I would like to share with you on Teaching Truth Today some
thoughts concerning Proverbs 29:2: “When the righteous are in authority, the
people rejoice: But when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”
I have been very concerned about the nation of Israel as
well as about all the Gentile nations during the last few months. The Bible and
the nation of Israel have always been a focal point for Christians. In Psalm 122:6 we are instructed to “Pray for
the peace of Jerusalem.” My son-in-law Bob Peaster is teaching on the Minor
Prophets in our church. I am usually
teaching in Spanish while he teaches in English, but Sunday I had the privilege
of hearing him give the introduction to the book of Amos. I know Satan has always been trying to
destroy God and His godly people, but he is really out in the open about it in
the book of Amos! It is astounding to
note how much the times of Amos were like our present day.
I have continued to read a chapter of Proverbs every day
according to the day of the month. Throughout the book of Proverbs, God
constantly contrasts the godly and the godless. Proverbs 29:2 is an example of
this. Here is a short teaching on this
verse:
I. WHEN THE GODLY RULE OVER THE PEOPLE –
Prov. 29:2a
“When the righteous are in
authority, the people rejoice” (29:2a).
I know you know this, but as the
Apostle Peter said, I want to bring it to your remembrance. This message comes from the palace of
Israel. Most of the book has to do with
Solomon the king giving his wisdom. “The
righteous” refers to godly people, or we could say the saints of the Old
Testament. “In authority” speaks of the
king that is ruling over the nation. “The
people” is a reference to the nation of Israel.
So when Israel had a righteous king ruling over them, the common people
rejoiced.
When the Lord Jesus comes to
accept the throne as King David, He will be the Prince of Peace. When the Redeemer returns there will be
rejoicing! His reign will last for 1,000
years.
II. WHEN THE GODLESS
RULE OVER THE PEOPLE – Prov. 29:2b
“But when the wicked beareth
rule, the people mourn” (29:2b).
Sadly, the nation of Israel had a
lot of bad kings. It prospered greatly
under the leadership of King David and King Solomon. But later it suffered greatly under the kings
that did not follow God. Some of the
kings were very wicked. So when he says “When
the wicked beareth rule,” he is talking about the wicked kings of Israel. And the people of Israel truly did suffer, or
“mourn” as this verse says.
CONCLUSION: We know that this verse is talking about
Israel in particular, but it could be applied in many ways. What it says is true for an individual family
as well as for a nation, whether it be Jewish or Gentile. I was encouraged by this verse – in the book
of Proverbs, God has outlined for us how to live now as well as then.
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We would be very happy to read any comments you might have.
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We would be very happy to read any comments you might have.
