Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed.
Proverbs 15:22

What needs to be done to make sure our plans succeed? Today's proverb gives us that information. We find that the counsel God gives us on this helps us to grasp that to be a good leader who is able to make and succeed in plans, we do not need to be someone who can do it all themselves. Contrary to that thought - a good leader is one who when making plans is willing to consult with others. A great leader is one who also regularly consults with God.

Counsel is absolutely necessary when making good plans. Our passage today reminds us that plans are broken and frustrated when we do not do this. The word for frustration here is "parar" which means to break, divide, or frustrate. What is interesting is that the Bible speaks several times to the effect that God is the One Who will frustrate our plans if we do not seek Him in the midst of making them. What is even more fascinating is that we read in Isaiah 14:27, that the Lord's purposes cannot be frustrated. This leads us to the conclusion that the best plans are those made in concert with the will of God. Those are the plans that will stand - and will be established.

The second word that is interesting, especially in light of our plans and purposes needing to be those of God, is the word "consultation." This word is the Hebrew word, "sod" which means counsel or advice. The word has with it the concept of confidentiality and intimacy. Thus this refers to what some would call, "intimate counsel." The idea is that of great intimacy with the one from whom you are receiving counsel. Thus we come to the conclusion that in order to make solid, successful plans we need to have an intimacy with God. This takes planning out of a boring, man-centered process - and puts it into the category of fellowship and intimacy with God. If we lack this intimacy with God in planning - seeking His heart and His purposes to be fullfilled - we can expect some level of frustration and a fracturing of our plans.

When we have many counselors our plans succeed. The reason for this is because many counselors will help us to see our thinking and our personal planning from multiple perspectives. This will help us not fall into the trap of our own personal agenda taking over our plans. Another way of saying this is it keeps us from planning in the flesh. There will be enough feedback and counsel to rescue us from just doing what we want.

Planning is a good thing, but it breaks down when we make it too "me-centric." We are not farsighted enough to see everything that needs to be seen. We are too selfish not to see that we need multimple perspectives on a planned undertaking. The wise man therefore surrounds himself with a group of people who will help him see through another perspective than his own. The wiser man also spends much time in the presence of the Lord as he seeks to know what is the best course of action - and the best way to make his plans. This man will succeed.

In a multitude of people is a king's glory, But in the dearth of people is a prince's ruin.   Proverbs 14:28

A king is not a king unless he has a kingdom over which to rule. A kingdom will not exist where the people are not fruitful and multiply. Therefore it is wise for kings to encourage their people to grow in number. Today's proverb handles this situation - but the implications of this proverb are fascinating, especially when applied to what is happening in both the United States and Europe.

The simple meaning of this proverb is obvious - a king needs people to have his kingdom flourish. When there is a multitude of people under his rule - he is blessed, but when there is a declining population within the kingdom - it points to the ruin of his son. The son will have a far smaller kingdom over which to rule - or possibly none at all.

As I stated at the beginning of this post, this has amazing ramifications for both our nation and the nations of Europe. Both places have declining populations when it comes to the original population of the countries. As a result of this both of these regions are trying their best to maintain population growth by immigration. The problem is that as the numbers of immigrants grow, they are having more and more influence in the policies and direction of the nation. Give this direction a few more years - and soon Europe will be different - completely different than their forefathers. The United States is not that far from this development either. Why is this happening to these once great nations?

For a king to continue to rule over his own people, he has to encourge his own people to multiply in their families. If they do not, the indigenous people of the land will begin to dwindle in numbers. The result of this will be that a different group of people will begin to rise up and rule the land. All this happens because the people do not have children. Or, in our case, they only want 2.4 children or less. That is what has happened in our nation. We have become a people who do not believe that having multiple children is a blessing. This all began with people espousing a worldview that did not value children. We became a people so interested in our own comforot and our own pleasure that we decidd that children were no longer a blessing of the Lord. We came to the conclusion that the man whose quiver if full of children is not blessed at all. In fact, we decided children were a burden - an unnecessary burden - and within a couple of generations - an unwanted burden.

