"Trump and Rehoboam: A Tale of Division, Power, and the People's Cry
"Trump and Rehoboam: A Tale of Division, Power, and the People's Cry"
The comparison between President Donald Trump and King Rehoboam (son of Solomon, first king of the divided Kingdom of Judah) is a fascinating one, especially when viewed through a biblical, political, and cultural lens. Here's an elaboration of that comparison, drawing parallels and distinctions:
1. Inheritance of Power and Legacy
Rehoboam inherited the throne from his father, King Solomon, who had built a vast and prosperous kingdom. However, Solomon’s later years were marked by heavy taxation, idolatry, and moral compromise, which left a fractured and discontented populace.
Trump inherited a political climate marked by dissatisfaction with the political establishment. Though he wasn’t the direct successor to any one political figure, he stepped into a moment ripe for upheaval—where the legacy of globalization, political corruption, and economic disparity created fertile ground for populism.
🔹 Parallel: Both stepped into leadership at a time when the nation (or people) were burdened and divided, with high expectations for relief and change.
2. Rejection of Wise Counsel
Rehoboam famously rejected the advice of the elders who had counseled his father Solomon. Instead, he followed the harsh advice of his younger peers, saying:
“My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke.”
This decision caused the northern tribes to rebel, splitting the kingdom.Trump, too, was known for rejecting the counsel of traditional political advisors and instead surrounding himself with loyalists, family, or unconventional figures. His combative style and refusal to moderate his tone or policies often deepened divisions.
🔹 Parallel: Both leaders leaned into pride and power instead of wisdom and unity, leading to deeper national fractures.
3. Division of a Nation
Rehoboam's stubbornness directly led to the split of Israel into two kingdoms—Judah and Israel—ending the united monarchy.
Trump's presidency was one of the most polarizing in modern American history, with cultural, political, and ideological schisms deepening. While he didn’t split the nation geographically, many would argue he presided over the moral and spiritual fragmentation of American identity.
🔹 Parallel: Both are associated with presiding over the division of a once-unified people.
4. The Voice of the People vs. the Mandate of HeavenTV
Rehoboam lost the support of the people because he ignored their pleas for justice and mercy.
Trump’s rise and continued influence are rooted in a populist movement—yet critics argue that his leadership style often seemed more about domination and ego than true public service, mirroring the way Rehoboam put self above people.
🔹 Contrast: Rehoboam was born into divine right and lost favor; Trump, in contrast, rose through populism, yet arguably lost trust with many due to authoritarian tendencies.
5. Judgment and Consequences
Rehoboam’s decisions led to long-term instability and vulnerability to foreign powers.
Trump's administration also saw strained international relations, civil unrest, and an erosion of trust in key institutions. The consequences—social, political, and even spiritual—are still unfolding.
🔹 Parallel: Both left behind turbulent legacies and nations that struggled to recover from the division under their rule.
6. Spiritual Symbolism
In a more symbolic or prophetic lens, Rehoboam represents a test of leadership, where the failure to heed wisdom and serve humbly led to judgment.
Some biblical thinkers might argue Trump, like Rehoboam, was used as a "winnowing fork", a figure who exposes the hearts of people—dividing wheat from chaff, loyalists from traitors, and testing the spiritual health of a nation.
Summary Comparison Table
"Trump and Rehoboam: A Tale of Division, Power, and the People's Cry"
Opening Scripture:
"Now the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the ELOHIM…"
—1 Kings 12:15
Introduction: The Echoes of Ancient Thrones
History doesn’t repeat, but it often rhymes. In the unfolding drama of American politics, President Donald J. Trump has emerged as one of the most controversial and influential figures of the 21st century. But what if his rise—and his reign—can be understood not merely in political terms, but through a biblical lens?
The story of King Rehoboam, son of Solomon, offers a striking parallel. Both leaders stepped into the seat of power with massive expectations and inherited a divided, disillusioned people. Yet their decisions, pride, and posture toward counsel shaped the future of their nations—for better or worse.
1. The Inheritance of Greatness
Rehoboam stood in the shadow of Solomon’s empire. Likewise, Trump entered office with a cultural legacy built on his business empire and media presence. Both men were heirs of immense wealth, national identity, and public expectation. But what they did with that inheritance would determine the fate of their kingdoms.
Devotional Thought: Leadership is not proven by what you inherit—but how you steward what others built.
2. The Choice of Counsel
In 1 Kings 12, Rehoboam faces his first leadership crisis: the people plead for lighter burdens. The elders advise gentleness and wisdom. His young peers, however, appeal to ego and power. Rehoboam listens to the latter, sealing his kingdom’s fracture.
Trump, too, often dismissed traditional advisors and surrounded himself with loyalists—those who echoed his tone rather than tempered it. In both cases, we see the danger of rejecting wise counsel for the praise of peers.
Devotional Question: Who are you listening to? Do they speak from pride or wisdom?
