10 Men of bloodshed hate the blameless,
But the upright [f]are concerned for his life.
11 A fool [g]always loses his temper,
But a wise man holds it back.
12 If a ruler pays attention to falsehood,
All his ministers become wicked.
13 The poor man and the oppressor [h]have this in common:
The Lord gives light to the eyes of both.
14 If a king judges the poor with truth,
His throne will be established forever.
15 The rod and reproof give wisdom,
But a child [i]who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.
16 When the wicked [j]increase, transgression increases;
But the righteous will see their fall.
17 Correct your son, and he will give you comfort;
He will also [k]delight your soul.
18 Where there is no [l]vision, the people are unrestrained,
But happy is he who keeps the law.
Verse 12 is an odd statement: if a ruler, king, president, etc. listens to lies, all of his advisors will become wicked. Wait a second, they will become evil? Even the good ones? Well sure, wouldn’t you? Or at least you’d be tempted. If your boss, leader, whoever is in charge, pays attention to flattery and false accusations, and doesn’t care about the truth, what do you suppose will happen?
There are two possibilities with the “good” ones (keeping in mind that Jesus told us no one is really good except God): they will leave in disgust, or they will conform. You may get someone who tries to change things from the bottom up, but that’s a long uphill battle, and far less likely than the other two outcomes. Besides that, the folks who are up to no good will despise the do-gooder and try to oust them so their lies are not exposed.
Solomon reiterates this idea in v. 16, “When the wicked increase”, that is, when they prosper, their sin multiplies as well. Yet it isn’t sustainable, and the whole thing will eventually fall apart. History is replete with examples of this, even today we see it happening to celebrities all over the place. But what does it mean for us?
First of all, don’t take everything at face value, especially if you don’t know someone, check out their facts. Don’t be lazy and just lap it up like a dog. Put in the work, and especially listen to God’s spirit whispering in your ear. Second, be careful who you follow, and who you associate with. Ever heard, “bad company corrupts good morals.” Remembering that we can’t be good without God in the first place, that’s not so hard to believe.
Verse 18 is a great reminder, not to be careless with your associations, or really any decision you make. Follow God’s principles, and His law, and let His “rod and reproof” be your guide every step of every day. You’ll make mistakes, and His discipline may seem hard, but don’t shy away from it. Own your mistakes, ask forgiveness, and live on in His grace with obedience and a malleable heart.