Praying for the Death of the President

Wiley Drake, pastor of the First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park, California is praying Psalm 109:8-9 every day. Psalm 109 is a psalm of lament. The psalm is an imprecatory prayer in the form of a curse against a particular enemy. Drake’s prayer is focused on verses 8 and 9:

May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow (Psalm 109:8-9).

The focus of Drake’s prayer is President Barack Obama. In a radio interview, Drake said he is praying for the death of President Obama. According to an article published in Salon.com, Drake was asked the following question by radio talk show host Alan Colmes:

“Are you praying for his death?" Colmes asked Drake, referring to President Obama. "Yes," Drake replied. "So you're praying for the death of the president of the United States?" Colmes asked. "Yes." "You would like for the president of the United States to die?" Colmes asked once more. "If he does not turn to God and does not turn his life around, I am asking God to enforce imprecatory prayers that are throughout the Scripture that would cause him death, that's correct."

But Drake is not the only one praying for the death of President Obama. According to Salon.com,

Pastor Steve Anderson of Faithful World Baptist Church in Tempe, Ariz., also incorporates this form of prayer in his worship. In fact, Frederick Clarkson of Religion Dispatches surmises that Anderson inspired one regular attendant of Faithful World Baptist, 28-year-old Chris Broughton, to show up to a speech by the president with two guns in hand when he issued the following sermon:

"You’re going to tell me that I’m supposed to pray for the socialist devil, murderer, infanticide, who wants to see young children, and he wants to see babies killed through abortion and partial-birth abortion and all these different things," Anderson said, referring to President Obama. "Nope. I’m not gonna pray for his good. I’m going to pray that he dies and goes to hell."

It is sad that Christians are praying for the death of the President of the United Sates. This attitude violates the intent of Paul’s words in Romans 13. Paul wrote:

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves” (Romans 13:1-2).

When Paul wrote these words both Christians and Jews were under Roman oppression. It is in light of the political realities of the first century that Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome urging them to honor and obey the political authorities of his days.

Paul also wrote:

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God” (1 Timothy 2:1).

Some Christians agree with the policies of President Obama, other disagree with what he is doing as President. But political disagreement is no reason for Christians to pray for his death. The political response of any Christian should reflect an attitude of respect for the person and for the office, even when they disagree with the policies of the President.

Those pastors who are praying for the death of the President should read their Bible and be aware of what God’s Word has to say about those in authority. The writer of Ecclesiastes wrote:

“Do not curse the king even in your thoughts” (Ecclesiastes 10:20).

HT: Benjamin Myers at Faith and Theology

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Barack Obama, Psalm 109, Wiley Drake

Barack Obama: The New Joseph

African bishops attending a meeting at the Vatican have compared President Barack Obama to Joseph in Egypt. The following is an excerpt from a news report released by the Associated Press:

VATICAN CITY — African bishops attending a Vatican meeting are speaking about the election of Barack Obama in divine terms — putting them very much at odds with many of their U.S. counterparts.

Archbishop Gabriel Charles Palmer-Buckle of Accra, Ghana said Wednesday that there was "a divine plan behind" Obama's election.

"It's like the biblical story repeating itself," he told reporters, citing the Old Testament figure Joseph, who after being sold into slavery in Egypt ends up becoming a top official.

"We believe God has his own plans. God directs history."

Barack Obama has been compared to God, the Holy Spirit, and Christ, to the Pope, to the Messiah, and now to Joseph.

One of these days Barack Obama will be compared to Moses, the one who will lead the people to a land flowing with milk and honey.

UPDATE:

A reader has called my attention to a news report published by NPR, in which Obama, in an address in Selma, Alabama, in March 2007, compared himself to Joshua:

“The previous generation, the Moses generation, pointed the way,” he said to the audience, in which famous civil rights leaders like John Lewis listened from the front row. “They took us 90 percent of the way there. We still got that 10 percent in order to cross over to the other side. So the question, I guess, that I have today is: What's called of us in this Joshua generation?”


Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Barack Obama, Joseph

Barack Obama and the Trinity

Barack Obama has been the President of the United States since January 2009. Since then, Obama has been promoted by other to positions that go far beyond human expectation.

Barack Obama as God

Evan Thomas compared Barack Obama to God. Thomas said:

EVAN THOMAS: Well, we were the good guys in 1984, it felt that way. It hasn't felt that way in recent years. So Obama's had, really, a different task We're seen too often as the bad guys. And he, he has a very different job from ... Reagan was all about America, and you talked about it. Obama is - we are above that now. We're not just parochial, we're not just chauvinistic, we're not just provincial. We stand for something, I mean in a way Obama's standing above the country, above above the world, he's sort of God.

Watch the YouTube video:




Barack Obama as the Holy Spirit

Columnist Charles Krauthammer, writing on The Washington Post, quoted Genesis 1:2, “And the Spirit of God hovered upon the face of the waters,” and compared Obama’s work with the work of the Spirit of God. Krauthammer wrote:

When President Obama returned from his first European trip, I observed that while over there he had been "acting the philosopher-king who hovers above the fray mediating" between America and the world. Now that Obama has returned from his "Muslim world" pilgrimage, even the left agrees. "Obama's standing above the country, above -- above the world. He's sort of God," Newsweek's Evan Thomas said to a concurring Chris Matthews, reflecting on Obama's lofty perception of himself as the great transcender.

