Donald, AKA David

Greetings in the Lord,

This Sunday we were discussing parts of 2 Samuel about when David became king over Israel, at long last.  The promise from God came early in his life, when he was just a young teen tending flocks.  But the reality is, it took many years and many, many hardships later before it came to fruition.  I think most Christians forget that.  

It seems that they also forget just how much of an outsider he really was--his brothers were jealous of him, King Saul hunted him down with an army to take him out--luckily, to no avail.  He lived with the agitators, and they accepted him, but not many of his fellow Israelites.  Later on, his own sons tried to usurp him, even causing David to flee from the throne to save himself--all the while being mocked and cursed and spit at.  It seems it was one betrayal after another, one hardship after another, one personal test after another, and yet, he became not only king, but one of the pillars of the Old Testament.  That's what Christians remember and celebrate.  He was, "A man after God's own heart."

Sure, God gave him many victories all throughout his lifetime.  Great, astounding victories--the head of a giant, to be sure!  He led Israel into many successful war campaigns and the region eventually submitted to his leadership, willingly or not.  Some of the Israelites sang songs for him, and he did have a loyal crowd--among the people.  And this, this is what Christians remember and romanticize about David--a wonderful warrior for God!  And I certainly don't dispute that.

However, the reality was that he did not have the full support of the ruling elite for a long time; it was a long time after his anointing by Samuel the prophet before he was made king.  The reality is, even his "Mighty Men" were outcasts by the mainstream populace standards.  David had to fight and wait, and fight and wait, and fight and wait...and he did not take the throne in his own strength.  No, life had to play out.  There was jockeying for power and selfish ambitions of the scandalous people all around him and the ruling elites at that time in Israel.  Murderers, assassins, liars, greedy, violent people fighting for power, trying and sometimes successfully taking out their political opponents left and right.  David took the throne in the midst of this treacherous environment, only when Abner left the side of Ish-Bosheth, Saul's son ruling Israel at the time, and rallied support for David.  David had to wait while his political enemies devoured each other, betrayed each other, hung each other out to dry, and finally decided that backing David was more in their political interest than helping to prop up an illegitimate and much weaker ruling family.  Hmmm....sound familiar?

When I compare the life of David to Donald J. Trump, many Christians scoff.  It simply doesn't fit their romanticized--and inaccurate--narrative of his life and Biblical significance.  But God does raise up just such people, to divide and conqueror, to carry out His Providence on earth, to be so provoking that most of God's people would not accept them for a long time, and then, only in the most chaotic and distressing of times.  They would spit, and mock, and chastise David for a long time--before circumstances changed and they had no choice but to shut up and accept his rule over them.  Even the Israelites who did not pit themselves against David bought into the lies and insanity of Saul and stood to watch as King Saul hunted him down like a dog.  Indeed, the whole government was against Donald, oops, I mean David, I mean Donald.  You see, God does raise up just such people when the days are exceedingly wicked.  When the people's hearts are full of idolatry and they are but a generation from possibly splitting apart...that's what happened to Israel, anyways.  It was God's grace to bring such a loud disrupter on the scene, a warrior that would fight for what God wants, a man after God's own heart.  Praise be to God who knows what is good for us even when we have no idea anymore.  Even when we call evil good and good evil, thanks be to God for His love and grace and wisdom and mercy upon us.  The Lord came to set the captives free--even those who didn't know they are captives.

~Be blessed and be a blessing.