Godly Governance versus Authoritative Abuse

"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.”
Proverbs 25:2

How God exercises His means of governance versus how man exercises his means of governance yields a stunning, stark contrast. Solomon, endowed with great mental acuity and intelligence from the Lord, made note of this phenomenon in Proverbs 25:2. “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.” One small, but impactful, verse sets the stage for a litany of fascinating thoughts and discussion points regarding leadership. Man’s understanding is limited, which is why human authorities have to search out the meaning and criticality of matters. But God’s understanding is comprehensive, vast, and whole. Man derives glory from exposing the importance of an issue that is believed, by and large, to be unfamiliar. But God knows every intimate detail of every issue before it is made known to humanity. Man derives exaltation from contrived measures of accomplishment. But God is already all-glorious and requires no additional accolades to be regarded as exclusively magnificent (bear in mind though that God is an active God and works fiercely for the good of humanity).      

Solomon highlighted the enormously different approaches to leadership between God and man so succinctly in Proverbs 25:2. But then he went on to categorically contrast sound leadership from foolish leadership throughout the text encompassing Proverbs 25 through 29. Clearly, this message helps to distinguish good, or godly, governance from bad, or egocentric, governance. The list of positive leadership traits in Proverbs regarding godly governance is extensive:

• A good leader is cautious to speak in all circumstances, knowing that a finite mind can never contain complete knowledge
• A good leader surrounds himself, or herself, with moral, godly counselors, not hasty, ill-tempered loudmouths 
• A good leader is disciplined and self-controlled, resistant to implementing destructive plans or policies
• A good leader is generous and is willing to share personal resources to help address the needs of the community
• A good leader is sincere and exhibits no false motives
• A good leader is kind and seeks a God-centered outcome
• A good leader inspires others through noble action and attitude

Conversely, Solomon spells out a sequence of negative aspects tied to authoritative abusers:

• A bad leader exhibits selfishness
• A bad leader exhibits laziness
• A bad leader exhibits spiritual apathy
• A bad leader exhibits ungratefulness
• A bad leader does not seek the betterment of society, but seeks to reap the collective benefits of society
• A bad leader is focused on self-legacy advancement, not societal adoration of God

Solomon provided a watch list, so-to-speak, that would help people of every generation know how to properly evaluate the quality of their leaders. When a bad leader is in place he, or she, becomes an albatross around the neck of a kingdom’s citizens. Life feels harder and enduring hope seems less achievable or sustainable. But when a good leader is in place he, or she, is like a beacon who lights the way for the kingdom's citizens. That light is merely a channeling of the Lord, Who is the One that guides us on the path of righteousness. In other words, good leaders tether themselves to God's canon and character. 

If nothing else, Solomon's message in the latter half of the book of Proverbs reminds mankind that God is the ultimate King. He is perfect and powerful. Mighty and majestic. Great and good. All human leaders will fall therefore short of God's authority. Nevertheless, the Lord has established people in various positions of leadership. Some will godly govern while others will abuse the authority. But God forever remains the eternal Ruler and forever provides the means by which we can recognize good leadership traits. Let us rightly put our trust in Him.