Not that Obama considers himself divine. (He sees himself as merely messianic, or, at worst, apostolic.) But he does position himself as hovering above mere mortals, mere country, to gaze benignly upon the darkling plain beneath him where ignorant armies clash by night, blind to the common humanity that only he can see. Traveling the world, he brings the gospel of understanding and godly forbearance. We have all sinned against each other. We must now look beyond that and walk together to the sunny uplands of comity and understanding. He shall guide you.

Barack Obama as the Christ

Jacques Phillip Eugene, writing is his book, Barack (Hebrew ‘Lightning’) Obama, wrote about Barack Obama:

“The ascendancy of Barack Obama to the highest office on earth comes to many as a lightning strike. The sign from the scriptures as shown in Mt 24:27 relating to the return of the Messiah, described a lightning that would shine from the East to the West. Being born of a father from Kenya (the East) and a mother from the USA (the West) reveals the universal character of the man whose brightness in humility and character is set to inspire the whole world.”

Now, you tell me: what else can we say about Barack Obama that has not been said yet?

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Barack Obama, Trinity

A Letter to President Barack Obama

Photo: A Macedonian coin with the Greek name Alexander

Credit: Photo from Macedonia Evidence





Charles Ellwood Jones has announced at the Ancient World Bloggers Group that a group of Classical Scholars have endorsed a letter to President Barak Obama concerning a Slavic country calling itself the “Republic of Macedonia”and “the misappropriation by the government in Skopje of the most famous of Macedonians, Alexander the Great.”

You can read the letter to President Obama by clicking here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Alexander the Great, Barack Obama, Macedonia

Bowing Seven Times

During the meeting of the G-20 leaders in London, President Barack Obama bowed before King Abdullah, King of Saudi Arabia. In response to Obama’s gesture, King Abdullah did not bow back.

Obama’s act of prostration before the king of Saudi Arabia has caused moral outrage throughout the United Sates because Obama has broken a long-standing protocol that American presidents do not bow down to kings and queens.

In response to the furor raised by Obama’s bowing down before King Abdullah, the White House has released a statement declaring that President Obama did not bow down but was stooping down to shake both of the Saudi King’s hands.

The video below clearly shows Obama bowing before the king of Saudi Arabia.





After Jacob returned from serving Laban, he prepared to meet his brother Esau. When Jacob saw Esau coming to meet him and accompanied by 400 men, Jacob was afraid. So he divided his children according to their mothers. He put the servant wives and their children in front, then Leah and her children, and then Rachel and Joseph last. Jacob then went in front of his family to meet his brother. As Jacob came near Esau, Jacob bowed down to the ground seven times before his brother (Genesis 33:3).

Jacob’s act of submission to his brother is followed by his wives and children. Like Jacob, each wife and their children bowed down before Esau.

The servant wives and their children came to Esau and bowed down before him (Genesis 33:6). Then Leah and her children approached Esau and they also bowed down before him (v. 7a). Lastly, Rachel and her son Joseph came forward and they also bowed down before Esau (v. 7b).

Jacob’s decision to bow down to Esau reflects an ironic reversal of the blessing he received from his father: “Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you” (Genesis 27:29).

In the Old Testament, the act of bowing was the customary act of self-abasement performed by an individual before a person in a superior position. The Hebrew verb translated “bow down” can be translated “to prostrate oneself”; “to worship.” Bowing down was a gesture of respect before and act of submission to superiors, persons in authority, government officials, and God.

After Joseph became the governor over the land of Egypt, his brothers came before him and bowed themselves with their faces to the ground (Genesis 42:6).

When Abraham needed to buy a portion of the land in Canaan to bury his wife Sarah, Abraham bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land who lived in Hebron, as a sign of submission (Genesis 23:7).

Abraham also bowed before the Lord and his companions who visited him at Mamre (Genesis 18:2). Lot bowed down before two angelic visitors who came to him while he was living in Sodom (Genesis 19:1).

The act of bowing down or prostration in antiquity was a common act of submission of an inferior before a superior. One classical example was the image of Jehu bowing down in an act of submission to Shalmaneser III on the Black Obelisk.

Bowing seven times was a demonstration of reverence that was the customary act of homage a vassal offered to his overlord. According to Claus Westermann (Genesis 12-36 [Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1995]), Jacob greeted his brother as a vassal greeted his overlord with an act of reverence that had its origin in the royal court.

“The text describes an attestation of submission. The whole procedure with all its details is such as could take place between an overlord and his rebellious or otherwise culpable vassal. The narrator has in view some such court ritual as, for example, the Amarna letters show, with the oft-occuring formula, ‘I fall prostrate at the feet of my lord, seven and seven times’” (pp. 524-25).

I have selected three examples from the Amarna letters to show a vassal’s attitude of self-abasement before the king of Egypt. In these examples, the vassals show their submission to Pharaoh by bowing seven and seven times at the feet of the king.

Amarna Letter No. 244:

“To the king, my lord, and my Sun-god say: Thus Biridiya, the faithful servant of the king. At the two feet of the king, my lord, and my Sun-god, seven and seven times I fall.”

Amarna Letter No. 137:

“Rib-Addi spoke to the king, his lord, the Sun-god of the lands. Beneath the feet of the king, my lord, seven times, and seven times I fall.”

Amarna Letter No. 147:

“To the king, my lord, my pantheon, my Sun-god say: Thus Abimilki, thy servant. Seven and seven times I fall at the feet of the king, my lord.”

