A Good King Who Pleases God
[Proverbs 16:10-15]
On Monday, May 14, 2012, I came across an article in the Korea Herald online titled "Obama is the First Gay President," so I decided to read it. The article centered on a controversial statement made by Newsweek, which described President Barack Obama as the "first gay president" after he publicly declared his support for same-sex marriage. As a result, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to support same-sex marriage. There are various interpretations as to why he made this statement before the presidential election. One interpretation suggested that Obama’s remarks were seen as a “political gamble for re-election” or a “courageous statement at the risk of backlash.” It was argued that he seized the opportunity to win back the progressive supporters who had grown disillusioned with his administration. Some also pointed out that, facing economic difficulties, Obama shifted attention to the hot-button issue of homosexuality. As I reflect on these events happening in our time, I wonder what your thoughts might be? I was reminded of Deuteronomy 17:18-20: “When he sits on the throne as king, he is to write for himself a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees. Then his heart will not be lifted up above his fellow Israelites and he will not turn from the law to the right or to the left, and he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.” If our U.S. president kept a Bible by his side every day and learned to revere God, would he have publicly declared his support for same-sex marriage? If he were truly a president who revered God, he would not be proud or stray from God's commands, but would remain humble. I feel a sense of regret, as a nation's leader should strive to please God, who searches our hearts (1 Thessalonians 2:4), rather than seek to please men.
In today’s passage from Proverbs 16:10-15, the writer of Proverbs, King Solomon, speaks about the "king." However, he does not speak of just any king, but of a good king who pleases God. Therefore, under the title “A Good King Who Pleases God,” I want to reflect on three things that a leader, whether a king or president, should do in order to fulfill the principles that God gives us through His word.
First, a good king who pleases God makes right decisions with God's wisdom.
Let’s look at Proverbs 16:10: "The divine decision is in the lips of the king; his mouth does not sin in judgment." In the Korean translation, it says, "The word of God is in the king’s lips," but in the NASB English translation, it says, “A divine decision is in the lips of the king.” Which translation is correct? The English translation is closer to the original Hebrew text. In other words, the king’s decisions are wise because they come from divine wisdom.
How does a good king, who pleases God, possess divine wisdom? We can find the answer in the passage from Deuteronomy 17:18-20, which we referenced earlier. The reason the king has divine wisdom is because he reads God’s word throughout his life. This means that God gives wisdom to the king through His word. In fact, in the case of King Solomon, who wrote this Proverbs passage, after he offered a thousand burnt offerings, God appeared to him in a dream and asked what he wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom, and from that moment, God granted him wisdom. Additionally, when we look at Psalms 1 and 119, we see that Solomon, too, meditated on God’s law day and night, which likely helped him grow in wisdom even more.
Secondly, the king (president) who pleases God hates evil.
Let us look at Proverbs 16:12: “It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness, for the throne is established by righteousness.” A king with God’s wisdom hates evil because he fears God (8:13). Therefore, he is cautious not to commit evil himself. He is careful not to stray from God’s word, but listens to it and obeys it. How different is this from the presidents in the history of our country, Korea? After their terms end, some presidents are called in by the prosecution due to scandals and corruption, and some even end up in prison. Why do these events keep repeating? I find the answer in Deuteronomy 17:18-20, which we read earlier. It is because they do not keep God’s word with them throughout their lives, nor do they read it. Therefore, they do not learn to fear God. As a result, they become proud and depart from God’s commandments, committing sin. What kind of sin do they commit? As mentioned in Deuteronomy 17:16-17, they sin by accumulating “a lot” and “more,” especially by hoarding wealth and money. However, the wise king who fears God obeys God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will (Romans 12:2). This will of God is to govern the nation with justice (Proverbs 16:12).
Now, look at Proverbs 16:11: “The just balance and scales are the Lord’s; all the weights in the bag are His work.” The words “balance,” “scales,” and “weights” refer to “measures”. These are referring to a scale that measures accurately (as explained by commentator Park Yun-seon). In other words, this scale is “just”. To put it another way, it refers to a “consistent” scale. King Solomon, the author of Proverbs, also says in Proverbs 20:10 and 23: “Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the Lord.” The wise king who fears God also hates the unequal measures that God abhors. Therefore, his throne is firmly established with justice. The statement that the king's throne is firmly established with justice means that the wise king, who fears God, governs his nation justly and rightly.
In this way, a king who rules his nation with justice will make that nation strong (firm), as stated in the latter part of Proverbs 16:13: “Righteous lips are the delight of kings, and they love him who speaks what is right.” When thinking about what a king must do and how he should act, I find three principles in the book of Proverbs.
(1) The king (president) who governs the country rightly and justly protects himself with kindness and truth.
Let us look at Proverbs 20:28: “Mercy and truth preserve the king; and his throne is upheld by mercy.” When presidential elections approach, candidates travel all around the country, asking the citizens to vote for them. They make many promises to the people, saying that if they are elected president, they will do this and that for the citizens. But do these promises get kept once they become president? Have you ever seen a president who is truly righteous and full of integrity? Especially when watching Korean presidential elections on TV, we often see candidates visiting cities and towns, meeting citizens, and making promises. Sometimes, they appear to be close to the common people. But can we really believe that they love and show compassion for the common people? Dr. Park Yun-seon made this remark: “If a king only has mercy and lacks truth (the sincerity to keep promises, that is, justice), the people will become disordered. But if there is truth and no mercy, the king becomes too harsh, and the people will not be moved by him. Therefore, both mercy and truth are absolutely necessary for a king to maintain his rule.” I believe there is truth in his words. However, when considering which type of president can rule the country well with both mercy and truth, I believe that only a wise king who fears God can govern the country rightly with mercy and truth.
