WHOSE FIGHT IS THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF AMERICA?
Recent political situation in the weeks leading up to the US presidential election reminds me of Psalm 35, which describes the righteous one’s cries of help to the Lord. This upcoming election is very significant for the US to continue to remain in God...
Contend, LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and armour; arise and come to my aid. 3 Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to me, ‘I am your salvation.’
May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay. May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away; may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them. Since they hid their net for me without cause and without cause dug a pit for me, may ruin overtake them by surprise – may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin. Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation. My whole being will exclaim, ‘Who is like you, LORD? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.’
Ruthless witnesses come forward; they question me on things I know nothing about. They repay me evil for good and leave me like one bereaved. Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered, I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother. But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; assailants gathered against me without my knowledge. They slandered me without ceasing. Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked; they gnashed their teeth at me. How long, Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my precious life from these lions. I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise you. PSALM 35:1-18
The background for Psalm 35 is King Saul’s persecution of David written in 1Samuel 24. The battle between David and Saul can be said to be a battle between good and evil, in which, the former believes and trusts in God and the latter is the completely opposite.
Since the fall of man in Genesis 3, this battle has been continuing behind the scene of all human history, in which nobody can remain neutral. In this context, enemies are categorised as rebels against God. God promised Abraham that the covenant people would be protected under conditions of obedience:
I will make you into a great nation…all peoples on earth will be blessed through you (Ge.12:2-3).
Accordingly, David, a faithful servant of God, instead of avenging himself, asked the Lord to avenge his adversary, cried out to Him to protect him in verses 1-10, and to reward him in verses 11-18, when he was persistently chased by Saul and slandered by Saul’s men, many of whom had been David’s own friends. Acknowledging that the battle is against His enemies and therefore, that the battle belongs to the Lord, David confidently asks the angels of the Lord to help him.
This Psalm consists of three paragraphs and at the end of each paragraph, verses 9-10, 17-18, and 27-28, David uniquely expresses his joy and praise to the Lord. In other words, after he requests God’s mighty intervention to his plight, he never forgets to express his gratitude to his faithful God and to praise Him. This suggests that David’s fight was highly motivated in the fact that the Lord’s reputation and His truth were at stake by the enemy.
Recent political situation in the weeks leading up to the US presidential election reminds me of this Psalm 35, which describes the righteous one’s cries of help to the Lord. President Donald Trump has submitted himself to the Lord since he responded to a gospel invitation at the 95th birthday party of late Billy Graham in 2013. He might not be a church-goer but he is one of the minority that boldly proclaim his faith in God in public.
At a campaign rally on 16 Oct. in Greenville, North Carolina, he invoked God several times, claiming that the ultimate solution to all of the country’s problems including the Coronavirus is Divine intervention. He admitted his need of help from God, pointing to the sky and an audience member shouted ‘Amen’.
While Trump emphasised restoring patriotic education for children to love their country, honour their history and their founding fathers, Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate who takes a stance on legalised transition treatment for children said that he would change the “dangerous and discriminatory agenda” that prevent gender transition treatment.
There are many in the world who pray for the Lord’s miraculous intervention, for God to protect Trump as His chosen vessel and believe that he is assigned to complete the unfinished tasks for Israel in another four year extended term, despite the unrelenting criticisms by his detractors and even by the American main media.
Over the two weeks in the middle of October, a poll was performed by Aksam, a Turkish daily newspaper based in Istanbul, which questioned 109 Islamic American leaders representing more than two million Islamic voters from 19 states. The result showed that 61.48% of the Islamic leaders intended to vote for President Trump, 30.27% for Joe Biden. Aksam puts it:
In the last debate, Joe Biden said “Inshallah” (Arabic: God willing), one of the most commonly used Islamic phrases. The poll asked if respondents thought that Biden was being sincere? 89.9% doubted Biden’s sincerity… This point highlights the most common reason for the Muslim leaders choosing Trump over Biden. Aksam’s Washington correspondent Yavuz Atalay told the Washington Examiner the reason: “It’s about the trustworthy,” Atalay said. “Obama, Clinton said good words, but they did not do what they said. Biden is doing same things. Good words but no action. Trump does what he says”’.
It reveals that the Muslim support is in favour of President Donald Trump despite Biden pandering to the Islamic community and it probably evaluates Trump more correctly than the American media.
For fear of the defeat of Trump by the upcoming US presidential election, Israel Defense Minister Benny Gants was reported to have made urgent, unscheduled visit to Washington on 21 Oct., in order to address several issues. President Trump announced on 23 Oct. that Sudan and Israel agreed to begin normalising relations, marking the third such accord brokered by the White House, and he needs another term to be in office so as to complete biblical tasks for Israel and the restoration of the US once again to biblical principles.
I believe that this upcoming election is very significant for the US to continue to remain in God.