Have you gotten your covid-19 stimulus money? Governments worldwide have spent unprecedented amounts in astounding haste trying to provide for jobless citizens and prop up wounded economies. As it turns out, criminals took advantage. Fraud experts told Axios earlier this month that as much as half of all unemployment claims—more than $400 billion—is suspected stolen. The ceo of fraud prevention firm LexisNexis Risk Solutions “estimates that at least 70 percent of the money stolen by impostors ultimately left the country, much of it ending up in the hands of criminal syndicates in China, Nigeria, Russia and elsewhere,” Axios reported, quoting him as saying, “These groups are definitely backed by the state.”

This is but one of a host of negative outcomes and curses associated with coronavirus and governments’ response to it. Besides illustrating the foolishness in America’s governance, it shows the wickedness of people making haste to be rich, exploiting an already disastrous situation to cause even greater misery.

It also evokes the wisdom in Proverbs 28:20 and 22: “A faithful man will abound with blessings, But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished. … A man with an evil eye hastens after riches, And does not consider that poverty will come upon him” (New King James Version). Such sins have consequences. All that stimulus money was manufactured through the printing press, and this proliferation of dollars is already contributing to national inflation. It is fake wealth, making all our money worth less, impoverishing us all. And its effects hurt the poor most—the very people politicians claim to be most concerned about.

If you want insight on matters of state, and how the world of politics and national affairs work, the book of Proverbs can provide you tremendous, flawless understanding, even though it was written thousands of years ago. As a man named Coleridge once said, the book of Proverbs is “the best statesman’s manual which was ever written.”

The precepts of this book describe with stunning accuracy today’s social and political conditions, particularly within America, Britain and other English-speaking nations. They illuminate how human nature is expressing itself in today’s headlines: the problems that result from poor leadership, double standards, lies and deceit, bribery, corruption and hatred among peoples. They show the blessings that come from righteous rulers, from impartial justice, from genuine concern for even the poorest citizens. They show how the problems of today will be corrected and the effects of the coming rule of God on Earth.

Let’s study some of them.

“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). This is an absolute law of human relations, whether personal, family, national or international. And America is proving it on a spectacular scale today.

If a nation is to be great, it must be godly. When a nation’s people are righteous, this produces security, peace, success, prosperity and integrity. People treat each other fairly. They are unified. They are free from problems that spring from greed, indebtedness and avarice. Their domestic and foreign policies aren’t naive and foolish. Unrighteousness, whether in the individual or the nation, produces selfishness, greed, cynicism, weakness and misery. (Righteousness is defined not by human laws or sentiments but by the Creator of human beings, and He expresses it in Proverbs and throughout the Bible.)

America today is grievously suffering the effects of sin—in our families, our morals, our education, our politics, our business dealings, our government. This is a reproach, a disgrace!

Here are some of the sins for which we are being cursed: “There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men” (Proverbs 30:11-14). All around we see disrespect for parents within unhappy and fractured families, moral and sexual filthiness perversely coupled with self-satisfaction, arrogance and unchecked vanity, and disdain for and vicious attacks on common people, particularly among the elites of society.

There is a generation—our generation—that believes we have evolved to become intellectually and morally superior to all that have gone before us. This generation cavalierly throws away hard-earned knowledge, lessons of history, wisdom and warnings from the past, and certainly revelation from God. Even as they tear down statues aimed at preserving history, people are rapidly dismantling pillars of society that have existed for generations and even millenniums—the very existence of national borders, law enforcement, family, marriage, sex and gender.

They are ignoring the wisdom of Proverbs 22:28: “Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.” This principle is repeated in Proverbs 23:10 and derives from a twice-stated law in the book of Deuteronomy. G.K. Chesterton stated the same idea when he said, “Don’t ever take a fence down until you know the reason it was put up.” A basic principle of conservatism, evident in the term itself, is that boundaries exist for a reason—maybe many reasons. It values the discipline required to respect previous generations and the limits they have set.

Consider the poignant warning of Proverbs 29:4: “The king establishes the land by justice, But he who receives bribes overthrows it” (nkjv). Yes, a leader can actually overthrow his nation—simply by taking bribes. Remember the now-notorious video from late last year in which a Chinese economics professor and liaison to the Chinese Communist Party said directly that the Chinese regime has had “people at the top” of the U.S. government for some 30 years or more, with the stark exception of the Trump administration. The professor even said that China helped enrich Joe Biden’s son in return for favorable treatment. Throughout Biden’s long career and even his recent presidential campaign, he advocated for favorable treatment of China. This is a poignant and devastating example of the damage to the nation when a leader uses his position of trust and power for personal gain. An enemy can easily exploit his greed to get information or gain influence. Accepting bribes invites sabotage and destruction.

