Read Ecclesiastes 10:1–10
I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like
slaves.
Ecclesiastes 10:7
If there is one person who needs wisdom, it is the ruler of a nation.
Lyndon B. Johnson said, “A president’s hardest task is not to do what
is right, but to know what is right.”
If a ruler is proud, he may say and do foolish things that cause
him to lose the respect of his associates (Eccl. 10:4). The picture here
is of a proud ruler who easily becomes angry and takes out his anger
on the attendants around him.
To be sure, there is a righteous anger that sometimes needs to be
displayed (Eph. 4:26), but not everything we call righteous indignation is righteous. It is so easy to give vent to jealousy and malice by
disguising them as holy zeal.
But if a ruler is too pliable, he is also a fool (Eccl. 10:5–7). If he
lacks character and courage, he will put fools in the high offices and
qualified people in the low offices. If a ruler has incompetent people
advising him, he is almost certain to govern the nation unwisely.
The best rulers (and leaders) are men and women who are tough
minded but tenderhearted, who put the best people on the horses and
don’t apologize for it.
Something to Ponder
In what ways are you too proud? Too pliable? How do you find the
proper balance here?