Devotional writing from Esther from The Message

Esther

December 12, 2006

Esther 1: This is the story of something that happened in the time of Xerxes.

Throughout history there has been more than one attempt to destroy the people of God.  It seems that the enemies of God's have the idea that if they get rid of his people they will get rid of God.  That is mistaken in two ways.  God is God, and killing his followers won't kill Him, in fact, it will only make his angry.  Second, God always has a people.  Even when evil seems to have the upper hand, by God's mercy, some of his people survive and extend his story to the next generation.  In the story of Esther, we have a situation in which God intervenes and spares all his people.  To this day, the Jews celebrate this event with the Purim.  One of the main characters in the story is Xerxes who ruled Persia 465 years before Christ was born.  Included in his vast kingdom were the exiled people of God.  In spite of the pitiful picture of Xerxes in Scripture, he was, at least early in his career, a pretty successful king winning major battles and taking even more territory.  Later in his reign, though, history pictures him pretty much as he is said to be in the book of Esther: self centered, drunken, and foolish. 

December 13, 2006

Esther 1: He wanted to show off her beauty to the guests and officials.

Honestly, I don't know what to do by way of "devotionally blogging" from much of the book of Esther.  In spite of the seriousness of the threat to the people of God, portions of the story read like a TV sitcom.  Xerxes throws a big drinking party, and after seven days of drunken revelry he gets the bright idea of putting his wife, Queen Vashti, on display for his guests.  Vashti, who has been having a party of her own, is insulted and refuses to come to be looked over by a bunch of drunks.  So, instead of impressing all his buddies with what a manly man he is to have such a beautiful wife, it appears that in spite of Xerxes ruling a vast kingdom that at home it is the hen that is ruling the roost.  Xerxes is so upset that he calls in his "expert advisors."  These "yes men" agree with him that it just won't do for women to refuse to do their drunken husband's bidding and suggest that Vashti be banished from ever seeing the king again (this is supposed to be a punishment, right?).  Then, to replace her, they will have a beauty contest to pick a woman even more beautiful than Vashti to take her place.  Xerxes goes along with his (obviously all male) board of advisors.  Now, the story is ready for the lovely Jewess Esther to enter the picture.  Again, not much devotional material here, but it is an interesting read.

December 14, 2006

Esther 2: Now there was a Jew who lived in the palace complex in Susa.  His name was Mordecai.

The second character we meet in the book of Esther is Mordecai the son of Jair.  Mordecai is a "Jews Jew."  He comes from the family tree of Benjamin and in this story is spoken of in only positive ways.  He is compassionate in taking his niece in and raising her after she is orphaned.  Clearly, he has a godly influence on her as this story shows.  Mordecai doesn't want the spotlight but he is reluctantly brought into it by the unexpected circumstances that are revealed in the book of Esther.  He stands up to the powerful Haman and shows himself to be a loyal subject to Xerxes.  Mordecai is one of those people who quietly goes about living for God for many years, and then, when needed is used of God in some very specific way.  Mordecai does the right thing when the spotlight of history is turned upon him because he had been doing the right thing all along.

December 16, 2006

Esther 2: The girl had a good figure and a beautiful face.

Having met king Xerxes and Mordecai, we now meet the star of the story, Esther.  Right off we are told of her natural beauty, something absolutely necessary for her to play a role in these events.  Throughout the Bible we see that good looks aren't necessary for true beauty.  Even when we aren't told that specifically, the failure of Scripture to describe just how people look except for those times when looks are a part of the story convince us that appearance is not a big deal to God.   However, it is an advantage from a human point of view.  (By the way I speak an observer here, not from personal experience!)  In Esther's case, her looks are a necessary asset, and they are used by God to bring deliverance to his people.  Maybe that's a good devotional lesson from this portion of Esther.  Different people have different gifts: looks, intelligence, talents, or resources.  If we consecrate those things to the Lord, he will use them to advance his Kingdom.  God doesn't desire that a good looking person exploit that attribute for their own benefit any more than he wants a wealthy person to use their wealth only to please themselves.  In Esther, we have the example of a beautiful woman using her beauty, not for selfish purposes, but for the Lord's.

December 18, 2006

Esther 3: When Haman saw for himself that Mordecai didn't bow down and kneel before him, he was outraged.

