9 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbour, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. 10-11 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness. By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown.

12-13 Whoever belittles his neighbour lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent. Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.

14 Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counsellors there is safety. Proverbs 11:9-14

At the time of writing this post the USA was going through a dragged out process of deciding who won the 2020 election. But, irrespective of the outcome, verses 10-11 tell us a lot about responsible voting. The New Living Translation paraphrases it as “The whole city celebrates when the godly succeed; they shout for joy when the wicked die. Upright citizens are good for a city and make it prosper, but the talk of the wicked tears it apart.” The writer goes on to say in Proverbs 14:34 that “Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”

Christians differ on whether they should vote in elections. Some say we should have nothing to do with the politics of this world. Others say that by being involved we may be able to have some influence so that laws are passed that reflect the righteousness God loves. Do you think vs 14 could help someone decide whether to be involved in the policy making structures of society?

That verse is a big reason why dictatorships and one-party states inevitably come to an end, and why there is so much rejoicing when they do. The nation of Israel was split in half after Solomon died because his own son who took over the reins of government refused to listen those who gave him wise advice. Solomon was the one who wrote so much of Proverbs, yet his son Rehoboam didn't take vs 14 to heart. (If you'd like to read that it's in 1 Kings 12:1-20)

Governments are made up of people and all people need guidance. This is especially true because of what we read in verses 9 and 12-13. What do those verses tell us about how damage is done to people, and to nations?

It takes us back to the problem of words and how we use them. People can use words on a personal level to ruin the reputation of someone they hate. That is the godless way of using words. It's the path taken by those who lack sense because they refuse to listen to the advice of those who speak of God's righteous way of doing things. The Bible, and all it teaches, means nothing to them.

But that is true in the world of politics as well. There are people with godless agendas who would readily destroy others. And words are one of their biggest weapons. Apart from using words to promote their agenda, they use words to slander and destroy the reputations of those who oppose their ideas. So one can understand why many Christians try to steer well clear of politics. It seems an ugly arena. But if we want to see righteousness exalted and our cities rejoicing then we should be willing to use our votes and to cast them for those whose policies most reflect what is good and wise.

But if we are someone who doesn't vote - there's something we can all do. The apostle Paul said: “I urge you to pray for all people. Ask God to help them. Intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Saviour, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4.