The Atmosphere of a Nation: Righteousness on Display Text: Proverbs 28:12
Introduction: Public Theology is Unavoidable
We are frequently told, sometimes by well-meaning but tragically mistaken Christians, that faith is a private matter. It is something for the quiet of your own heart, the privacy of your own home, or at most, the four walls of your church building. But the moment you attempt to bring your faith into the public square, you are accused of a kind of religious imperialism, of forcing your views on others. The world wants a neutered Christianity, a quiet and respectable faith that doesn't bother anyone. But the book of Proverbs knows nothing of such a religion. The wisdom of God is intensely practical, and because it is practical, it is intensely public.
The Bible teaches that righteousness and wickedness are never abstract concepts. They are not private hobbies. They are public realities that shape the very atmosphere of a nation. They determine whether a society is characterized by glory or by fear. Every law passed, every statue erected, every curriculum approved, every cultural celebration is an act of public worship. The only question is which god is being worshipped. Is it the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or is it the god of self, the god of the state, the god of sexual autonomy? There is no neutrality. The public square will be catechized. The only question is, by whom and with what catechism?
This is the great antithesis that runs through all of human history. It is the conflict between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, between the city of God and the city of man. This conflict is not a polite debate in a university seminar room. It is a war for the world, and it is a war that plays out in our streets, our courts, and our legislatures. Proverbs 28:12 gives us a divine diagnostic tool. It shows us how to take the spiritual temperature of a culture. Do you want to know whether righteousness or wickedness is ascendant in our land? Look around. Is there public glory, honor, and celebration? Or are good men in hiding?
This proverb is a bucket of cold water in the face of all pietistic retreat. It forces us to see that the spiritual condition of the saints has a direct, observable, and atmospheric effect on the entire culture. Theology is never just for the theologians; it is for the magistrates, the merchants, the mothers, and the bricklayers. It creates a world. This verse shows us the two worlds that are possible.
The Text
When the righteous exult, there is great honor,
But when the wicked rise, man has to be sought out.
(Proverbs 28:12 LSB)
Glory on the Streets (v. 12a)
The first clause sets before us a glorious vision of a healthy society:
"When the righteous exult, there is great honor..." (Proverbs 28:12a)
The word for "exult" here means to rejoice, to triumph, to be publicly jubilant. This is not a quiet, internal feeling of contentment. This is a parade. This is a public festival. This is what happens when God's people, living according to God's law, are in positions of influence and their worldview is the dominant, shaping force in the culture. When the righteous are setting the tone, the result is "great honor" or "great glory."
What does this glory look like? It means that virtue is publicly praised. Honesty in business is rewarded. Fidelity in marriage is esteemed. Hard work is celebrated. Justice is seen to be done in the courts. Children are protected and cherished. The culture produces beautiful art and beautiful music that reflects the order and beauty of the Creator. There is a general sense of public safety, public trust, and public joy. Think of the celebration in the city of Susa when Mordecai was promoted and Haman's wicked plot was overturned. The Bible says "the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced" (Esther 8:15). That is a picture of this proverb in action. When righteousness triumphs, the people are glad.
This is a profoundly postmillennial sentiment. It is a vision of the gospel having a transforming effect not just on individual souls, but on the very fabric of civilization. It tells us that the Great Commission is not a rescue mission to pull a few souls out of a doomed world. It is a restoration project. Jesus did not come merely to get us into heaven, but to get heaven into us, and through us, to get heaven's influence into the world. This "great glory" is a foretaste of that final day when the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14).
But we must be clear. This righteousness is not the self-righteousness of the Pharisees. It is not a bland, moralistic niceness. The righteous are those who have been declared righteous by faith in Jesus Christ and who, by the power of the Spirit, are learning to walk in obedience to His commands. They are people who love God's law because they love God. And when such people are influential, the society reflects the goodness of that law. The result is glory, because God's law is a reflection of His glorious character.
Good Men in Hiding (v. 12b)
The second clause presents the stark and grim alternative.
"But when the wicked rise, man has to be sought out." (Proverbs 28:12b LSB)
The contrast is absolute. The first scene was a parade; this scene is a manhunt. When the wicked "rise," meaning when they come to power and their worldview becomes culturally dominant, the entire social atmosphere changes. The glory evaporates and is replaced by fear. The Hebrew says a man is "sought out" or, as other translations put it, men "hide themselves."
Why do they hide? They hide because in a wicked culture, virtue becomes a crime. Honesty is a liability. Speaking the truth is "hate speech." Defending the unborn is "extremism." Raising your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord is "child abuse." In such a society, the righteous man becomes a target. The wicked, now in power, use the levers of the state and the culture to hunt down and punish any opposition to their rebellion. Think of Elijah fleeing from Jezebel. Think of Obadiah hiding a hundred prophets of the Lord in caves (1 Kings 18:13). Think of the early Christians hiding in catacombs.
When the wicked rise, the very definition of good and evil is inverted. Isaiah warned of this: "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness" (Isaiah 5:20). This is precisely what happens. The things that produce "great glory" are now publicly shamed, while the things that God abominates are celebrated with rainbow flags in the streets. In such a time, the godly man must be careful. He has to be "sought out." He keeps his head down, not because he is a coward, but because he is wise. He picks his battles. He learns to speak in code. He builds underground networks. He is looking for the day when the wicked perish and the righteous can flourish again (Prov. 28:28).
This is a direct description of what we are witnessing in the West. The wicked have risen. They have captured the universities, the media, the corporations, and the government. And as a result, faithful Christians are increasingly being "sought out." They are being de-platformed, fired from their jobs, and hauled before human rights tribunals for refusing to bow the knee to the new sexual orthodoxy. The cultural glory has departed, and the manhunt has begun.
Conclusion: No Neutral Ground
So what is our takeaway? It is this: public life is a spiritual barometer. The political and cultural climate is a direct reflection of the dominant theology of the land. We cannot expect "great glory" in a nation that has abandoned the God who is the source of all glory.
This proverb is a call to repentance and a call to war. It is a call to the church to repent of her pietistic cowardice, her foolish belief that she could be faithful to Christ while surrendering the entire public square to His enemies. We have been hiding when we should have been exulting. We have been silent when we should have been singing the praises of our King in the city gates.
But this is also a word of tremendous hope. The rise of the wicked is not the end of the story. The same book of Proverbs tells us that "when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy" (Prov. 11:10). Their reign is temporary. Their foundations are built on sand. The reason they must hunt down the righteous is because they know, deep in their bones, that the righteous serve a King who has already triumphed over every principality and power. Jesus Christ is Lord, and of the increase of His government and of peace, there will be no end.
Therefore, our task is to be found faithful. It is to refuse to hide our light under a bushel, even when the darkness threatens to extinguish it. Our task is to live as righteous men and women, by faith, in our homes, in our churches, and in our communities. We must work and pray for the day when the righteous exult once more, not just in the privacy of their hearts, but openly, in the streets of a culture that is once again filled with the great glory of God.