The expression “seven and seven times I fall at the feet of the king, my lord” is found more than fifty times in the Amarna letters.

Generally a single bow was sufficient to express great reverence. So, why did Jacob and the vassals of Pharaoh bow seven times?

It is possible to interpret the act of bowing seven times as a demonstration of complete submission to the overlord. However, I would like to suggest another possible reason why Pharaoh’s vassals bowed seven times before his feet.

In the three examples listed above, the vassals of Pharaoh call him “my Sun-god” or “the Sun-god of the lands.” Thus, bowing seven times before Pharaoh was an act that acknowledged him to be not only lord and king, but also a god.

It would be interesting to find out whether in other literature of the Ancient Near East the vassals bowed seven times before their overlords and called them gods. When Jacob bowed before Esau, Jacob indirectly recognized him as a god. Jacob said: “To see your face is like seeing the face of God” (Genesis 33:10).

Thus, it is possible that the act of bowing seven times before a person in a superior position was to acknowledge that person as having the characteristics or the attributes of a god.

It is clear that Obama bowed before the king of Saudi Arabia, and without intending to send a message to the world, his action implied that the inferior was bowing before the superior. I am just glad that Obama did not bow seven times.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Barack Obama, Bow Down, Esau, Jacob, King Abdulla, Saudi Arabia

On Paying Taxes

The question of paying taxes, or rather, the failure of some important people in government to pay their taxes, is in the news.

Michael Barone, writing in his blog, asked a very important question: “Why, oh why, can’t Democratic appointees pay their taxes?” Some of the people who have become tax dodgers have occupied important positions in government.

One of the persons who did not pay his taxes is Tom Daschle, the former Senate majority leader. Daschle was appointed by President Barack Obama to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Daschle failed to pay $128,203 in back taxes and $11,964 in interest.

Daschle said he became aware last June that he owed taxes to the government so he instructed his accountant to look at his tax liability. However, Daschle did not pay the taxes. It was only after he was nominated to be the health secretary that he paid his back taxes with interest.

Another person who did not pay taxes is Nancy Killefer who was nominated by Obama to serve as Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget and Chief Performance Officer for the entire federal government. In this position, she would oversee how the federal government spends our tax money. Killefer failed to pay employment taxes on household help for a year and a half.

The third person who failed to pay his taxes is Tim Geithner who was nominated to be the Treasury Secretary and the person who will be in charge of the IRS, the very agency responsible for the enforcement of the tax laws. Geithner was the former head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and a man who served in three different administrations at the Treasury Department.

Geithner failed to pay back taxes for four years. Geithner confessed that he did not pay tens of thousands of dollars in federal self-employment taxes while working for the International Monetary Fund, even though he signed documents acknowledging his obligation to pay the taxes.

Then, there is the case of Rep. Charles Rangel, the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, the same committee that writes the tax laws that force every citizen to contribute to the government on an annual basis. Rangel failed to pay taxes on five years of income from a rental property and is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for other financial improprieties.

Revenue from taxation is crucial for the survival of a nation. A state cannot provide for some of the basic needs of its citizen without the power of taxation. The defense of a nation and the creation of an infrastructure required for the well-being of society demands the expenditure of money that must be raised by taxing individuals who compose that nation.

In the Old Testament, the people had to pay their taxes to the state. In the history of Israel it seems that it was with the establishment of the monarchy that taxation became a permanent obligation for every citizen. With the establishment of the monarchy in Israel, the people were required to pay for the extravagances of the government and many people did not like the demands imposed upon them by the state. There is evidence in the Bible that the people resisted taxation and the compulsory exaction of revenues.

After the return from Babylon, the Jews were required to pay an annual payment of one third of a shekel (Nehemiah 10:32). Soon, the third became a half, an amount of money that was paid by every Jew, in whatever part of the world he might be living.

Under the monarchy, a centralized government was established and with it came luxurious living and a large bureaucracy, two things that required a larger expenditure, and therefore a heavier taxation.

Samuel warned the people about how the king and his government would operate. He told the people that the king would take their sons and make them soldiers. The king would put some of the people to forced labor to work on his farms, plowing and harvesting his crops. The king would conscript some of the people to make either weapons of war or chariots in which he could ride in luxury.

Samuel also said that the kings would conscript some women to work as beauticians and waitresses and cooks. He would conscript their best fields, vineyards, and orchards and give them over to his officials. He would tax their harvests and vintage to support his extensive bureaucracy. He would take their prize workers and best animals for his own use. He also would lay a tax on their flocks and all their property and in the end the people would be no better than slaves. Then Samuel warned the people that the day would come when they would cry in desperation because of the oppressive burden imposed upon them by their king (1 Samuel 8:10-18). The day came, the people cried, but it was too late.

In Israel, the average citizen was not exempted from paying taxes. Only the king, by special dispensation, could declare a family or an individual exempt from taxation (1 Samuel 17:25). Nehemiah said that when people fail to pay their taxes, tribute, or duty the royal revenues will suffer (Ezra 4:13).

Today in America, people who do not pay taxes commit tax fraud and perjury. The tragedy about this evasion of paying tax liability is that these are the same people who for many years ate from the public trough and lived in luxury at the public expense.

The people who failed to pay their taxes are intelligent people, people who wrote, enforced, and administered the tax laws. If the people who work or worked for the government have a problem abiding by the tax laws and are not willing to pay their taxes legally, then our nation is in trouble.

