Righteousness exalt a Nation

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”
Proverbs 14:34

Source

In this short sentence, we observe a rule, or guideline, that is made up of two options.

There is no such thing as a middle ground. There are two reasons, each of which has a different consequence.

This phrase has no specific nation in mind, yet its message plainly applies to all countries, including America. As a result, it is critical for us, as Americans, to assess ourselves, particularly in these trying times. We should ask ourselves which one of these two causes, righteousness or sin, we now support.

The passage makes it clear that this is not a description of a past or future situation, but rather a current assessment of our situation. The text does not claim that our past virtue will glorify us now or tomorrow, nor that our current sin will be a dishonor someday in the future. No, the tense makes it plain that a nation's righteousness exalts now, and a nation's wrongdoing is a reproach now. We aren't offered a middle ground either. Each country is either one or the other, but not both at the same time. We can go our own way or follow God's path, but not both. We can either ascend to God's mountain or remain in the valley, but not both.

And this leaves us with the implication that any nation, regardless of its birth era, mythos of origin, or number of bloodstained battlefields for just reasons, rises or falls based on who it is today.

How do many of us attempt to deal with this dual problem? Many of us try to redefine what it means to be righteous and to be sinful. We disregard God's definitions in favor of our own, which we tweak until we are satisfied. Then we look at ourselves as a people and declare that we are unquestionably righteous, while the individuals of other nations must be the ones who are sinful. And this is proof that we've grown arrogant and proud as a result of our inability to recognize our own state.