According to the humanistic worldview - this was a wonderful development. We were supposedly choking the world to death with our overpopulation - our poluting - and our urban sprawl. So when people bought this unbiblical view, they stopped having childen, or they did what was necessary to reduce the number of children they have. Everything seemed wonderful and the planet would be saved. But over time, the dearth of children began to weigh heavy on our society. Now we face problems as our system is imploding. It is doing so because we no longer have far more families coming up, because we do not like or enjoy the thought of having multiple children. Programs like Social Security require a larger generation of younger people than in the older generation. Even our national character - is shifting from being European and western to being either Mexican or Islamic.

A wise set of leaders would have had a biblical worldview. That worldview remembers that God said to be fruitful and multiply. The whole concept of overpopulation is foreign to God. He promises to supply our needs if we will live for His glory and obey His Word. But since those things have been jettisoned just as we have done with His view of children and family - we are facing the "dearth of a people."

An interesting thing about this passage is that it says that the prince is ruined by this. The king is to rule not just with an eye toward himself - but toward his sons - and his grandsons. That is a fascinating thing to see here. It is fascinating because one of the curses of our current political fabric is that we only see the immediate future as important. Most of our elected officials actually only see the next election cycle as important - therefore they plan only to keep people fat and happy til past the next election. All the while as we are doing this - the princes of our future (our children) are having their future ruined by the selfishness of the current generation.

Wisdom means that rulers think ahead - they think long-term - and honestly, they should think biblically. To do otherwise is to think in a way that God will not bless. This, more than the economy or any other factor, is what will bring about the blessing or the dearth of our society and its people. We should always remember the verse, "Blessed are the people who are so situated. Blessed is the nation who's God is the Lord."

The righteous is a guide to his neighbor, But the way of the wicked leads them astray. Proverbs 12:26

What kind of neighbor are you? Jesus once told a group of people that they were to love their neighbor as they loved themselves. An individual in the crowd, wanting to justify himself as well as hopefully humiliate Jesus, asked the question, "Who is my neighbor?" That brings me to a principle I've learned in my own life - as well as in Bible study. Here is the principle. If you don't like what Jesus said, the dumbest thing you can do is ask a smart-alek question about it. If you did not like what He said at first - you are really not going to like how He answers your question. When Jesus answered their question about a neighbor, He said in effect that anyone and everyone is their neighbor. In that particular story the two Jewish leaders were the goats and the Samaritan was the hero. I'm sure that this endeared Him even more to the Pharisees and religious Jews who asked the question in the first place. I went through all this to assert the fact that Jesus made it clear that all those around us - especially those in need - are our neighbors. So, having said this, I ask my first question again, "What kind of nieghbor are you?" That is what today's proverb helps us to become - very good neighbors to those around us.

The righteous is a guide to his neighbor. So, in order to be a good neighbor, you need to live and speak in a way that guides them. From what we read in the rest of this proverb - that the wicked leads their neighbor's astray - we see that this guidance has to do with leading them in the right way - in a good way. Another thing we can rightly assume is that since this is written in the Bible, which is God's revelation of Himself, the "right" and the "good" way of which we speak is God's way.

Do you lead your neighbor's in God's way? That is the real question that needs to be posed to each of us. First of all, do you know the spiritual condition of your neighbors? Are they Christians? Are they aware of the gospel of Jesus Christ? If not, this is where you begin. You being by leading them to Christ. That is most definitely the right way. But more and more in Christian circles we are not sharing Christ with those around us. I don't know if this statistic still holds true, but at one time it took over 90 Baptists to lead a person to Christ. Before you think I'm picking on the Baptists, I imagine that number doesn't change much when it is transferred to Calvary Chapelites. Who knows it may go up! The problem is that what this means is that probably 1 out of ever 90 believers is actually sharing their faith - and knowing what I do about my particular area - I bet that is too low a number. It is more like 1 out of 250 are sharing their faith in Jonesboro. So what does this mean? It means we are NOT being a guide to our neighbors when it comes to THE MOST IMPORTANT TRUTH in life itself.

God left us on earth after saving us so that we could be a guide to others. In proverbs it says that a wise man wins souls. A wise man takes every opportunity to share Christ with others - and lead them to turn from sin and put their faith in Jesus rather than in their false gods, their religious works, or in nothing at all. It also means that we are to be guides to our neighbors when it comes to truth in general. Therefore I ask another question. Are we being guides to our neighbors by the way we live - and the things we support and oppose? All it takes for evil to triumph is for CHRISTIANS to not guide their neighbors! We need to speak up concerning biblical morality and biblical principles. First though we might want to "live-up" these things. Our country used to be a Christian nation. The reason it has abandoned those principles is because Christians abandoned living them out and guiding their neighbors with them.