When asked whether he would have paid his back taxes if he were not nominated to be Treasury Secretary, Geithner never answered the question. Cheating on taxes is a matter of honesty. In the society in which we live, many people lack this trait in their character.

The survival of our nation depends on the voluntary compliance of each citizen. Those who pay their taxes expect that those who will live from their taxes also pay their full share of taxes.

When confronted with Daschle’s situation, Obama said: “I’ve got to own up to my mistake, which is that ultimately it’s important for this administration to send a message that there aren’t two sets of rules, you know, one for prominent people and one for ordinary folks who have to pay their taxes.”

But the action of these prominent people seems to indicate that there are two sets of rules. It seems that for some politicians it is easier to impose tax on other people because they know that they will not abide by the tax burden they impose on others.

In the Old Testament the tax burden became very oppressive on many Israelites. They complained bitterly about their situation because the abundance of their harvest went to the king (Nehemiah 9:37). The people complained: “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes, and . . . we have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax” (Nehemiah 5:3-4). Those people who did not pay their taxes were forced to mortgage their lands in order to pay their debt. At times, the creditors seized the debtors or their families and made them slaves until the debt was paid (2 Kings 4:1).

Maybe it is time to apply some Old Testament rules on those who fail to pay their taxes.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Barack Obama, Charles Rangel, Nancy Killefer, Tax, Tim Geithner, Tom Daschle

If Obama Were Pope

Ruth Gledhill, the Religion Correspondent for the Times Online has published a translation of an article published by Professor Hans Kung, the great Catholic theologian. The article, “If Obama Were Pope,” was published in German and was translated with Kung’s permission.

You must read this article. Here is an excerpt:

Whereas President Obama, with the support of the whole world, is looking forwards and is open to people and to the future, this Pope is orientating himself above all backwards, inspired by the ideal of the mediaeval church, sceptical about the Reformation, ambiguous about modern rights of freedom.

Whereas President Obama is concerned for new cooperation with partners and allies Pope Benedict XVI, like George.W Bush, is trapped in thinking in terms of friend and foe. He snubs fellow Christians in the Protestant churches by refusing to recognize these communities as churches. The dialogue with Muslims has not got beyond a lip confession of 'dialogue'. Relations with Judaism must be said to have been deeply damaged.

Whereas President Obama radiates hope, promotes civic activities and calls for a new 'era of responsibility', Pope Benedict is imprisoned in his fears and wants to limit human freedom as far as possible, in order to establish an 'age of restoration'.

Whereas President Obama is going on the offensive by using the constitution and the great tradition of his country as the basis for bold steps in reform, Pope Benedict is interpreting the decrees of the 1962 Reform Council in a backward direction, looking towards the conservative Council of 1870.

Read the article by visiting Ruth Gledhill’s blog.

It is difficult to judge Obama's Presidency after just ten days since his inauguration. Some Americans may disagree with some of Kung's evaluation of Obama's accomplishments as President, but Kung knows the Catholic Church and he knows this Pope and his criticism may be justified.

However, in the same way Americans may disagree with Kung's evaluation of Obama's performance as President, I am sure many Catholics will disagree with Kung's evaluation of the Pope's perfomance as the head of the Catholic Church.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Barack Obama, Hans Kung, Pope Benedict XVI

“The Time Has Come To Set Aside Childish Things”

The above statement was made by President Barack Obama in his inaugural address.

Cathleen Falsani, the Religion Columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, analyzes Obama’s use of 1 Corinthians 13: 11 in his inaugural address.

Falsani wrote:

How interesting that the Bible passage about growing up and putting away childish things (in the name of love) was chosen by our 47-year-old president and his 27-year-old chief speechwriter, Jon Favreau — perhaps the youngest team ever to craft a U.S. presidential inaugural address.

I wonder whether they chose the passage from 1 Corinthians in part to evoke another letter written by St. Paul. In 1 Timothy, the apostle Paul writes to his young friend Timothy, an evangelist in the city of Ephesus in Asia Minor.

“Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young,” St. Paul told Timothy, “but be an example for other believers in your speech, behavior, love, faithfulness, and purity.”

As the American people begin to grasp the implications of the election of the first African-American to the Presidency of the United States, maybe the time has come to set aside childish things.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Barack Obama, Cathleen Falsani, Inaugural Address

The Old Testament and the Presidents

CNN.com in a news release asked the following question: “Obama picks Bible for inauguration, but what verse?” The following are a few excerpts from the news release. I have added the items in italics in order to emphasize the Presidents and their choices of verses from the Old Testament.

(CNN) -- While President-elect Barack Obama will certainly be making history when he takes the oath of office on January 20, he'll also be repeating it -- by placing his hand on the same Bible that Abraham Lincoln used during the inauguration of 1861.

The Constitution does not require presidents to be sworn in on a Bible, though almost every chief executive since George Washington has chosen to do so. Presidents have differed greatly, however, on the question of which passage the Bible should be opened to during the swearing-in ceremony.

It brings up the question of what -- if any -- biblical passage Obama will emphasize.

2 Chronicles 7:14

According to Gleaves Whitney, a presidential historian at Michigan's Grand Valley State University, II Chronicles 7:14 was used for three swearing-in ceremonies: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Bill Clinton

If Obama wants to stress that theme again on January 20, he may prefer to follow Bill Clinton's lead from the 1997 inaugural and open the Bible to Isaiah 58:12: "Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations, and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach."

