RIGHT IS MIGHT

Proverbs 14.34
RIGHT IS MIGHT
"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people." (v34)

POLITICS, WE ARE TOLD, IS A DIRTY game. Politics is the game of power. There is no right or wrong, white or black — only grey. But however widespread such views are, Proverbs disagrees.

Solomon provides several studies on the nature of human government. A wicked ruler is compared to a roaring lion or a charging bear, all equally ferocious and destructive (28.15). When a tyrant comes to power, people groan and hide in terror (29.2; 28.12). When he is toppled, they come out into the open and celebrate.

Such an example is Nicolae Ceausescu, who ruled Romania with an iron hand for 24 years. Under his rule, the nation accumulated a foreign debt of US$IO billion. To repay it, Ceausescu halted imports, exported food, rationed electricity, and practically reduced the people to poverty and near starvation. He bull-dozed thousands of villages and forced rural folks into urbanity. When he was finally brought down, the people thronged the streets in wild jubilation.

Men who govern by might may rule for a season. But history provides ample examples to show they do not last. It is a matter of time before they fall, and make their exit in disgrace. The Ceausescus, the Marcoses, and the Noriegas are warnings to those who defy the wisdom of Proverbs, who think that might is right.

Rather, right is might. When righteousness prevails among those in power, the nation stands strong. When there is integrity in public office, justice in the courts, and the preservation of moral and spiritual values, the nation stands secure. Best of all, God honours such a nation with peace, prosperity and prestige.

No doubt, there is a crucial moral dimension to national life. We are called to pray for those in authority (l Tim 2.1-2). As God's people, we are to be both the light to challenge darkness, and salt to arrest the decay of society (Matt 5.13-16). We are to take the lead in promoting the quality of life which begins with moral uprightness.

When the mighty Roman Empire fell, it was not primarily because of the invasion of the barbarians from outside, but the erosion of moral values from within. "Sin is a disgrace to any people," then and always.

Do I operate by might or by right?