Bad Bible Usage From the White House

In this post straight from the White House blog, we learn concerning Obama that "Today the President made it his central purpose of to explain the vision that has served as the foundation for every major initiative on the economy thus far" [evidently the teleprompter doesn't double as a grammar checker].

The president made a lengthy speech today regarding economic policy. Below is an excerpt from near the end of it:

For even as too many were out there chasing ever-bigger bonuses and short-term profits over the last decade, we continued to neglect the long-term threats to our prosperity: the crushing burden that the rising cost of health care is placing on families and businesses; the failure of our education system to prepare our workers for a new age; the progress that other nations are making on clean energy industries and technologies while we -- we remain addicted to foreign oil; the growing debt that we're passing on to our children. Even after we emerge from the current recession, these challenges will still represent major obstacles that stand in the way of our success in the 21st century. So we've got a lot of work to do.

Now, there's a parable at the end of the Sermon on the Mount that tells the story of two men. The first built his house on a pile of sand, and it was soon destroyed when a storm hit. But the second is known as the wise man, for when "the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock."

It was founded upon a rock. We cannot rebuild this economy on the same pile of sand. We must build our house upon a rock. We must lay a new foundation for growth and prosperity -- a foundation that will move us from an era of borrow and spend to one where we save and invest; where we consume less at home and send more exports abroad.

It's a foundation built upon five pillars that will grow our economy and make this new century another American century: Number one, new rules for Wall Street that will reward drive and innovation, not reckless risk-taking -- (applause); number two, new investments in education that will make our workforce more skilled and competitive -- (applause); number three, new investments in renewable energy and technology that will create new jobs and new industries -- (applause); number four, new investments in health care that will cut costs for families and businesses; and number five, new savings in our federal budget that will bring down the debt for future generations. (Applause.)

That's the new foundation we must build. That's our house built upon a rock. That must be our future -- and my administration's policies are designed to achieve that future.

I included the first of those paragraphs to give you a taste of the Statist philosophy that our president holds, and for context. Here is the relevant Scripture from Matthew 7:24-27 (KJV):

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

In Obama's "parable," the wise man is the one who heeds his administration—who buys into the philosophy that the government exists to meet your needs, and that your future depends on his wisdom. The house of sand he refers to evidently is some reference to the free market economy which was once more prevalent in our land.

In the Bible's story, the wise man is the one who hears and does Christ's sayings (vs. 24).

Notice the contrast?

Thoughts on 1 Samuel 25:32-33

32 ¶ And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:
33 And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.

These words were spoken after Nabal, Abigail's husband, refused to give David and his men any provisions; after David and his men set off to kill Nabal and his household, Abigail defuses the situation by bringing supplies. For this, David gives these blessings.

There are three: First, of course, he blesses the "Lord God of Israel." It is appropriate that He comes first.

The third blessing is reserved for the woman who kept him from shedding the blood of Nabal's household.

But the second blessing is upon her "advice." This struck me as being a bit odd, as blessings are usually given to people or to God. I also looked up the word "blessed" in two Hebrew lexicons and discovered that it also has the idea of kneeling in some contexts (Abigail had bowed to the ground when she came into David's presence—and he is saying this to her). The word "advice" has several meanings, including "judgment," "understanding," and "reason."

Putting it all together, David humbly blesses her decision. Wisdom is worthy of blessing, and it is worthwhile to bless it, to pray for its multiplication, and to share it with others.