Many seek the face of a ruler, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe. [Proverbs 29:26]
In the United States, people are preparing to vote in the upcoming midterm elections. This year has been filled with media coverage about candidates and their respective positions, which has enflamed the arguments between ordinary citizens in this great nation of ours. I plan on voting in November, and many millions of Americans will vote as well. Why do I plan on voting? I plan on voting because I want to let my voice be heard, I want to support the candidates that I would like to represent me in government, and I want to promote the beliefs that I hold.
Many Americans have similar reasons for voting, but not all Americans think in this way. Some people want to vote for candidates because they think that their candidates are the only people who can ensure that the government will be run in a way that is just, fair, and efficient. Some people will go so far as to say that they are going to be voting about whether or not America will be a democracy anymore (which would imply that America is a democracy, which it is not). You can tell when somebody is overly invested in politics when they are easily upset about political discussions, when life revolves around the news, and when all they talk about is politics.
It is no secret that I used to study political science. I studied political science while I was in high school, then I began to study political science in college. I spent most of my mid-to-late teenage years studying politics, and that continued until I entered my twenties. I know what life is like when it centers around politics and the news. I lived that kind of life, and I have met many people who live that way. I did not change what I was majoring in because I was not good in my original major (I was very well-read, and I seemed to do well in debates), I changed my path because I realized the way that my life was being negatively impacted by the degree that I was studying for. I would have to read all kinds of biographies, history books, political philosophy books, and books about different issues that were being discussed in this country.
One of the most notable changes that my education had on me is that I became very cynical. In my defense, how could I look at the way people try to fix issues in this country, yet they fail over and over again, often making things worse than they were to begin with? That cynicism bled into other aspects of my life, including my relationships, my hobbies, my faith, and the way I thought in general.
I am mentioning my past not because I wish to bore everybody (though, if I wanted to bore everybody, discussions about political science would be a great way to accomplish that), but because when I read the verse that this essay is about, I am reminded about the people who put their trust in leaders, rather than in God.
Keep all of what I said in mind as we dive into today’s verse.
Many seek the face of a ruler,...
While this part of the verse does not directly relate to what I have written about, I believe that what I have previously explained is tangentially related to this part of the verse. When I look at other translations, they explain this portion of the verse as being about those who seek to win the favor of a leader, or to be heard by an individual with authority. In other words, many people look to earthly leaders to do what only the Lord can do.
…but it is from the LORD that a man gets justice.
The Lord gives us justice. The Lord is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. From Him justice is given to us. We can search high and low for a leader to give us the justice that we deserve, but there is no leader on earth who will not die, who will not be removed from power, who will not make mistakes, who will not misunderstand the situation, or who has the power to give us real justice. The only way we can ever receive justice is to trust in the Lord. The Lord is faithful, He sees everything, He knows everything, He is everywhere, and He is just.
Rather than looking to earthly rulers for justice, we must look to God. God is just, and He is in control of everything.
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