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As we come into Proverbs chapter 28, most of these Proverbs are couplets. A couplet gives a truth and a contrast to emphasize that truth.

God Gave You A Conscience – And His Word

Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

What stalks the “wicked”, those who do that which is against God’s directive, is the “conscience”. God created each one of us with something called a conscience. The conscience (also called “the heart” because it is located in the “heart” of the soul) can be hardened through repeated and unrepentant sin. The conscience is NOT the indwelling Spirit of God – though the Spirit of God can effect our conscience. But every person, whether saved or not, has a conscience. The Bible tells us that:

Romans 2:14-15 (NKJV) for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their CONSCIENCE {syneidēsis} also bearing witness, and between themselves [their] thoughts accusing or else excusing [them])

Word Study: The Gentiles were never given the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone. God gave these Commandments to Israel to share with the world. But the Gentiles – those who did not receive the Law through Moses – had the Ten Commandments built into them. That’s the conscience. The conscience is “THE WORK OF THE LAW WRITTEN IN THE HEART”. In all but the most hardened societies people know that MURDER, RAPE, ADULTERY, THEFT are wrong. The syneidēsis {pro. soon-i’-day-sis} is that part of the soul that distinguishes between morally good or bad acts.

When the conscience of a large people group becomes hardened, it is not long before that nation destroys itself.

Jesus often used the conscience of His listeners to drive home Biblical truths. While Jesus was teaching in the Temple (probably on Solomon’s Porch) a group of Scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery (John 8:3). These men threw the woman down in front of the Bible class, and asked Jesus:

John 8:4-5 (NKJV) … Teacher, this woman was CAUGHT IN ADULTERY, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that SUCH SHOULD BE STONED. But what do You say?

These Pharisees had heard Jesus say “I did not come to abolish or erase the Law, but to fulfill it” (Matthew 5:17-18). They were not interested in the Law of God, or else they would have brought the man who was with the woman sinner. They were interested in trapping Jesus into doing something that He ought not to do. Israel, as a nation under Roman rule, had no authority to execute others without first getting permission from Pilate. They wanted Jesus to either validate the Law so they could accuse Him to Pilate as a traitor to Roman Law, or validate Caesar’s Law so that they could accuse Him as a traitor to Israel. Jesus did neither.

Jesus, being righteous, quoted the Law.
Then He waited on their conscience.

John 8:7 (NKJV) {Jesus} raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is WITHOUT SIN AMONG YOU, let him throw a stone at her first.”

Under the Law of Moses, those who were witnesses of the sin were to be the first to cast the stone (see Deuteronomy 17:6-7). Jesus just quoted the Law.

Then Jesus waited on their conscience.

John 8:9 (NKJV) Then those who heard [it], being CONVICTED BY [their] CONSCIENCE, {syneidēsis} went out one by one, beginning with the oldest [even] to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

What causes the paranoia and fear, where “The wicked FLEE when no man pursueth”. It is an imbalanced conscience. When a person acts against their conscience – the moral center of the soul – they will feel guilt and paranoia. They become defensive, reading implications into what is not there. When Adam led Eve into sin, when he heard God coming he hid himself from the Master. When God asked why he was hiding, Adam replied:

Genesis 3:10 (LSB) I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I WAS AFRAID because I was naked; so I hid.

Adam was running in fear against his own nakedness. His wicked act caused him to run from God – though God had only love for him. When Jonah ran from the call of God to preach in Nineveh, “Jonah arose to FLEE to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh”. After Jacob cheated his brother Esau out of his birthright, he immediately assumed the worst:

Genesis 32:6-8 (LSB) …. messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother, to Esau, and furthermore HE IS COMING TO MEET YOU, and FOUR HUNDRED MEN ARE WITH HIM.” 7 Then Jacob was GREATLY AFRAID AND DISTRESSED; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and the herds and the camels, into two camps. 8 And he said, If Esau comes to the one camp and strikes it, then the camp which remains will escape.

As it was, Esau had forgiven his brother (Genesis 33:4) because God had blessed him (Genesis 33:9). This is grace. When we do wickedly, our conscience amplifies our fear – for sin has separated us from God’s blessing. Pastor J. Vernon McGee wrote:

“I was speaking to a group of young people about sin, just sin in general. A young fellow and girl in the group were living together. I had never even mentioned that as a sin, but it was interesting to hear how that young man began to defend himself—it would have been amusing if it had not been so serious. When sin was being discussed, his conscience began to prick him, and then he began defending himself. ‘The wicked flee when no man pursueth.’ No one had pointed a finger at him. I would not have known of his sin if he had kept quiet. The discussion was about sin, not his particular sin.”

