Coffee With A. Duck

Hail, Hail

Today we swore in a new American President.  I do like first-term Presidents and the season that surrounds the installation of a new one.  It’s the whole out-with-the-old-and-in-with-the-new thing and I find it largely refreshing.  I have kept my thumb on politics since I was very young, but have largely gone dormant since I got married.  I worked my first state senate campaign when I was about 10 or so and I still have a “Perot for President” necktie around here somewhere.  I should have put in on Ebay six months ago!  This election cycle however, people are much more passionate in their like or dislike for the incoming administration and voice their with newly found wont that was revived with today’s inauguration.  I’m all for people expressing their opinions.  I think we need more of it to be honest, and have little patience for those who express opinion but do not go to the polls and vote those opinions.  If you didn’t vote, then don’t complain about the job being done by those who got elected.

However, in the days leading up to today’s festivities, I have received several comments that hide behind the shield of Christian faith only to peek out from behind it and take what I consider to be cheap shots at President Obama.  In all fairness, I should disclose that I did not vote for him and had several spirited discussions about why he should be allowed nowhere near 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  I don’t care for his politics and desperately wanted a third or even fourth candidate to pick from (I know, Santa’s already come and gone this year.).  That being said, he won s democratically held election and was the people’s choice by a considerable margin nationally.  Because of that fact, I hold him in high regard for the sake of the office that he holds if nothing else.

In 1 Samuel 24, David (the King-elect, if you will) has a golden opportunity to kill King Saul (who was set upon the throne as the first King of Israel) who was catching a midday nap in a cave after a long day of searching for and trying to kill none other than David.  Saul’s reign started out good and then took a turn for the terrible, to the point that God himself was grieved that He had put Saul in that position (It’s not like God didn’t know how Saul was going to turn out. but lots of necessary things happen that we don’t always like).  In Chapter 24, Saul has been actively hunting David and God has already revealed to David that he will be not only delivered from Saul’s oppression, but will succeed him as the next King of Israel.  In that culture at that time, no one would have blamed David one bit for taking Saul out and assuming the throne from him right then from a feigned self-defense standpoint if nothing else.  Instead, David sneaks up behind Saul and cuts part of his robe off.  A time later, Saul rises from the cave and David comes out behind him calling him respectfully “My lord the King” to get his attention and reveal himself and the fact that he and his men had been hiding in that very cave to Saul.  David tells Saul that essentially, he could have killed him (and was in fact urged to do so by several that were with him), but refrained from doing so.  Verse 10 records David as saying:

Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the Lord’s anointed.

David recognized that Saul, wicked as though he turned out to be, was anointed to hold the position of King by God Himself and for that reason alone, spared his life and laid not a hand on him.  As a result of this incident, Saul realized what could have so easily been and stopped hunting and trying to kill David on the spot.  Eventually David succeeded Saul just as God had promised.  We as Americans and particularly Christians would to well to remember that lesson before we start launching character assassinations against the new guy and badmouthing him to anyone dumb enough to listen us spew such venomous nonsense.  Saul saw the actions that David took against him as a result of knowing God and God got His deserved glory.  What actions are we as Christians publically showing in this regard while dragging God’s name into conversations that complain about who God Himself put in XYZ position (like maybe our bosses?), especially the the White House?  Worse, what is God getting as a result of our inane babblings?  Glory?  I think not.  By no means should we lie down and take whatever our leaders dish out, but they should be held accountable and judged for actions committed, not the perceptive fear of what could be.  Innocent until proven guilty, isn’t that the American way?  Especially in the last several months of his administration, it became very in vogue to openly bash President Bush and one was relegated to the status of a social pariah if they dared put on even the slightest defense to the name calling and questioning of the man’s intelligence.  It so incredibly easy to jump on and join these bandwagons, but we as Christians must abstain from this conduct if we are to have any chance of being salt or light to those around us.  For some, we are the only example of Christianity that some people have and if we are going along with the same ol’ crowd then we are not giving God his glory for setting us apart.  I myself had several heated conversations in regards to the recent bailout package that went through and, true to the promises that I made to each of the office of my congress people voted for or against them depending on how they voted on that particular issue.  I wholeheartedly think it was a complete misappropriation and abuse of public funds as well as a key indicator of their aptitude to listen to their constituency that sent them to begin with.  But within those discussions, the personal character of each elected representatives was maintained.  To be honest, I would not want their job despite my childhood aspirations.

I was surprised to find myself feeling almost a little defensive about some of the comments that I saw flying about today via various media methods and had three or four quick exchanges via IM and Facebook posts.  The fact is that God established government and it is God who sits Kings/rulers on their thrones.  Romans 13 speaks quite a bit about what the role of government should ideally be.  Those in government are even referred to as “ministers”!  Obviously ministers of both the physical realm as well as the spiritual are completely fallible and subject to the evil devices of men and can do disservice to the One who raised them out of the dust and put them in their positions, but by no means does that give us reason to wantonly attack them for merely showing up and trying.  I heard several statistics today that dealt with the fact that Heads of State (obviously the context at hand was American Presidents) age at about four times the normal rate because their stress level is so high for so long.  I mean, look at G. W. Bush when he first took office vs. pictures of him today.  The man went from a head full of dark brown hair to nearly completely gray!  He looks far older then a mere eight years.  8 x 4 = 32  That sounds about right.  He looks far closer to 32 years older than 8, but I’ve digressed badly.

I too have some concerns about the Obama Administration (like a SECOND bailout?!?), but I’ll save the specifics of such for another time after the facts of the situation are in.  For now I’ll be content to sit back and let him get to work.  He’s only been President for one day, he has 99 left before we traditionally really start to hold his feet to the proverbial fire.  I’ll help him the best way I know how to by praying for him often.  Look at the crap he has to deal with!  And to my Christian brothers and sisters, with all the love in my heart I take the same stance with you that I do with those who habitually don’t vote:  If you don’t pray, then don’t complain about the job being done by the guy who got elected.

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Tags: Obama, Politics