I preached this truth last Sunday morning:

“You CANNOT work your way to Heaven,
but you CAN work your way to Hell”

This is true not only for people, but for nations. For several years now America and the American Church has labored hard to get to hell. We have compromised the Word of God in order to make Christianity relevant to our “please me” society. We have redefined marriage, human sexuality, and even basic grammar (pronouns) in order to please the lost.

The light can only compromise with the darkness by dimming itself. We dim the light when we depart from the clear teachings of the Scripture. It’s time we stopped dimming the light, and letting Satan get victories.

God Blesses A People With Godly Leaders

Proverbs 16:10 A DIVINE SENTENCE is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment.

Word Study: The first three words of our text is but one word in the Hebrew: qesem. This is a very interesting word, because it is often used in Scripture of divination or witchcraft. God forbade divination – seeking wisdom apart from Him – as evil:

Deuteronomy 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth DIVINATION, {qesem} or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch …

Qesem – the seeking of guidance apart from God, is a devilish and idolatrous thing.

It is rebellion against God (1 Samuel 15:23), and leads to the abortion and destruction of the nation’s children (2 Kings 17:17). The Godly Leader does not focus on ungodly methods, as King Saul did when he sought out the witch of Endore (1 Samuel 28:7-20). Saul would not repent, and bring his heart back to the Lord. Instead he asked the witch to let him speak with the Prophet Samuel, who had gone into the next life. Samuel told Saul from beyond the grave:

1 Samuel 28:17-18 (ESV) The Lord has done to you as He spoke by me, for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. 18 Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord …

King Saul was no longer fit to be a king, especially of Israel. Why? Because he would not obey the voice of the Lord, the Word of God. The King who “transgresseth not in judgment” is the one who heeds the Word of God, and does as the Lord says. God considers this to not be optional, but absolute!

When a King or a Leader departs from God’s Word to follow his whims, or the whim of the people, it has a destructive influence on the people.

When Israel divided into North and South under the bad leadership of Solomon’s son Rehoboam, the rebellion’s leader King Jeroboam turned from God to idolatry out of pride. Jeroboam did not want the Ten northern Tribes going to Jerusalem to worship God, lest the rebellion end. So Jeroboam:

1 Kings 12:28-32 (ESV) … made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one. 31 He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites. 32 And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made.

Jeroboam did want unity – he wanted to be King. Jeroboam cared nothing for God – he wanted to be god. Jeroboam departed from the Word of God, and created his own man-made religion, and his own man-made priests. This is extremely dangerous, for it set up a precedent where one bad King after another ruled Northern Israel.

Jeroboam’s son Nadab ruled in evil for two years.
Baasha killed Nadab, and Jeroboam’s family.
Elah killed Baasha, and ruled 2 years.
Zimri ruled one week before committing suicide.
Omri was incredibly evil, ruling for 12 years.
Omri’s son Ahab married Jezebel, and spread Baal worship.

The only King of Northern Israel who may have been righteous was Jehu. Jehu suppressed the Baal worship, but did NOT stop the worship of the golden calves in Bethel and Dan. Bad king led to bad king, and the people of Northern Israel suffered greatly!

Proverbs 16:11 A JUST weight and BALANCE are the Lord’s: all the weights OF THE BAG are His work.

It is God Who determines right and wrong, good and evil. It is not what we think, but what God thinks. Though King David was not perfect (we all remember his horrendous sins in murdering Uriah, and taking Bathsheba Uriah’s wife to be his queen), David nonetheless repented when confronted with his sins. David wrote:

2 Samuel 23:3-4 (NKJV) The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘He who rules over men must be just, Ruling in the fear of God. 4 And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, Like the tender grass springing out of the earth, By clear shining after rain.’

Illustrate Poor Leadership: When Leaders cease to be governed by the Word of God, and begin to follow their own desires or the desires of the people, it is not long before the body is diseased. The White House Faith Adviser, Prosperity Televangelist Paula White said on March 23, 2025 that if you send her $1000 before Easter:

“I believe that when you honor God on Passover starting on April 12th at sundown through Good Friday on the 18th and concluding on Easter Sunday, you can receive these seven supernatural blessings for you and your house. … God will assign an angel to you. He’ll be an enemy to your enemies. He’ll give you prosperity. He’ll take sickness away from you. He will give you long life. He’ll bring increase in inheritance, and He’ll give a special year of blessing.”

But wait! There’s more! If give the $1000, you will also receive a “beautiful 10 inch Waterford Crystal Cross”. If you don’t have $1000, for $125 you can have an “Olive Wood Communion set from the Holy Land, including unleavened bread and grape juice”.

We need to be in prayer for our President! A ruler is only as effective as he allows the Lord to lead him.

