You Shall Not Take the Name of the Lord Your God in Vain

You Shall Not Take the Name of the Lord Your God in Vain August 31, 2016

Apropos recent discussions about the use of Bad Words as a Disgrace to one’s Christian witness, I note that right wing political candidates have a terrible habit of humbly announcing that God tells them to run for president–and then losing.  The problem with doing that is that unbelievers notice when you do that and then mock God.  A further problem with doing that is that GOP politicos never seem to learn from their blasphemies but instead turn God into a sort of tribal fetish whose blessing is merely transferred to the winners of their power struggles.

Take Michele Bachmann. No matter how wrong she is, it never occurs to her to suppose that she is wrong to take the Name of God in vain.  Says she:

“I actually supported Ted Cruz. I thought he was fabulous, but I also see that at the end of the day God raised up, I believe, Donald Trump who was going to be the nominee in this election,” she said.

Cruz, you will recall, not only claimed to be called by God, but even had a father who declared that his Only Begotten Son was an “anointed king” appointed by God to bring about the End Times transfer of wealth from the wicked to the royal priesthood and chosen nation of his followers.

God, however, had other plans and his Holy Anointed One lost.  The lesson for many people beholding such an epic failure would be “You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain.”

The lesson for Michele Bachmann, however, is “Whoever wins is God’s *real* Anointed.”  And so she recovers from her epic bad call with… an even more epically blasphemous bad call:

“I don’t think God sits things out. He’s a sovereign God. Donald Trump became our nominee. I think it’s very likely that in the day that we live in, that Donald Trump is the only individual who could win in a general election of the 17 who ran.”

“Maybe I’m wrong, I don’t know, but I do know that the Bible is true and that Daniel teaches the most high God which is one of God’s names is the one who lifts up who He will and takes down who He will and so that’s why my prayers and my actions and my work on a daily basis is to make sure that Donald Trump becomes ‘President Trump’ the first Tuesday of November this 2016.”

The problem with all this, of course, is that a) the Bible actually says that God has

shown strength with his arm,
he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts,
he has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent empty away. (Lk 1:51–53).

To be sure, not a sparrow falls or a hair of our heads exists without God’s notice, and the outcome of this election, like all things, is within his providence and mighty ordering power.  But then that is also true of the German elections of 1932-1933 which resulted, ultimately, in the triumph of Adolf Hitler.  Mere Winning may be proof of God’s Anointing to Charlie Sheen and Michele Bachmann, but it shows nothing of the kind to people who think with the mind of Christ.  After all, Barabbas won the most Important Election in All of History on Good Friday.

Of course, the ultimate test of the failure of this pagan Vox Populi Vox Dei approach will be seen, not when Trump wins the election, but when he loses.  People like poor Michele Bachmann will suddenly have to wrench themselves away from saying “Winning proves God’s Anointing” to explaining why his failure shows why all those who failed to elect him were sinners.  I wonder if it will at long last occur to her–as it has never occurred to any of the “anointed” losers who have claimed God’s call to humbly seek the Office of Ultimate Power–that you should not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain.

Or will they and their minions will go out looking for more mothers of ten they can impoverish and punish for making fun of a strip club owner who led them to an exceeding high mountain, showed them the kingdoms of this world, and promised them “All this will I give you if you will bow down and vote for me.”


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