The final person we meet in the story of Esther is Haman.  Every good story needs a villain and Haman fits the role quite well.  He has it all: pride, revenge, selfishness, godless ambition.  Haman rises to a position of great power in government and he expects all the perks that come with power.  He especially likes it when the "little people" bow and scrape before him.  And that is what sets this story in motion.  Each time Haman arrives at the palace to see the King; he enters the gate with a flourish.  Everyone plays along except for one senior adult Jew.  Mordecai doesn't think Haman is worth honoring and his refusal to pay homage infuriates Haman.  He could respond by killing Mordecai, but Haman has grander ambitions than that.  He knows Mordecai is a Jew, so he schemes a way to do away with the whole Jewish population.  Haman and Mordecai are polar opposites.  Haman is just plain evil and Mordecai is a good man who loves and serves God with all his heart.  It’s a classic conflict: good verses evil.

December 20, 2006

Esther 3: There is an odd set of people scattered through the provinces of your kingdom who don't fit in.

On the TV show "Star Trek the Next Generation" Captain Picard's big enemy is the Borg.  This mechanical-biological menace goes around "assimilating" people.  Once the poor person is captured, they are melted into the Borg and lose their self identity.  When Jerusalem fell its citizens were relocated to various places in the Babylon Empire in an attempt to assimilate them.  Conquered people were expected to lose their self identity and simply see themselves as part of that vast kingdom.  However, the Jewish people had been called out as a "chosen people" centuries earlier.  Admittedly with some missteps along the way, they had resisted assimilation in Egypt and again when they moved into the Promised Land.  Now, they insist on seeing themselves as, not just part of Xerxes kingdom, but as a people in exile.  Haman is a bad guy who wants revenge on Mordecai by eliminating his entire race, but he is right when he says they "don't fit in."  Okay, from Star Trek to Babylon to today...we too are a called out people.  We are the Church and we are called to be in the world but not of it.  As the fictional Picard resists being assimilated and as the historical Jews resisted, so are we to resist.  We can interact with our culture, influence it, and confront it -- but as God's people we must never be assimilated by it.

December 21, 2006

Esther 4: Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this.

I'll go out on a limb here and suggest that Haman probably hated the Jews long before Mordecai got under his skin by not bowing down to him.  I think that when the old man at the gate didn't feed his ego that Haman took note of him.  When he found out that he was a Jew it triggered his plan to do away with a race of people he already hated.  And, clearly, Haman had been on the elevator upward in Xerxes' kingdom for some time now.  Haman is a schemer who willingly bypasses small gains if doing so fits in with his bigger plans.  If these two guesses are correct, Mordecai's words here are especially accurate.  That is, he doesn't think that God gave Esther her beauty and then engineered her being made queen as a "just in case" measure.  He believes God has been aware of the circumstances of all this all along.  With that in mind, the Lord began putting together a plan of his own and that plan is what brought Esther to the position she now holds.  Up to that time, Mordecai and Esther have tried to react to the unexpected events of life as a people of God should.  Now they realize that God is depending on their faithfulness to accomplish his own purposes.  This passage reminds me that even when I can't see the big picture that God can, and when unexpected things happen (both good and bad) they might just be a part of something bigger than I know.

December 23, 2006

Esther 5: He was pleased to see her, the king extended the gold scepter in his hand.

The first great hurdle for Esther is getting an audience with King Xerxes.  It sounds crazy to us, but in that kingdom Xerxes is treated like a god.  Even his own queen can come into his presence only when summoned.  If she or anyone else breaks that rule they can be put to death.  However, the king, himself, can grant a sort of "instant reprieve" if he wants to simply by extending his scepter to the uninvited person.  Xerxes is just a man, and, apparently, a rather insecure one at that, but that's how it is in his kingdom.  Esther told Mordecai that she hadn't been summoned by the king for more than a month, and, in light of what happened to the previous queen when she didn't come when summoned, Esther is surely taking a risk here.  However, it is a necessary one.   If Xerxes was unworthy of such deference, there is a King who is King of Kings who is worthy of all that and more.  However, my relationship with him is so much better than that of Xerxes with his subjects.  In fact, I have a standing invitation to come into his Presence any time.  This King extended the scepter to me and everyone else long ago, declaring his throne room open for all who will come. 

