A meditation on Proverbs 28:2

In the last few days I have found myself pondering this verse in the book of Proverbs: “When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability” (Prov 28:2 NLT). It seemed particularly striking in the context of the political turmoil currently engulfing Britain and a number of other countries at the moment.

Of course, it is dangerous to apply Old Testament passages to any modern political system. The world has changed: no modern nation is like ancient Israel and I doubt that any politician would be elected in a modern democracy if they promised to ‘rule like King David’.

Nevertheless, despite the vast gulf of time and culture between that world and ours, there is much in the wisdom of the Old Testament that is profoundly relevant to 21^st-Century politics. Let me suggest that this verse has three truths.

The simplest truth first: stability is a good thing. Revolutions may be very exciting but after you’ve taken a country apart it takes a long time to put it back together again. Stability may not make headlines and isn’t the most exciting of political goals but it is a condition that allows law and order to exist and allows everybody to get on with their lives.

The Old Testament illustrates the value of stability as it recounts the history of God’s people after Solomon’s death. The northern kingdom, which increasingly drifted away from the worship of the one true God, had a turbulent history in which it was ruled by a long string of monarchs whose reigns were almost always brief, brutal and bloodstained. In contrast the southern kingdom, with a faithfulness to God’s covenant and the line of King David, had much greater stability and peace.

In the New Testament we see that Paul – whose experience with Roman rule was far from happy – could write, “Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity” (1 Tim 2:2 NLT). Stable times of peace are worth seeking.

There is much in the wisdom of the Old Testament that is profoundly relevant to 21^st-Century politics.

A second truth concerns the character of those who lead us. This side of heaven a sinful human race will always need people to lead and govern: without leadership we would have tyranny. Yet precisely because the role of leading a nation is a hard task, we must pray that those who rule us are indeed ‘wise and knowledgeable’.

In the Bible that phrase does not refer to the possession of a high level of intelligence or an advanced educational qualification (although there’s nothing wrong with either) but more to a humble and reverent attitude of mind that respects God and his law. In a world controlled by the media, it’s not easy for the modest, God-fearing individual to rise to the top but God is perfectly capable of ensuring their promotion. Let’s pray that this would happen more often.

The third point is that the morality of a people affects how they are governed. This seemingly simple truth – the spiritual version of ‘a nation gets the leader it deserves’ – is profoundly important. It’s very tempting in times of instability to look to politicians for the answer, something encouraged by the way that in any crisis there is never a shortage of individuals who, with a minimum of modesty and a maximum of confidence, put themselves forward as those who will deliver the nation from its ills. Yet history provides very few examples of leaders who have genuinely put everything right. On the contrary, there are many cases where the coming to power of a political leadership has led either to widespread disillusionment or to a dictatorship.

The teaching in this proverb and elsewhere in the Bible is that what really determines the fate of nations is not the individual at the top but the people themselves. Politics alone can’t truly fix a nation; God and godliness can.

Politics alone can’t truly fix a nation; God and godliness can.

There’s a fascinating and apparently true story that when Billy Graham visited Camp David in the 1960s, the then US president Lyndon Johnson said to him, “Billy, you ought to be president of the United States. If you do run, I’d like to be your campaign manager.” It was an offer that Billy rejected then, and continued to do so in the years ahead. He felt to seek political office would be to fall far short of his appointed task as evangelist. He also knew the truth of this proverb: the best way of effectively changing a nation is not by changing leaders, but by altering what people believe.

If you are genuinely called by God to be a politician, then I wish you well and I’m very happy to pray for you. But in the meantime, I’m going to stick to my calling of preaching the good news of Jesus. True and lasting change begins at the bottom and not the top.

Revd Canon J.John

Director, Philo Trust

www.canonjjohn.com / Twitter: @Canonjjohn

Reprinted with permission.

Maureen Trowbridge reviews ‘The Way of Wisdom: year of daily devotions in the book of Proverbs’ by Timothy Keller (2017, Hodder & Stoughton).

This year-long daily devotional based on the Book of Proverbs is truly inspiring. The wisdom found within its pages, brought forth so well by Timothy Keller, provides a clear understanding of the way we should live the Christian life.

It is also encouraging and challenging how reading through verses from Proverbs, alongside explanations and connections drawn to the words and teachings of Jesus, enables us to draw closer to God and deepen our relationship with him.

Comparing this new venture to his earlier book on the Psalms, ‘My Rock, My Refuge’, Keller says “Psalms is about how to throw ourselves fully upon God in faith. Proverbs is about how, having trusted God, we should then live that faith out. If the Bible were a medicine cabinet, Psalms would be the ointment put on inflamed skin to calm and heal it. Proverbs would be more like smelling salts to startle you into alertness.”

The daily readings are grouped into sets of topics, enabling the reader to accumulate various insights on specific themes, piecing together the wisdom that the book offers on subjects such as ‘Wisdom’, ‘Knowing God’, ‘Knowing the Heart’ ‘Knowing Others’, etc, ending with ‘Knowing Jesus, the true wisdom of God’.

The book is such a blessing and encourages in such a simple and unusual way that I have purchased a copy for myself to read during the coming year! Strongly recommended for its wisdom and special insight into what God has said to us through the Book of Proverbs.

The Way of Wisdom is available from the publisher in hardback and from most Christian book retailers. Also available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle forms.

'The Way of Wisdom: Facing the issues of Life with the Wisdom of the Bible' by Patrick Whitworth (2013, HK Forwards Printing, 240 pages, available from Amazon for £9.99)

'The Way of Wisdom' stands out in Christian literature – not because Patrick Whitworth's writing is controversial, but because through it he sheds light on the lack of teaching currently available on this vital subject.

Whitworth has been Rector of All Saints Weston (Bath) for over 20 years, and for ten years was the rural dean of Bath. He is also canon of Bauchi diocese in Nigeria, a Prebend of Wells Cathedral and Chair of SOMA UK, an Anglican mission agency. He has written several books including the trilogy of 'Becoming Fully Human', 'Becoming a Spiritual Leader' and 'Becoming a Citizen of Heaven', as well as books about the challenges facing the Western Church ('The Word from the Throne', 'Prepare for Exile'). Many of these are used for study guides and courses.

Extensive Survey of Scripture

The Way of Wisdom works through less familiar portions of Scripture like Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs and Job, as well as the better-known territory of the Psalms and Proverbs. It also surveys the lives of individual Bible characters, drawing lessons from their examples.

A section is devoted to wise leadership, looking at the lives of David, Solomon, Joseph, Daniel, Esther and Nehemiah. Difficult questions about how wisdom works in times of suffering and apparent injustice are dealt with through the story of Job and the poor counsel provided him by his friends. Another delightful chapter is given to the connections between wisdom and love, particularly in the context of intimate love and the family, focusing on Song of Songs and Ruth. The author also devotes some space to a wider survey of Church history.

The Example of Jesus

Of course, no book on biblical wisdom would be complete without a study of the person of Jesus. Whitworth devotes the final 60 pages of 'The Way of Wisdom' to Jesus' life and teaching, discussing the wisdom found in the Parables and the Beatitudes, as well as Jesus' wise responses to characters like Nicodemus, Lazarus and the rich young ruler. Importantly, Whitworth demonstrates that Jesus' wisdom consisted in his understanding of his identity as God, his calling as Messiah and his role as suffering servant.

Though not always an easy read, grounding it as he does in real examples of fallible people and the perfect example of our loving Saviour, Whitworth brings an underappreciated and poorly understood topic down-to-earth. For study purposes, the book includes a 30-page study outline which applies the teaching with many searching questions.

Other Whitworth books available from via Amazon, and some from SPCK.