Verse 12 is also chilling: “If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants [or officials] are wicked.” What problems develop when leaders listen to lies! Those lies begin to determine public policy, producing untold distortions and injustices. The cloak of deceit spreads wickedness through the entire administration, which naturally hurts the governed as well.

“It is not good to show partiality in judgment” (Proverbs 24:23; nkjv). Three other proverbs condemn false weights and measures as an abomination (Proverbs 11:1; 20:10, 23). God hates leaders applying one set of rules to one group of people and another set to others. He hates the government giving one group of protesters space to burn and destroy things, while jailing and mistreating another group of protesters guilty only of trespassing. He hates when elites force America to have open borders while they themselves live in mansions and communities surrounded by fences and gates.

“He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord. … He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him” (Proverbs 17:15; 24:24). This abhorrent moral inversion is happening everywhere. This is how you end up with a man like Hunter Biden, with acknowledged hard drug addictions, sordid relationships and brazen corruption, being celebrated on the talk-show circuit, double-talking Anthony Fauci being treated like a saint; and “drag queen story hour” for children at your local county library. Society has thrown out God’s morality and established its own counterfeit and entirely perverse morality—labeling as “righteous” things that are demonstrably destructive and evil. People can see this. Many even curse it. Yet it keeps getting worse.

“But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them” (verse 25). There are examples of citizens at school board meetings condemning perverse indoctrination and propaganda, often with virally spread headlines like “This dad’s speech will make you cheer!” This is one reason for the outpouring of support for Donald Trump. He is unafraid to call things out that are wrong. When he rebukes evil, people are delighted!

“To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good, nor to strike the noble for their uprightness” (Proverbs 17:26; English Standard Version). Look around: People are being blocked from attending services to worship. Teachers are being fired for failing to call a boy a girl. Government bureaucrats are taking children from their parents for refusing to allow them to chemically castrate themselves. People doing noble things—or even basic moral things—are being struck! We saw that in the case of a Space Force commander who was removed from his post because he warned that the military’s “diversity, inclusion and equity” training is indoctrinating soldiers in Marxist thought. We saw it in the case of the pro-life journalist who caught abortion industrialists admitting that they sell organs and tissue from murdered babies—and Congress responded by pursuing not the abortionists but the journalist.

America’s toxic social divisions are spotlighted in several proverbs. For example, Proverbs 29:10: “The bloodthirsty hate the upright ….” In today’s society, when you see someone being attacked from all sides, it might well be because he said something upright. The more wicked the people become, the greater their hatred becomes for those who represent the opposite. They seek to snuff out goodness, silence the voice of virtue, condemn it as intolerance or judgment, and attack anyone suggesting they are not perfect and pure. This is the same spirit from the same satanic source that has sought to silence God’s prophets and that murdered the Son of God Himself!

“An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked” (verse 27). There is an irreconcilable conflict between righteousness and wickedness. It’s the difference between light and darkness. The wicked hate the upright. But an important question that too few consider is, do you hate evil? God does. It’s an abomination to him. We should think the same way. God says that there can be no fellowship between good and evil. So we should want nothing to do with those who cling to wickedness.

“When righteous men do rejoice, there is great glory: but when the wicked rise, a man is hidden” (Proverbs 28:12). Your nightly news shows that the wicked are risen. Many people dislike what is happening, but they are, in many ways, hiding. Verse 28 reinforces this point: When a powerful, oppressive force gains power, many people are driven into hiding. This became clear when Donald Trump began campaigning for president. He said things that politicians would not say, and that emboldened millions of people whose views had been suppressed. Now we see an ideological war between people like those who still cling to some of the righteous aspects of this country versus the radicals who are eager to silence dissent and drive their opponents back into hiding.

“A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring” (Proverbs 25:26). Here is a tragic picture. A fountain that brings refreshment and life to people can become corrupted. That is what happens when a righteous man falls down before the wicked. It can happen when the wicked rise and trample the righteous; it can happen when the righteous succumb to cowardice; it can happen when the righteous indulge in sin and become unrighteous. Each of these is a tragedy! A righteous man falling down before the wicked discourages a lot of people and strengthens the hands of sinners in their sin.

