Lions and Bears

Proverbs 28:15

Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

The ruthlessness of a wicked man can be measured by the amount of his power. A wicked ruler's evil is more devastating than that of the wicked person with no or little power. The wickedness of a ruler over a poor nation is greater than that over a wealthy nation precisely because there are fewer rivals capable of standing up against him. Like a school yard bully, he is more ruthless when all the kids on the playground are smaller than he, than he would be if there were a number of strong kids standing about.

It is being among the weak and the poor that the nature of a ruler is tested. Does he use his position to nurture his people or to take advantage of them? Does he act in their best interest when they are not a threat to him or unable to reward him? Or does he squeeze what he can from them?

A system of checks and balances are needed in the government and the workplace to help those in power curb their tendency to abuse power. And all of us have such a tendency because we are sinners. We desire power so that we may do good, but once we receive it, once we obtain our position, we then face temptations we have not faced before - the temptation to use our position for our own advantage, and the temptation to use our power to exploit those under us and to act out of our frustrations. A poor people can be just as difficult to rule or manage as those who are wealthy and strong. All the more tempting then for us to use our power in sinful ways to "help" them become more manageable. It is easier to become a "roaring lion" than we may think.