Richard Nixon

Shortly after winning the White House on a similar pledge to end another divisive conflict -- this one in Vietnam -- Richard Nixon took the oath with a family Bible opened to Isaiah 2:4: "And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."

Woodrow Wilson

With the polls showing an overwhelming majority of Americans convinced the country is on the wrong track, Obama might hint at a back-to-basics message by doing what Woodrow Wilson did in 1913. During his first inaugural, Wilson opened the Bible to Psalm 119, which concludes "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments."

George Washington

Almost 220 years ago, in 1789, Washington opened the King James version of a Masonic Bible to Genesis 49:13 -- "Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for a haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon."

Barack Obama

Barack Obama has not yet taken the oath of office, so, we still do not know what verse from the Bible he will choose, nor do we know whether he will select a passage from the Old Testament or the New Testament.

I have some suggestions for the President-Elect. First, I would suggest that he selects a passage from the Old Testament. The reason for this suggestion is that since he is trying to bring together the diverse constituency that put him in office, by selecting a passage from the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible, he can please both Christians and Jews at the same time.

Second, if he chooses a passage from the Old Testament, I suggest that he does not select 1 Samuel 8:11-17. In this passage Samuel describes the kind of President (king) the people would have, since they had rejected God and selected a man to rule over them. Samuel said:

“This is the way the kind of king [President] you’re talking about operates. He’ll take your sons and make soldiers of them—chariotry, cavalry, infantry, regimented in battalions and squadrons. He’ll put some to forced labor on his farms, plowing and harvesting, and others to making either weapons of war or chariots in which he can ride in luxury. He’ll put your daughters to work as beauticians and waitresses and cooks. He’ll conscript your best fields, vineyards, and orchards and hand them over to his special friends. He’ll tax your harvests and vintage to support his extensive bureaucracy. Your prize workers and best animals he’ll take for his own use. He’ll lay a tax on your flocks and you'll end up no better than slaves” (1 Samuel 8:11-17).

This kind of President [king] is more like a Banana Republic dictator, but that was the kind of ruler the people wanted. And sure enough, later on the people repented because now they had the kind of king they wanted. The people said to Samuel: “Intercede for your servants with the LORD your God that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins the wickedness of asking for a king” (1 Samuel 12:19). I guess all the taxes the king imposed on them became a burden heavier than the people could carry. Indeed, it was heavy taxation that caused the kingdom to divide. When King-Elect Rehoboam came to his inauguration, the people said to him: “Your father made life hard for us—worked our fingers to the bone. Give us a break; lighten up on us and we’ll willingly serve you” (1 King 12:4).

I would suggest that Barack Obama places his hand on Psalm 72, a psalm that talks about a ruler who would rule with justice and equity for all. Here are some of the words of Psalm 72, words that I dedicate to Obama:

Give the gift of wise rule to the king, O God,
the gift of just rule to the crown prince.
May he judge your people rightly,
be honorable to your meek and lowly.
Let the mountains give exuberant witness;
shape the hills with the contours of right living.
Let him stand up for the poor,
help the children of the needy,
come down hard on the cruel tyrants.
Let righteousness burst into blossom
and peace abound until the moon fades to nothing.
Let him rescue the poor at the first sign of need,
the destitute who have run out of luck.
Let him open a place in his heart for the down-and-out,
Let him restore the wretched of the earth.
Let him free the needy from tyranny and torture—
when they bleed, he bleeds;
when they die, he dies.
And let him live! Oh, let him live!
May the people offer prayers unceasing for him,
Let them pray for him from morning to night.

If Obama becomes the kind of ruler the psalmist was praying for, he will become one of the greatest Presidents of the United States. Obama is coming to the Presidency with the prayers and well-wishes of the American people. What kind of king, what kind of President Obama will be is up to him.

Let us hope and pray that at the end of his term, either four or eight years from now, he can depart the White House and say the same words Samuel said at the end of his leadership as a judge in Israel:

“I am old and gray. I’ve led you faithfully from my youth until this very day. Look at me! Do you have any complaints to bring before God and his anointed? Have I ever stolen so much as an ox or a donkey? Have I ever taken advantage of you or exploited you? Have I ever taken a bribe or played fast and loose with the law? Bring your complaint and I’ll make it right” (1 Samuel 12:2-3).

Best wishes to the President-Elect.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Barack Obama, King, Presidency, Psalm 72

Rick Warren and the Invocation at Obama’s Inauguration

John Hobbins has written a post in which he reports, as it has been reported in the press, that Barack Obama has invited Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at Obama’s Inauguration.

After you read John’s post, read here the reaction of some of the Obama's supporters to the decision of the President-Elect to invite Warren to give the Invocation (and make sure you read some of the comments too).

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Barack Obama, Rick Warren

The Election of a President: An Old Testament Perspective

In a few days the American people will elect the next president of the United States. As an American citizen, I have been voting in presidential elections since the 1970s. I believe that this election campaign has been one of the nastiest, ugliest, and most belligerent in recent years.

In the presidential election of 2008, we have two candidates, with different economic and political views, as far apart from each other as east is from the west. And the American people are divided in their preference. According to a recent poll taken among likely voters, the difference between the two candidates is 1%, with a margin of error of ± 3%.

