A worthless man digs up evil, While his words are like scorching fire. Proverbs 16:27

There are those who seem to love digging up dirt on others. These are the ones who love gossip and betrayal and slander. But such a man is a very wicked man. The proverb for today says that a "worthless" man is the one who digs up evil. That word "worthless" is the term, "beliyal" in the Hebrew and it means someone who is a scoundrel and who has no good in himself. This man plots to find and to expose evil in others.

We are told that when this wicked man gets the right information to slander and destroy others, he lets it forth in a belching flame of fire. He scorches the earth with his inflamatory language with every intent on destroying his adversaries and causing their reputation to go up in the flames of his evil rhetoric. The term used here are that his words are like scorching fire. The literal is that his lips burn like an uncontrolable fire. We are warned agaisnt such things in  James 3:6 where we read,

"So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. James 3:5-6

This is why we need to set a guard over our lips and our mouths. Our tongues are a fire themselves and can be the very world of iniquity. If we do not learn how to control our tongues we may learn all too late that our tongues can defile our entire lives and be set on fire by hell itself. That is why we need to make sure that we use our tongues for good rather than for wickedness. May God take our tongues and tame them by His Spirit so that, rather than being a scorching fire set abaze by hell itself - we become one whose words are a healing balm from the Lord Himself!

The wicked is thrust down by his wrongdoing, But the righteous has a refuge when he dies. Proverbs 14:32

God is going to deck the wicked. That is the basic idea that is being communicated here in today's proverb. The word wicked describes those who are law-breakers. The Law spoken of by this word is God's Law. The wicked have no regard for God's law - and honestly for any other law as well. They are rebellious and find themselves resisting and standing against any law that tries to restrict their freedom to do whatever they want. This is what will deck them in the end.

The second half of this proverb points us in a very interesting direction. We are told that the righteous has a refuge when he dies. Thus the proverb is not just dealing with things here and now - it is pointing us to when we die. What is going to happen to the wicked and the righteous when death comes? The righteous man will have a refuge in that day. His hope is in God's remedy for sin - the Lord Jesus Christ. His refuge is Jesus. He looks to Jesus Christ to give Him a righteousness that will stand on that day - and he rests in that as His salvation. The wicked will find that all they have on that fateful day is their own wickedness. What they will learn too late is that that evil will deck them on jugdment day. They will be accountable for their choices and their actions - which were wicked. What a horrifying day that will be for all those who trusted in themselves and their own righteousness. They will not have a refuge, but their very own doctrines will cast them to the ground.

In what are you trusting to stand on that day? Are you trusting that there won't be one - because that is a vain and empty choice. Are you thinking your good works will be weighed against your bad ones - and if there is more good you will make it? That is a foolish choice for it is not by our works that we are saved. Are you trusting that God is mercy and good and will overlook all your evil? That is unwise for it ignores the righteousness and justice of God. The righteous man knows the way - because he knows first and foremost of all that the righteousness upon which he stands is not his own. He gains that righteousness by faith, not by works. He looks to the Lord Jesus Christ to be his righteousness. Therefore he will stand and will have Christ's gifted righteousness as his refuge on the jugdment day. Again I ask, "In what will you be trusting on the great day of God's judgment. Trusting in anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ crucified, buried, and risen from the dead will not stand. Take refuge in Jesus - in the One Who makes you righteous by grace.

The desire of the righteous is only good, But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.   Proverbs 11:23

What do you want?  That is a pretty general question - but it is the one that is addressed in today's proverb.  The thing is that we are looking at what people want from the perspective of God, not just what people or the "market" wants.

From God's standpoint we are oing to watch Him put boh the righteous and the wicked man into the balances, weigh them and their choices, and state what each deserves. First we see that God places the righteous into the scales.  He says that the righteous man's desires are only good.  This coincides with what Jesus says in the Beattitudes.  In Matthew chapter 5, we read the following, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."  God not only is pleased with those who hunger and thirst for what He says is right - He promises wonderful levels of satisfaction for those who do.  There is also another statement made in the Psalms that when we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart.  It is so important to know that when we are living for righteousness and pursuing what is right - God cuts us loose to enjoy as much as we want.  That is why He says here that these kind of desires are "only good." 