The second half of this proverb warns us that the way of the wicked - leads people astray. It leads their neighbors astray. The word "way" here is our old friend "derek" in the Hebrew. It speaks of a lifestyle. It is what we would see if a lifestyle was made into a path for us to see. When the wicked live the way they do - it leads people astray. If you do not believe this, think about how the stars in Hollywood live - and how it has affected our nation's morals. We see them in movies and on television as they push the envelope further and further morally. Christians protest - and even complain of what is put before us. The problem is that we don't come out with the positive alternative. Even worse - we are not taking the gospel to our generation - thus making sure that there are more lost people in our generation than in any before it. Lost people act lost - its what they do. Therefore by not guiding our neighbors - we insure that the next generation will be even more ungodly than our own.

Wisdom knows that fallen men will act fallen. Wisdom knows that sinners will encourage other sinners to act like sinners. Wisdom also knows that without a Word from God to arrest men in their sinful ways, they will not turn from them. The righteous in this passage are not righteous because of what they have done for themselves. They are righteous by faith in Christ. They are transformed because Jesus Christ has become to them not just righteousness - but wisdom as well. They are living godly lives because of the grace of God. Therefore the wise know that they must be guides to their neighbors. Otherwise their neighbors will not come to Christ. Romans chapter 10 reminds us that unless we guide our neighbors - they will not know Christ, believe in Christ, and be transformed by His power to walk in godliness. Listen to Paul's words to the believers of his day.

"How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!" (Romans 10:14-15)

Our neighbors MUST be guided. We are the ones to guide them - and we cannot guide them unless we bring them the good news of the gospel. Not everyone who hears will receive Christ. But this we can know for sure, NO ONE WILL unless we guide them and share the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ with them. Be a guide to your neighbors - not someone who, through their silence, leads them astray.

Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in abundance of counselors there is victory. Proverbs 11:14

How do you make good decisions in life?  Even better said, "How do you make decisions that will not end in you falling on your face?  That is what is addressed in the proverb for today.  There is a way to be confident that your decisions will not come back to haunt you later.  Let's take a look at what God's wisdom has to teach us today about this.

This proverb is all about being willing to seek and take advice.  This does not mean that we cannot know what to do ourselves and do it, but it does warn against the person who thinks in all matters that what is in his own mind will suffice.  This man does not seek counsel at all.  When we read the passage it speaks of having "NO" guidance.  The problem here is that we have a decision maker with an excessive amount of pride in his own thinking.  The willingness to seek and accept advice is a plus - because godly counsel is a must if we are going to walk in God's ways.  We even need to be able to hear and consider advice that we don't want.  Some think that anyone they consider inferior to themselves is unable to offer counsel.  That is a sure way to fall.  It is when we have an abundance of godly counsellors in our life that we will have victory.  The word for victory is "tesuah" and it means to have deliverance, safety, or victory.  It speaks of a military context, of course, but goes beyond that one to also speak of deliverance from sin and from making foolish decisions that harm us later. 

When thinking about this verse two examples come to mind.  The first is that of Balaam.  He sought after and received God's counsel (even though he did it by divination).  But after receiving God's counsel - he decided after seeing the possibility of a huge payday from Balak, to ask God if He had any other ideas concerning cursing Israel.  When God allowed Balaam to go (but only speak what God says) Balaam took it as far more freedom to do what he wanted (which was to make a lot of money from Balak).  Since he would not take counsel from God - the Lord intended to kill him.  Were it not for the counsel of his donkey - he would have been killed that next day.  Balaam had what he wanted to do in his mind - and would not listen to God's counsel.  Fortunately for him the advice the donkey he had just beaten got through to him for a while.  Unfortunately for him - his donkey was not able to speak a second time to keep him from counselling Balak to send his women among the Israelites to get them to commit sexual immorality with the men - to get God to curse Israel.  In the end, Balaam's desire for money and power cost him his life - and eternity in hell. 

