Wicked

         Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes material for the silversmith; remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established through righteousness. (Proverbs 25:4-5) 

            Removing dross from silver requires that the silver be molten. To get it to that state, it has to be heated to nearly 1800 degrees. The way the verses are set up, it seems that we’re supposed to draw a parallel between the two processes. The obvious question would seem to be, “How does one turn up the heat on the wicked who surround the king?” And, as important as that question is, I think it’s also important to ask how we can turn up the heat on the wicked around us. Some would say that wicked means not nice, kind, tolerant, compassionate, inclusive…. Others might say that the truly wicked are the pedophiles, rapists, murderers, drug dealers, corporate big wigs and politicians of certain political affiliations. I don’t think either list is sufficiently clear about what is wicked. I don’t think both lists put together are sufficient, but I think that adding to the lists will not help, either. 
            I believe Deuteronomy 13 gives us a sound principle on which to base our judgment about wickedness in leaders and their advisors. If such a person advocates acting in a way that goes against Scripture, such a person is wicked. It may not be necessary to instantly remove this person, but he/she should be confronted and if he/she continues to advocate what is counter to Scripture, we should seek his/her removal from office by whatever means is appropriate (generally speaking, in the next election.)
            This, to me, is the sort of extreme heat that should be applied to our leaders. Their lives may be imperfect – because none of us is perfect – but regardless of their own faith, if they advocate the violation of Scripture, they have shown themselves to be wicked and need to be removed. 
           Now, there are people who may counter this with claims about politicians who have been divorced, or who have behaved in ways that are reprehensible. David had multiple wives, he committed adultery, and had Bathsheba’s husband killed. He took a census of the people under conditions Scripture said were wrong. God didn’t ignore these things, but David never advocated to his nation that his people violate Scripture. 
           There are others who will point out that there are places in the Old Testament that say that it is wrong to wear clothing of two different materials or to sow two different crops in a field. Those passages do exist, and a discussion of their applicability today would be interesting, but when was the last time that you heard the leadership of our nation talking advocate them?