When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding; but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive. – Proverbs 28:28

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 11, 2016): Proverbs 28

Last week, a poll was released regarding the Hillary Clinton – Donald Trump fight for the White House that suggested that it was fear and not excitement that was motivating the supporters of both candidates. It is not that anyone really wants to see either Clinton or Trump form the next government. The motivating factor in the election is that Clinton’s supporters see Donald Trump as the incarnation of evil – and Trump’s supporters feel the same way about Hillary Clinton. Fear is evident in their advertising. It is a fear that under Clinton, Christianity and religion freedoms will be in danger, and it is the fear that under a Donald Trump led United States the nation will become even more bigoted. In both camps, it seems that it is not that my candidate is the best; it is that I can’t believe that your candidate got nominated. The poll that I would love to see is which candidate would drive more people to go to make their homes in Canada. I know, no one is likely to leave because of the election. But if you listen to the rhetoric, it seems a lot of people might want to leave if the wrong person takes power.   

Proverbs says that when the wicked come to power, the people go into hiding, but when they fall out of power, the righteous thrive. And while we might like to think that either Clinton or Trump are wicked – you can decide which is wicked depending on your political - they probably don’t even come close to the rulers that Solomon has in mind. In Solomon mind, these were leaders that would purposely cause harm to those under their power. They would steal and kill just to get what it was that they wanted. And under those circumstances, the people could only try to stay out of their way. But what these leaders would miss was the productive power that the people could bring to the nation if they were allowed to thrive.

But this is also something that I have no doubt that both Clinton and Trump understand. Whether it is trying to “Make America Great Again” or “Keeping America Great,” both politicians know that the secret for a nation to “be great” is in unleashing the power of the people. Only if the people thrive, can the country be truly great.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 29