The second example is that of king Nebuhadnezzar from Babylon.  His pride and arrogance was leading him down a very destructive path.  He felt "he" was sovereign over his own life - and that all his power and authority had come from himself.  First God sought to counsel him by giving him a strange dream - then Daniel interpretted it.  Daniel let Nebuchadnezzar know that if he did not repent of his pride and arrogance, admitting that God alone was sovereign, he was about to experience life as a beast.  Nebby listened, but did not take the advice.  He fell from being king to being an ordinary beast of the field for 7 years.  He ended that time by lifting his eyes and finally taking counsel to admit that God alone was sovereign.  It took a while, but he learned that in the abundance of counsellors (God and Daniel) there is victory. 

Where are you?  Are you one who thinks that your own understanding is sufficient?  Do you shun the offer of advice and counsel of godly men and women?  If you are, I would encourage you to seriously consider today's proverb.  It warns of a fall that is coming your way.  It also gives you advice about having an abundance of godly counsellors to help you know wisdom - know victory - and know the favor and blessing of God.  A wise man would take this counsel.  A foolish man would seek no other guidance than that which his own mind produces - oh - and he will fall flat on his face eventually.

Prepare plans by consultation, And make war by wise guidance. Proverbs 20:18

Some think that living a godly life means relying on the Holy Spirit to the point where you make no plans at all - you are simply led by the Spirit to do whatever is next on the Spirit's agenda.  But, as with all extreme positions, this runs contrary to the whole counself of Scripture and what God has to say about planning.  Here we have a verse in Proverbs that promotes planning - but not from a fleshly standpoint - but rather from one that urges us to be wise and to consult with others as we make plans.

Planning can be a blessing or a curse.  What is key in determining which you are going to experience is your attitude and desire in what you plan.  The word "prepare" means to establish, set up something, to be firm, or to prepare.  It has the idea of being steadfast in a direction or being founded.  The idea here is that our lives are not to be flighty, but truly focused and set in a clear direction based upon Scripture.  The word "plans" gives us even a more clear direction and understanding of the idea of planning here.  The Hebrew word here is "mahashabah" which means a purpose, a thought or an intention.  This gives us an interesting line of thought - which is this . . . God wants us to think.  He wants us to think about our lives - to consider things - to take the time to reason biblically about the purpose for which we are doing things and the intent behind them.  When you consider planning from this perspective it takes on a whole new mindset.  Godly planning would involve prayer - consulting with God and with the Scriptures about the plans that are being made. 

The last word that is used in the first part of this passage is "consultation."  This is the Hebrew word "esah" which means to get advice, discernment from others, or to seek out the judgments of others.  This means seeking out advice, counsel, and not just relying on how you think about a matter when making plans.  Finding wise men and women who can help you grasp not only Scripture, but also good biblical sense is so important when making plans.  But too often the one thing we forget when reading a passage like this is that we ned to consult with God in prayer.  Without this important step, we will most likely make unwise plans.

The second half of this passage is interesting in that it tells us that we should "make war by wise guidance."  When I read this I see two things that immediately impress themsevles on my mind.  First is a physical reality - war in the physical realm.  Adam Clarke made a marvelous comment on this when he said, "Most of the wars that are undertaken are wars of injustice, ambition, aggrandizement, and caprice, which can have had no previous good counsel."  James 4 counsels us that the reason for the wars and conflicts among us are too often nothing more than a desire to get when we cannot get what we want through godly means.  This is why a war should never be entered into without wise counsel.

The second meaning I see here has to do with spiritual warfare - its reality and its engagement.  When we engage in doing God's will - even to the point of planning and setting a purpose in doing what God wants - we need to understand that we are going to face spiritual warfare.  The evil one is not going to sit still when believers are planning an attack against his kingdom and his territory.  That is why we need to make war - spiritual war - with wise guidance.  Our enemy, the devil, is a wiley foe.  He will oppose us openly as we preach the gospel, seek the salvation of the lost, and labor to see disciples of Jesus Christ raised up and eventually sent out to do additional damage to his interests.  That is why we need wise consultation with God.  We need to know we are doing His will, acting according to His Word, and are laboring and fighting by His Spirit.  When we do this we are sure to prevail and to bring glory to God.

