Controversial Leaders
When nations reach moral tipping points, God often raises up the most controversial leaders to execute His judgment. The question isn’t whether they deserve our approval—but whether we can recognize His sovereignty in the most imperfect vessels
When God Chooses the Controversial
“Then Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her” (Judges 16:1).
The scripture records this moment with stark simplicity—no embellishment, no commentary, just the raw truth of a man called by God making choices that would seem to disqualify him from divine service. Here was Israel’s judge, the one set apart as a Nazirite from his mother’s womb, the vessel chosen to “begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” (Judges 13:5), deliberately entering the house of a prostitute in enemy territory. The biblical account offers no justification for his actions, no divine approval of his choices—yet neither does it record God abandoning His chosen instrument.
Divine Sovereignty in Imperfect Vessels
Samson, the biblical judge, stands as a powerful testament to God’s ability to utilize imperfect vessels to achieve His divine purposes. In examining the presidency of Donald J. Trump—spanning both his first term and his unprecedented return to power—similar patterns appear to emerge that may reflect the same divine sovereignty at work. This is not an endorsement of either man’s character, but rather an exploration of Scripture’s consistent teaching: “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1). Both men emerged as controversial figures in times of moral decline, wielding decisive power to disrupt established orders and execute swift judgment upon systems their supporters viewed as corrupt. By examining their leadership patterns alongside Scripture’s teaching about God’s sovereign appointment of rulers, we can discern what may be a divine pattern that transcends human expectations and conventional wisdom.
The Divine Appointment of Unlikely Leaders
Scripture leaves no ambiguity about who places leaders in positions of authority. “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God” (Romans 13:1). The prophet Daniel reinforced this truth: “He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others” (Daniel 2:21). This divine prerogative extends beyond personal righteousness to encompass God’s sovereign purposes, as He declares through Isaiah: “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose” (Isaiah 46:10).
The pattern is unmistakable throughout Scripture. God explicitly called the pagan king Nebuchadnezzar “my servant” (Jeremiah 25:9) when using him to bring judgment upon Judah. He anointed the Persian king Cyrus as His “messiah” or “anointed one” (Isaiah 45:1), commissioning this foreign ruler to rebuild Jerusalem. Most significantly, Daniel reminded another pagan ruler that “the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will” (Daniel 4:17)—often choosing the most unlikely vessels for His purposes.
Samson: The Judge Who Broke Every Rule
Samson’s calling as judge came during Israel’s darkest period of Philistine oppression. “Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them” (Judges 2:16). Yet this particular judge defied every expectation. His exploits were fueled by personal vendettas, his relationships scandalous, his methods unconventional. When he chose a Philistine wife, “His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion against the Philistines; for at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel” (Judges 14:4).
Samson’s strength was not his own but God’s gift, wielded often with reckless abandon. His tumultuous relationships, particularly with Delilah, led to betrayal, capture, and humiliation. Blinded and bound, forced to grind grain like an animal, he seemed utterly defeated. Yet God was not finished with His flawed instrument. In his final act, Samson brought down the temple of Dagon, “So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life” (Judges 16:30). His greatest victory came through apparent defeat—a pattern that would echo through millennia.
Trump: The Appointed Judge of America’s Decline?
Like ancient Israel under Philistine oppression, America in recent decades has experienced what many perceive as moral decline and institutional dysfunction. Into this context, Donald Trump emerged—not from the political establishment, but from the world of business and entertainment. His path to power defied conventional wisdom, his methods unconventional, his rhetoric often inflammatory. Yet his rise fits the biblical pattern perfectly: “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27).
Trump’s first presidency demonstrated many judge-like characteristics: swift executive action, disruption of established systems, and decisive confrontation with perceived institutional corruption. His appointment of conservative judges reshaped the Supreme Court’s ideological composition. His policies challenged international agreements and domestic establishments that his supporters viewed as antithetical to traditional American values.
His second presidency, beginning in 2025, appears to have intensified these judicial characteristics. Reports indicate Trump signed numerous executive orders in his first days back in office, demonstrating the type of decisive action that Scripture associates with divine judgment. “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11). Like the judges of old, his reported actions have been swift, comprehensive, and disruptive to existing power structures.
A Pattern of Systematic Opposition
The parallels between Samson and Trump may extend beyond their controversial leadership to include the systematic opposition they faced from entrenched power structures. The Philistines, having dominated Israel for decades, represented more than military occupation—they embodied a sophisticated system of cultural, economic, and religious control that had become Israel’s accepted reality. When Samson emerged as a disruptive force, their response was not merely defensive but systematically predatory, seeking to neutralize this threat to their established order.
The Philistine strategy against Samson was multifaceted: they sought to exploit his weaknesses, manipulate his relationships, and ultimately corrupt those closest to him. When they could not defeat him through direct confrontation, they resorted to more subtle methods of undermining his effectiveness.
Similarly, Trump faced what numerous observers characterized as unprecedented institutional opposition from multiple interconnected systems: political, media, academic, and bureaucratic institutions. This opposition appeared to go beyond normal policy disagreements to encompass what some viewed as systematic efforts at political neutralization. The pattern suggests a coordinated response from established powers threatened by disruptive leadership—though the full extent of such coordination continues to be investigated and debated.
Institutional Pressure and Associate Defection
Perhaps one of the most significant parallels lies in how both men experienced the departure or opposition of those who had once been close allies. Delilah’s betrayal of Samson came after sustained pressure and inducements from his enemies. “And she said to him, ‘How can you say, “I love you,” when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies’” (Judges 16:15).
