No Scyophants!

I find the Old Testament account in I Kings 22 in 853 BC regarding King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat King of Judah incredibly interesting as well as tragic. To make a long story short, King Ahab wanted military assistance from the King of Judah to annex the Ramoth-gilead territory from Syria (located in northern Jordan today). Before proceeding, King Jehoshaphat, a Godlier king, first requested that King Ahab seek guidance from the Lord regarding the military exercise. King Ahab then sought counsel from over 400 of his prophets, and all 400 of them quickly gave the green light to proceed. These sycophants told King Ahab what they thought he wished to hear and hoped to ingratiate themselves with the King. Predictably, they failed on both counts. King Jehoshaphat of Judah was skeptical of the 400-prophet unanimity and asked King Ahab to seek further confirmation from the Lord. King Ahab reluctantly sought out the Prophet Miciah who warned against proceeding with the military campaign to annex Ramoth-gilead from Syria. King Ahab angrily dismissed the counsel of Micaiah and treated Micaiah with great contempt and disrespect. King Ahab then proceeded with the military campaign which ended in tragic failure, including the death of King Ahab.

Some will undoubtedly ask how a failed military campaign in 853 BC would have any relevance in today’s political climate?  Let me assure the skeptics that there is indeed relevance.  Just as in the case of King Ahab’s desire to annex the Ramoth-gilead territory, and the Trump Administration’s desire to address illegal immigration, the most persuasive counsel has been inaccurate and equally ill-advised. In both cases the motivation for the individuals providing the unwise counsel has been largely the desire to provide counsel that was likely to be well received and to enhance their own position with the leaders. The 400 “prophets” obviously had no standing with the Lord and no basis for pretending they spoke for the Lord. In the case of King Ahab, the unwise counsel resulted in a failed military campaign and King Ahab’s death in the battle. In the case of the Trump Administration, the counsel of Kristy Neom, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and Stephen Miller, the President’s Deputy Chief of Staff, has been equally disastrous as a matter of public policy and politics. Let me explain below.

The results of the 2024 Presidential election made clear that the American people roundly rejected the disastrous open border policy of the Biden Administration and voted for a change which would close the border to individuals having no legal right to enter the United States. This is not a novel concept and is close to a universal requirement with other nations. I believe it is equally fair to say that the American people do not want criminals in their communities whether they be domestic criminals or migrant criminals who have entered the country without a legal right to do so. Once again, this should not be a surprise to anyone. Does anyone remember the tragic murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley who was brutally murdered by a criminal illegal migrant?

And I would go one step further and say that most Americans do not approve certain states and local jurisdictions adopting a so called “sanctuary policy” which prevents state and local law enforcement from cooperating and assisting federal immigration enforcement officers for the purpose of arresting criminal illegal migrants. The absurdity of this sanctuary policy can be easily illustrated: An individual robs a bank in downtown Louisville, Kentucky and manages to cross the Ohio River to New Albany, Indiana and the Indiana State Police, New Albany city police, and local Sheriff all inform Kentucky law enforcement that Indiana will not cooperate and assist in any manner to apprehend and return the Kentucky bank robber! Before making light of this example, do not forget that the sanctuary policy in many blue states operates in a similar fashion with regard to criminal illegal migrants. Does anyone believe Congress should enact legislation which addresses this dangerous sanctuary policy? I have included a link to an excellent blog article published recently by my friend and former pastor, best-selling author, and retired senior pastor of Southeast Christian Church Bob Russell which discusses sanctuary policy from an authentic Biblical perspective. https://bobrussell.org/category/weekly-post/.

While there is widespread consensus among the American people for closing the border for migrants having no legal right to enter the United States and arresting and deporting criminal illegal migrants, this consensus does not extend to ICE officers roaming neighborhood streets or Home Depot parking lots in order to arrest migrants who have been in this country for decades; worked diligently in agriculture and construction; paid taxes;  provided for their families; and in many cases been active members in local churches. Moreover, this consensus on immigration rejects the chaotic enforcement actions undertaken by ICE Officers in Minneapolis recently. What was on public display in Minneapolis does great harm to the rule of law and undermines the heroic and diligent efforts undertaken by dedicated and well-trained local, state and federal law enforcement officers throughout our nation who risk their lives each day to enforce the law and keep Americans safe. These ill-advised enforcement actions by ICE officers in Minneapolis, which were directed and approved by Secretary Noem and Deputy Chief of Staff Miller, have unfortunately caused great distrust and disapproval of the Trump Administration’s Immigration policies and very likely significant political damage to Republicans in the November Mid-Term elections. Just as in the case of the 400 sycophant prophets who offered flattering and unwise counsel to King Ahab, Secretary Neom and Deputy Chief of Staff Miller have done the same thing for President Trump on immigration. Credit President Trump with bringing in new ICE enforcement leadership to Minneapolis and the recent reduction in ICE officers stationed in Minneapolis, but this is only a necessary first step. President Trump should take the next step and remove Secretary Neom and Deputy Chief of Staff Miller from their positions of leadership before their immigration enforcement misadventures cause more animus toward law enforcement in our nation and political harm to the Trump Administration.

God bless you and thank you for the privilege of your time in reading my blog.