3. The Kingdom Divided
Rehoboam’s harsh response triggers revolt. The kingdom splits—ten tribes rebel and form the northern kingdom of Israel.
While Trump didn’t divide a literal kingdom, his presidency presided over one of the most spiritually and ideologically fractured times in American history. The culture war, racial unrest, media distrust, and political extremism reached fever pitch.
Reflection: When leaders harden their hearts, nations split—not just politically, but spiritually.
4. A Divine Set-Up?
The Scriptures say YAHUAH orchestrated Rehoboam’s fall to fulfill a greater purpose: the rise of Jeroboam and the judgment of Solomon’s idolatry.
Could it be that Trump's presidency—divisive, disruptive, and dramatic—was also a divine disruption? Was YAHUAH using a flawed vessel to shake the idols of nationalism, comfort, and religious hypocrisy?
Devotional Thought: YAHUAH can use flawed leaders to expose the hearts of nations.
5. The Warning and the Hope
Rehoboam serves as a warning: pride, harshness, and rejection of wisdom lead to national instability. Trump’s legacy may serve the same role. But the story doesn’t end in judgment alone.
Throughout Scripture, division becomes the womb of renewal. Judah, though smaller, would preserve the line of David. America, though broken, may yet birth revival—if her people return to humility, justice, and truth.
Final Prayer:
ELOHIM, give us leaders who listen, not to flatterers but to wisdom. And make us, the people, a voice for truth, repentance, and righteous reconciliation.
Here are several key Scriptures where Elohim (YAHUAH) is shown to set up kings, rulers, or nations as instruments of judgment or punishment—often to humble or discipline His people or the nations at large:
🔥 1. Daniel 2:21 (KJV)
“And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.”
This verse establishes YAHUAH’s sovereignty over all rulers—He puts them in power according to His divine will, often for purposes beyond human understanding.
⚖️ 2. Jeremiah 27:6 (KJV)
“And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.”
YAHUAH calls Nebuchadnezzar, a pagan king, “my servant”—because He used him to punish Judah for idolatry and rebellion.
🛡️ 3. Isaiah 10:5–6 (KJV)
“O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation…”
Assyria is described as the rod of YAHUAH’s anger, used to discipline Israel for hypocrisy and sin.
🔥 4. Habakkuk 1:6 (KJV)
“For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs.”
YAHUAH is actively raising up a ruthless empire (Babylon) to execute judgment on His people.
⚔️ 5. Romans 13:1 (KJV)
“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of YAHUAH: the powers that be are ordained of YAHUAH.”
This New Testament passage confirms that every authority, even unjust rulers, are permitted or ordained by YAHUAH—sometimes as a test, judgment, or means of sanctification.
📜 6. 1 Kings 12:15 (KJV) – Rehoboam’s Folly
“Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the Lord, that he might perform his saying…”
Rehoboam’s disastrous decision to ignore wise counsel and divide the kingdom was engineered by YAHUAH, to fulfill prophetic judgment on Solomon’s unfaithfulness.
⚠️ 7. Deuteronomy 28:49–50 (KJV)
“The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far… a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; A nation of fierce countenance…”
As part of the curses for covenant disobedience, YAHUAH promises to raise up foreign powers to oppress Israel.
🕊️ Summary Devotional Thought:
YAHUAH is not only the YAHUAH of peace—He is the YAHUAH of judgment. When nations rebel, when truth is forsaken, when idols are enthroned—YAHUAH raises up rulers to correct, expose, and purify. Whether it was Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Assyria, or even figures in modern history, YAHUAH’s sovereignty means no king reigns without divine permission—even if for divine punishment.
KELVIN L. STUBBLEFIELD IS A GRADUATE OF Middle Tennessee State University IN 1983.
HE IS THE AUTHOR OF “AMERICAN REPROBATE: GOD'S CURSE AND RESTORATION OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN”. THAT WAS PUBLISHED IN 2012.
HE AND HIS WIFE SANDRIA, CO-FOUNDED “BIGSTUB CREATIONS” IN 2018. We are a vehicle for creativity! Our mission is to encourage individuals to utilize their artistic expression through the performing arts.
He has recently published his second book in November 2023.
STAYING HUMAN: EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD, MAN AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE”.
Biblical, Spiritual, and Social Analysis and Solutions to Black Americans and Mainstream AMERICAN Dysgenics, Narcissistic Self Indulgence, and the Current Politics of Self Annihilation. Amidst the dawning of Artificial General intelligence and Trans-Humanity.
YOU CAN PURCHASE HIS PUBLICATIONS OR LEARN ABOUT OUR NEXT PROJECT; YOU CAN VISIT THE FOLLOWING WEBSITES.
https://www.klstubblefield.com/
https://www.bigstubcreations.com/
https://loveintheblack.blogspot.com/
https://lovingmyhumans.blogspot.com
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