Delight in Zion
Trump, Omar, Obama, Corbyn et al.
‘The Lord shall hold them in derision’
‘Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against His Anointed saying,
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.’ – Psalm 2:1-4
Extreme and unacceptable views are prevalent in our world today and are sadly often expressed by political leaders. The well-known verses quoted above from Psalm 2 reveal the truth that these leaders have set themselves against the Lord.
The Lord’s response is to laugh at the arrogance of such political figures.
There is a great need among the followers of Yeshua/Jesus for discernment regarding political leaders, and for a much deeper, more prayerful response to the issues of the day.
While, undoubtedly, God can use these leaders to fulfil His own purposes, we are not free to blindly accept everything they do or say. So, let us examine some key matters before us now.
President Donald Trump took over from Barak Obama in the White House in 2016.
During Obama’s time in office, he did all he could to remove God from the US state school system; his red lines on Syria turned green when Assad’s regime crossed them; and his parting gift to Israel was a stab in the back. Obama’s last act in office was an attempt to release tens of thousands of dollars to the Palestinian Authority – funds that Congress was withholding because of the PA’s financial support of terrorism. As soon as Trump was installed as president, he blocked this release of funds to the PA.
Obama – like most western politicians – also supported the LBGT movement and advocated for transgender toilets in the US.
President Obama and his wife Michelle were polite and dignified in public and won many hearts, including those of Bible-believing Christians. Yet their policies conflicted with biblical faith. Many of my black brothers and sisters in the faith still support the Obamas without seeming to understand that much of what they stand for goes against the Word of God.
Donald Trump has very little of his predecessor’s charm. His behaviour, particularly on Twitter, and his public and private manners are often far from godly. He is a controversial figure who has polarised US society.
Despite all this, Trump did the right thing when he fulfilled his campaign pledge to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, so recognizing that Jerusalem is and always will be the undivided capital of Israel. More than that, he was actually fulfilling a US legal statute. Most people don’t know that in 1995 Congress passed a law pledging that the US would move its embassy to Jerusalem. Since that time, every US president, including Clinton, Bush Jnr and Obama, has signed a sixth monthly waiver to postpone the implementation of this law. Until President Trump.
Now Trump is being castigated for his tweets against four female democratic senators. He wrote that they should ‘return to their countries of origin’ to ‘fix the crime and lawlessness in those nations’ rather than just criticising the US. He also referenced all four women’s anti-Semitism and anti-Israel views.
The four women, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Ayanna Pressley are all US citizens and elected officials.
Let’s be clear: President’s Trump’s statements were racist.
The chants of ‘send them back’ from Trump’s supporters were also racist, and indefensible.
However, there is clear evidence that all four of these US women democrats are extremely anti-Israel, and anti-Semitic.
Ms Omar advocates boycotting Israel and has compared the country to Hitler’s Nazi regime. Ms Cortez likened refugee camps on the US/Mexico border to Nazi concentration camps – a remark that is both anti-Semitic and plain ignorant. If we say that Trump was racist in his response to these women, then we must remember that they, too, are racist and anti-Semitic.
Those who were quick to condemn Trump for his racism, including some believers in the Lord, are often silent about anti-Semitism.
Racism is racism, wherever and whoever it comes from. There is absolutely no place for racism in the Kingdom of God.
We must also remember – in the midst of our anger and offense at these political leaders – Yeshua’s radical command to ‘love your enemies.’
Are you praying for Trump? Obama? Others who have hurt or offended you?
In the UK, Jeremy Corbyn and the leading members of today’s Labour Party have also expressed extreme anti-Israel views. Many Jewish members of the Labour Party have received appalling anti-Semitic abuse from others within their own party.
The Labour member of parliament Naz Shah famously declared in 2014 that all the Jewish people living in Israel should be relocated to the US! She was suspended at the time but has since been reinstated after apologising. Ironically, she is now the Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities!
This is another clear example of racism among political leaders.
Sadly, Israeli politicians have also been guilty of racism. Israel always has a coalition government, which often leads to instability and gives some smaller political parties too much influence over government policies.
In our recent election, Bibi Netanyahu engaged in talks with followers of the late Rabbi Kahane (who was banned from the government for his extremism and racist views). Bibi was looking for coalition partners in order to maintain his premiership, but by dialoguing with Kahanists, he crossed a red line. Kahane’s followers are known for their anti-Arab views and reluctance to condemn right-wing violence. These views have no place in government, and any politician who courts support from these sorts of political parties is entering into an agreement with racism.
Let’s be clear.
The problem with political parties of all kinds is that, sooner or later, they are going to advocate policies that conflict with biblical faith. Too many believers across the political spectrum are quick to support politicians and fail to discern these areas.
Dear brother and sisters in Messiah Yeshua/Christ Jesus. Let’s start praying more and seeking discernment.
If anyone is racist, let’s be clear to condemn it, without compromise. If we want to praise a political figure, let’s do so in a calm and balanced way.
Stop politicking and start praying.
