Are Politicians Fools? King Solomon’s Lessons for Raleigh

Do you think that politicians are fools? I have been involved in politics for many years. If someone had asked me this question years ago, I would respond with a resounding “yes.” 

I first got involved in politics as an unpaid activist many years ago. I wanted our government to finally work for us. North Carolina’s state-level politicians were especially foolish during my activist days. Many years – and many scandals – later, the Democrats who controlled the state for almost a century squandered their majorities in the North Carolina General Assembly.

I remember watching helplessly on the sidelines as state legislators gave their girlfriends cushy government jobs and lived large off of their political campaigns. I always wondered to myself, ‘how can we ever turn this around?’

The answer, like all of life’s important answers, can be found in Scripture. One book that would be especially helpful for today’s politicians is Ecclesiastes. This book was written by King Solomon. Solomon was one of the wisest public servants that the world has ever known. Three verses from the book that he wrote especially stand out. 

The first verse says: “It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.”

You have to have very thick skin to serve in public office. I have gotten hateful and threatening messages from nearly every State in the union. Our national media can be even worse. ‘Journalists’ at large outlets are sometimes the worst kind of partisans. Their megaphone has gotten louder on social media. 

Would it be better to just give in, and avoid these attacks? The sweet siren song of appeasement is always temping. The “song of fools” – the temptation to appease those who scream the loudest, in exchange for a few nice words in the press – explains many of the problems we have today. You have to have a backbone. Giving in to fools always leads to destruction. 

The second verse should be required reading for every single person who serves in government. Solomon wrote: “A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.”

Many left-wing activists now claim that Jesus Christ was a socialist. Did the church skip over the ‘Book of Bernie’ in Sunday school? Ecclesiastes tells us that God expects us to work for what we have. Robbing one person to pay another is vanity. History bears this out. Communism has led to death and destruction for every country that has tried it. 

Public officials must always be good stewards of the public’s dollar. Incentivizing people not to work is morally reprehensible. It robs people of their right to dignity and self-determination. Taxation should never be used for social engineering. The socialist rhetoric is really ramping up nationally. This hateful ideology is fundamentally against everything that God has told us. Jesus Christ was no socialist. 

The third verse from Ecclesiastes says, “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”

It is easy for folks in the political world to be cynical. The press is sometimes harsh and dishonest. Money from billionaires like Michael Bloomberg corrupts the process, even at the state level. The people you believe in will always frustrate you at one point or another. 

Government bodies are made up of human beings, and every human being is a sinner. Yet not all hope is lost. I have seen incredible bravery from many of my colleagues. A few Democrats have bravely stood up for ballot integrity and pro-life causes. They have fought off vicious attacks from their own Party, including the Governor. Great legislation has also passed easily after a lot of hard work. I once sponsored a bill to protect victims of nursing home abuse. The bill passed almost unanimously. Moments like that barely make the news. 

Our country is more divided than it has been in over a century, and the polarization has made its way to North Carolina. How will we ever end this “uncivil war”? For our first step I humbly recommend that we turn to the Gospel. The Lord has given us all of the answers. It is time for us to listen.