Not sure if I’m all blogged out on the Pharisee spirit of the NeverTrump movement, (probably not) but I think it’s important to refute the empty-headed use of scripture.
One NeverTrumper used these verses to justify political apathy, or, uh, something:
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. – Psalm 118:8-9
Thus says the Lord: “Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and relies on flesh for his strength, and whose heart departs from the Lord. Blessed is the man that trusts in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.” – Jeremiah 17:5-7
Jesus called them [his disciples] to him, and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and they that are great are tyrants over them. But it shall not be so with you; but whoever will be great among you, let him be your servant; and whoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.” – Matthew 20:25-28
That’s it. No commentary. Not even an admonition or a pastoral anecdote, drawing some vague line between these verses and the writer’s most recent traffic stop, wherein the writer quietly accepted the speeding ticket and concluded he had been taking too much faith in this constraining and corrupt system we have all around us, and that he wasn’t trusting God to control his traffic speed. (I know these things get very strained.)
No, it was just a “take that, Christian Trump voter. Isn’t it obvious to you that you’re making an idol out of Donald J. Trump and our corrupt political system?” The implication is that anyone who votes, anyone who doesn’t write in “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” on the ballot is placing his trust in man.
It is so tedious having to refute this, but apparently it’s necessary: we aren’t “placing our trust in man,” when we call the plumber to fix our hot water heater. We aren’t turning our backs on God when we plant corn seed in the spring. We aren’t engaging in idolatry when we study for the final exam.
And we certainly are not “placing our faith in man,” when we make a sensible political decision in a fallen world.