Proverbs 16:11 A just weight and balance are the Lord’s: all the weights of the bag are His work.

The King, the President, the Governor, the Pastor or the Head of the Household are all overseers of God’s weights and measures. The Apostle Paul told the Pastors at Ephesus:

Acts 20:28 (KJV) Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Godly leaders are to first TAKE HEED UNTO YOURSELVES. God has made the Leader. The Scripture says, “There is NO POWER BUT OF GOD: the POWERS THAT BE ARE ORDAINED OF GOD” (Romans 13:1). Leaders rule at the stewardship of God. To lead contrary to His directive is very dangerous to the leader. Secondly, the godly leader “TAKES HEED TO ALL THE FLOCK”. The leader represents God to the Sheep, to the Followers. Then the godly leader “FEEDS THE CHURCH OF GOD” not with what the leader thinks, but with what God has determined. The Bible says:

Proverbs 14:34 (NKJV) Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.

As the leader goes, so goes the people.

Evil Leaders Lead A People To FAIL

Proverbs 16:12 It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.

When a leader – particularly a high profile leader like a King or a President – COMMITS WICKEDNESS – God says that this is an “abomination”. When the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar attacked Judah to destroy it, it was God Who sent Nebuchadnezzar because of evil King Manasseh:

2 Kings 24:3-4 Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also for the innocent blood that he had shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord would not pardon.

I was intrigued by the phrase “he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood”. What did God mean by “INNOCENT BLOOD”? Looking through the Scripture, I came on this text:

Psalm 106:36-38 (ESV) They served their idols, which became a snare to them. 37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; 38 they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.

Under the godless leadership of Manasseh, not only was Baal and Asherah worshiped, but the cult of Moloch, which involved sacrificing children and burning their little bodies. God will not long tolerate the leader who departs from His Word.

“the throne is established by righteousness”

The leader who follows the LORD and does the best he can will find this is his best security. God protects the people who follow Him, who love His Word. The Bible says:

Psalm 125:1-3 (NKJV) Those who trust in the Lord Are like Mount Zion, Which cannot be moved, but abides forever. 2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the Lord surrounds His people From this time forth and forever. 3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest On the land allotted to the righteous, Lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity.

When God’s people look to Him and His Word, He will eventually break the evil ruler to protect His own. When the ruler does right, even when doing right costs him, God promises blessing on his stewardship.

Proverbs 29:14 (ESV) If a king faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever.

The Leader should be committed to Divine good, and despise evil. Evil destroys a nation.

A Right People Will Love The Leader
Who Speaks RIGHT

Proverbs 16:13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and THEY LOVE HIM THAT speaketh right.

The wise and godly leaders are careful in how they speak. Their lips are to speak righteous words. There is always a temptation to modify the message, to be “politically correct” so as not to harm your base. The wise king will seek out the one that “SPEAKETH RIGHT” and not the “Yes Man”. When King Nebuchadnezzar had a strange dream (Daniel 2), he called his “wise men” to get them to tell him what it meant. The wise men said, “Tell your dream to us, and we’ll tell you what it means”. Nebuchadnezzar was wise, so he told these charlatans “YOU TELL ME what I dreamed, and if not, I’ll have you CUT IN PIECES”. They told the King that what he asked was impossible. So Nebuchadnezzar ordered all the wise men in Babylon to be killed.

Why would Nebuchadnezzar order the wise men to death? Because he understood that godless leadership dooms a people.

The Prophet Daniel prayed, and God told him Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Daniel sought the King of Kings and Lord of Lords before approaching Nebuchadnezzar. When God answered his prayer, Daniel praised God, giving Him the glory for all. Hear his prayer:

Daniel 2:20-23 (ESV) … Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. 21 He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; 22 He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him. 23 To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You, for You have made known to us the king’s matter.

When Daniel shared what God told him about Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the Bible says:

Daniel 2:46-47 (ESV) … King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. 47 The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a Revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.

Foolish leaders want “yes men” , but those who are wise and good leaders rejoice in hearing Godly counsel.

Wise leaders must also learn to
control their tempers.

Proverbs 16:14 The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.

In ancient times, kings had absolute power. It was a wise person who avoided “poking the bear”. When Nehemiah wanted to be released from his duty as a cup bearer in order to lead an expedition back to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall, he sought God first in prayer:

Nehemiah 1:5-11 (ESV) “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

God answered Nehemiah’s prayer by softening the heart of King Artaxerxes. The King blessed Nehemiah, and provided a guard as well as supplies for the journey. As we close, we read:

Nehemiah 16:15 In the light of the king’s countenance is life; and his favor is as a cloud of the latter rain.

When your heart goes to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords first, He will bless your pathway. May God richly bless us as we discuss the business of His Church. May He lead us to growth and blessing. Amen, and Amen.