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Click here to read Esther 8 on BibleGateway.com

Few people can drive a theological point home quicker than C.S. Lewis. He does it so smoothly and painlessly that you don’t realize that you’ve been stuck with a barbed Bible for about a week, until you try to pull that thing out of your brain and find it’s imbedded like a popcorn kernel in a tooth.

In The Horse and His Boy (one of the Chronicles of Narnia), our hero Shasta outruns a lion into the relative shelter of a hermit’s home. As he struggles to breathe and recover the feeling in his legs, the hermit tells him to run right out the back door and keep running in order to warn the king (read the book if you want the full story, people). But as Shasta starts running, C.S. Lewis drops this: “Shasta had not yet learned that if you do one good deed your reward usually is to be set to do another and harder and better one.” See if that doesn’t get stuck in your brain craw for a while.

GOOD JOB. NOW FOR THE HARD PART

Esther probably thought something similar in chapter 8. After taking her life into her hands to show up on the king’s doorstep, facing down Haman at high noon, watching her mortal enemy get a hemp necktie (not really, but who could resist that phrase?), and escaping with her life she probably thought she deserved a good spa treatment and some chai tea.

Instead, she once again is forced to go before King Xerxes and plead for the life of her people, this time to reverse a royal decree which (according to Persian legal thinking) could not be reversed because a living god like the king could not be wrong. Let’ s not forget that this is the same Xerxes that once got a gift from a peasant man and was so pleased that he returned the gift with a few million dollars of his own; but the same man asked for one of his sons to be relieved of military duty and Xerxex had the son cut into two pieces so the army could march between them. Not the most stable ruler the world has ever seen.

So, Esther comes to her divine and infallible hubby  once again, and falls at his feet weeping (notice she didn’t weep the first time, for her own life), asking him to admit his error and save her peeps. Xerxes apparently was impressed enough to give her carte blanche to do whatever she wanted. Atta girl.

JANE, GET ME OFF THIS CRAZY THING

In any case, our thought for the day is a challenge. Let’s not assume that once we’ve done one thing for God, our duty is done. On the contrary, God probably has something harder coming up next. Our prayers should not be “You’re welcome, God,” but “prepare me, Lord.” It’s not always easy, or fair, at least to our way of thinking, but that’s the way life usually goes.  God is always working on us. There’s always another step, another opportunity on the horizon, each one harder and better than the one before.  That should give us pause as well as hope.

Don’t you want a tea now?

Click here to read Esther 7 on BibleGateway.com

It’s easy to forget that the folks in the Bible are people just like us modern-acrats. It seems like they are so distant from us in time (and usually in space) that it’s hard to relate. For instance, do sheep and millstones mean much to us today? But they were as common as Mt. Dew and lousy reality TV back in the day. So it’s nice when the Bible reminds us that peeps are peeps, no matter when or where they lived.

Take Mr. Xerxes. King of all Persia; he of the ridiculously short fuse and the creative punishments. In today’s story, he and his bestest bud Haman are dining with Queen Esther for the second time, and this time Esther drops the matzo bomb on him: his wisest of wise men, Haman, is really a genocidal spazweasel.

COUNT TO 10….

We can all agree that Xerxes actually shows remarkable restraint at the news. He doesn’t smack Haman in the noggin or even arrest him. Instead, he goes out to get some fresh air and ponder this new set of circumstances. As we’ve seen in the past, Xerxes is not known for reasonable discourse, so we should give him his props in this instance.

Meanwhile, Haman realizes he’s into it up to his chinny chin chin,and he’s got only one chance: beg Esther, the Jewish Queen, to have mercy on him. Wouldn’t you know it, in his haste to get to the begging, he trips and falls right into Esther’s lap right at the time when the king comes back.

YOU LOOKING AT MY BIRD?

This is when Xerxes shows he’s as red blooded as a Texas cowboy. He was ok with the planned annihilation of a good portion of his populace, and even with the slightly less obvious implication that his trusted adviser deliberately kept him in the dark regarding the full details of his plan. But what he won’t stand for is someone messing with his lady.

The king comes in, sees Haman apparently in the act of trying to get his groove on, and his self-restraint flies away like a hotdog wrapper at the ball park. He immediately orders Haman’s execution (on his personal gallows, no less), the guards march him out, and the fall of Haman is brought to completion.