Planning is not an ungodly thing.  Instead it is an opportunity to draw near to God - draw near to other wise saints who know Him - and to set our hearts and purposes according to His heart and purpose.  Rather than be a trip into selfishness and self-driven goals and 5 year plans - it is to be a time to engage with God Himself and with His most precious people who seek His face.  This can be even a time of reviving and realigning ourselves with Him - His purposes and plans - and even His power as we come into agreement with what He wants done and how He wants to accomplish it.

Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square; At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings: Proverbs 1:20-21

If you go to most wise men - you will find that they say that you have to get away from everything to gain wisdom.  Some sit on mountain tops - where you have to come and sit in silence so that you can gain their wisdom and perspective.  Others require you to come to a school - and there you receive your wisdom.  What is truly interesting to me is that the Bible does not have this view of where you can receive wisdom.  What is delightful about the biblical view is that it makes wisdom available where it is needed most - in the throes of everyday life.

Where do we find wisdom in this passage?  According to Solomon, wisdom is shouting to us in the streets and in the square.  Wisdom calls to us at the head of the noisy streets and at the entrance gate of the city.  These are not places isolated from everyone - but rather are places where you can find the greatest number of people - and they refer to the places where there is abundant activity taking place. 

The first place we see wisdom calling to us is in the street.  The street could be any street - but no matter which street is being referred to - it is still out where we live our lives each and every day.  God's wisdom is not made for ivory towers of high learning and inquiry - but for everyone.  It is accessible to the average every man - who walks the streets.  The way wisdom calls to us is with a ringing cry or shout.  There is no mere whispering of wisdom - we will find a ringing shout when God desires to give us His wisdom.  If we ignore it - that is our own doing - for wisdom's call is not a quiet thing that can be missed easily.  It is a loud, attention-getting shout.

The next place is more populated.  It is the square.  This was the public square or plaza.  This would be a very high density place to be - and was where most of the people met in the city.  Wisdom calls out to us here - for the public square is a place where most public conversation takes place.  If we will listen to the Spirit of God as He is seeking to teach us wisdom - we will know how to speak in the public place - as well as how to discern what is said there.  This word in the Hebew not only referred to one square - but also to a network of streets that would lead to it.  When you move from streets to the open square in a city - you are coming to a place of greater importance and influence.  It is imperative that when we come to greater and greater places of influence, that we have wisdom guiding us every step of the way. 

The next place wisdom meets us is at the head of the noisy streets.  This is the place where a fork in the road was usually found.  Once you came to the head of a street, you had a decision to make as to which way you were going to go.  What a great place to have wisdom from God guide us.  It is here that we see once again wisdom calling out to us.  Even more fascinating is that this word means to summon or to invite.  At the place where we have a decision to make as to what way we are going to take - it is there that wisdom offers an invitation to us to listen and learn.  Since this word was also used in places like Exodus 34:6 to introduce a section of Scripture that dealt with moral and ethical issues - we see that wisdom's invitation is to know our way both morally and ethically at the crossroads of our life.  How often have we faced a crossroad wondering which way to take.  If we will turn to God, we will find that His wisdom is freely offered to us so that we can know the way that we should go.

The last place where wisdom is offered to us in at the gates of the city.  This was the political arena - or the place where the elders of the city would sit to discuss not just political ideas - but also economic ones as well.  The gate was the place where they sat to make business decisions.  What a wonderful place to have wisdom available to us.  As we face decisions about morals and direction for not just our individual lives - but for our city, state, and nation - we can know that wisdom is there uttering her sayings.  As we walk in the business world and face a situation where wisdom would keep us from making a bad decision, we can know that wisdom sits wanting to utter to us the very things we will need to avoid a foolish decision. 

God's wisdom is not locked away in come castle or on some mountain top where the practical issues of every day life seem far far away.  God is waiting in all the places where we walk - waiting to give us wisdom to walk in the manner pleasing to Him.  He is also waiting to impart wisdom to us that will bless us and guide us in His way.  You will not have to become a monk or a seeker who has to walk to the ends of the earth to get an hour or two with a guru who gives you some obtuse saying you will have to parse to grasp any meaning from it.  God is in all the places you walk.  God is there wanting to shout out, call out, or simply utter His sayings.  These will guide us into His way - which is the way of blessing.  What a joy to know that our God is omnipresent and waiting with His glorious wisdom to lead us in every situation.  Turn to Him then in the streets, in the square, at every crossroad, and in all the affairs of life, business, and even politics.  What you will find is wisdom that will direct you in the way of His blessing and favor.  There is no better place to be!

