(About President Trump) Why not King Saul rather than King David?

 I’ve started reading 1^st Samuel as part of my biblical devotional reading. Its just the beginning so once again I’m going over the story of Israel’s first king, Saul. With the help of some commentary notes from the compiler of the St. James devotional and umpteen rereads I see some information I hadn’t noticed.

I want to lay this biblical understanding beside some MAGA people who have suggested that Trump is a called leader like Cyrus who allowed the captive Israelites to return to Judea. But mainly many see Trump as God’s David. I have several times written of Julie Green a supposed MAGA prophet who has God speaking through her calling Trump his beloved David.[1] And of course, that cannot be because Jesus is the one the prophets of the Old Testament prophesized would be the descendent of David, the redeemer and King of the nations.

But I see in king Saul a picture of Trump. In Saul’s son Jonathan I see the faithful follower of the Lord. Saul was an impulsive, controlling man, seeking his own glory. Jonathan with a companion, with trust in the Lord, fights alone, against the Philistines and kills many. During that venture Jonathan sees honey flowing on the ground and eats some. Because of a religious command of Saul, which had nothing to do with faithfulness, but with his own need for being in command of  ritual, commands his soldiers going into battle to fast. They become so hungry that after winning they kill the captured cattle on the ground eating them with the blood which according to God’s law for the Hebrews was forbidden.

But it is Jonathan who is in trouble because he has eaten honey. When that is discovered, he is to be killed, but the soldiers plead for his life and he is saved. Here is some important points about authority, in the story. Jonathan, when hearing that his father has commanded the army going into battle to fast tells the men the truth.
“Then one of the people said, ‘Your father strictly put the people under oath, saying, ‘cursed be the man who eats food today.’ And the people were weary.

“Then Jonathan said, ‘My father has troubled the land. See now how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. How much more if only the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! (1 Samuel 14:28-30a)

Jonathan often fought enemies beside his father Saul, in fact they died together in their last battle. But he was truthful and told his father the truth about his father’s sin.

Saul began his kingship with some humbleness, hiding when Samuel was seeking to announce his kingly anointing to Israel and forgiving some who refused to accept his kingship. But as he grew in power, he became arrogant seeking his own glory. He performed the sacrifice that Samuel, the priest and prophet of God was to perform. At one point when Samuel was seeking Saul he was told, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold he sat up a monument for himself …” (15:12)

Saul became brutal, desiring to kill David who fought beside him and Jonathan and the army of Israel. Saul believed a lie, that David was his enemy who intended to kill him. To that end Saul killed most of the priest of the Lord because they had helped David and prayed for him. In fact, using an enemy of Israel, an Edomite, he killed the people of the city of the priest including women and children. He covers so much of his sin with lies and half-truths. Finally in the end Saul turned to witchcraft seeking answers that he could not find from God.

So, the listing of Saul’s troubling characteristics includes performing religious acts he was not allowed, seeking his own glory including giving out commands (playing religious) that harm his soldiers and building a monument to himself, imagining a conspiracy against himself, making David his enemy, anger over his knowledge that he would eventually be replaced, murdering the faithful and as God turns away from him seeking the future through witchcraft.

Jonathan on the other hand becomes a friend of David acknowledging David, not Jonathan, will be the next king of Israel. He constantly protects David, warning him of Saul’s attempts to kill him. Jonathan several times decries his father’s murderous plans against David. He to Saul’s face insists on the innocence of David. “But Jonathan answered Saul his father and said, ‘Why should he be put to death? What has he done?’” (20:32) At this point Saul who has first insulted his son throws his spear at him and Jonathan leaves angry and grieved. This is truly righteous anger and grief. And Jonathan will at times bring comfort and encouragement to David.

So, Jonathan’s characteristics: faithfulness in friendship, acceptance of God’s will, speaking truth about and to evil, and encouragement to the persecuted.

