Trump's inauguration prayer reportedly included Bible passage about building a wall
Around 8:40 a.m. this morning, before his inauguration as the 45th president of the United States, President-elect Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, arrived at St. John’s Episcopal Church in D.C. for the traditional inauguration prayer. The prayer was delivered by Pastor Robert Jeffress, a longtime Trump supporter, who is considered highly controversial in certain circles for his views on Catholicism, homosexuality and Islam.
For the prayer, Pastor Jeffress reportedly selected a passage from the Book of Nehemiah, a largely first-person memoir from the Old Testament, which focuses on the rebuilding of the walls around Jerusalem, an obvious allusion to Mr. Trump’s promise to build a wall along the southern border with Mexico.
Though the inauguration prayer was closed to the media, Time.com obtained Jeffress’ sermon, which compared Mr. Trump to Nehemiah.
“When I think of you, President-elect Trump, I am reminded of another great leader God chose thousands of years ago in Israel,” Jeffress said, according to Time. “The nation had been in bondage for decades, the infrastructure of the country was in shambles, and God raised up a powerful leader to restore the nation. And the man God chose was neither a politician nor a priest. Instead, God chose a builder whose name was Nehemiah.
“And the first step of rebuilding the nation was the building of a great wall. God instructed Nehemiah to build a wall around Jerusalem to protect its citizens from enemy attack. You see, God is NOT against building walls!”
Jeffress also pointed out that Nehemiah finished building his wall in 52 days (but he didn’t have to obtain the funding from Congress).
Nehemiah is believed by scholars to be a real historical figure, who, according to Biblicalarchaelogy.org, was a high-ranking Persian official sent to rebuild Jerusalem and its walls. At least one scholar, Lester Grabbe, describes Nehemiah in mixed terms: “A man of determination and perseverance with a clear vision of what he wanted to accomplish, he was also egotistical... narrow-minded... and had an unsurpassed ability to alienate most of those with whom he worked.”