Voters are divided on who should be the next president, but the mainstream media is not. A recent Rasmussen poll showed that 45% of the population believes that the media wants Obama to win. These same 45% of the public believe “the media will use the censorship of information as a means to achieve a tactical advantage for their candidate of choice (Obama).” The same poll reports that 49% of those polled believe that most reporters will help the Democrats with their coverage.

In this election the media has become partisan. This is the reason that the media does not investigate Barack Obama when he does not tell the truth or obfuscates the facts. Media bias in favor of Obama is the reason the media refuses to scrutinize the thin resume and his lack of experience to become the president of the United States.

Media partisanship is the reason John McCain has been vilified, called a racist, and compared to George Wallace. Media bias is the reason Sarah Palin has been ridiculed by the misrepresentation of her qualifications and achievements and the reason her husband and children have been maligned by falsehoods.

If the press has already made its selection, some people may ask the question: “Who does God favor in this election?” In a recent post, Duane Smith quoted the prayer of Arnold Conrad:

“There are millions of people around this world praying to their god — whether it’s Hindu, Buddha, Allah — that his [McCain’s] opponent wins, for a variety of reasons,” said Arnold Conrad, former pastor of Grave Evangelical Free Church. “And Lord, I pray that you would guard your own reputation because they’re going to think that their god is bigger than you if that happens. So I pray that you will step forward and honor your own name in all that happens between now and Election Day.”

Although Conrad’s prayer is not a direct request for God to elect John McCain, it is very close. Not so the prayer of Dennis Hopper, the US actor-director best known for his movie “Easy Rider.” According to a published report, Hopper is praying to God for a victory for Barack Obama.

Now, we have two prayers, one asking God to vote Republican and the other asking God to vote Democrat. Is anyone out there praying that Bob Barr, the nominee of the Libertarian Party, be elected the next President of the United States? If there is, then God has three choices to make.

But is God interested in who is elected the next President of the United States? Does the Old Testament have anything to say about God’s dealing with the selection of a political leader to rule a nation? Before I answer these questions, let me review God’s involvement in the political process in Israel.

Until the days of David and Solomon there was no central government in Israel. Israel was organized as a society without a king, for YHWH was the only and true king of the nation (1
Samuel 8:7). As the prophet Isaiah proclaimed: “For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king” (Isaiah 33:22).

But, because of the misconduct of Samuel’s sons, whom Samuel had appointed judges in Israel, the elders of the nation, after holding a formal meeting, came to Samuel and requested a king (1 Samuel 8). The request displeased Samuel, but he sought God’s guidance and was told by God to yield to the people’s demand (1 Samuel 8:7).

Thus, Saul, the son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, was elected the first king of Israel. The people accepted Saul as king by proclaiming: “Long live the king!” (1 Samuel 10:24). As a king, Saul ruled not in his own right nor did he rule because he was chosen by the people, but by being chosen by God. Besides being commander-in-chief of the army and supreme judge, the king exercised the power to impose taxes on the people and required from them service and labor on behalf of the government.

When Saul failed to fulfill his responsibility, God chose another man, one who would rule in righteousness. David was chosen to be the second king. God established a covenant with David which guaranteed that the descendants of David would sit on the throne for ever.

After the division of the kingdom, the Northern Kingdom adopted a charismatic type of leadership. Anyone who had the support of the army and of the people could become king. This caused a period of political instability until the accession of Omri to the throne of Israel. Omri was able to establish a dynasty that lasted more than a century.

With the death of Zechariah (2 Kings 15:8-12), Omri’s dynasty came to an end and political instability reappeared and continued until the fall of Samaria in 722 BCE. Concerning the political instability in the Northern Kingdom, the LORD said: “They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval” (Hosea 8:4). These words indicate that the LORD desired for the people to consult him in the selection of their kings, but they never did.

The Old Testament also says that God had a part in the political process of other nations. God commanded Elijah to “anoint Hazael king over Aram” (1 Kings 19:15). According to Amos, God was planning to intervene in the political process in Moab because of the Moabite king’s inhumane treatment of the king of Edom (Amos 2:1). Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, was called by God and became his servant to accomplish God’s purpose in the world (Jeremiah 25:9). God called Cyrus of Persia to subdue nations for the sake of God’s people: “For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me” (Isaiah 45:4).

In light of all the things mentioned above, what does the Old Testament have to say to us today about the selection of the next president of the United States?

The answer is: absolutely nothing!

The Bible says: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD” (Psalm 33:12). But the United States is not a “nation whose God is the LORD.” The Old Testament rules for kingship do not apply to the election of the president of the United States.

God does not tell us to vote for John McCain or Barack Obama. God does not tell us to vote Democrat or Republican. God does not favor one candidate over the other; God has no favorites.

This means that we have a responsibility to make a choice and God will work with and through whomever we choose as the next president. For this reason voters must know the issues, the policies of each candidate, and where they stand on matters that will affect our country and the lives of every citizen. Then, they must vote for the one who will be a better candidate for our country, because what is good for the country is good for all.

When the people selected Saul, they chose him because he was “an impressive young man, a head taller than any of the others” (1 Samuel 9:2). When God chose David he did so because of his heart. When the people selected their kings, they considered “his appearance and his height.” When the LORD selected a king, he considered the man’s “heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

The presidential election of 2008 will be crucial for the future of this country. Thus, it is necessary that every American citizen exercise the rights of citizenship and vote for the person who will help our nation through this very difficult time in its history. It is imperative that each citizen vote this election; vote early and vote often only once.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Barack Obama, Bob Barr, John McCain, Media, News, Politics, Sarah Palin

Barack Obama’s Prayer to God

Arutz Sheva is reporting that the publication of the prayer Barack Obama left in the Kotel (the Jewish name given to the Western Wall in Jerusalem) was a PR stunt. The publication of the prayer has caused a furor in Israel.

