Throne Is Established Through Righteousness

Proverbs 16:10-12 – The lips of a king speak as an oracle, and his mouth does not betray justice. Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord; all the weights in the bag are of his making. Kings detest wrongdoing, for a throne is established through righteousness.

Ezekiel 45:10 – You are to use accurate scales, an accurate ephah and an accurate bath.

Proverbs 24:12 – If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?

Deuteronomy 17:19-20 – It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.

Romans 13:3 – For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.

Application:

• ·         Israel was not to repeat the economic injustices of the past.
• ·         God knows even our thoughts and motives
• ·         The king was not above God’s law, any more than were the humblest of his subjects.
• ·         Paul is not stating that this (“do what is right and you will be commended”) will always be true but is describing the proper, ideal function of rulers. When civil rulers overstep their proper function, the Christian is to obey God rather than human authorities.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV