Righteous Rule

Power—like water, like fire, like crowds, like promises—walks a fine line between restoration and destruction. Given to someone who is not committed to the common good, power can be abused and weaponized, especially against those who navigate the world in the margins. We see this in dictatorships or oppressive theologies. If leveraged and shared, power can be a tool of kingdom-building resistance; it can call us out of the margins and into movements that uphold the dignity of all people. We see this in grassroots efforts for justice and in the old spirituals of the oppressed.

In today’s scripture, King David’s last words regard this difference in power. One who rules with justice, David says, is like the sun that bursts over the horizon at daybreak. That person brings hope and growth and works all things toward goodness after darkness. But unjust rulers are cast aside like thorns. Thorns are designed to protect the plant, not to invite the harvest. Thorns here can symbolize a self-preservation by those in power who end up being unapproachable and ultimately tossed out, left alone.

In our places of power, it is important to ask ourselves what about our leadership and privilege is perpetuating self-preservation and what is bringing about hope and growth through justice. Are the words we are saying (or leaving unsaid), the decisions we are making, and the people we are supporting attuned to the common good and considerate of the marginalized? Or are they leading us down a path of fear which will inevitably leave us disconnected and alone? Power is not intrinsically bad, but it is not something to be accepted and wielded without thought or conscience. Consider who your power is prioritizing today.