Here is an excerpt of the article publish in Arutz Sheva:

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's campaign seems to have purposely leaked the contents of the note that he placed in the Kotel, web magazine Israel Insider wrote Tuesday. While Israel's Hebrew newspaper Maariv came under fire for publishing the note, "it now appears that Maariv had collaborated with the Obama campaign in getting the 'private' prayer, with its 'modest' supplication to the Lord, out to the public, buffing his Christian credentials and showing his "humility," the web magazine said.

Last Friday, on the morrow of Obama's visit to the Kotel, Maariv published a close-up picture of the note written by Obama to G-d, supposedly after a yeshiva boy took it from the crack between the Kotel stones in which Obama deposited it. Maariv's competitor Yediot Acharonot slammed the paper for violating Obama's privacy.

In a statement issued following the public outcry over the leak, Maariv said that "Barack Obama's note was approved for publication in the international media even before he put it in the Kotel, a short time after he wrote it at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem." A third newspaper, Haaretz, quoted Maariv as saying that "Obama submitted a copy of the note to media outlets when he left his hotel in Jerusalem."

Apparently unaware that the leaking of the note was coordinated by the Obama campaign and Maariv, Kotel Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitz called the publication a "sacrilegious action" which "deserves sharp condemnation and represents a desecration of the holy site." He stated: "Notes which are placed in the Western Wall are between the person and his Maker; Heaven forbid that one should read them or use them in any way. The custom of placing notes between the stones of the Western Wall is ancient and is used as a means of expression by a person praying to his Creator."

If this report is true and Obama’s prayer was a PR stunt, then, I have to conclude that he forgot the words of Christ:

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:5-6).

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

UPDATE:

Zvika Krieger, in a blog posted in The New Republic said that the story is false. I want to thank Iyov for calling my attention to this update. However, I have read and heard others say that the prayer was made public for political purpose. After you watch the YouTube video above, you must decide whether the release of the prayer was politically motivated.

Tags: Barack Obama, Kotel, Prayer, Wailing Wall

Is Barack Obama the Messiah?

Barack Obama has won the battle with Hillary Clinton to become the nominee of the Democratic Party to run against John McCain for the presidency of the United States in November. Despite the charges of improprieties that has been lodged against him by an investigative reporter, the rise of Barack Obama to the nomination has been meteoric.

The campaign of Barack Obama to the nomination has been presented in messianic terms. In fact, there is a whole blog dedicated to answer the question whether Barack Obama is the Messiah. The blog, Is Barack Obama the Messiah? introduces itself with a quote from Obama taken from a speech Obama gave in Lebanon, New Hampshire, on January 7, 2008, a quote that reflects the words of Isaiah 9:2:

“... a light will shine through that window, a beam of light will come down upon you, you will experience an epiphany . . . and you will suddenly realize that you must go to the polls and vote for Obama.”

The messianic movement associated with Obama seems to be growing. A Google search of the words “Obama” and “Messiah” yields more than 300,000 entries. The blog dedicated to finding out whether Obama is the new messiah quotes the words of several individuals who are fascinated with the Obama phenomenon. Here are some of the quotes taken from that blog:

“This is bigger than Kennedy. . . . This is the New Testament.” “I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often. No, seriously. It's a dramatic event.”

-- Chris Matthews

“I would characterize the Senate race as being a race where Obama was, let's say, blessed and highly favored. That's not routine. There's something else going on. I think that Obama, his election to the Senate, was divinely ordered. . . . I know that that was God's plan.”

-- Bill Rush

In an article that appeared in the Jewish World Review titled “A Messiah in Our Midst?”, Jonah Goldberg writes about the messianic fervor that characterizes the Obama campaign. Goldberg wrote:

Obama's apostles are hard to dismiss. Oprah simply calls him "The One," because "we need politicians who know how to be the truth." (Jesus says in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth ...") Oprah goes on to say Obama will help us "evolve to a higher plane," which would put Obama in the role of our Intelligent Designer.

Michelle Obama is arguably Obamanity's greatest evangelist, even though she has a streak of Old Testament smiting and wrath to her. She insists her husband has redeemed the entire nation (hence her newfound pride in America). She proclaims her husband is the sort of leader who will fix our broken souls. But don't hope for grace on the cheap. "The change Barack is talking about is hard," she insists, "so don't get too excited, because Barack is going to demand that you, too, be different."

When asked in an interview what sin is, Obama defined it as "Being out of alignment with my values."

On the night he gained the majority of delegates needed to secure his nomination, Obama gave a victory speech in which he used words that come close to the words of the Servant in Isaiah 61:1. He said:

I am absolutely certain, that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs for the jobless.

The purpose of this post is not to take a political position or to endorse one candidate over another. My fear is that so many people are mesmerized by the charismatic persona of Barack Obama that they are saying with words and actions that he is the new messiah. It is at this time that people must remember the words of Christ:

If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, ‘Here's the Messiah!’ or points, ‘There he is!’ don't fall for it. Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and dazzling performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better (Mark 13:21-22 The Message).

If Jesus said that false messiahs and false prophets will appear in the last days and with words, signs, and wonderful deeds will deceive, if possible, “those who ought to know better,” then one must be aware because whoever that false messiah will be, he will be very convincing.