I don’t want to say that Trump has chased so far as to reach into witchcraft but he has gathered some heretical teachers and leaders to himself—not all, but the leader—yes, Paula White, a prosperity teacher and one who has connections to the “we are gods” teachers and preachers. I don’t want to write that Trump seeks to kill whoever might be the next president, but he is willing to put innocent people in prison while rewarding criminals in order to avenge himself against those he believes to be his enemies. He is willing to rend America apart in order to stay in his position. And yes, he does have an obsession with memorials to himself. He is not following in David’s footsteps; he is following in Saul’s which ended in disaster.

The follower of Christ cannot be in rebellion but must speak truth; must be concerned with God’s true beloved David, the Messiah, the incarnate One, Jesus.

Jonathan made a covenant of faithfulness with David and David with him. God has through His Son Jesus made a covenant with His Church—it doesn’t rule out the cross—the suffering, but it does hold the promises of redemption and eternal life. No darknesses in a witch’s cave, no blackened egos breaking other’s hearts, but the throne of God founded on love, justice and truth.  

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You. (Psalm 89: 14)

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[1] Is Donald Trump God's David? The false prophecies of Julie Green, Naming His Grace: Is Donald Trump God's David? The false prophecies of Julie Green

 

The Controversy About the Pentagon's New Listing of Religions for the Chaplains Ministry

 

I put a small blurb on a Facebook posting I shared from the internet about the Pentagon’s new listing of religions for the military chaplain’s service. As I’ve thought about it I decided I should do a larger information essay with, of course, some of my opinions.

At the moment the big controversy is that while many Christian denominations were listed under the designation Christian, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints did not have that designation.

So first of all, as a Christian, a Presbyterian for many years and now a Lutheran (LCMS) I don’t see the LDS as truly Christian from a faith position. For instance, they don’t believe in the Trinity, nor the eternality of God. But that really isn’t the point, they see themselves as Christian and that is part of our freedom as Americans. The Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth has probably had a hand in forming or guiding the list but I don’t know that for certain. What I do know is this list has many problems. Whoever made the list did not have a good understanding of religions in general.

If the LDS was left off because the persons forming the list thought they were not truly Christian then what about the listing of Christian Scientist and Jehovah Witnesses as Christians since they are on this list. The JWs do not believe Jesus is God nor do they believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus. The Christian Scientist do not believe evil is real and see all biblical language as metaphor. Matter is unreal and the blood of Jesus has no meaning. But as I have written that really isn’t the point, in America we have religious liberty and all who call themselves Christians are allowed to do so. And while we as faith people are called to dialogue, to hopefully kindly point out our differences, government officials must respect the titles each religion give themselves.

So here is what I see as the real problem: Christianity has been over emphasized by listing so many different groups under the heading of Christian while all other religions are simply listed under what I would call generic names such as Islam or Buddhism. And yet all of these other religions have separate groups within them. For instance, one of the larger groups within Buddhism in America is Pure Land Buddhism, but there are others such as  Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism. So why not simply for denominations have a listing of just Christianity with service people deciding for themselves.

Then there is one more problem I want to address. One of the fastest growing groups in the United States and elsewhere is paganism which includes Wicca. They have been left off of this list and I don’t feel they should have been. I have written in several places about Wicca and I don’t endorse it but I care about the needs of these many women. I am familiar with the pastor who not too many years ago was Chaplain over all of the prison system in California. A godly Assembly of God pastor. I still remember seeing a list of some of the needs he had. One was wood for the wiccan prison members to hold sage ceremonies. And I laughed! But compassion reaches troubled people faster than condemnation. The point is when people and their faiths are ignored, they feel left out, dismissed as unimportant. We are being troubled by Christian Nationalism whose adherents tend to discriminate against women and those they consider outsiders. Just recently I listened to part of a video where several extreme pastors who are Christian Nationalist were discussing how if they could come to power in the United States, it might be possible to get the government officials to takeover all churches that are gay centered and/or had women pastors. While I truly believe that biblically marriage is between one man and one woman, no church in American should ever be in danger of having a government takeover.

The list should be done over, simplified and fair.