The wicked, though, have no sch guarantee.  We read that the expectation of the wicked in wrath.  It is helpful for us to see that word "expectation" here.  The reason it is so important is because often what the wicked desire will give them an immediate positive feeling.  The person who abuses alcoholic drinks has an immediate positive response as he feels better and is much more free in his expression of himself.  But he can expect problems later.  Having been a drunkard before I was saved I can concur with God's statement here.  The expectation of the drunkard is only wrath and bad consequences.  There is the hangover that comes in the morning.  There is also the realization that the supposed freedom that you felt the night before took away your natural defenses against saying something stupid.  Can't tell you how many times a Friday night bender led to a whole week of consequences with friends and aquaintences.  Another area I want to address here is that of sexual immorality.  The person who is sexually immmoral loves the immediate pleasure provided by it.  Unfortunately, the crisis pregnancy, the positive STD test, and the broken relationships are not so pleasurable.  The pornography may give us a temporary high feeling and sense of thrill as we look at it, but later the bondage that results, the pull into deeper perversion, and the way it leads people to treat the opposite sex as an object can be devastating. 

The Word of God speaks of God's "judgments."  These are things that God has said concerning certain behaviors in life.  When we choose to disobey God and embrace our lfleshly lusts we do so because of the promise of pleasure and immediate satisfaction.  The problem is that God has said what His response will be to such things.  These are His judgments.  He says that problems will result - disasters are on the horizon - and blessing will be forfeited.  These judgments WILL COME upon those who choose to disobey regardless of what God says.  They can expect the wrath of God when they rebel.  God has made this very clear when He said in Romans chapter 1, "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness ofmen who suppress the truth with their unrighteousness."  God's attitude and actions toward ungodliness and unrigteousness have been settled from eternity past.  Those who reject Him and His Word need to know that He has amply published the results of such behavior - and it has never been good.  Therefore the truly wise man knows that blessings await those who embrace righteousness - but for those who chose a wicked lifestyle - only wrath awaits them.

Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool, and so is wisdom to a man of understanding.   Proverbs 10:23

One of the things I find funny is that Christians try to convince people who are lost that they can still have fun and be a Christian.  It is as if they think that people will come to Christ if we can convince them they still will have a blast once they come to repentance and faith.  It reduces the problem of the human condition to what can provide the most fun while on earth.  If that were the case, the biggest denomination in the world would be Six-Flagsists, Disneyists, and Xboxians.  The truth is that for a man who is ungodly - doing wickedness is joy and laughter - and the same is true for the discerning man and his view of wisdom.

We are not that accustom to the word, "sport" as it is used here.  The word comes from the Hebrew word "sehoq" which means laughter.  But this is a laughter of derision and ridicule.  It is a laughter used to make fun of someone or something.  What we are speaking of here is how the wicked do their evil - and laugh and deride God and His law.  They laugh at righteousness and joke about it.  They make fun of those who have standards and whose desire is to do what is godly and righteous.  Let me give a few examples of this.

When the abstinence movement came out, the wicked mocked it mercilessly.  They mocked virgins - and decided that anyone who was still a virgin at 18 to 20 years of age must have something wrong with them.  They mocked the idea of waiting for sex until marriage.  They argued that a person should be able to test drive a car before buying it - referring to the consummation of marriage in crassest of terms, as if you were buying a car, not choosing a life-mate.  They defended an immoral president in the 1990's by saying that everyone does what he did – and - they also lie about it when caught.  They mocked the idea of a child needing a father and a mother when a TV character in the 1990's decided to get pregnant and have a baby without a father.  They mock everything that is holy - and deride anyone who stands in the way of their immoral agenda for our nation and especially its children. 

We need to remind ourselves that the people who do these things are fools.  They have no understanding.  They are ignorant and oblivious to a holy God and His judgments.  They may mock the morals that we have - but when society continues to fall apart - and when the statistics come in as to why it is falling apart - their actions will be seen those of fools with no understandings against the backdrop of failure and disfunction that they engender.