Is Barack Obama the new Messiah? No, he is just a politician!

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Barack Obama, False Messiah, Messiah

Is Jeremiah Wright a Modern Day Prophet?

In a letter to the editor, published in the Louisville Courier-Journal of Louisville, Kentucky, William R. Fox, a retired Diaconal Minister of the United Methodist Church said that Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama’s pastor, is a modern day prophet. He wrote:

People of all races who yearn for social justice can resonate with the deep anger and grief expressed by Rev. Wright. He is a modern day prophet, in the tradition of Elijah, Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, Jeremiah, and Micah in the Old Testament; and in the tradition of Jesus of Nazareth. Those prophets proclaimed that God intends for us all to use whatever power we possess to serve the good of our neighbor. To answer the question of God put to Cain, "Yes, you are your brother's keeper."

Jesus made this clear in Matthew 25, a chapter headed, "The Judgment of the Nations." According to Jesus, those who wish to worship God do so by feeding the hungry, providing water to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting the imprisoned.

The Old Testament prophets were much more direct and angry in their judgments on a nation that ignored the needs of the poor and oppressed.

Listen to selected verses from Isaiah Chapter 1: "Ah, sinful nation, people laden with iniquity, offspring who do evil, children who deal corruptly, who have forsaken the Lord, . . . cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow."

Many people may disagree with the political views expressed by Jeremiah Wright or how his views may or may not have influenced the life and political career of Senator Barack Obama, but one thing is certain: Jeremiah Wright’s sermons and ministry have many similarities with the words and ministry of the prophets of the Old Testament.

Many of the prophets of the Old Testament criticized the leaders of the nation because of the way the ruling classes treated the average Israelite. The preaching of Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Micah, Jeremiah, and many of the other prophets was marked by constant confrontation with the powerful men and women who were part of the dominant society. These prophets also preached that every citizen in Israel, rich or poor, had rights given to them by God, rights which the government could not abrogate.

The ministry of Elisha is a classical example of a prophetic denunciation of the political powers in the Northern Kingdom. The story of Elisha in 2 Kings 9 tells how the prophet inspired a revolt against the king. Elisha commanded his servant to anoint Jehu, the commander of the Israelite army, with the intent of deposing King Joram, the son of Ahab and Jezebel, who had adopted the evil policies of his father. The overthrow of Joram was accomplished by a peasant rebellion in which the people of the land overthrew the government in order to establish another government that would be more faithful to the ideals of the covenant and more sensitive to the needs of the poor.

Another prophet who spoke against the evil practices of his society was Micah who preached during the reigns of Jotham (742-735 B.C.), Ahaz (735-715 B.C.), and Hezekiah (715-686 B.C.), kings of Judah. Micah was a rural prophet who spoke on behalf of the common people of Judah. His preaching was focused on the suffering of his fellow citizens. Micah spoke against the plundering of the poor, the oppressing of the defenseless, against the perversion of justice through bribery and dishonest business practices, against violence and bloodshed.

Micah recognized that the leaders of the nation were responsible for providing social justice for all people. But he also recognized that the execution of justice for all would take place when the relationship between leaders and people were ordered according to God’s divine norm. Micah said: “But God has already made it plain how to live, what to do, and what he is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and live in humble fellowship with your God” (Micah 6:8).

One does not have to agree with Jeremiah Wright’s political views, but there is no doubt that the man is exercising a prophetic ministry. Speaking from a black perspective, he speaks clearly about social issues such as poverty, injustice, the suppression of human rights, crime, and acts of violence. These are the issues that are prone to produce conflicting views and create tension among people who take different positions of these issues.

I believe more ministers today should embrace the call to prophetic ministry. Prophetic ministry is as appropriate today as it was during the days of the prophets of the Old Testament, especially considering the condition of the world in which we live. Why do we need prophets today? Because many of the social problems that existed in the days of the prophets of old are present in our society today.

God said: “In the last days I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy” (Acts 2:17-18).

The day for prophetic ministry has arrived.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Barack Obama, Jeremiah Wright, Prophetic Ministry, Prophets

Barack Obama Goes Old Testament

In a recent post, GOPMOM wrote that she believes Obama has gone Old Testament. Commenting on Obama’s statement that he did not want to see his daughter punished by having a baby, GOPMOM wrote:

When rational people discuss teen pregnancy and the irresponsible behavior that leads to teen pregnancies, we speak of consequences, not punishment. When we talk about babies, planned or unplanned, we call them blessings. I have never, in my life, heard anyone refer to a baby as a punishment. Some women feel that the process of giving birth is a punishment, but even they feel the baby is the gift.

It sounds to me like Obama has an issue with inopportune pregnancies. Could he possibly have an issue with his own existence? Is he at odds with himself? Is it possible that just a little bit of him resents his parents for the difficult path they chose for him? After all, we are constantly reminded that his success is akin to a miracle based on the obstacles placed in front him due to the circumstances of his birth. All of Obama’s personal struggles seem to stem from his parentage. Is this latest remark an example of how he truly feels about his life, that somehow he was a punishment? How Old Testament of him.

I doubt very much that Obama has gone Old Testament because his statement contradicts what the Old Testament says about children. The Old Testament has a very high view of children. As the Psalmist wrote: “Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward” (Psalm 127:3).

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Barack Obama, Children, Pregnancy