The Responsibility And Authority Of A King (Proverbs 16:12-15).
It is no coincidence that this subsection with its fourfold mention of the king comes after a series of subsections in which YHWH and His jurisdiction has been prominent. In Proverbs the king is always seen as being in the shadow of YHWH. And the importance of righteousness, both in a king and to a king, are now emphasised. It is an abomination to a king to commit unrighteousness, whilst righteousness will establish his throne (Proverbs 16:12); and on the other hand the king delights in those who are righteous towards him (Proverbs 16:13). Righteousness is shown to be important in both king and subject.
However, the supreme importance of the king as YHWH's representative was not to be overlooked, and the possibility of his wrath or favour is then stressed. These can lead either to death or to life. Because of that the wise man will pacify the first when it arises (by his righteous lips and speaking rightly) and will encourage the second. The thought is not that he will toady to him, but that he will make himself pleasing by his righteous words. Good kings always acknowledged honourable men.
So the subsection is presented in two pairs:
· It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness, for the throne is established by righteousness (Proverbs 16:12).
· Righteous lips are the delight of kings, and they love him who speaks right (Proverbs 16:13).
In this pairing the righteousness which is required of the king is equally required of his subjects. Both are to be righteous.
· The wrath of a king is as messengers of death, but a wise man will pacify it (Proverbs 16:14).
· In the light of the king's countenance is life, and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain (Proverbs 16:15).
In this pairing the wrath of the king which can bring death is contrasted with the favour of the king which in its turn brings life and favour. The one is to be avoided by wise words, the other is to be enjoyed by those who walk truly.
The subsection can also be presented chiastically as follows:
A It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness, for the throne is established by righteousness (Proverbs 16:12).
B Righteous lips are the delight of kings, and they love him who speaks right (Proverbs 16:13).
B The wrath of a king is as messengers of death, but a wise man will pacify it (Proverbs 16:14).
A In the light of the king's countenance is life, and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain (Proverbs 16:15).
In A YHWH requires kings to be righteous, in order that their thrones may be established, and He abominates wickedness in kings, and in the parallel the righteous king is seen as a source of life and favour, (especially on the righteous). His favour is like a cloud of latter rain (which brings YHWH's provision on man when man is walking rightly before Him - Deuteronomy 11:13-15; Jeremiah 5:24; Hosea 6:1-3). In B righteous lips are a delight to kings, and they love him who speaks right, and in the parallel the wise man pacifies the king when his wrath is aroused, presumably by means of his righteous lips which speak right.
‘It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness,
For the throne is established by righteousness.'
The first clause may mean that it is an abomination to sensible kings, because otherwise their thrones will not be established; or that it is an abomination to wise men in general when kings commit wickedness, because it would indicate foolish kingship; or that it is an abomination to YHWH, because He allows kings to be appointed on the expectation that they will rule righteously (Romans 11:1-6). That this third option must be included is suggested by the context in which this subsection is found (an emphasis on YHWH and His ways), and by the fact that elsewhere ‘abomination' is regularly connected with the name of YHWH (Proverbs 11:1; Proverbs 11:20; Proverbs 12:22; Proverbs 15:8-9; Proverbs 15:26; Proverbs 16:5), but it is probable that it was also to be seen as an abomination to all sensible people (compare how abomination is used in Proverbs 13:19). Whichever way it is the point is that for a king to behave unrighteously is for him to go against all that is expected of a king. It is a denial of what a king should truly be. And this is especially so as ‘the throne is established by righteousness'. A righteous king will be approved of and supported by all who love good government. A righteous king results in a sound and solid nation. And that it was generally agreed that this was so, although sadly often flouted, comes out in the history of kingship. Kings did seek to be approved of by their people, and loved to be thought of as the fathers and shepherds of their people. The throne of the Pharaoh had the Egyptian equivalent of righteousness inscribed on its base, something which Solomon may have noted and copied.
The thought does not only apply to kings. It applies to all who are in positions of public authority. Once a person is put in a position of public authority he has a similar responsibility to a king. For him to commit unrighteousness is equally an abomination both to YHWH and to men. His position too will be established by righteousness. And the principle can even be applied to people in any position of authority.
Righteous lips are the delight of kings,
And they love him who speaks right.'
Kingship is not easy and two things that a good king treasures are wise advice which is not self-serving, and honest officials who can be trusted. Both are a delight to him. (We can consider here Nehemiah and Mordecai). Righteous lips are those which speak honestly and truthfully, and without having any axe to grind. Thus kings love those who speak what is right and true. They know that what they say can be trusted and it therefore enables them to rule in righteousness. It was the advice of those whose lips were not righteous which resulted in Rehoboam, Solomon's son, losing a large part of his kingdom, whilst sadly he ignored those who spoke with righteous lips whose advice could have saved his kingdom (1 Kings 12:8).
‘The wrath of a king is as messengers of death,
But a wise man will pacify it.'
This does not mean that a wise man will seek to pacify the king only if the king's wrath is directed against him, although that is undoubtedly true. It rather signifies that the wise man will seek to direct a king away from venting his anger by giving him wise counsel. An angry king was dangerous because he had the power of life and death. But the wise man gently reminds the king of his obligations, and draws his attention to any ameliorating circumstances, thus preventing him from acting unjustly (which is why he is seen as a wise man). That is why the king so treasures men of righteous lips who speak what is right (Proverbs 16:13). All kings had wise men around them in order to receive counsel from them. And a wise man could often prevent a king from acting foolishly by ‘pacifying' him.
‘In the light of the king's countenance is life,
And his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain.'
In contrast to the wrath of a king which is a messenger of death (Proverbs 16:14) is the light of the king's countenance which is life. Apart from those who came to face judgment, only those who were in favour with the king would be allowed to look on his face and see ‘the light of his countenance'. This metaphor is found in Babylonian, Ugaritic and Egyptian texts, and is possibly a comparison with the sun whose face shines on the world. Thus to look on his face was to know that you would enjoy wellbeing. That you would enjoy the benefit of his favour. And that favour was like the cloud of the latter rain. The sun and the latter rain together were an essential to the maturing of the grain harvest. The latter rain referred to the welcome showers that arrived in April/early May finishing off the rainy season, and prior to the summer drought. They helped to mature the growing crops. The idea is thus that the king's beneficent face and favour guaranteed fruitfulness and wellbeing.