When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, But when the wicked rise, men hide themselves. Proverbs 28:12

The Bible does not know anything about a political environment where issues of godliness and righteousness are not considered.  Since God is sovereign over all things - He is also sovereign over all political entities.  So, even though our worldly wisdom counsels us never to mix politics and religion - God knows no such artificial division.

Our proverb today tells us that when the righteous triumph, there is great glory.  When godly men rule a nation according to God's ways and laws - that nation will be blessed.  We read in the psalms that the nation is truly blessed whose God is the Lord.  Too many consider the righteous ruling to be an oppressive thing.  Yet we see that it is not godly men who oppress but sinful ones.  Sin brings bondage and injustice to a society - whereas godliness brings justice and truth to bear on all that happens there.  Solomon gave a godly judgment when the two women were fighting over whether the child was there child or not.  But in the end, it was not pure justice that let Solomon know the truth - it was which woman was willing to show mercy.  Godly rulers will know both how to administer justice and how to show great mercy. 

But when the wicked rise in power - men hide themselves.  Consider the history of the despots who have ruled over the affairs of men.  Godless men make the populace fear for their lives.  They are terrified of a man who knows nothing except his own immediate self-interest.  They cringe when his mode of justice knows little beyond swift and terrifying judgment.  Very seldom is there mercy manifest.  Consider Daniel and his judgment for praying to God rather than to the king.  For his supposed crime he was thrown into a lion's den.  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were cast into a firey furnace because they refused to worship the image of the king.  These men were not shown mercy - but were judged swiftly without it. 

Over time who segments of the population hide from the king - terrified not just of his justice, but of his anger.  There were wicked kings who killed men for being sad in their presence.  Others were murdered because the king either did not like them - or thought that they might be an adversary in the future - whether it was true or not.  They hide themselves because a wicked king or ruler is untrustworthy in his judgment.  They don't know what might come next - or who might be killed for just looking a little suspicious. 

The wise man desires a righteous man to triumph.  Such a man is far easier to understand - because his decisions will be made on the basis of justice and righteousness.  He will judge based upon truth - and it is truth that does not change.  You see it again and again in the books of Kings and Chronicles.  It is far better to have a righteous king who speaks, lives, and judges according to the truth - than it is to have a wicked king who will ultimately rule on his own authority alone.

He who loves purity of heart And whose speech is gracious, the king is his friend. Proverbs 22:11

What kind of person is the king's friend?  That is in interesting question because those who have been in places of high authority know that it is often difficult to determine which ones are their friends - and which ones are befriending them for ulterior motives.  When you look at the circle of those who surround the king or leader - among them you will always find the sycophants who are there to get what they can from the king.  They offer their friendship . . . for a price.  What the leader finds in the end is that this person was not really their friend.  Unfortunately for the king, this is only learned when trouble comes - or when the king no longer can give the person what they want.  So what kind of person is the king's friend?

First we learn that he is a person who loves purity of heart.  The term purity here was often used to describe the condition of being "clean" in Israel.  This was a pretty strict definition - and thus it describes someone who is pure to a very high standard.  When used of a person's heart, it referred to someone who was morally pure - as well as ethically pure.  Since it refers to the condition of someone's heart - it speaks of someone who has wonderful morals, wonderful ethics, and whose thoughts and intents were as pure as the driven snow.  The king gravitates to this kind of person because of that purity of heart.  This is a person who would never be the king's friend for the ride.  If he chose to befriend the king - it would be because he wanted to be the friend of the man - who just happened to be the king.  That purity of heart would be such a comfort to someone who could give you so much.  Most likely, this pure-hearted man would refuse the king's gifts and honors - choosing instead to simply be the king's friend - not the king's benefactor.  It is interesting that among the many named as those who surrounded David, one man, Hushai the Archite, was simply known as the king's friend.  He befriended David just because he wanted to be David's friend. 

