Wednesday, March 28, 2018

"How Rulers, Kings & Authority Should Be" (40 Days of Wisdom for Lent)

“I am Wisdom.
I live with Good Judgment.
I am at home with Knowledge and Planning.
With my help kings rule,
and governors make good laws.
(Proverbs 8:12,15 ERV)

Kings of large nations have great honor.
Rulers without a country have nothing.
Kings are pleased with intelligent officials,
but they will punish shameful ones.
(Proverbs 14:28,35 ERV)

When a king speaks, his words are law.
So when he makes a decision, it is never a mistake.
Kings hate to see anyone doing wrong,
because kingdoms grow strong only when everyone is honest and fair.
Kings want to hear the truth.
They like those who are honest.
When a king gets angry, he can put someone to death.
So it is wise to keep the king happy.
When the king is happy, life is better for everyone.
When he is pleased, it is like a refreshing spring rain.
(Proverbs 16:10,12-15 ERV)

The shouts of an angry king are like a roaring lion,
but his kind words are like a gentle rain falling softly on the grass.
(Proverbs 19:12 ERV)

An angry king is like a roaring lion.
If you make him angry, you could lose your life.
When the king sits and judges people,
he must look carefully to separate the evil from the good.
Like a farmer who separates wheat from the chaff,
a wise king will decide who is wrong and crush them.
A king who is loyal and true will keep his power.
Loyalty will keep his kingdom strong.
(Proverbs 20:2,8,26,28 ERV)

To the Lord, a king’s mind is like a ditch used to water the fields.
He can lead the king wherever he wants him to go.
(Proverbs 21:1 ERV)

Love a pure heart and kind words,
and the king will be your friend.
Skilled workers will always serve kings.
They will never have to work for less important people.
(Proverbs 22:11,29 ERV)

Son, respect the Lord and the king,
and don’t join with those who are against them,
because people like that can quickly be destroyed.
You have no idea how much trouble God and the king
can make for their enemies.
(Proverbs 24:21-22 ERV)

We honor God for the things he keeps secret.
But we honor kings for the things they can discover.
We cannot discover how high the sky is above us
or how deep the earth is below.
The same is true with the minds of kings.
We cannot understand them.
Remove the worthless things from silver to make it pure,
and a worker can make something beautiful.
Take the evil advisors away from a king,
and goodness will make his kingdom strong.
Don’t brag about yourself before the king
and pretend you are someone important.
It is much better for the king to invite you to take a more important position
than to embarrass you in front of his officials.
(Proverbs 25:2-6 ERV)

A foolish ruler hurts the people under him,
but a ruler who hates wrong will rule for a long time.
(Proverbs 28:16 ERV)

When the rulers are good, the people are happy.
When the rulers are evil, the people complain.
A nation will be strong when it has a fair and just king.
A nation will be weak when it has a king who is selfish and demands gifts.
If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials will be evil.
If a king judges the poor fairly, he will rule for a long time.
Many people want the friendship of a ruler,
but the Lord is the only one who judges people fairly.
(Proverbs 29:2,4,12,14,26 ERV)

These are the wise sayings that King Lemuel’s mother taught him:
I prayed for a son, and you are the son I gave birth to.
Don’t waste your strength on women.
Women destroy kings, so don’t waste yourself on them.
Lemuel, it is not wise for kings to drink wine.
It is not wise for rulers to want beer.
They may drink too much and forget what the law says.
Then they might take away the rights of the poor.
(Proverbs 31:1-5 ERV)


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