I’ve started reading 1st 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)
[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
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