There is one small but critical detail about Daniel Penny that almost everyone seems to have missed.
Penny is the Marine Corps veteran who put career criminal Jordan Neely in a chokehold on the New York subway May 1 after the latter started acting aggressively and threateningly towards other passengers.
Despite the video clearly showing Neely behaving in an aggressive manner on the train, and despite witness accounts describing Penny as a hero, the left is still calling for his head, and now he is facing criminal charges in Neely’s death.
The amount of media attention that this case is receiving both nationally and internationally would be overwhelming for most people, especially given the fact that many powerful people in both the government and media have already come to a conclusion about it.
But if one looks at Daniel Penny closely enough, there is evidence that he is tough enough to withstand this challenge.
Several photos have emerged of a shirtless Penny in a forest, and although nobody has mentioned it, there is an interesting tattoo on his chest depicting a famous scene from the Old Testament.
It is barely visible, so most people will not notice it immediately, but on closer inspection, anyone who is familiar with the Bible will recognize that it is the C.E. Brock painting of Samson overpowering a lion.
BREAKING: Daniel Penny, the man who put Jordan Neely in a chokehold on a New York subway will be charged with manslaughter according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
A few things:
1) Having watched the video I was under the impression that charges would likely be… pic.twitter.com/xZASd1LUrP
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) May 11, 2023
This is Daniel Penny … just a normal dude ..should he be exonerated from all charges ? ⚖️ … .. how do you see this situation?..#DanielPenny #SelfDefense #Thoughts pic.twitter.com/sdddVPjIss
— Distinguished Hillbilly 🏴☠️ (@Infantry_bucky) May 15, 2023
The Book of Judges describes the legendary battle between Samson, who was endowed by God with superhuman strength, and the lion. “Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.” (Judges 14: 5-6)
No doubt, this tattoo will be used by the left to try and paint Penny as some sort of evil and aggressive man who thinks he is so tough and can go around hurting people. It may even come up in his trial as evidence of his character.
But that is not at all what the tattoo, or the story of Samson, is about. Samson was not a brute who went around hurting innocent people; he was a holy warrior who fought to defend the Israelites from their enemies.
In the face of relentless persecution by the Philistines, Samson was able to fight against them and save the people of Israel. The story of Samson, and Penny’s tattoo, therefore tell the story of God’s ability to triumph over chaos and disorder in the face of insurmountable obstacles.
Despite the evidence proving his innocence, Penny still faces an uphill battle in court. There are people in Congress, in local government and in the media who have already convicted him of a crime.
There will also be a lot of pressure from leftist activists such as antifa and Black Lives Matter to convict him. The institutional power of these groups could really make things hard for Penny.
But if we put our trust in God, we know that God can overcome all of these obstacles and evil can be defeated.
Penny’s tattoo reminds us that we face many challenges in this world, but by putting our faith in God, we can overcome them all.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.