In the Bible’s Old Testament book of Judges, the leaders for whom the book is named were actually deliverers who saved Israel from foreign domination. There were 12 Judges. They were imperfect, sometimes immoral, leaders, but each one was used by God to save the people of Israel during a period of lawlessness and idolatry. The theme of Judges could be the theme of our nation today: “In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes” (17:6, 21:25). The leadership of Donald Trump parallels that of the Judges: imperfect, insecure, offensive, yet chosen by God for a purpose. Here are some examples of the Judges.

Ehud, the second Judge, delivered Israel by subterfuge and murder. He went to meet with Eglon the king of Moab under guise of peace. Ehud requested a private audience with the king, then stabbed him in the stomach with a concealed short sword.

Deborah was a respected judge who rendered decisions for Israel, and she was an unexpected deliverer during a period of patriarchal leadership.  Deborah encouraged and advised Barak in his march against the Canaanite king, Jabin. However, Barak didn’t get the glory for his defeat, nor did Deborah. Instead a woman named Jael decieved Jabin and shrewdly murdered him by driving a tent peg through is skull.

Gideon was visited by an angel as he threshed wheat while hiding in a wine press. During this time Midianite raiders would enter Israel during harvest and steal their grain, as well as their livestock. The angel complemented and encouraged Gideon: “The LORD is with you, valiant warrior!” Gideon’s response was not one of faith, however. “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his miracles…” Nonetheless Gideon was willing and obedient, even though he showed fear and doubt, needing to see signs, then requiring even further confirmation after that. God chose Gideon and used him to miraculously deliver Israel with only 300 men.

Jephthah was recognized as a valiant warrior, but he the son of a prostitute. His brothers rejected him and ran him out of their territory. However, when Israel was oppressed by Ammon those same brothers begged Jephthah to return and lead an army to deliver them.  Jephthah made them promise to make him their leader upon the successful defeat of Ammon. They agreed. In order to secure favor from the Lord, Jephthah made a rash and tragic vow to God, “if You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand, then it shall be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon it shall be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering” (11:30-31). To prove how foolish this faithless vow was, the first thing to come out the door of Jephthah’s house was his daughter. In pride Jephthah carried out the vow.

The last judge we’ll look at is Samson. He was a miracle baby. His parents were infertile. An angel promised that God would give them a baby, but he must be a Nazirite from birth. This meant: 1) he was never to cut his hair, 2) never to drink wine or even touch grapes, 3) and never to touch a dead body. Samson is known, not for his great leadership, or wisdom, but for his physical strength. He was sexually promiscuous, a vindictive schemer, given to outbursts of rage, and he pushed the limits of his Nazirite vow by touching the carcass of a lion, and eventually telling his lover that his strength came from his long hair. Each time Samson defeated the Philistines it was for selfish reasons. This culminated in his final suicide mission wherein he literally brought the house down on his head by toppling the central pillars of a large structure, killing 3000 Philistines who were present to worship their god and mock Samson. “So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life. Except for the fact that Samson achieved several minor victories against the Philistines it is difficult to understand why he is considered a Judge, until we recognize that God chose to use this imperfect strongman to achieve His purpose.

Donald Trump is a lightening rod; people either love him or hate him. Today the U.S. House of Representatives impeached him for abusing the power of his office, and obstructing congress. Predictably the vote followed party lines. The Senate will hold a trial, and if they concur he will be removed from office. Most people doubt this will happen because the Senate is controlled by Trump’s party. Whether one loves or hates him, I would make the case that God chose to put this imperfect leader in place for a purpose. In fact, I will be bold (and appear to be partisan) by stating unequivocally that God has used Trump to stave off the relentless march of godless social and political policy in the same way the Old Testament Judges delivered Israel from foreign oppression. For the time being God has used an imperfect leader to deliver this nation from the evil it is bringing upon itself.

I. The evil of religious intolerance. The United States is imperfect, but it was established by those who fled religious intolerance. Now we face a political party that rejects First Amendment freedoms of speech and religion if either of those freedoms threaten their agenda.

II. The evil of abortion on demand. The Democrat party has pushed abortion as a signature issue. At one time leadership in the party stated that abortions should be safe and rare. Now, they wholeheartedly support Planned Parenthood, an organization that has been caught trafficking in aborted baby body parts. They not only support late term abortions– taking the life of a fetus that is viable, a baby that could be born alive–but this political group supports letting a breathing baby die. This is evil.

III. The eventual evil of Socialism. I say eventual evil because Socialism is a step in the direction of Marxism, which is inherently atheistic and intolerant of any opinion that doesn’t align with its radical economic and social viewpoint. We often hear of the evil of Nazism. Under Hitler 11 million undesirables were exterminated. This pales in comparison to the wholesale slaughter perpetrated by Socialist and Communist leaders in the 20th Century. Russia’s Stalin starved and murdered over 20 million of his people. China’s Chairman Mau exterminated more than 45 million who disagreed, Pol Pot murdered nearly two million in Cambodia. Some estimates put the murders perpetrated by Marxist ideology at more than 100 million. Yes, Socialism may well result in great evil.

I did not vote for Donald Trump in 2016. I was almost deceived into voting for Hillary Clinton, but declined to do so. In the wake of the Trump Presidency what I feared has not come to pass. Trump is offensive, narcissistic, vindictive, but has proven to be a foil against those who will destroy our nation. He has supported the right of the unborn to life. He has supported religious liberty. He has opposed Socialism. I don’t agree with other positions he holds. However, he is not evil, nor is he bad for this country. However, his presidency has clearly shown us who is. I will vote Trump in 2020 if that is possible. I cannot in good conscience vote for any Democrat.

Thy Kingdom come, Lord Jesus,

Thy will be done, Father,

on earth as it is in heaven.