The man of understanding takes an equal delight and joy in wisdom.  As the fool celebrates wickedness and mocks holiness - so the man who has discernment delights in God's wisdom.  The man of understanding is the man who has discernment.  The idea here is of a man who looks at something and determines its end and consequences.  Seeing this, he turns away from wickedness and makes his decisions on the basis of God's wisdom.  His discernment comes from the Scriptures.  This guides him into wise decisions.  It also tells him to shun and even mock those decisions that embrace what God has judged on the cross - and will judge at the end of the age.  This man allows discernment to turn him to the right and true way.  He sees the reward - and delights in it. 

As I close the thoughts on today's proverb, let me re-visit my first comments of today.  Too many do try to make the gospel more palatable by saying that we can have as much fun as the wicked.  This is based on a faulty understanding of the nature of man.  The wicked delight in their wickedness - because they are still wicked.  Christians delight in holiness because they have been born again.  Having had their hearts changed by the gospel - they now delight in things that delight the heart of God.  It is impossible for an unsaved man to truly delight in these things.  His heart is captive to his sin.  Until He is saved, he will not truly value righteousness. 

This proverb ultimately is about salvation – not the lifestyle that is the most fun on earth.  Paul said it best when he said that if we only have this life to hope in Christ - we are to be pitied most of all men.  If Jesus is not Who He says He is - then we should eat, drink, and party because tomorrow we die.  The reason we embrace Christ is not for a superior life here on earth - but because there IS a judgment coming.  Without Christ that judgment WILL BE HORRIFIC!  We embrace Christ because we have sinned and, without the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ to pay for our sin, we will be judged and sent to hell.  All the rest happens WHEN we are saved.  We enjoy different things because our heart is different.  We enjoy righteousness because we are fundamentally different because of God's grace.  The wicked will always delight in their sin - and the discerning will delight in godliness.  The difference comes not in which is more fun - but rather in whether a man's heart has been redeemed and changed by God's grace.  May we be among those discerning.  May we be among those with understanding.  May we be among those transformed by grace - and given a whole different outlook on what is fun - what is enjoyable - and mostly, on what is better in eternity.

Like a roaring lion and a rushing bear Is a wicked ruler over a poor people. Proverbs 28:15

Oppression of the poor by a wicked ruler - that sounds like a modern day headline in one of our newpapers - or in a report that we would read online.  Unfortunately oppression has been going on every since the fall of man - and the beginning of politics.  When the sinfulness of man combined with the treachery of politics - it was not going to be long before men learned how to oppress the poor and helpless for their own benefit.

We read in today's proverb that a wicked ruler over a poor people is like a roaring lion or a rushing bear.  A roaring lion scares the other animals in the forest.  The lion roars to establish his territory and his authority.  Thus when a wicked ruler acts like a roaring lion - he is establishing that he has the power and authority over the poor ones he is oppressing.  We've seen it again and again in history.  The powerful oppress and dominate the poor - even resorting to attacking them with the army to establish their power.  They will use the secret police to kidnap them and torture them to silence anyone's opposition and threat to their power.  It is a sad thing to see - but unfortunately it will continue until the day that Jesus Christ comes to establish a  kingdom based upon justice and righteousness. 

Those who dare to stand against such a wicked ruler will find themselves quickly attacked and often silenced for good.  They may be thrown into prison - or summarily executed for their boldness to oppose the ruler - or threaten their absolute stranglehold on power.  However it is done, the poor quickly learn to hide any desire for freedom and justice, because these things can cost them their lives.  This is why it is so vital for those who have the freedom to choose their leaders, to choose wise and godly ones.  To do otherwise will cost us far more than just a wrongly cast vote - it could cost us our freedoms - and in some severe cases - even our lives.

Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird; But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives.  So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors. Proverbs 1:17-19

Why is it unwise to use violence to get what you want in life?  It is because although you may gain in the short term, you will lose bit time in the end.  Too many people live for the short term good - even if it results in harm over time.  This is why the godly father takes time to warn his son against using violence to get what he wants in life.

This dad uses a great picture to explain to his son why violence is not a good alternative to get ahead in life.  He speaks of how it is useless to set a net with bait right in front of the bird that you are wanting to catch.  The bird sees not just the bait, but more importantly the net.  As a result he will have nothing to do with the set up because he knows it is a trap.  This is a lesson from hunting 101 - and one that even those who know nothing about hunting can understand.  But then the father uses this very simple illustration to prove a very important point to his boys.

