Thank you to Bud for addressing this thorny question with great courage and scholarship. Time does not allow me to add pictures in the text, but I trust you will enjoy the wise counsel contained here without extra embellishment.

Gibber! Gibber!

Chugley

Trump: Cyrus the Great, or King Saul?

By Bud Hancock

Cyrus the Great

I have seen numerous references recently comparing President Donald Trump to the Persian emperor, Cyrus II, also known as Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Empire in 550 BCE; he ruled it until his death in 530 BCE. He brought that dynasty to power when his forces defeated the Median Empire in the mid-sixth century BCE. Eventually, his forces conquered many other nations and made the Persian Empire the largest in history up to that time.

Historically, Cyrus the Great was known to be very tolerant of the religious beliefs of the many peoples he conquered; of important Biblical note is that God Almighty chose Cyrus to facilitate the return of the Jewish people to their ancestral homeland after they had spent 70 years in captivity in Babylon. God used Cyrus as His vessel to allow His chosen people to return to Israel and rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple of God. It is obvious that God favored Cyrus as His servant for his obedience in blessing the Jewish people.

He is revered in Israel for his role in defeating the Babylonian Empire and allowing for the return of the Jewish people to Israel to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. His actions on behalf of the Jewish people are recorded in the 2Chronicles 36:22-23:

“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, ‘Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The Lord his God be with him, and let him go up’”.

While there may be some valid comparisons between Trump and Cyrus, has anyone considered whether they are Biblically accurate? Is Trump truly a “new Cyrus” being used by God to bless His people? The Trump-Cyrus comparisons have gotten much media attention, but how accurate might those comparisons actually be? A coin was recently minted in Israel with the likeness of Trump side by side with what is thought to be a likeness of King Cyrus. But is it possible that Trump more closely resembles the first Jewish king in Israel, King Saul?

King Saul

For a refresher, read the account of the Prophet Samuel anointing Saul to be the first King of the Jews. The Jewish people, desiring to be like other nations, demanded that God appoint a king over them (1 Samuel 8:4-5); however, they erred greatly, not acknowledging that they already had a king: the Lord God. God instructed Samuel to relate to all the people of Israel the manner of man who would be king over them (1 Samuel 8:11-18). His words painted a picture of a man who was more of a tyrant than a servant, a man for whom the wealth and power of a kingdom mattered more than the people.

Keep in mind that God knows all things; His wisdom and knowledge are unlimited and He knows the end from the beginning. Based on this, God most assuredly knew that placing a human king over His people would end badly, but God acceded to their demands. God had told Samuel that He would send to him a man, a Benjaminite, and that Samuel should anoint him to be the king of Israel. That man was Saul, the son of Kish, a goodly man of significant power and influence. His son also was a goodly man who stood head and shoulders over every other person in Israel, so he must have presented a towering figure among the people, one who might “look like a king”. But having great physical size and strength is no indication of the true character of a man, just as having great wealth is no indication of a person’s true worth.

Saul was somewhat successful for some time in his role as king, but his true character was to be tested later when there was war between Israel and the Amalekites (remember them?), the same people who attacked israel from behind as they were leaving Egypt after God secured their freedom. God, through the prophet Samuel,

“Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass” (1 Samuel 15:1-3).

God NEVER forgets when the nations try to destroy His people, Israel. In His own time, He will take His vengeance on all the enemies of Israel. His words to Saul were a direct command to utterly destroy the Amalekites and ALL their possessions. However, as was revealed to the people when Samuel anointed Saul king over Israel, he was bound to be a disappointment, and his actions during the war against Amalek displayed it. Israel’s warriors were very successful, and the forces of Amalek were soundly defeated, but Saul, instead of completing the work God ordered, the destruction of every Amalekite, violated God’s orders and allowed Agag, the Amalekite king, to live. Furthermore, Saul allowed the Israelites to keep “the best of the animals to sacrifice unto the Lord”……yeah, right.

Samuel was told by God exactly what had transpired and His anger was kindled against Saul. Samuel went to Saul to demand an explanation for his rebellion and evil. Of course, Saul tried to cover his failure with excuses, but God is NOT fooled by man’s excuses. Saul was told that day that, because of his failure and rebellion, the kingdom was rent from him and given it to a neighbor of his, a man who was better than Saul (1 Samuel 15:28). Of course, the man that Samuel was referring to is none other than David, son of Jesse, who, according to God, was a man “after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).

When Saul tried to impress God with his words about keeping the best of the Amalekite animals “to sacrifice to the Lord”, they failed to impress either God or Samuel:

“And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord. And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for “the people” (really?) spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel? And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord? And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and *stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king” (1 Samuel 15:13-23)

*The word used in verse 23, “stubbornness” is very interesting, especially when considering any comparisons between Donald Trump and King Saul. Per the Cambridge Dictionary, stubbornness is defined as “the quality of being determined to do what you want and refusing to do anything else. In some places, the word stubbornness is used interchangeably with “self-will”.

