Happy King
13
The king is pleased with words from righteous lips;
he loves those who speak honestly.
14
The anger of the king is a deadly threat;
the wise will try to appease it.
Verse 13
If a servant is honest, then the king should reward him. The servant might bring bad news. His honest words might upset the king. But the king needs honest servants to speak wise words of advice. If the adviser is not honest, then he cannot help the king. Compare the advisers in 1 Kings 12:6-16.
Verse 14
An angry king is very dangerous. Many people may suffer if the king is unhappy (Matthew 2:16). When the king is angry, his servants must call a wise man. The wise man will know what to say to the king. Then the king will make a wise decision, instead of an angry decision.
Why do kings value people who tell the truth? Because with the truth, kings can make informed decisions.
However, rulers don’t always like the truth. In the past, kings could kill anyone who made them mad, so people would often lie to stay alive. Today, angry leaders might fire people for telling the truth, so people often lie to keep their jobs.
Wise, truthful people might keep their jobs by telling the truth and then calming down their angry leaders. In the real world, not all wise and truthful people can keep their jobs if their leaders get mad enough. However, truthful people with integrity are always valued.
Let me ask you: Many laws in America protect people from losing their jobs because their bosses didn’t like being told the truth. These laws encourage integrity, which is good. Today is a good day for soul-searching. Do you always tell the truth when you feel threatened?
Struggle to Standing. Available on Amazon. https://a.co/d/ev3YUqw
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