When someone uses violence to get what he wants, he is not lying in wait for the other person as much as he is lying in wait for his own life.  Sure in the short term he may attack a few people, spill some blood getting what he wants, and get a little gain.  But in the long term he is only setting a trap for himself.  Worse that this he is setting his own trap right in front of his own face - and not realizing it.  He is setting a trap for his own demise and destruction.  It sounds pretty silly that someone can set a trap for themselves and ambush their own lives - but that is exactly what this young man is doing. 

The father then ties this lesson up for his son by telling him that this is what is happening when someone wants to gain by violence.  It may get him something immediately, but it will take away his life when it is all over.  This father is teaching his son something that is absolutely essential to living a life of wisdom.  It is the lesson that the quick way to something is most often the unwise way to it.  This is especially true when this quick way causes us to disregard Scripture - and walk in a way that is contrary to godliness.

Men of bloodshed hate the blameless, But the upright are concerned for his life. Proverbs 29:10

In a sinful and fallen world there is something that provokes the wicked when they see a man of true integrity.  Today's proverb tells us about "men of bloodshed," and how they hate men of integrity. 

Men of bloodshed are those who have shed the blood of humans - they are either very violent men - or most often men who have murdered.  When we think of murderers though, we need to see them in two ways.  There are those who have crossed the line of literally taking someone's life by murdering them.  But there is a second type of which the Scriptures speak that encompasses far more people than one would think.  In Matthew 5 Jesus said these words, "You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER ' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.  (Matthew 5:21-22)

This statement of Jesus shows us that pretty much everyone in the world is guilty of murder.  If we've been angry with a brother or sister - called someone a derogatory name - we are guilty of murder before God.  We are  guilty enough to go into the fiery hell itself.  This is where murder begins, in the mind.  It is what God told Cain before he murdered Abel.  God said to him, "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?  And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."  (Genesis 4:7)  Cain's murder of his brother Abel began as a thought - an angry, evil thought - which soon hatched into a heinous, murderous action.  Sin always begins in the mind - and if we do not master it there - it will yield its wicked fruit in our actions. 

Murderous men hate men of character and godliness.  The word hate here is the Hebrew word "sane" which means to hate, to consider another an enemy - to dislike, be hostile to, or to loathe another.  It is the direct antonym of the Hebrew word "anab" which means to love.  John wrote of this very incident between Cain and Abel.  He said, "For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous." (1 John 3:11-12)

This passage in 1 John tells us exactly what our proverb today is trying to tell us.  The murderer hates the godly man.  It should be noted that the word "blameless" does not mean without sin.  It speaks of a person of integrity who desires to live a godly, moral life according to God's Word and God's precepts.  This world does not love such a man - and the more ungodly they are - the more they hate him.  We see this growing every day in our society.  Just look at how Christians are portrayed in our world today - especially in the media.  The hatred of the media elite and the ungodly in positions of power there drips off our television and movie screens.  It is difficult, unless you are watching a movie produced by a Christian, to find positive Christian characters.  This is because when a man's deeds are evil - he hates the people who pursue righteousness. 

Just an aside . . . we see this proverb lived out daily in the moral and cultural battle that is raging in our own nation today.  This is especially true when we see the actions and words of the radical homosexual movement.  The more the homosexual movement gains ascendency in our laws and in the movie and television industry - the more you will see this hatred grow.  The radical homosexual movement absolutely despises biblical Christianity because the Bible is clear that homosexuality is sin.  That will pit them against us - if we choose to remain true to the Word of God and preach the true gospel.  But, our place is not to hate the homosexual - or for that matter anyone who hates us because we hold to biblical truth and morality.  Our place is to love them even if they hate us and do violence to us in their cause to legitimatize what God calls sin.  Remember what this world system did to our Lord - the ultimate blameless man of absolute integrity.  He Himself told us if they hated Him, they would hate us as well.  But we are NEVER to turn to violence to defend ourselves from such attacks.  We must remain true to the gospel and win them by the love of God - and by the grace of His eternal gospel.