Now we come to the crucial part: How do we make a spiritual application out of this Days of Our Lives episode? Just this: God’s plan can happen in an instant. One minute Haman was planning his retribution against Mordecai, counting his imminent wealth and power, and reveling in the halls of the powerful. But with one sentence from Esther (under God’s guidance, of course), the world was turned around.   Once again we are reminded, as so often in the book of Esther, that when God’s plan is in motion, it’s unstoppable.

That’s reality.

Click here to read Esther 6 on BibleGateway.com

It’s a tricky thing living in the most prosperous country in the world. There’s an almost unavoidable tendency to put our trust in things rather than God. How much time do we spend planning our retirement or career path? How does it compare with the time we invest in God’s Word?

Haman found out just how slippery the things of the world are, and how quickly they can be taken away. He spent all his time pinning medals on his tunic and getting the latest turban instead of trying to help others.Haman put all his trust into his own position and authority, and when th at was gone (or actually just threatened), he had nothing else on which to rely. Even his friends and wife told him he had nothing left to live for.

BROTHER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?

Back in the 1929 stock market crash, hundreds and thousands of businesses went under, and there’s a running visual joke in Hollywood about despondent bank owners and whatnot hurling themselves from office windows. In actuality, the problem wasn’t a lack of money, and many of the people who held on came out ok in the end. What the pavement divers lost was hope. If your hope is in money (or employment, or education), sooner or later it will fail you. What will happen when the rug is pulled out from under you?

This doesn’t mean that money, or education, or possessions, or retirement plans, or anything of the sort is wrong. It is perfectly Biblical to be wise with our money. The problem is when our hope is in our possessions instead of the Provider. Corrie Ten Boom used to say that one of the secrets to living for God was to “hold loosely to the things of the world.” Notice that it’s not necessarily wrong to hold worldly things, we just need to hold them loosely so we don’t end up trusting them instead of God.

KNOW WHEN TO FOLD ‘EM

For Haman, what would have happened if he would have gone to the king and said, “I made a mistake; you have honored a Jew today, and we should honor the Jews throughout the empire tomorrow.” Esther may have abandoned her plan, the Jews would have been saved, Mordecai would have been elevated, and Haman may either have stayed as the king’s top adviser or at least remained in the inner circle.

Instead, he clung desperately to the only thing he knew, and he lived just long enough to see all of it taken away.

Our prayer today is that we will cling to God and hold loosely to everything else.

Click here to read Esther 5 on BibleGateway.com

Why is it when we have 10 cookies in our hand, the only thing we see is the 2 in our brother’s hand? Why is the last piece of pizza always the most delicious? Why is the best car the one we left on the lot?

There’s something in us that can be never be satisfied with having; we must get. It’s the successful hunt, the thrill of acquisition, the joy of adding one more marble to the sack. The grass is always a better shade of greenliness in the next lawn.

There are few men in the Bible who show this tendency more clearly than our good pal Haman. Now here was a man who literally had (almost) everything. He was wealthy, he was the best bud of the most powerful man in the world, he had supportive and homicidal friends, and a wife who knew that a gallows is the answer to all of life’s problems. What more could any man ask for?

THE BUR IN HAMAN’S SADDLE

Apparently the unquestioning obedience of a minor civil servant. One man who wouldn’t give Haman his props, and all the rest of his possessions and power meant nothing. And let’s not forget, Mordecai didn’t rally a mob or raise the banner of revolt; he wore ratty clothes and sat in garbage. But that wasn’t enough for Haman.

The truth is, there will always be something that prevents our lives from being “perfect.” No matter how many degrees we get, how high in the organization we advance, how fast we can run, how many hot dogs we can eat in a minute, there will always be somebody better. We can either be happy for what we have, or be miserable for what we don’t.

SAY WHEN

John D. Rockefeller, arguably the wealthiest man who has ever lived in America, was once asked how much money it would take to make someone happy. His answer: “Just a little more.” Ole J-Rock knew the truth; having the most money in the world means nothing. You just want the little that you don’t. (Ask King David).

