28:12 – When the righteous rejoice, there is great glory; but when the wicked arise, men hide themselves. (Alternate Translation – When the righteous rejoice, there is great glory; but when the wicked arise, men will be searched for.)
28:28 – When the wicked arise, men hide themselves; but when they perish, the righteous increase.
Again, a twofer. The same point is made twice in this chapter – the wicked rise up and men are searched for. (I’m assuming “good” is understood.)
As I look out at the landscape today, it is easy to despair. Islam is on the rise; the economy is struggling; people around the world no longer trust their government(s). People are oppressed; the wicked are in power; hope is in short supply.
Fortunately, it’s always been that way. Yes, I do mean fortunately. We’ve been here before. This is not our first “the world is going to hell in a hand basket – and there’s a shortage of hand baskets” rodeo. Throughout human history there have been tyrants and dictators. Eventually, someone rises up in opposition and, against the odds, defeats them. Hmm…sounds kind of like the American Revolution, the defeat of Nazism, Ghandi in India, the fall of the Soviet Union, doesn’t it?
Yes, the wicked will search for men who oppose their plans in order to destroy them; while the righteous are searching for men to rally behind and push back against the wicked. And, this chapter is filled with ways to identify the wicked and with reassurance for the righteous.
(Besides, a little adversity is probably good for us Christians. It gets us out of our”holy huddles.” We’re supposed to be making disciples of ALL nations, not sitting idly by and wringing our hands over the sad state of affairs in the world.
So, lets be the men who are being searched for. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have our backs.
