Israeli and American Exceptionalism in Times of Crisis

I went to Mass this evening and the Reading from the Old Testament was First Samuel 8:4-7, 10-22. Now, bear with me. I'm not going to preach at you - this is a political story. So, let's start with the reading from the First Book of Samuel : "All the elders of Israel came in a body to Samuel at Ramahand said to him, 'Now that you are old, and your sons do not follow your example,appoint a king over us, as other nations have, to judge us.' Samuel was displeased when they asked for a king to judge them. He prayed to the LORD, however, who said in answer: 'Grant the people’s every request. It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king.' Samuel delivered the message of the LORD in full to those who were asking him for a king. He told them: 'The rights of the king who will rule you will be as follows: He will take your sons and assign them to his chariots and horses, and they will run before his chariot. He will also appoint from among them his commanders of groups of a thousand and of a hundred soldiers. He will set them to do his plowing and his harvesting, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will use your daughters as ointment makers, as cooks, and as bakers.He will take the best of your fields, vineyards, and olive groves,and give them to his officials. He will tithe your crops and your vineyards, and give the revenue to his eunuchs and his slaves. He will take your male and female servants, as well as your best oxen and your asses, and use them to do his work. He will tithe your flocks and you yourselves will become his slaves. When this takes place, you will complain against the king whom you have chosen,but on that day the LORD will not answer you.' The people, however, refused to listen to Samuel’s warning and said, 'Not so! There must be a king over us. We too must be like other nations, with a king to rule us and to lead us in warfare and fight our battles.' When Samuel had listened to all the people had to say, he repeated it to the LORD, who then said to him, 'Grant their request and appoint a king to rule them.' " ~~~~~ The background to this episode is that the Israelis believed that they were the people chosen by God and that they had received His laws so that they could be the example on Earth of His way for humanity. So, in asking Samuel for a king, the Israelis were rejecting the special reason for existence God had given them. ~~~~~ Now, let's shift to the 1770s in the American Colonies. The Americans were sure of their exceptionalism long before de Tocqueville coined the phrase. William Winthrop, a Puritan preacher and political leader, gave voice to the idea that America was "the city on the hill," a phrase held dear by Ronald Reagan and neoconsetvatives. But, in planning to break away from England and her king, the Founders often wrote of America's republicanism based on Christian religious principles but not bound to any one church or sect. Thomas Jefferson called America the world's great " Empire of Liberty" - that is the model for democracy and republicanism. He identified his nation as a beacon to the world, for, he said on departing the presidency in 1809, America was : "Trusted with the destinies of this solitary republic of the world, the only monument of human rights, and the sole depository of the sacred fire of freedom and self-government, from hence it is to be lighted up in other regions of the earth, if other regions of the earth shall ever become susceptible of its benign influence." And in drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776, Jefferson did what Samuel had done thousands of years earlier. He listed the evils inherent in monarchy in a long passage that gets little attention today : "[The King] has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people....He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers. He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone,...He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power. He has combined with others [for the purpose of] cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world...imposing Taxes on us without our Consent...depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury...taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments....He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny." ~~~~~ Dear readers, in a political sense, the Israeli people who opposed Samuel and Americans could be considered the first and the latest manifestations of the idea that sometimes a people are selected by God to be an example of how human society should be organized and on what principles. The Israelis failed in the time of Samuel, rejecting the notion that they were "different" and were meant to serve as a guide for others. America, which for two hundred years has served as a guide, may be feeling the same rebellion against destiny as the Israelis did -- "we too must be like other nations" -- that is, we are tired of our burden and want a "nanny state" government to take care of us, for once. But, as the Israelis learned, so America must learn the lesson that there is no escape from an exceptional destiny. It is the reason for existing. Asking for a ticket out of exceptionalism is impossible unless the very term "American" is to be erased, along with the history and Declaration of Independence and Constitution that define what an American is. Think about this, America, the next time you want to leave Syria to al-Assad or say you want to opt out of Iraq or Afghanistan or decide to vote for someone whose siren song is "pull up the ladder so we can isolate ourselves from our destiny while I decide what's best for you." That candidate wants to be your King. Thomas Jefferson gave America life for another, special, reason. Don't squander the gift.