God warned Israel that if they violated His Covenant and refused to repent, that

Leviticus 26:36-37 (LSB) … the sound of a driven leaf will pursue them, and even when no one is pursuing they will FLEE as though from the sword, and they will fall. [37] They will therefore stumble over each other as if [RUNNING] from the sword, ALTHOUGH NO ONE IS PURSUING; and you will have [no strength] to stand up before your enemies.

But to those who love the Lord, and draw near to Him we have the promise:

Proverbs 28:1 … but the RIGHTEOUS are bold as a lion.

When you stand with God and do that which is right, this gives you boldness in this life. As Paul and the Apostles went out to share the Gospel in dangerous and unreceptive places because they maintained a GOOD CONSCIENCE before God and man.

Hebrews 13:18 (NKJV) Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a GOOD CONSCIENCE, in all things desiring to live honorably.

Paul was able to stand before the Governor Felix and preach the Gospel without fear, telling that old Pagan:

Acts 24:14-16 (NKJV) But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets. 15 I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of [the] dead, both of [the] just and [the] unjust. 16 This [being] so, I MYSELF ALWAYS STRIVE TO HAVE A CONSCIENCE WITHOUT OFFENSE TOWARD GOD AND MEN.

The one who does right according to God and his conscience will be able to stand against slander and liable. The promise that God gives to those who walk with Him is DO NOT FEAR. Look at our forefathers in the faith. God told

Abraham, “DO NOT BE AFRAID. I am your Shield. I am your Reward.” (Genesis 15:1). When the other spies encouraged the people to not enter the land of Promise, Joshua and Caleb told them “do not rebel against the LORD. Do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” (Numbers 14:8-9). When God sent Jeremiah to a rebellious Israel to preach, He told him “go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THEM, for I am with you and will rescue you.” (Jeremiah 1:7-8). God told the same to Ezekiel (2:6). And when John the Revelator was cast out on Patmos to die, Jesus told him “DO NOT BE AFRAID. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (Revelation 1:17-18).

Wickedness Causes Not Only Paranoia,
But National Instability

Proverbs 28:2 (KJV) For the transgression of a land MANY [are] THE PRINCES THEREOF: but by a man of understanding [and] knowledge the state [thereof] shall be prolonged.

As a nation becomes more and more godless, there is a high turnover of leadership and rising instability in the land. When King David ruled Israel, as David was “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22) the land was blessed. Yes, David sinned grievously when he robbed Uriah of his wife and his life – but David repented of that before the Lord. The Bible tells us:

2 Samuel 7:1 (LSB) … the King inhabited his house {his palace}, and Yahweh had GIVEN HIM REST ON EVERY SIDE FROM ALL HIS ENEMIES

2 Samuel 8:14-15 (NKJV) … the LORD PRESERVED DAVID wherever he went. [15] So David reigned over all Israel; and David ADMINISTERED JUDGMENT AND JUSTICE TO ALL HIS PEOPLE.

Because David was a righteous King, the land was blessed because of it. His son Solomon ruled over Israel fairly and justly, and the land prospered.

When Solomon’s son Rehoboam became King, he treated the ten northern tribes not as a King and a Shepherd, but as a Tyrant – and caused a division of Israel (1 Kings 12; 2 Chronicles 10-11). Ten of the tribes went north and made King Jeroboam their ruler, whereas Judah and Benjamin stayed true to the ruling line of David. When Rehoboam assembled 180,000 chosen warriors to conquer the northern kingdom God spoke:

1 Kings 12:24 (NKJV) Thus says the LORD: You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for THIS THING IS FROM ME. Therefore they obeyed the word of the LORD, and turned back, according to the word of the LORD.

God was showing Israel – and us – what happens when a nation drifts from His precepts.

Northern Israel not only rejected the Throne of David (and the Messianic Line), but they established pagan sacrifices to false gods rather than going to Jerusalem and the Temple to worship Yahweh (1 Kings 12:27-29). What happened after this?

The Northern Kingdom had 19 Kings while it existed, and ALL 19 were described as EVIL. Every Northern King rejected the worship of God in Jerusalem at the Temple. Every Northern King supported idolatry.

What about the Southern Kingdom, called Judah? Judah had 20 Kings, and of them 12 were evil. Because there were 8 good kings who led the nation to worship God, Judah outlasted Israel by 136 years. Israel fell to Assyria in 722 BC while Hoshea was King (2 Kings 17). The Assyrians scattered Israel so thoroughly that they are called “The Lost Tribes of Israel”. Judah, on the other hand, was conquered by Babylon while Zedekiah was King (586 BC).

Judah was preserved 136 years longer than Israel because of godly leadership.

Righteous Kings like Hezekiah, Josiah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Uzziah, and Jotham led Judah back to God by destroying idols and worshiping the Lord themselves. Eventually Judah would fall – but God would raise her back up again. “By a man of understanding [and] knowledge THE STATE SHALL BE PROLONGED”. We who are Christians in America need to pray that God will raise up godly leaders to draw us away from idolatry and demonic deceptions.