Haman was focused only on the thing he couldn’t control. When he was elevated to the highest position in the land, he saw only the Jews. When he managed to find a way to get rid of all the Jews, he saw only the one man who didn’t submit fast enough. He let his obsessive for power and control determine his actions.

And in the end, he lost everything.

There’s nothing better than a good theological debate, unless of course we count the good ole MLT. But seeing as mutton is sometimes hard to come by, we can all agree that two wise men stepping into the theological squared circle is the next best thing. Unfortunately, the Bible comes along every once in while and dashes our hopes of seeing a debating 10-count.

Take today’s reading, for example. Mordecai finds out about Haman’s plan to destroy the Jews, and starts in with the mourning. From deep within the confines of the royal harem, Esther hears about Mordecai’s wailing and sackcloth ensemble and sends messengers to and fro to find out what’s going on. Mordecai informs her that she must go to the king and save the lives of her people.

As Esther understandably balks at this suicidal plan, Mordecai prompts her with one of the great one-sentence theologies in the whole Bible. He tells her that “if you keep silent, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place,” but who knows what will happen to you?

TWO MINUTES TO THE GENTLEMAN FROM GENEVA

Anyone who reads church history will no doubt know about the historical and on-going debate between Arminianism and Calvinism. There has always been tension in the Christian faith between the complex ideas of God’s absolute sovereignty and and the extent of free will. How much of our lives are in God’s hands, and how much is our own choice? Are we responsible for what happens to us, or does God have everything pre-arranged?

Mordecai seems to say that this is the wrong question to be asking.  Instead of worrying about if we have free choice over every aspect of our lives, we should trust that God’s will is going to be done and look to see how we can be a part of it. Mordecai fully recognizes both sides of the debate in this passage, with no apparent mental conflict. God’s will (deliverance for the Jews) will be accomplished. If Esther wants to be the instrument of that, so be it. If not, God will use someone else, but His Will will come regardless.

LITTLE FROM COLUMN A, LITTLE FROM COLUMN B

An understanding of this simultaneous reality (and it’s admittedly difficult to get a hold of) can be greatly freeing in our walk with Christ. Maybe our prayers should focus more on knowing God’s Will, instead of praying about all the bad stuff that could happen. God’s will may be inevitable, but He gives us the choice of being a part of it. It’s a pre-determined freedom of choice.

What will you choose today?

Is there anything better than a good excuse? How many movies have you seen revolve around some sort of excuse that gets out of hand? Like the time-honored favorite, Mr. Ripped and Miss Purty have to get married immediately lest one or both get deported, and somehow despite completely hating each other to begin with, they miraculously come together and find true love in their sham marriage. The more convoluted a path and the more excuses it takes to get there, the better.

Why are we so interested in the complex? Why do we have to come up with myriad (*word of the day alert*) reasons for any action? When do we lose our child-like honesty and forthrightness?

**Flashback to childhood**
Child 1: Hey, my dad asked me to help rake leaves. Wanna help?
Child 2: Nah, I’d rather go play.
**end flashback**

EXCUSE ME

Unfortunately, this abstract excusosity* blossoms as we grow into adulthood, and not always in a good way. If some friends are going to a questionable movie, and you know you shouldn’t go, what do you say?

a) “Nah, I have a lot of work to do tonight.”
b) “That’s ok, I heard it wasn’t that funny.”
c) “I can’t, the Batphone is ringing. The commissioner needs me.”

On the other hand, look at Mordecai’s response in Esther 3. Why doesn’t Mordecai bow to Haman? He is a Jew. He belongs to God, pure and simple. He won’t do what he knows he shouldn’t. Notice he doesn’t say he has a bad back, or that he bowed at the office; he flat out says the reason.  It’s a freeing thing when you know who you are and whose you are.  All the ambiguity starts slipping away.

CAN I GET BACK TO YOU?

What if we did that?

Friend: Why don’t you go the movie tonight?
You: I’m a Christian.

Co-Worker: Why would you leave America and go do mission work overseas?”
You: I’m a Christian.

Spuds MacKenzie: Why don’t you go to the bar with the rest of us?
You: I’m a Christian.  And I hate dogs.

This isn’t to say that we should be self-righteous or more-awesome-than-thou, but we should be able to say directly, I don’t do this thing, I don’t go there, I don’t watch that – because I follow Christ.