A similar pattern appears to have emerged in Trump’s experience, though the complete mechanisms remain to be fully documented. Multiple former administration officials, campaign associates, and personal attorneys eventually provided testimony or cooperation in various investigations. While the specific circumstances and timing of these decisions vary, the overall pattern suggests a systematic application of legal and political pressure that may have influenced these choices.
The question of whether such cooperation resulted from legitimate legal processes or constituted something more resembling the corruption of Samson’s inner circle remains a matter of ongoing investigation and legal proceedings. What can be observed is that the sustained legal pressure appeared designed not merely to investigate specific crimes, but to isolate Trump from his support network and sources of information.
Relentless Legal and Political Warfare
The institutional response to both Samson and Trump was characterized by persistent, multi-faceted campaigns that went beyond conventional opposition. The Philistines’ approach was marked by adaptation and escalation—when direct confrontation failed, they employed increasingly sophisticated methods to neutralize his disruptive influence.
This pattern finds potential parallels in the sustained legal and political campaigns directed against Trump. Multiple investigations, impeachment proceedings, civil lawsuits, and criminal indictments created what some observers characterized as systematic legal warfare. The timing, coordination, and scope of these actions raised questions about whether they represented normal legal processes or something approaching the kind of coordinated institutional response that the Philistines mounted against Samson.
The relentlessness of both campaigns may reflect something deeper than mere political opposition. “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us’” (Psalm 2:2-3). When God raises up disruptive leaders to challenge corrupt systems, the response often transcends normal political competition.
The Humiliation Strategy
The Philistines’ ultimate strategy against Samson involved not just defeating him but publicly humiliating him to demonstrate the futility of resistance to their rule. “And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison” (Judges 16:21). This wasn’t merely punishment—it was psychological warfare designed to demoralize any who might follow Samson’s example.
Similar tactics appeared to be employed against Trump, including efforts at public humiliation through legal proceedings, media spectacles, and attempts to project weakness and defeat. Like the Philistines forcing Samson to perform degrading labor, these efforts seemed designed to strip away the image of strength and effectiveness that had made him a formidable political figure.
Yet Scripture records a crucial detail that the Philistines overlooked: “But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved” (Judges 16:22). The source of Samson’s strength was not permanently removed, merely temporarily suppressed. Similarly, the sustained attacks on Trump, rather than permanently destroying his political viability, may have inadvertently strengthened his position among supporters who viewed the opposition as validation of his threat to established systems.
The Resurgence and Vindication
The most remarkable parallel between Samson and Trump may be found in their respective recoveries from apparent defeat. After Samson’s capture and humiliation, the Philistines believed they had permanently neutralized their greatest threat. They displayed him at their religious festival as proof of their victory. “And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, ‘Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the destroyer of our country, who has killed many of us’” (Judges 16:24).
Yet the detail that sealed their doom was that “the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved” (Judges 16:22). The Philistines, in their moment of celebration, failed to recognize that the source of Samson’s strength was returning.
Trump’s unprecedented return to power after electoral defeat, criminal indictments, and sustained institutional opposition may mirror this biblical pattern of divine reversal. Like Samson’s hair growing back unnoticed by his captors, Trump’s political strength appears to have reconstituted itself despite—or perhaps because of—the sustained opposition. His reported swift return to decisive executive action demonstrates what may be the same explosive return to effectiveness that characterized Samson’s final victory.
Divine Pattern Recognition
These extensive parallels may reveal God’s consistent pattern of using unlikely leaders during times of moral crisis, while also demonstrating how entrenched systems respond to divine disruption. Both Samson and Trump were unconventional figures with controversial backgrounds who defied established norms. Both wielded their power in ways that scandalized their critics. Both emerged when their respective nations were experiencing what their supporters viewed as oppression from corrupt or foreign-influenced systems.
Most significantly, both demonstrated that God’s purposes may transcend human categories of worthiness. “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Neither man’s personal conduct necessarily earned him his position; rather, their appointments may have reflected divine sovereignty operating according to heavenly purposes rather than earthly expectations.
Strength Made Perfect in Weakness
“So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life” (Judges 16:30).
Scripture records Samson’s final paradox with unflinching honesty—a man whose greatest victory required his own destruction, whose most significant service came through apparent failure. The biblical account offers no moral commentary, no attempt to reconcile the contradiction between divine calling and human frailty.
In our own time, as we witness Trump’s return to power and his reported swift, decisive actions that may mirror the judges of old, we are confronted with the same scriptural reality. The question before us is not whether such leaders meet our standards of righteousness, but whether we can recognize God’s sovereignty even when it operates through obviously flawed vessels.
The God who declared His strength is “made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9) may continue to confound human wisdom by accomplishing His eternal purposes through the most imperfect instruments—reminding us that His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).
Editorial Note: As previously stated, this article is neither an endorsement nor a critique of Donald Trump’s character, policies, or presidency, nor is it a “Christian” validation of his political positions. Rather, this is a theological examination of God’s use of imperfect vessels throughout history to accomplish His sovereign purposes. The parallels drawn between Samson and Trump are intended to illuminate biblical patterns of divine appointment and judgment, not to justify or condemn either man’s personal conduct. Scripture itself records the flaws of its heroes without endorsement, teaching us that God’s sovereignty operates independently of human worthiness. Readers are encouraged to discern prayerfully between recognizing God’s hand in human affairs and conflating divine purpose with personal approval. Our calling is not to defend imperfect leaders, but to understand how God works through broken vessels while maintaining our commitment to biblical righteousness and truth.