This week, there was a lot of news in controversy over a racist video posted on President Trump’s Truth Social social media account. The racist video depicted President Obama and his wife as stereotypical monkeys.
At first, the White House defended the video and tried to brush it off as a Lion King parody that wasn’t racist. As outrage and dissent from many prominent Republicans and conservatives increased, the White House later removed the video from President Trump’s social media.
However, Pres. Trump himself still refuses to apologize for posting the video and claims it wasn’t a mistake or racist. He claims the video’s focus was to draw attention to his false accusations about election fraud in the 2020 election.
As normal, the president continues to prove his un-American and anti-Christian beliefs that contradict basic Christian teachings:
- Love thy neighbor
- All lives matter
- Put others first
- Be humble
Seeing the outrage by many conservatives this week actually gave me a little hope that the American church and conservatives may not be as lost as I feared. As God’s people, we are to submit and practice God’s ways over all, even our selfish wants and political beliefs.
Scripture and biblical truth trump a power-hungry politician every time, or at least it should. When we listen to a power-hungry president or a political party that does the opposite of what Scripture says, more than we obey the Word of God, they have become idols.
It doesn’t matter how much we talk about God or quote Scripture; if we fail to do what they command us to do in this life, we are just as lost as people who want nothing to do with God (Deuteronomy 11:1, 1 Peter 1:14).
What Are Commands
Commands are things we all follow at some point in life. Soldiers must obey the commands of their ranking officers. When I was little, my father taught me that if I didn’t do what he said, then I didn’t respect him. Children obey the commands of their parents (Proverbs 13:24, Colossians 3:20, 2 Timothy 2:3-4).
Command is defined as “To exercise a dominating influence over, have authority over: govern.” Commands are given by those with authority over us.
We don’t obey God and His commandments to be saved or loved, but because we are saved and we love Him through our obedience, not our words (1 John 5:3, 2 John 1:6).
Laws, rules, and commands are given to protect us from ourselves and our evil hearts (Psalm 119:11, 1 Timothy 1:8). That is why the Bible has a lot to say about obeying God’scommands (Deuteronomy 5:33, Hebrews 11:8, 1 John 2:3-6).
Before we are saved, we obeyed the ways of our corrupt hearts and this fallen world (Jeremiah 17:9, Ephesians 2:1-3). God called us out of the darkness to be a light to the lost and to be different from the dark world (Matthew 5:14-16, Ephesians 5:8, 1 Peter 2:9).
As children of God, we don’t get to follow our evil hearts or the dark ways of this fallen kingdom because we are to follow the commands of God (Romans 12:2,2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Galatians 5:16-17, Ephesians 2:1-3, 1 John 3:1-3).
The apostles remembered their Jewish education about obeying the commands of God instead of their selfish hearts or the ways of this world.
Miṣvâ
The Torah begins with God creating and commanding the light to go out and dispel the darkness (Genesis 1:3-5). As God, He has the ultimate authority to give commands to His creation, and like the first Adam, mankind, as His creation, are called to obey His commands (Genesis 1:26-28).
God has all authority over light, creation, and mankind that each must submit to His commands (Psalm 8:6-8; 24:1). The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for command is miṣvâ, and it can also mean “Law, commandments, precepts, or ordinances,” depending upon the context it is used in.
Just as God spoke and commanded the light to be separated from the darkness, He set apart His people to be different from this dark, fallen kingdom (Leviticus 19:2, Exodus 19:5-6, Deuteronomy 14:2).
So He gave them His laws written in stone because, like Himself, they do not change (Exodus 24:12; 31:18, Numbers 23:19). It is God’s law that helps His people to be different from this power-hungry fallen kingdom; obedience isn’t optional for us:
- I am the Lord thy God.
- You shall have no other God before me.
- Do not take the Lord’s name in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
- Honoryour mother and father.
- Do not murder.
- Thou shalt not commit adultery.
- Do not steal.
- Thou shalt not bear false witness.
- Do not covet your neighbor’s house or wife.
When the Messiah arrived, Jesus declared He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it because our corrupt hearts aren’t able to keep the entire law, regardless of our political affiliation, denomination, or nationality (Matthew 5:1-48).
Jesus emphasized obeying God’s commands by doing them, not just memorizing them (Matthew 7:21; 19:17, Luke 11:28). Our Lord identified Himself and His followers as the light, because they both follow and obey the commands of God (Matthew 5:14-16, John 8:12).
Our Rabbi clarified that if we really love Him, we will keep His commands (John 14:15-25). Because we are to love God more than we love our selfish wants or the things of this world (Matthew 22:37-38, Mark 12:30).
He rebuked the religious leaders for following the ways of man and disobeying God’s commandments (Matthew 15:3-9; 23:1-36, Mark 7:6-13). The Pharisees were more focused on a temporary kingdom than the Kingdom of God.
2026 Midterms
In other big news this week, President Trump suggested that the GOP nationalize our elections so that the federal government could have control over running our free elections. For the past two years, the GOP has been trying to change voting districts to give itself the edge in elections.
However, our elections are overseen by the states according to Article 1 of the Constitution. Surely, the party of law and order knows that the U.S. Constitution is the law of the land in America, and we are all to obey its statutes and ordinances, even if we don’t like or agree with them.
Like the 10 Commandments, our Constitution is the bedrock of our nation and its laws that separate us from other nations. Article 1 clearly says states that the federal government.
It seems the party of law and order no longer wants to obey the law of the land. Because they want to take total control to do their own will instead of obeying our laws:
- Deport immigrants
- Rigging elections for their benefit
- Illegalize lawful protests
- Take away freedom of speech and the press
Ironically, the GOP is supposed to be the “Good guys” that do the right thing by our laws and God’s statutes. Yet they are more concerned about a temporary kingdom and earthly power.
When conservatives fail to be the light, we stop serving God and serve an idol that cannot save us. Years ago Billy Graham said, “If God does not punish America, he will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Our nation’s disobedience is not confined to any political party, because we are all sinful humans who knowingly and willingly break the commands of God (Romans 3:23).
That is why President Trump sent the FBI to raid the Fulton County elections office this week; he doesn’t want to obey the laws and results of our legal and free elections.
To my conservative brothers and sisters who think they can serve two Masters, I pray you repent and be the light that obeys God’s miṣvâ (Luke 16:13)!
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