The Roar and the Reality

(Proverbs 19:12 KJV)  The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.

Recently in a conversation I stated that I was not sure democracy could be justified from the Bible.  The Bible seems to assume a king and a noble class.  As Americans we tend to react to that and much of the reaction is based on a lack of understanding about monarchies.  We tend to think of kings as having absolute power.  That is usually not the case.  There is always something to limit their influence and make them a bit cautious.  If they are not sensitive to those forces they will move to the history books instead of staying on the thrones.

Thus kings can roar and they do have a bite but the two are not the same.  If you are the one in sight at the time of the displeasure, you can suffer.  Further away, not so much.  The lesson of Proverbs and the Bible is that we owe some allegiance to the political authority but ultimately we are responsible to God.  So we vote and petition.  It is our responsibility in the style of government that we have.  We need to realize that even in a dictatorship where we do not have those rights we still can live in the freedom of knowing God is in charge.

So?  Whatever your political arrangements, have hope and a confidence in the future.  My hope is not based on a majority in the halls of congress but in a King on the throne of the universe.  Keep that in mind as we begin to watch the campaigns for the elections of 2020.