©Bonnie LaBelle
Chapter 5:8-9 (ESV) - If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.
Question to consider: How do kings bring about prosperity despite their tendency toward corruption?
The bricks God uses to build society is the family, and He has set the role of the father as His stand-in who is responsible for the faith formation of its members. This is why the command to honor our father and mother extends to the other authorities tasked with ruling over us.
Our society has gone so far afield from this designation that to even mention it in a Bible study may offend readers to the point where they refuse to listen further. In its place, every conceivable definition of family has been promoted, and the image of a strong and honorable man in society has been demoted to that of a hapless fool or even a dog who is ruled only by his bodily urges. The ideas of headship or submission are anathema to our society unless they are used in a way that defies the design of God.
God warned Adam and Eve about the curse that had been introduced into the world at their rebellion. In their desire to become gods who decide right and wrong for themselves, the woman would try to undermine the headship of the man, and the man would be in danger of using his headship in a domineering and corrupted fashion.
The curse of this sin not only occurs within the family, but it extends to every level of society, and so we have the oppression and injustice mentioned in today's passage (and news headlines). With each layer of government, we have the potential for more bureaucracy, more waste, and more corruption.
In the core of our being, we long for an honorable authority, a true king, who will bring prosperity and maintain peace and justice. Solomon was a type and shadow of that king, and his reign was noted for its wisdom and peace despite his eventual corruption in his marriages to women who worshiped other gods. There was never another time in which Israel occupied as much of the lands devoted to them or remained united with one another.
Despite this tendency toward corruption, Solomon expressed that a land is most prosperous when ruled by a king, for a king has the ability to unite people in a shared vision. A united kingdom is a prosperous kingdom. There are those in the church who believe we can achieve this through the establishment of a Christian government, but these attempts always fall short because they try to spread the Gospel by the sword. In the New Testament in Christ Jesus, we have beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks. We are tasked with spreading the good news that Christ has paid for our sin on the cross and offers His righteousness to us by faith.
While we carry out this great commission to make disciples, we pray for Christ to return and put an end to all of the sin, death, and corruption of this world.
Dear heavenly Father, may Your will be done on the earth through us as we proclaim the name of Christ. If we serve in government, help us to do so honorably and with mercy. Give us the courage to shine a light on corruption and be good stewards of the resources You have given us. Amen.