I tend to believe that Saul’s lack of real moral character, especially his strong self-will, is what caused him to fail God by disobeying Him. Indeed, when confronted by Samuel regarding the Amalekite animals, Saul blamed “the people” for saving them alive (vs 21), and thus convinced himself that he was entitled to keep the forbidden animals, in direct contradiction to God’s command; his foolishness (perhaps greed?) caused God to take the kingdom from Saul (1 Samuel 15:26).

Now, knowing the character of Cyrus, how he obeyed God and made it possible for the Jews to return to their land to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, and the character of David, how that he always endeavored to follow God’s will, and knowing the utter failure of Saul, who in his foolishness blatantly disobeyed God, what can be said about the comparisons between Cyrus, Saul and Donald Trump?

I urge everyone reading this to remember how important it is to follow God’s commands to the nations regarding the treatment of all Christians and gentiles alike, toward the Jews. God makes no distinction between persons when He examines their character. Whether a Christian, a devout follower of Jesus Christ, or a total heathen, all are commanded to treat the Jews with respect, and the wealth of any, Christian or gentile, makes no difference to God, and most certainly does not impress Him.

POTUS Donald Trump was given a huge responsibility when he was elected in November 2024.As the Chief Executive of the United States, that responsibility included looking after the wellbeing of every American citizen, determining policy, both domestic and foreign, that would accomplish that goal. As far as domestic policy, he has done some good things to get the American economy on the right track, just as he promised to do in his “Make America Great Again” campaign speeches. However, his actions in the Middle East, specifically in Gaza where a brutal war raged after the Hamas terrorists attacked, in the same cowardly fashion as did Amalek, the innocent Jews living near Gaza. While most of the Gentile world simply waited to see who would win that war, POTUS Trump took it upon himself to get involved, primarily as a “peacemaker”. Whether that involvement was his attempt to achieve the acclaim of the world by bringing true peace between Israel and the Amalekites…..oops, I mean the Palestinians (is there truly a difference?), being hopeful of receiving that much vaunted, but utterly meaningless, Nobel Peace Prize, or was it a true desire to help the “poor Palestinians”, you be the judge. As Cyrus was obedient to ther urging of God to help the Jewish people return to their God-given land, allowing for the rebuilding of the Temple, Trump’s role as the leader of the free world positions him to also be a great help to the Jewish people. No one knows what, if anything, God has said to Trump in regard to that opportunity to aid the Jews. Whatever was said, if anything, the most important thing is for Trump to be obedient to God’s command, or at least to step up and show the world that he is still a great friend to the nation of israel, and allow Netanyahu and the IDF to finish the job that King Saul started and failed to finish The friendship between Trump/the US and Israel demands that he do what God wants done in that respect. Trump is on the brink of making the most critical decision of his life, and thus, we are on the brink of learning whether Trump’s actions are a benefit to Israel, as were those of Cyrus the Great, or merely a covert means of leaving Hamas in control of Gaza in direct contradiction to God’s commands.

With Trump suffering from what I call the “God Complex”, he may consider himself to be the king of Israel, what with his very public statements about allowing, or NOT allowing, the leader of a sovereign nation to make decisions on that nation’s behalf, especially when those decisions can spell life or death for a multitude of Jews.. However, we all know that Trump is NOT a king over any nation, especially Israel. However, even if he were, would he be better compared to Cyrus the Great, or to the sadly failed King Saul. Only time will tell and we seem to be getting very close to that time.

Let us pray that Trump will educate himself on the truth of the eternal hatred that has fueled what is likely the longest running family feud in the history of the world. His actions in this critical time may well be the difference in his own life as well as the life of millions, perhaps hundreds of millions of people in the world.

Blessings and Maranatha!

Bud Hancock

Trump: Cyrus the Great, or King Saul?

By Bud Hancock

Born and raised in a small textile town in North Carolina, Bud’s family moved to Michigan in the hope of finding better employment with General Motors.  After graduating from high school, Bud began an apprenticeship with General Motors to become a Metal Modelmaker.  Retiring after a 30 year career, which included an eight year stint as a Metrologist (Science of high precision measurement), he and his wife moved back to North Carolina to be near his elderly parents.  Shortly thereafter, with both of his parents having passed, he began a new career in the bank security/ATM business, advancing from an entry level technician to one of two North Carolina customer service managers for his employer.  Retiring again after 13 years, he and his wife of 51 years relocated to Tennessee where Bud began writing articles emphasizing Biblical teaching and geopolitical issues.  At age 75, he and his wife relocated to South Carolina with their Miniature Schnauzer, Baxter.  Bud continues to study God’s word and write articles on Christian living and geopolitical issues from the Biblical end times  perspective.