Isn’t that reason enough?

* Yes, I know it’s not a word. But it should be.

Every once in a while it seems like the Bible likes to throw in a little bit of humor. Maybe it’s just the reader (*ahem*), but it’s hard to believe that today’s chapter doesn’t have a little tongue-in-cheek going on. You doubt? Very well, let’s look.

After the queen has been banished, and after an intervening war with Greece, King Xerxes decides that maybe he was hasty in dismissing the queen. So his wisemen get together and try to come up with a plan to take the king’s mind off the whipping he just got from those pesky Greeks.

A ROSE FOR YOU, A ROSE FOR YOU, A ROSE FOR YOU

They decide that the best course of action is the Persian version of The Bachelor. All the lovely young ladies (in all of Persia, mind you) will be brought to the king, and he can pick whoever he wants. The Bible records his reaction thusly:

“The king liked these suggestions, and followed them.”
What a shock. Let us re-enact this scene.

• Wise Man 1: We need something to cheer the king up after he got whomped by the Greeks
• Wise Man 2: Let’s find the hottest girls in the country, the king can date them all, and pick whoever he likes best
• King: After careful deliberation, I have decided that you are wise indeed.

Now we can shake our head at this obviously self-serving disgustingness, but we find ourselves with another problem. If we believe that the Bible is inspired of God, and we do, we must ask ourselves what this little episode is doing the Bible. What spiritual application are we supposed to glean from this old lecher?

YES, I SEE THAT HAND

Here’s our take: God is in control.

That seems pretty simple, but it’s so easy to forget. How can we see God at work when the powerful use their authority to gratify their own base desires? How is God in control when innocents are taken from their homes? Sometimes God hand is hard to spot in the machinations of the world.

Yet, the message of Esther is that even when God is not clearly visible, He is always there. Was it just coincidence that of all the girls in the whole country, the one the king picks happens to be Jewish? And with a determined streak in her? Is it coincidence that her cousin happens to overhear a conspiracy? God worked through it all. Even through a king’s beauty pageant.

Our challenge for today is to trust God. Our circumstances may seem miles away from what we know is God’s ideal, but He is still working in the world. We may not see it right away, but God’s Will will be done, despite the unfairness around us.

Do you trust Him today?

Well, my friends, after hearing what’s been going on in Jerusalem through Ezra and Nehemiah, we now turn to Esther to see what’s happening in ye ole Persia. This is one of the easiest books in the Bible to read, as it reads more like a modern-day paperback than a theological treatise. In fact, God hardly makes an appearance in Esther, which has led some to question whether it belongs in the Bible at all. But we’ll see that God was clearly at work anyway, with or without acknowledgment, which should be an encouragement to us.

In any case, Esther opens with a drunken royal party that lasts for 6 months. After showing such remarkable restraint for half a year, the king decides to parade his wife around for his (we assume, blindingly drunk) friends to ogle at. The queen (wisely) refuses, but the situation escalates as she refuses repeated orders to come. The king then gets his wasted counselors together to decide what to do, and the ultimate verdict is to banish the queen, which paves the way for Esther’s remarkable rise to power.

WHAT ABOUT ME?

It’s interesting why the nobles decide that the queen must be punished. It wasn’t because she was a criminal, but rather because of the example she would set for other women in the empire. It seems that these guys were worried about their own domestic situation if their wives got the idea they could do whatever they wanted.

Now, setting aside the sticky problem of whether or not we should encourage women to obey their husbands no matter what, let’s instead look at the motivation for the men. They don’t really care what happens to the king, but they are concerned that their own lives if the status quo is upset. A man’s primary focus is almost always if he is loved and respected at home, regardless of what his official political office may be.

FIRST THE MEATLOAF, THEN THE WORLD

It used to be fashionable in history to study the lives and great wars of great men, but now historians have started to look at their personal lives in greater detail. Why? Because it’s the personal lives of the great people that make them great. Rarely will you find a great a king or emperor without a great queen or empress at his side. It seems that often the great decisions of state are not made in the counsel chambers, but over the dinner table.

