At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. 16: 11)
When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice:
Proverbs 29:2
But when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.
Being the Word of God, this proverb is always true in any case, but depending on the nature of the wickedness, the people who mourn may not know the cause of their sorrow. There are two kinds of ungodly rulers—the brutal and the manipulators—well represented by two famous dystopic novels, 1984 and Brave New World. In the former the motive force is fear while in the latter the motive force is drugged seduction. In our day, the wicked who would rule over us alternate between the two, first threatening and then cajoling. But the bottom line in all government is force, and so that should be remembered.
The end result is sorrow either way. But when the righteous are in authority, the end result is joy in the populace. I said a moment ago that the bottom line in all government is coercion, and that is just as true of righteous government as it is of wicked government. The difference between the governments has to do with what sorts of activities coercion is applied to.
A righteous government is going to crack down on rapists and thieves and forgers, and the end result is greater peace and security for all, and the people rejoice. When judgment is not speedily executed upon the criminal, there the heart of man is filled to do evil (Ecc. 8:11), and that has a direct impact on those who are trying to live quiet and peaceable lives. It enables them to do so. In addition, Scripture says that one of the roles of government is to reward and honor the righteous (Rom. 13:3; 1 Pet. 2:14).
By way of contrast, a wicked government is one that will discipline the righteous. Discipline is inescapable. If the government is not disciplining the wicked, then the government is wicked, and it will just be a matter of time before they are persecuting the godly. Neutrality is a pipe dream. In a world where both good and evil exist, governments must take sides. And when they take the wrong side, the people mourn.