The remainder of our proverb today states that the upright are concerned for the lives of the moral and those who walk in integrity.  The literal translation of this would say, "But the upright seek his soul."  We stand with the godly man of integrity - because we see that life is more than just the 70 or so years we spend on this planet.  There is an eternal soul in each man - and that is what we should be most concerned with in life.  There will come a day when the wicked will be loosed in a way that we have not seen before in our nation.  Regardless of our most recent elections, there is not a moral, godly ascendency going on in our nation.  If there was, such moral issues such as abortion, homosexual and heterosexual immorality, decency, and the moral debauchery of our nation would be put on the front burner as the real problems we face as a nation.  As it is - we continue to worship the dollar - and when it finally crashes to the ground, which it will, we will face a country that will rip itself apart because we lack basic morality.  In that day it will be difficult to stand with the "blameless man" in our nation.  In some ways it already is.  Franklin Graham has taken several biblical stands for righteousness and he is more and more being ripped apart in the public square.  We should stand with him and with other men who stand for biblical righteousness.  Even if it becomes increasingly difficult to do so - we need to be concerned with the souls and lives of such men.  For according to this proverb . . . that is wisdom.

Grievous punishment is for him who forsakes the way; He who hates reproof will die. Proverbs 15:10

What happens when we depart from God's ways?  According to this passage in Proverbs there is a very serious consequence for us when we do this.  Even worse is what awaits us if we go even further than this and reject God's reproof after we've left his ways. 

What is at stake here?  Well, what drives this particular proverb is the idea of "forsaking the way."  "The way," refers to God's way - the way of his commandments.  Several times the phrase, "the way of the Lord" is used to refer to this.  If you want to understand it better you can turn to the 119th Psalm which calls it by various names like, "the way of righteousness," "the way of Your testimonies," "the way of Your precepts," "the way of Your statutes," as well as what we've already said as the way of God's commandments.  This way is the commands and the things God calls us to be and to do in His Word.  When we "forsake" this way, we are doing the following.  We no longer listen carefully to God's Word - we don't pay heed to it or obey it.  But the core idea here is no longer listening or paying attention to someone.  That Someone here is God.  In case you do not know what this means - it means as you listen - you do so in order to respond and obey God.

What happens when we forsake God's way?  The Word here says that we face "grevious punishment."  The word translated for this is the Hebrew word "ra" - and it simply means, bad things!  When you no longer walk with God, listen to Him, or obey Him - bad things are going to eventually happen in your life.  This is the case no matter whether you are His or not.  If you take a close look at the progress (or regress) of the world around you, you can see that ignoring and forsaking God's ways has never led to a world of peace and blessing.  By its very nature this world works best when God's ways and paths are followed.  When they are ignored - or worse - shunned, things go bad.  This is a fait accompli - an established fact! 

Now a second warning is also issued at this point - and I think it is a reminder that God's rebuke and reproof are proofs of His love - not hate.  When we forsake God's way, we will face bad things, but when we go further and ignore His loving reproof of those ways and continue in rebellion - we are headed toward death.  It is God's great mercy and love that arrests us in our rebellion with disciplinary action.  He allows difficulties and problems to come to us to turn us from the insanity of abandoning His ways.  But when we are too stubborn to listen - we are moving toward death itself.  What is terrifying is the warning in 1 John that there is a sin leading unto death - a point at which a disciplinary measure from God involves having a person die.  Wisdom tells us to respond to His discipline and His reproof quickly - so that we will not have to go that far.

One last comment on this passage.  These two truths are just that - truth.  But they had their most astounding fulfillment in the cross of Jesus Christ.  It was there that we saw the most grievous punishment imaginable.  It had nothing to do with the Roman scourage or the nails in the hands of our Savior.  It had little or nothing to do with the agony of the cross physically as Jesus gapsed for air as His torn and bruised body slowly died on the cross.  But it had everything to do with why Jesus sweat blood the night before in the garden.  It had everything to do with the agony of the wrath and judgment of God upon sin.  Calling it a grevious punishment seems too small in light of what it truly cost Christ to pay for our sin before His holy Father.  That is why we should never take sin in our lives lightly.  Yes, our sin was paid in full by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross - but we should always view that truth with both trembling and a sense of honor to God for what He did for us.  Otherwise we will take sin too lightly - and risk thinking that forsaking His way really is not that bad - and it really won't cost us much.  There is foolish talk that reaches to the heavens themselves - and the kind of talk that will give rise to actions that will in the end yield that grevious punishment and stinging rebuke.

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!