“Take away the dross from silver, And it will go to the silversmith for jewelry. Take away the wicked from before the king, And his throne will be established in righteousness.” (Proverbs 25:4-5 NKJV)
These passages tell of the great difficulty to root out corruption in government bureaucracy. As with the refinement process of silver, it is a very daunting and tedious effort. To remove impurities from silver is an enormous and risky task. Silver is extracted from an ore called galena, in three basic obnoxious steps. First, the ore is heated to remove the sulfur content with extreme care not to inhale the toxic fumes of sulfuric acid. Second, it is oxidized (burned) in a shallow pan to remove the dross. Thirdly, the pure silver is collected as it is separated from the dross and settled at the bottom of the pan. After this dirty and long difficult operation, only then the silversmith can fashion his jewelries and silverwares, and coins can be minted for use in commerce.
This apt metaphor for establishing righteousness in authority, shows how difficult it is to remove corrupt bureaucrats and politicians from a kingdom’s and a nation's offices of governance. It is a tough task. Hence, we see corruption getting deeper in corridors of power. It reveals the sad reality that rule of righteousness remains elusive to grasp in our own human ways,
But, it is not impossible with God, if only we honor His ways to reign. Like in the court of king Darius of Mede and Persia, he was able to remove the corrupt officials from his court, because he honored the God of Daniel, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is the God who sends His only begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we rest in grace by faith in Him in this post-resurrection period we are in. Those corrupt officials in the court of King Darius, banded to kill Daniel for being trustworthy in his job (Daniel 6:4-8). Jesus is our hope for our nation to be established in righteousness, if we allow Him to reign in our every heart, especially our leaders.
The rule of righteousness was established during King Darius' reign, on account of Daniel’s presence. He honored the One True God of Daniel and declared, as it is written: “And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces. Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end.” (Daniel 6:24-26 ESV)
And I say, AMEN!
Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
(When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.)
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
PFC Ministries
(When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.)
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
No comments:
Post a Comment