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What Does Șᵊḏāqâ Mean For The SCOTUS & Donald Trump?

What Does Șᵊḏāqâ Mean For The SCOTUS & Donald Trump?

Last updated on: July 3, 2026 at 1:16 am by Martin Thomas Johnson

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What Does Șᵊḏāqâ Mean For The SCOTUS & Donald Trump? 2026-07-03T01:16:14-04:00 Martin Thomas Johnson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This week, the big news is about the latest ruling from the Supreme Court of the United States and how it affects birthright citizenship in America. The court’s decision was based on the Constitution and its legal standing for nearly 250 years.

Image by Wikipedia Commons

Pres. Trump and his supporters have been rallying against immigrants for the past two years, violently calling for the removal of both illegal and legal citizens, just because they don’t want them to be a part of the American dream. How can the nation celebrate its 250th anniversary yet so many conservatives not champion immigrants born here to help make it great?

The most baffling part is that so-called conservatives who believe God gives all life and only He can take it (Deuteronomy 32:39, Job 1:21, Acts 17:25-28). As God’s people, we cannot pick and choose the parts of the Bible or teachings of the faith we want to accept or reject, because we obey God’s perfect Word (Psalm 19:7-11, James 1:22-25):

Infallible
Just
Absolute truth

To the surprise of no one, Pres. Trump threw another temper tantrum over the court’s legal and constitutional decision. He then called on Congress to introduce legislation to end it. The president clearly hates who God calls His people to care for (Exodus 22:21, Deuteronomy 10:18:19, Hebrews 13:2).

The president’s Messiah complex has led him to believe he has absolute power to do what is best. The president’s beliefs about immigrants hurting America aren’t limited to illegal immigrants; now he is going after legal American citizens who have immigrated here, just like our ancestors did when this country was founded.

The president has abused his power and gotten justice backwards by using it for revenge and pursuing his selfish wants instead of following God’s righteous ways (Isaiah 51:1).

What Is Righteous

The problem is the president and his followers don’t understand we are all broken sinners and none of us are righteous by our own merit (Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:10-12). We are all flawed human beings regardless of nationality or political affiliation, who need God’s righteousness to save us (Titus 3:5).

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Righteous is defined as “Acting in accordance with divine or moral law: free from guilt or sin: Justice.” When we depend on our works, greatness, or knowledge, we are self-righteous, and that is not of God (Proverbs 30:12, Matthew 23:27-28, Ephesians 2:8-9).

It should be humbling to us all to know only God is just, good, and righteous (Psalm 145:17, Romans 3:10-12). That is why the Bible has a lot to say about being righteous and where our righteousness comes from (Ecclesiastes 7:20, Matthew 5:6, James 1:19).

It is prideful to think we can be good enough to go to heaven or that we are somehow better than others because of our nationality or political affiliation (Romans 14:10, Philippians 2:4; 4:8, Colossians 3:13).

The Bible is clear that we all need grace to go to heaven or to be saved (Romans 3:23-24; 5:1-2, 2 Timothy 1:9). No one is righteous because of our sinful nature ( Romans 3:9; 7:18, Ephesians 2:3, 1 John 1:8-10). The apostles remembered their Jewish education about being righteous and where righteousness comes from.

Șᵊḏāqâ

The Torah tells us God created everything in the beginning, and it was good (Genesis 1:1-31). At least until mankind wanted more and sinned against God (Genesis 3:1-31). The creation and mankind became corrupt and sinful (Genesis 6:5-7).

The prophet Moses tells us how God killed an animal and clothed mankind out of His divine grace (Genesis 3:21). A righteous God showed mercy and love to His sinful creation time and again (Genesis 6:5-8, Exodus 32:11-14).

The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for righteous is ṣᵊḏāqâ, and it can also mean “Righteousness, justice, righteous acts, or righteously,” depending on the context it is used.

Even God’s people failed to live by God’s righteous standards, so He gave them grace and bestowed His righteousness on them (Deuteronomy 7:6-8, 2 Samuel 7:25-29, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Psalm 106:1, Isaiah 46:13).

Because of this, the prophet Jeremiah gave God the name Jehovah Tsidkenu (the Lord is our righteousness) (Jeremiah 23:6). Still, today it emphasizes doing good works to be righteous in God’s eyes (Leviticus 19:18, Deuteronomy 6:5; 15: 11; 16:20):

Tzedakah (Righteous Giving)
Gemilut Chasadim (Acts of Loving Kindness)
Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World)
Hachnasat Orchim (Welcoming Guests)

The New Testament writers unanimously agree Jesus became our righteousness before God because He is the perfect sacrifice for all of our sins (Romans 5:17-19, 1 Corinthians 1:30, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:22, Hebrews 10:10-12, 1 Peter 2:24).

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Even Jesus taught His followers that no one was good except for God (Mark 10:18). Our Lord didn’t consider Himself equal to God, but humbled Himself to teach us how to live (Philippians 2:5-8).

He declared Himself the only way back to God (John 14:6). Jesus even rebuked the religious leaders for being self-righteous and seeking earthly greatness (Matthew 23:27-28).

Donald Trump

In other big news this week, there have been shocking revelations about how much President Donald Trump’s wealth has increased in the first year of his second term. The president has openly exploited the White House to benefit his family’s financial interests.

Image by Wikipedia Commons

There have been many ethical and legal concerns about how Donald Trump is wielding his power. The president has bragged about how he is getting richer while the nation is experiencing high inflation, gas prices, and utilities during the holiday weekend.

This week, the president also showed off his new Air Force One, which he plans to take with him once he leaves office, despite our consultation forbidding presidents from accepting foreign gifts.

Legal scholars are already sounding the alarm about the president’s right to the new plane once his term comes to an end. Either way, the president and his supporters have put their hope into temporary things instead of what really matters to God (Matthew 6:19-21):

Loving thy neighbor
Caring for foreigners
Putting others first
Compassion

Our Lord warned us about gaining the whole world, but forfeiting our souls for temporary greatness and pleasure (Mark 8:36-37). This is the foolishness of putting our hope into idols to save us (Psalm 115:4-8, Acts 17:29).

It should be clear that President Trump isn’t concerned about the things God cares about or being ethical, as long as he is happy. As God’s people, we are called to holiness, not happiness, just like the Host of Heaven (Leviticus 19:2, 1 Peter 1:15-16). That is why we can only trust Jehovah Tsidkenu!

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