When the righteous triumph, there is great glory; But when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.
He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper; But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy.
Happy is the man that feareth always;
But he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.
As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear, So is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
Proverbs 28:12-15 ASV
Here in 2022, as Christians living in America, these words are as potent and prescient as ever.
“Happy is the man who lives in fear of sin: reckless men come to grief.”
The meaning here is obvious; and most of the translations and versions show very little variation.
There is a glimpse here of the terrible sorrow and suffering that come to mankind, because occasionally wicked men gain the ascendancy in power, wealth, government, etc.
It is always a sad day for humanity when an evil man procures great authority. Joseph Stalin, for example is credited with murdering over thirty million people!
This admonition should not be construed as teaching any such thing as “auricular confession” after the manner of the Roman church.
Christians are not commanded to confess to any kind of prelate, or representative of any church.
We are commanded to confess our sins “one to another” (James 5:16); and that is a mutual affair.
Also it is said that every tongue shall “Confess to God” (Romans 14:11; 15:9).
Israel had their wicked rulers such as Ahab, Manasseh and many others; but the current century has seen a parade of evil rulers just as wicked and far more powerful; and any people with such a ruler is a “poor” people.
Proverbs 15:28 ASV
America, that is the America founded on Judeo-Christian principles has been steadily eroded since the 1960’s. “Christians” complain about it daily, blame the left or someone else about it , but truly if we are going to play the blame game it is “Christians” ourselves who are to blame. We have sat on the side lines as evil men rose and hid ourselves.