Contemplative Bible Reading

Ecclesiastes 5:8-9 (New Living Translation)

⁸ Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. ⁹ Even the king milks the land for his own profit!

Wow! Read this through a few times. I worked in government for 28 years and saw these things everyday. The end of verse 8 is particularly biting:

matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy

That is not funny. That is tragic. That should be required reading for every employee of government at every level.