Hushai the Archite was an interesting man.  We only hear of him twice in Scripture.  in 1 Chronicles he is simply referred to as the king's friend.  The other place we learn of him is in 2 Samuel 15-17.  We see him meeting David as David reaches the top of the Mount of Olives after David has had to leave the throne due to being deposed by his son, Absalom.  He arrives with his coat torn and with dust on his head.  Here was a friend who stuck with David in the very worst of times.  Sometimes the king will only know his true friends when he is deposed.  Hushai was one of those friends who did not care whether David was king or not - he was still his friend.  But when David faced such horrific circumstances, Hushai was there grieving with him through it all.  But Hushai's friendship went far deeper - and endured even more challenges.  David asked him to return to the city and act as Absalom's servant - to thwart the counsel of Ahithophel.  This was dangerous to say the least, because as soon as Absalom sees him - he notes that this was his father's friend.  He even chides him for being a poor friend, turning on David in his hour of need.  At that moment Absalom could have had Hushai killed or imprisoned.  But Hushai went - and served David well.  He did thwart the counsel of Ahithophel - and later alerted David to get over the Jordan for safety even if they possilby did follow Ahithophel's advice.  Here was a true friend, willing to risk his life to protect his friend.

The other factor in being the king's friend was that you needed to have speech that was gracious.  There are times when I wish we would translate Hebraisms directly - because I think they paint a much more powerful picture for us.  The Hebraism here literally says, "and who has grace on his lips."  What a great picture this paints of how this man speaks.  He speaks the truth - but does so with plenty of grace.  That is the kind of friend the king needs.  He needs someone who will tell him the truth - but will do so with much grace as he does so.  Too many around the king simply tell him what he wants to hear.  They become suck-ups who are too busy trying to woo the king's favor.  But a true friend will both speak the truth to us - but will also speak with much grace in what he or she says. 

Here is the friend of the king - with a pure heart and with grace on his lips.  As we look at him closer, we should see here not just a fitting friend for the king, but in all honesty - a fitting friend for anyone!  This description fits what we should want in a friend period.  May God be gracious to us and allow us to find such a friend in our lifetime.  If we do find one - we should thank God for them - and - be such a friend to them as well. 

It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts, For a throne is established on righteousness. Proverbs 16:12

God's Word has a great deal to say about the role and actions of those who are kings, presidents, and prime ministers of nations.  Whereas the current crowd who don't know the constitution or the words of our founders would say that there is a wall of separation between church and state - our constitution speaks of no such wall.  But even if it did - the ultimate document by which we know and walk with God is not the United States Consitution - but the Word of God, the Bible.  And when the Bible speaks on an issue - it is right.  So let us take a few moments to see what the Scriptures have to say to us about the role of kings and presidents - and whether character (both private and public) matters.

We read here that it is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts.  That should pretty much seal the issue for us on the character of those who lead us.  The Clinton administration, in the midst of its worst moral crises, told us that it did not matter what the president did in his private life - it only mattered what he did as president.  The sad thing is that the post-modern mindset had already set in - and too many aped that same phrase and excused acts that should have been rebuked in the highest office of our nation.  The truth is that it is an abomination when a leader commits acts of wickedness.  The idea here is that of an individual act that is contrary to the justice and righteousness of God and His Word.  Anything outside of what He says - is wrong - and wicked. 

We are not our own moral free agents.  God calls all of us to a standard in His Word - and that standard is not lowered for those in politics.  If anything, it is raised because those who lead us are more in the spotlight of the nation.  When they commit wickedness - eventually the nation knows.  And when someone of the stature of President Clinton is committing adultery against His wife - it is a horrific thing.  His example will be followed by many others.  He may have parsed his words carefully trying to make light of his actions - but the truth was that he was with an intern in sexual situations.  This was an act that in any other context (such as a school or a lesser official) would have resulted in an immediate termination of their position.  Instead, he side-stepped the real issue - and decided to muddy the waters by stating that, "everyone does it."  Everyone does it - because they are following the example of their leaders.  When they make light of adultery - pretty much everyone will as well.  Now, before you think this is just an article blasting President Clinton and Democrats, know that the Republicans have been guilty of their own wickedness and sinful choices.  Too often we try to excuse them as well - and the result is that the entire nation is given to act in ways similar to those who lead us. 