America, we need to get back to Jesus!
Church, we need to get back to Jesus!

We need Shepherds to lead us to the Good Shepherd – not tyrants. Our next verse addresses bad leaders.

Proverbs 28:3 (KJV) A POOR {rûš} man that oppresseth the POOR {dal} [is like] a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.

Word Study: The word POOR stands out in this verse, but the two words are not the same in the Hebrew. The first use of POOR is the Hebrew rûš {pro. Roosh} which means those who lack, are in want, or are needy. The second POOR is the Hebrew dal, which means the weaker one, the one who is dangling. My commentary notes:

“{This} refers to a usurper who, rising to power from poor estate, makes the very worst and most tyrannical ruler. Such a one has learned nothing from his former condition but callous indifference, and now seeks to exercise on others that power which once galled him. Thus among schoolboys it is found that the greatest bully is one who has himself been bullied.”

Some move into power from obscurity, but once they get there (often by claiming “Vote for me, because I’m for the downtrodden. After all, I myself am downtrodden!”) they begin to take vengeance and bring suffering to the nation. My Bridges Commentary notes “Place an unprincipled spendthrift in power, and he is a destructive flood in his sphere: greedily serving every advantage by oppression to redeem his substance. A poor man suddenly raised to power, instead of sympathizing with grievances familiar to his former recollection, is usually preeminently distinguished by selfishness”.

Jesus illustrated this principle in His Parable of the Two Debtors.

Matthew 18:23-35 (KJV) Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. [24] And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. [25] But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. [26] The servant therefore fell down, and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. [27] Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. [28] But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took [him] by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. [29] And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. [30] And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. [31] So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. [32] Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: [33] Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? [34] And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. [35] So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

The best leader of a nation is not a poor man who struggled with poverty, and fought his way into power. The best leader is the one who has experienced the Grace of God, and practices that Grace to those around them. We are all impoverished apart from God. Oh, how we all need Jesus!

The Righteous Leader Will Stand Against Evil –
Not Enable It

Proverbs 28:4 (KJV) They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law CONTEND WITH THEM.

You cannot praise the wicked and yet be righteous. There are actions that the Bible clearly defines as wicked according to God. If you justify wickedness, then you yourself are a lawless offender. It was only after many years where sexual sin was encouraged by our national leaders to the point where we now have “Pride Month”, that such sins as God has condemned are now increasingly regarded as acceptable. The truth is …

Where an action is not clearly recognized as unlawful in God’s eyes and therefore sinful, then there is no call to repentance. In such a case, sin spreads like wildfire.

Those who honor God’s Law are called to not be quiet, but to “CONTEND WITH THEM”. We who are God’s children are not to sit down and shut up, but to stand with the Lord Jesus and share the Scripture. The Bible condemns those,

Romans 1:32 (NKJV) who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also APPROVE OF THOSE WHO PRACTICE THEM.

As Noah prepared the Ark for the judgment of God, the Bible says that he was “a PREACHER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS” (2 Peter 2:5). God warns us who are Christ’s:

Ephesians 5:11-14 (NKJV) And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but RATHER EXPOSE THEM. [12] For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. [13] But all things that are exposed are MADE MANIFEST BY THE LIGHT, for whatever makes manifest is light. [14] Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”

Proverbs 28:5 (KJV) Evil men understand not judgment: but they that SEEK THE LORD understand all [things].

The best leaders are those who “SEEK THE LORD” in their own lives. A lot of politicians claim to love the Lord, but only use Him as a photo op! Holding a high office – whether it be in local, state, or federal government – is a great responsibility. We need leaders who did as Solomon did before he actively began to reign a united Israel. Solomon went before the Lord in prayer.

1 Kings 3:7-9 (NKJV) Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I AM A LITTLE CHILD; I do not know [how] to go out or come in. [8] And Your servant [is] in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. [9] Therefore GIVE TO YOUR SERVANT AN UNDERSTANDING HEART to judge Your people, that I MAY DISCERN BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?

The great leaders know that all wisdom comes from God, and that leadership requires humility and wisdom. Solomon humbled himself. God gave Solomon wisdom to rule well. The Bible says “Solomon had peace ON ALL SIDES AROUND HIM. And Judah and Israel LIVED IN SAFETY … every man under his vine and under his fig tree” (1 Kings 4:24-25). We are told “the people of Judah and Israel were as NUMEROUS AS THE SAND BY THE SEA; they ate, drank, and were happy” (1 Kings 4:20).

Solomon’s reign was the golden age of a united monarchy. Why? Because God was in its midst. Until we as a nation get back to Godly leadership, we will struggled with madness and possible collapse. We need the Lord now more than ever before.