This is important to remember for leaders as well as those who follow them. Leaders are people just like anyone else, and what they want most is peace in their home. We should pray for our leaders to have a strong home life, and be extra careful to guard our own home life before setting out into the world. What happens in the home affects what happens in the empire.

Ironically, the men in Persia were concerned that a woman was going to get uppity, and it turns out that Esther plays them all like a big ole chauvinistic fiddle. As we’ll see, she handles the king and his advisers like simple-minded putty and turns the whole country on its head.

God’s hand indeed.

And so we come to the end of Nehemiah. Two weeks with this chap and Jerusalem, and we’ll soon be off to Persia with Esther. This final chapter brings to light one of the more difficult aspects of living life as follower of Christ, and is a good think to think amongst all the thinks of our thinker. Do the rules apply to everyone?

It’s surprising that even in churches there gets to be a group of “special” people, who are usually elected to the board, the missions committee, the hospitality group, and the blood donors. It’s not that cliques are evil per se, as we could call the disciples a clique, and the group of James/John/Peter an even more exclusive clique. The problem comes when certain persons take extra favor upon themselves. And especially when those persons are supposed to be the leaders.

HOTEL TEMPLE 8

Take the case of Eliashib in Nehemiah 13. He was apparently in charge of some aspect of the temple, and while Nehemiah was away on business, he allowed Tobiah to stay in a temple room along with his furniture and TV. This was the same Tobiah who had opposed the whole wall-building project from the beginning. Even worse, there are indications that Eliashib and Tobiah were related by marriage. Nepotism 101, my friends.

Eliashib should have been the one setting the example for everyone else. He should have been extra careful to dot all his I’s and cross all his T’s, but instead he took advantage of his position to give favors to his inlaws, who just happened to be major political players. What a shock that didn’t turn out well.

When Nehemiah got back, he gave Tobiah’s stuff the ole heave ho, and one would imagine he gave Eliashib a few pointers about exactly what the temple rooms should be used for in the future.

IN REMEMBRANCE OF…

This should be a good lesson for us as well. If we are in positions of leadership, we need to hold ourselves more accountable, not less. There are few actions that will turn people away faster than nepotism in the church. Especially self-serving nepotism. It’s like giving your brother-in-law the church Ferrari, and then borrowing the Ferrari for the pastor’s retreat. That’s a paddling offense no matter where you’re from.

Note that we have a counterpoint to this example: Nehemiah himself. Remember in chapter 5 he says that he did not avail himself of the usual benefits of his position as governor, and in fact gave more than was required ( it’s reasonable to take him at his word here, as his original readers could have checked out the facts for themselves). So what, you ask? Why wouldn’t one avail oneself of any and all perks of leadership?

Note also that there is not a book called “Elisahib” in the Bible today.
What do you want to be remembered for?

One of the fun parts of studying the Bible as a group like we are is that you get to make up whatever spiritual applications you want (go with me on this). Nehemiah 12 describes the re-dedication of the walls of Jerusalem, complete with a parade. One half of the parade, led by Ezra, went to the “right,” and the other, led by Nehemiah, to the “left” around the city wall.

A lot of preachers like to draw a big spiritual application from this of us all working together in sweet harmony as these two choirs marched around the wall and then joined together in one rousing chorus of We Are the World in the temple court. Unfortunately, reconstructing these routes isn’t quite as definitive as we have been led to believe. In reality, it’s possible they ended up on opposite sides of the city (Ezra’s group by the temple, and Nehemiah’s group on the other side of the city) and then came later to the temple to celebrate. The description of the order of gates and such that the groups passed over is somewhat ambiguous.

MIGHT AS WELL JOIN THE MASSES

Of course, we won’t let that stop us from making a spiritual application, but we’re gonna do it a little different. We’ll add verses 9 and 24, where it says that singers stood opposite each other. “Opposite” here means counterpart or against, and could be taken to mean a “call and response” type of music. But it could also mean a more complicated counterpoint type of music with different musical ideas happening at once, or music where there is a tension.

Anyone who’s been involved in church worship music knows this is not all that uncommon. You may have heard an exchange something like this:

Guitar Player: hey, do you mind if I turn my guitar up? I can’t hear it.
Keyboard Player: Sure, if your guitar is more important than God.