These wicked acts have horrific consequences - and not just for the family of the man involved.  We read here that a throne is established on righteousness.  A throne is weakened when its moral authority is weakened.  If a man cannot be trusted on lesser issues - how can he be trusted on the major ones?  Thus we learn that sin and wickedness cost us not just in family matters - not just on economic ones - but they weaken the very foundation upon which our republic rests.  Our forefathers told us in their very own written documents that our nation is based on the 10 commandments.  Washington told us that you cannot separate good political leadership from godly, moral principles.  Without godliness and a desire to be obedient to God, the very foundations of our nation will begin to crumble.  It is any wonder then that in recent years we've watched as moral crisis after moral crisis has moved into how our government deals with finances.  That has undermined the foundations of our economic structures - and we've had crises with companies - with the banking industry - with the housing industry - with loans - and now we are teetering on the brink of financial destruction as a nation. 

How did we get here?  It began as we decided that we no longer needed our politicians to be godly men who followed a very decided moral code and way of living.  As we fell asleep and were not shocked that those who were leading us completely lacked honesty and integrity - these very sins began eating away at the very foundation pillars of our republic.  The only way back is to see such things restored.  We need men of God to return to the kind of leadership in our homes, in our churches, and eventually in our government.  It is only then that we will once again be horrified at the abomination of leaders who commit wickedness - and return to a way of doing politics that laughs to scorn those who would dare to lead without strong moral principles upon which they walk daily and make their decisions.  Then we are find that once again our nation will have strong foundations - one's established on righteousness!  May God bring those days sooner rather than later to the United States of America!

"By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice.  "By me princes rule, and nobles, All who judge rightly. Proverbs 8:15-16

Wisdom is the thing that rulers need more than anything else.  That is what we get when we read today's proverb of the day.  In the midst of speaking of all the things that wisdom does for us - God includes that it is by wisdom that kings reign and rulers do what is right.  What is interesting about this passage is that it assumes that a king or ruler will do what is right.  That is not exactly an assumption that we share today.

Any authority that a king, ruler, prince, or noble has is what is called "derived" authority.  They do not get their authority inherently, but receive it from God when they become a leader.  This is something that is so important for us to remember.  In years gone by kings would speak of how they rule by divine right.  This was because the Scriptures teach us that there is no authority except from God - and all the authorities in this world are where they are only because God allows it.  Unfortunately, the kings who said this said it because they wanted an absolute authority by which they could command their subjects to be submissive to them.  They could have cared less about their people - what was important to them was their power.

God, though, sees things differently.  It is by God's wisdom that kings and rulers should decide issues of justice.  It it by God's wisdom that princes and nobles decree justice.  Thus, in the end, the authority that God gives to a ruler is to be used to ensure that justice and righteousness reign in that society.  In the end, God makes it clear that all the authority that these rulers have - is to be used to decree justice - and to judge rightly.  what a different way of thinking - and yet it is not foreign to those of us who study the Scriptures.  All throughout the Bible we see that ever since the fall of man the world has been turned upside down.  Mankind thinks all things are about man - but the reality is that all things are about God and His glory.  When we turn from that - and have rulers who do not decree justice and do not live for God's righteousness - we have a mess. 

God desires to have all human leaders filled with His wisdom and understanding.  He desires for them to make just and righteous decisions.  That means He desires for them to rule according to His righteousness - and to establish His law in the hearts of men.  He calls them to "judge rightly," and when He says this, He means that they judge according to His ways and according to His Word. 

Wisdom tells us that when a king rules as he ought to, he does so according to wisdom.  When a ruler or a prince does what he should in governmental affairs - he is doing it God's way.  I realize that if we were to say that today - many would have a stroke and would cry out that this is contrary to the separation of church and state that is in the constitution.  But then again that would just reveal their ignorance first, because no such separation exists in the actual constitution, and it would reveal their spiritual ignorance second, because THE ONE THING that we must have as a nation is God's favor.  A ruler who wants to rule by his own thinking and his own wisdom is not going to have the favor of God on his life - and by that fact - we won't have the favor of God upon our nation.  That is why for me - one thing I look for in a leader is whether he is willing to speak positively about the Bible - and whether he looks to it for wisdom in leading our city, state, or nation.