December 27, 2006

Esther 6: That night the king couldn't sleep.

Even as Haman dreams of power and revenge king Xerxes is having a sleepless night.  He decides a cure for his insomnia might be a bit of light reading so he has the daily journal brought to him and as he reads it he is reminded of Mordecai's heroism in foiling the plot against his own life.  What an interesting set of coincidences!  The king can't sleep, Haman is planning to seek Mordecai's life in the morning, the king asks for some journals to read and some unnamed servant just happens to pick the journal that includes Mordecai's heroism.  We know there is more going on here than circumstances.  In all this we see the hand of God.  Does this teach me that every time I can't sleep that God has something to tell me or that everything I happen to read is supposed to remind me of something important?  Of course not!  Sometimes I can't sleep because I am simply too wound up from my day.  Sometimes I read stuff that is just a plain waste of time.  But not always.  As a worshipper of God I believe that God is active in this world and that he is a communicating God.  Sometimes, therefore, a book is just a book -- other times, though, it is a message from God.  The important thing for me is to be aware of that and to remain open, to paraphrase J.B. Phillips, on the "God-ward" side of life.

December 28, 2006

Esther 6: Haman fled to his house, thoroughly mortified.

If you like a good story with both drama and comedy, you have to enjoy Esther.  Xerxes, upon reading the journal of his kingdom through a sleepless night discovers Mordecai's heroic deed and realizes that Mordecai was never properly reward.  The next morning as he is still thinking about this Haman shows up so Xerxes asks for his advice concerning a proper reward for such a great man.  Haman immediately assumes that this "national hero" he is being asked about is himself, so he describes an honor that he would thoroughly enjoy -- a chance to dress up like the king and be treated as the king.  To his horror, Xerxes orders him to do it.  However, instead of it being Haman who is honored, it will be the man Haman hates the most: Mordecai.  As I imagine this story being told by Jewish people to one another, I can almost hear the laughter at this unexpected turn of events.  The picture of Haman leading the horse and the praise of Mordecai brings a smile to the face even when we have read the story many times.  No big devotional thought here -- just a reminder of God's great sense of humor.

December 30, 2006

Esther 7: So Haman was hanged on the very gallows that he had built for Mordecai.

Esther uses everything she has in her effort to save her people.  She relies on her intelligence, her beauty, and the support of all those who are fasting before the Lord over the outcome.  She issues not one, but two invitations to the King to attend lavish dinners.  Xerxes is fascinated and filled with curiosity about all this.  Then there is Haman who is also invited.  His ego is so great that he never sees the trap Esther has laid for him.  When the time is right Esther speaks and the end result is that Haman is hanged on the gallows he had built for her uncle and Xerxes grants her permission to act in his name to save her people.  A few devotional observations can be made here.  Esther used her natural gifts in her service of the Lord. People fasted over this and God heard.  In this case, the people of God were protected and saved.  That has not always been the case either in Jewish history or in the story of the Church.  Then again, neither of those stories is complete yet so we can't see how it could turn out any better than those fasting supporters knew what was going to happen as they lived the events of Esther 4.

January 3, 2007

Esther 8: For Jews it was all sunshine and laughter.

As I wrap up my devotional reading from the story of Esther I find a "happily ever after" kind of conclusion.  The tables have been turned on the enemies of the Jews.  Their enemies had expected to exterminate God's people, but the Jews were given permission to fight back and they have done so with stunning success.   The two most important people in Xerxes' kingdom are now Jews: Queen Esther and his first adviser, Mordecai.  The Jews have become so popular that many are converting to their religion.  These are good days indeed.  Clearly, this is a mere snapshot of history, but it is one worth remembering so the Jews create an annual holiday to commemorate these events.  I think that is a pretty smart thing to do.  We know that life isn't always filled with happy endings.  The very race of people we are talking about here has a history of way more than its share of loss and destruction.  However, they know that it is good to remember special days of blessing.  Frankly, good and bad constantly mix in our world.  Even as we celebrate the birth of our Savior we comfort families who have lost loved ones, we make hospital visits, and we pray that for some very good people that the New Year will be better for them than the old one.  Remembering the good days brings balance and perspective to our lives.  That doesn't mean that we pretend all is well when it is not, but it does mean that we step back and see the whole picture of our lives rather than focusing only on our problems.