemporary to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, living in Germany under the ruler of Hitler.
After the war, he apologized for not speaking the truth sooner. As a theological leader in Germany, he could have stood up against the holocaust, but he didn’t. In 1933, he finally came to his senses and began to speak out. He actually had a post as one of Hitler’s theological advisors. He told Hitler to his face what he was doing was wrong. Well, four years later, Hitler had enough and Niemoller was thrown into a concentration camp, where he stayed for the rest of the war.
The wise say: I will stay where I am as long as God allows me to, so that I can preach truth and love well, even if the ruler doesn’t like me. I am going to stay for the purpose of the Gospel.
Unfortunately, instead of thinking about God’s mission, we tend to think about our desires and dreams, our comfort, so to speak.
But, the wise looks beyond the now, and hangs on steadfastly.
B. Constraint
B. Constraint
The wise have a response of constraint.
We could talk about that last clause in verse 4.
If a ruler’s anger rises against you,
do not leave your post;
calmness can lay great offenses to rest.
And, boy, if we could all stay a little more calm, wonders would happen. Water puts out fires so much better than oil.
But, even more than calmness is what is found in verse 12.
Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,
but fools are consumed by their own lips.
Someone can be very mean in a calm way. But, the wise aren’t just calm, but they are gracious.
We have forgotten how to be gracious with those we don’t agree with or those we don’t like.
Jesus said
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
How often do you hear people looking at someone they desperately do not agree with and they say: I hope that you live a long time, that you are one of the wealthiest people in the world, that you have a huge family that follows in your footsteps.
We don’t hear that. But, the wise show constraint. When we want to yell, scream, and curse, we are calm and we bless.
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, thrown in prison for his faith, wrote: This is the supreme command: through the medium of prayer, we go to our persecutors, stand by their side, and plead to God for them.
Dr. Vilmer wrote in 1880: This commandment that we should love our enemies and forgo revenge will grow even more urgent in the holy struggle which lies before us. The Christians will be hounded from place to place, subjected to physical assault, maltreatment and death of every kind. We are approaching an age of widespread persecution. Soon the time will come when we shall pray. It will be a prayer of earnest love for these very sons of perdition who stand around and gaze at us with eyes aflame with hatred, and who have perhaps already raised their hands to kill us. Yes, the church, which is really waiting for its Lord and which discerns the signs of the times, must fling itself with its utmost power, and the armor of its holy life, into this prayer of love.”
The wise have response of constraint, working for the good our enemies, to the point of praying for their blessing, for their souls. Because of the Gospel.
C. Maturity
C. Maturity
The wise have a response of maturity.
Solomon writes:
Woe to the land whose king was a servant
and whose princes feast in the morning.
Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth
and whose princes eat at a proper time—
for strength and not for drunkenness.
Solomon presents this difference in rulers. The fool who only feeds his belly, who is in office to get and to claim.
And then there is the wise one who focuses on doing good. So many times in Scripture, food is brought up, because it is something mundane. How you interact with food sets a tone for how you interact in other areas of life.
If the purpose of eating is to get drunk, you will treat the rest of life and the world the same way.
The wise are mature however. They eat in order to gain strength, so that they can do good. So that they can perform their tasks for the day.
The wise are mature, in that they focus their day on doing good, on accomplishing their task, on furthering truth.
The wise have a response of maturity.
D. Patience
D. Patience
Finally, the wise have a response of patience.
Solomon writes:
Do not revile the king even in your thoughts,
or curse the rich in your bedroom,
because a bird in the sky may carry your words,
and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
Technically, this verse could have been under the constraint section. Maybe it should have been.
Sometimes, we get so fed up with who is in office, that we just can’t hold back. We need to let someone know. We want to let the world know. And we think it is right. That we deserve to be able to voice our opinions.
But, the wise are patient. Instead of continually venting their feelings, disrespecting those whom God has placed in office, the wise have a different perspective. They wait and see what God is going to do. And they pray. Their use their voice and their breath to pray.
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
Government is going to be government. Are we going to be wise, or foolish.
Wisdom is only found through a relationship with Jesus Christ. If you don’t know him, today is the day of salvation, turn to him today.