(2) The king (president) who governs the country rightly and justly removes evil.
Let us look at Proverbs 25:5: “Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.” The meaning of this verse is that a king who governs the country justly and rightly will remove wicked officials. Imagine this: no matter how much mercy (compassion) and truth (justice) a king might have in ruling his country, if his close ministers are wicked, what will happen to the king and his country? If the king does not remove these wicked officials, he will eventually bear the consequences of their evil actions. Therefore, trusting wicked ministers is a foolish and suicidal act for a king, according to Dr. Park Yun-seon.
(3) The king (president) who governs the country rightly and justly defends the poor with sincerity.
Let us look at Proverbs 29:14: “The king who faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever.” The meaning of this verse is that when a king humbles himself, understands the hardships of the poor, and accurately judges their cases, his throne will be firmly established forever (Park Yun-seon). In other words, the king who rules the country with justice listens carefully to the voices of the poor, understands their situation, and sincerely judges them. If our president governed the country justly in this way, how would the good citizens react? I found the answer in Romans 13:1-5. The answer is that good citizens submit to the authorities over them, because they know that these authorities are appointed by God (verse 1). If our president governs the country justly, good citizens will not resist the authority of the government, because they understand that opposing it is like opposing God's command (verse 2). And good citizens will do good (verse 3). However, evil citizens will not only refuse to submit to the authorities, but they will also rebel against them. They will do evil, not good. If we are doing this, the Apostle Paul says in Romans 13:4: “But if you do evil, be afraid.” Why? Because God’s servant is an agent of wrath to bring punishment on those who do evil (verse 4). That is, because God hates evil, He will punish those who do evil, and evil citizens should be afraid of His wrath.
Finally, in third place, the king (president) who pleases God listens well to the advice of faithful servants (Park Yun-seon).
Let us look at Proverbs 16:13: “Righteous lips are the delight of kings, and those who speak uprightly are loved by them.” The king, who possesses God's wisdom and fears the Lord, governs the country well with mercy and truth, especially by showing compassion for the poor, understanding their difficulties, and judging their cases correctly. I believe this is valuable and important. In this context, a wise king who fears God hates those who do evil, and it is particularly crucial that he removes the deceitful and wicked ministers from his court. The reason for this is that if the king does not remove these treacherous ministers, it will harm him. And since this harm will also affect the nation, the king must decisively root out these ministers. When reflecting on this passage, I was reminded of King Solomon, as he followed his father David’s command to remove corrupt ministers when he ascended to the throne. For example, when Solomon became king, he killed Adonijah, the son of Haggith, who had conspired to become king (1 Kings 2:25). He also removed Abiathar, the priest who had supported Adonijah’s rebellion, and exiled him (2:26-27). Solomon executed Shimei, who had cursed David (2:39-46), and killed two of Israel’s military commanders, Abner (the son of Ner) and Amasa (the son of Jether) (2:5). Later, Solomon also killed Joab, the general who had supported Adonijah (2:25). The death of Joab is particularly significant because Joab had been the commander of Israel's army during much of Israel’s history, from the time when David was fleeing from King Saul until Solomon’s reign. Joab had participated in many battles throughout Israel’s history. He was the greatest general during a time of many wars in Israel (Internet). So why did Solomon have him executed? The reason was that "due to his excessive obsession with power, Joab caused great turmoil in Israel during a historical transition period, including the murders of Abner, Amasa, and the rebellion of Adonijah" (Park Yun-seon).
In this way, a wise king who fears God not only removes evil ministers but also keeps faithful servants near him and listens to their advice. Why is this important? Because the lips of the faithful are “righteous lips”, and they speak with “honesty” (Proverbs 16:13). How precious are the lips of the faithful! Their honest words are of great help to a wise king. However, deceitful ministers, with their false flattery, cloud the king's judgment, leading him to make incorrect decisions and govern the nation poorly. If the king is foolish, he will reject the faithful servant’s rebuke and even come to hate him. But if the king is wise, he will humbly listen to the faithful servant’s straightforward rebuke. In fact, a wise king will welcome the advice and rebuke of his faithful servants. Having faithful servants is a great blessing for a wise king because they give advice out of love for the country and for the king. Therefore, they will risk their lives to offer counsel. These faithful servants are also wise enough to calm the king’s anger. Let’s look at Proverbs 16:14: “The king's wrath is like the roaring of a lion; but his favor is like dew on the grass.” What does this mean? It means that when the king is angry and intends to rule harshly (with tyranny), a wise faithful servant can calm the king’s wrath and guide him to rule with justice and kindness (Park Yun-seon). When this happens, the king, having heeded the advice of the faithful, turns away from oppressive rule and begins to rule justly. As a result, the people of the nation benefit from this good governance. This benefit is like the late rains that mature the crops in Palestine (Park Yun-seon).
When thinking about this, we are reminded that we must not only pray for our country’s president, but also for the politicians who assist him. When we pray for the president, we should pray that he becomes wise and humble enough to listen to the advice of faithful servants. Furthermore, when we pray for his advisers, we should pray that they may be wise and capable of supporting the president well in his duties.