When You Choose a King by Ralph Brandt

When You Choose a King
Articles by Ralph Brandt

Nearly four years ago Rob Schenk preached a sermon "When You Choose a King".
As I was leaving church someone stopped me and said, "He didn't tell me who
to vote for." My jaw dropped because in that sermon he used the text I will
use here and he clearly told me there was one candidate I could not vote
for. Since that election in November 2008 I have become even more convinced
that not only did that person miss it, many Americans including a lot of
Afro-Americans missed it.

But this is more than a discussion of Barak Obama. It is a discussion on
how to vote for offices from President to Dog Catcher.

In case you were sleeping in November 2008 the United States elected an
Afro-American as president for the first time. To me this was not a
momentous event because we were told in the 1990's that Bill Clinton was the
first black president. I am still trying to grasp what that meant or what
is significance in the religion, race or ethnic background of a president.
JFK was the first Catholic president but he abided by the constitution and
Protestants were not beheaded during his tenure in office. Likewise when a
Jimmy Carter a Southern Baptist was elected we didn't burn Catholic
Churches.

So why do I so vehemently oppose Barak Obama? I will give you two reasons,
one political, one moral. I saw this man as one who pressed for political
goals I cannot agree with, the primary one was socialism with some sidebars
like worshipping the environment and ignoring the constitution. On the
moral side I detest his view on abortion, his willingness to lie, cheat and
steal. This is his background as a 'community organizer' and things like
ACORN and Pastor Wright have underscored that. He has sat in a church that
preached hate for twenty years.

But let's put that aside for a time and look at what God says.

Deu 17:14 When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth
thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will
set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;

This is writing as if it is the children of Israel talking in the first
part. "I will set a king over me." I believe government to be a necessary
evil that as time goes on the necessity becomes less and less and the evil
more and more. Thomas Jefferson said, "The tree of liberty must be
refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." At one
time I was sure he was wrong. I am not advocating revolution but I am no
longer sure. Every time I see a tyrant trying to remove guns from the
citizens I worry more. Barak Obama vowed early on to push this process.
Whether or not he is a tyrant is open to discussion. That he wants to
further this process is a fact. It moves him toward the tyrant category.

Deu 17:15 Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy
God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee:
thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.

The questions of Obama's birth aside, there are several important things
that clearly set him aside from "our brethren". He spent much of his
younger years outside the American influence, some with his dad who hated
the US in spite of the opportunity it gave him. Contrast this to children
of Ambassadors and Military personnel who grew up outside the country with a
family that taught the love for this country. One of the ironies of this is
that Michelle Obama carries that hatred and this may be the bond between
them. Brothers grow up in the same environment with the same background. I
would no more vote for him than I would for a white racist or a person
raised in an environment steeped with a love for Communism. Had his father
kept him here I would not have this objection. As an aside, I believe the
birth certificate he presented some time ago is a fake or was altered to
hide something so damaging to him that it could not be presented. It may be
his father's race which is listed as African on the fake but is probably
listed as Muslim Arab - the way he presented himself for his scholarship -
which is a lie. The sins of the fathers come to mind.

Deu 17:16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people
to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as
the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.

Here is a man who had very little and has become rich on the backs of other
people. His major source of income is from books which he got an obscene
royalty for. The book companies lost money on every one of them. It is
doubtful he wrote them. But he has multiplied riches (horses) to himself.
Ten years ago he was shaking down businesses to finance his social causes.
Today he is heaping his own money to himself. Michelle also benefitted from
this. Her salary doubled when he became a US Senator! If this is not close
to a payoff I have no idea what is.

The aspect of returning to Egypt did not really come to light till recently.
He is more and more pushing us to return to the bondage of European
socialism, the lands our fathers left. One of the ironies of this is the
Europeans are just now seeing the bankruptcy of that government.

Deu 17:17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn
not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

I have not seen him multiply the wives but as state and US Senator he did
multiply silver and gold to himself.

Deu 17:18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom,
that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is
before the priests the Levites:

Here is one that I will have to stretch a little. The book of the law to
Israel was literally the Pentateuch. It was religious and Civil Law. In
the US we have civil law which is based on the constitution. Barak has
repeatedly called the constitution a living document to be reinterpreted at
will. His disrespect for the constitution is probably the most damning of
his failings.

Deu 17:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days
of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the
words of this law and these statutes, to do them:

Deu 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he
turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to
the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children,
in the midst of Israel.

That his heart be not lifted up. This is one of the things that set him
more aside from past presidents than anything. He is special. Ask him.
This is far from the Ronald Regan who would not take his coat off on the
oval office because of the men who were there. It was reverence to them and
a feeling that he may not be worthy. One of the ironies of this, he may
have been one of the most worthy to sit at that desk. He had the humility
toward his brethren. If there are two humble me who held that office, he
and Abe Lincoln were the hands down contenders. I know Regan looked at
Lincoln as the greatest. I would bet if Lincoln had been able to see Regan
he would have probably said nearly the same.

So when you choose a king, remember it must be from your own brethren, one
who does not desire to heap wealth to him, one who does not want to take us
back to the land of bondage, one who is not lifted above his brethren. In
2008 the choice was clear. We blew it.

Articles by Ralph Brandt