You have seen news images of this very thing. For example, men in uniform have literally laid face down at the demands of lawless, radical, racist mobs. Business owners fearing financial, cultural and political attacks are promoting radical wickedness. Politicians who are supposedly conservative support radical immorality like transgenderism. In many cases, people have taken a stand for what is right on an important issue, received condemnation for it, and humiliatingly apologized and groveled before the mob.

“When a land transgresses it has many rulers …” (Proverbs 28:2; Revised Standard Version). A strong leader standing up for what is good unifies and invigorates the nation. But as sin spreads, this form of government fractures. The result is a democratization of leadership. Today, a few powerful business executives running giant tech corporations are like princes with the authority to censor free speech. Radical activists who should be jailed are instead taken so seriously that they have convinced the councils of America’s largest cities to financially attack their own police departments. Within national, state and local governments, officials are deciding which laws to enforce and which not to enforce. We have a number of “sanctuary cities” of different kinds operating outside the law. This is the state of our society when we forsake the rule of law: We no longer have one standard governing the whole country. We have many rulers. We have each person “doing that which is right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25; Deuteronomy 12:8).

“Scoffers set a city aflame, But wise men turn away wrath” (Proverbs 29:8; nkjv). What terrible dangers are brought on by scornful men! The wise understand that wrath has power to devastate a city. They work to turn it away, to solve it, to dampen it. They understand the principle of Proverbs 17:14: End quarrels, don’t start them. But scornful men do the opposite. They become tools in the devil’s hands to ignite, fuel, stoke and spread the flames. In the news today, you can see numerous examples of scornful radical leaders intentionally, consistently exacerbating divisions in our society in order to give themselves bases of power. This is exceedingly foolish. It is literally setting cities on fire!

“He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind …” (Proverbs 11:29). These people are setting this country on fire, and we are all going to lose! Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has warned for decades that this country will erupt into a second civil war, and nobody will win. Kindling strife brings unexpected consequences, Proverbs 26:21 warns.

“Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people. A ruler who lacks understanding is [also] a cruel oppressor …” (Proverbs 28:15-16; esv). Here are two types of dangerous leaders: one who is willfully, deliberately wicked, and another who is simply foolish and easily manipulated. Both can do enormous damage. Consider, as an example, what has happened with coronavirus. Some leaders are purposely using this as a pretext to expand their power and confiscate people’s lawful freedoms. Others are stupidly going along, following orders from doctors without considering wider implications for society. Both have ignored established law and issued arbitrary commands at their own whim. Both have caused tremendous suffering and made life miserable for people.

America has particularly illustrated these two types of leaders in recent years. I urge you to read Mr. Flurry’s booklet America Under Attack. In the same way that complex and murky world events are made plain by the proverbs, the Bible also contains prophecies forecasting the specific actions of specific nations and specific individuals. This booklet focuses on the regime of Barack Obama, which is continuing today through his former vice president, Joe Biden. It reveals Obama’s motivation and how the spirit behind him is actively undermining America. God warns us against allowing a wicked ruler into power, but because of our sins, we as a nation are suffering terrible devastation.

Proverbs 29:16 states, ” When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth ….” Once the wicked feel they have enough momentum, they wax even bolder in their wickedness. The implication here is, the authorities permit it, even encourage it, and lawlessness becomes a greater and greater plague on the nation. And the worse the sin gets, the closer this nation draws to its downfall.

These proverbs have been true for thousands of years, throughout human history. They reveal that our suffering is caused not by lack of resources, weapons, allies, cleverness, intellect or ideology, but by lack of righteousness. This nation-destroying chaos is caused by the sins of our leaders and of us individually.

But there is hope.

Verse 16 concludes by telling us that “the righteous shall see their fall.” Even when the wicked seem to have total power, you can have faith that the righteous will see it come to an end. Keep faith! God will judge. You can hold on to this promise.

“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn” (verse 2). Many people are mourning today—not just in America but in all nations in this weary world. So much of what our countries have stood for are being eroded, trampled on and vitiated, and many people feel helpless to stop it.

But very soon, God promises, the righteous will be in authority. Not just better human rulers—but spirit beings who operate under the authority of the King of kings, Jesus Christ! How desperately this world needs that. Submit to God today, and you will have that righteous authority in your life. Govern your family according to God’s laws. Submit yourself to God and His government. And rejoice in the blessings that this precious and rare government brings into your life! And rejoice knowing that God is teaching the whole world a lesson that we insist on learning the hard way: His proverbs are true, and we human beings need His righteousness, His laws and His government ruling us.

It is our only hope.