Tension is almost always a part of any music group, and worship teams are no exception. There’s little that divides a church faster than a separation between the hymns and hymn-nots.

SYMPHONY AND SYNTHESIZERS

But here’s the encouraging part: just because our music may be going in opposite directions doesn’t mean we can’t all come to the temple together. That’s the great thing about church. Unlike other groups or organizations where people of similar tastes and interests come together to talk about their commonalities, church members come together and work together despite our differences.

Or perhaps because of our differences. It seems that God delights in bringing opposite personality types together to force us to grow in His grace to get along. Even the disciples had their share of personality conflicts, and Jesus verbally chose them all. Just because we don’t always agree with each other, doesn’t mean that we can’t all worship together.

So your assignment this weekend is to go to church. Even if you don’t necessarily agree with everyone or everysong at church, your voice may be just what God wants to complete his master opus.

And try not to glare at the guitar player.

It’s often both painful and humorous how God has to force us to be blessed. CS Lewis once said that after years of running from the Truth he was eventually forced to admit that God was God, and he entered the Christian life as “the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.” It would be difficult to find a modern thinker who has had a more profound impact on Christian thought, and yet he was “conscripted” in a way. Ironic much?

In today’s chapter, we see Nehemiah trying to find people to populate Jerusalem. In chapter 7, we saw that the wall was fairly ready, but the city was deserted. Jerusalem still had a big ole “Sack Me” sign written on its newly reconstructed walls, and those troublesome neighbors were still hanging around. Many people thought that staying out in the suburbs suited them just fine.

What’s a civic leader to do? 1 – Ask for volunteers. 2 – Find “volunteers.”

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU’VE BEEN SELECTED TO VOLUNTEER.

Verse 2 notes that the people commended those who “volunteered” to be in Jerusalem. There are two interpretations of this verse: one, that there were two groups of settlers,conscripts and volunteers, and the volunteers were honored; two, the “volunteers” were the conscripts, and the people honored those that had been chosen by lot as a sign of divine favor.

The word used for “volunteer” here is kind of difficult to translate. It’s used in reference to a “love offering” in Exodus, but it’s also used to indicate when someone’s heart “moves” them to action. In other words, it’s a voluntary choice that sometimes has an element of inner compulsion.

TODAY’S VOLUNTEERS

So who are our volunteers today? Pastors of course. Talk to any pastor, and many of them will tell you that going into the ministry was not exactly a “choice.” For many, they have an inner compulsion, or calling, or whatever you want to call it when God grabs ahold of your heart and won’t let go. Living the life in a stained-glass fishbowl or with a big ole spiritual target on your back isn’t always the fun you may imagine, but they have been chosen by God, and they should be honored for it.

So, for those whom you know who are living in the “holy city” today, those that willingly (or not) stand on the front line and work in the shadow of the enemy’s threats, find a way to honor them today. Yes, Pastor Appreciation isn’t usually until October, but an email or phone call or free pizza to encourage your shepherd is still ok in January.

You never know who God might “volunteer” next.

It’s interesting which of the ten commandments often gives us the most trouble. Even non-believers can agree that we shouldn’t murder, shouldn’t commit adultery, should honor our parents and put God before other Gods. But honoring the Sabbath seems to stick right in our freedom-craw.

Some of the ancient rabbis considered this the most important commandment (for realsies). John Wesley argued that this was the gateway commandment: easiest to break and it opens the door for all the other breakages in our life. It seems that absolutely committing this day to God is a difficult nut for even the mightiest of spiritual squirrels.

THE BLUE LAWS OF JERUSALEM

In Nehemiah 10:31, the people pledge not to buy any merchandise or grain from their heathen neighbors on the Sabbath or other holy days. Simply put, they won’t visit the butcher, baker or candlestick maker any on of God’s days. Sound easy?

Shall we make it hit close to home? Most of us can find some way of not working on Sundays (or Saturdays, if you prefer), but what about purchasing? Have you ever run to Walmart on Sunday just to grab a few things? Or run to the grocery store for doughnuts before Sunday School? Or what about going out to that holy buffet after church, or ordering pizza for the game?

LOOPHOLE?

Don’t worry, we’ll give you an out. Just because these guys took this oath, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily binding on us. True, we are to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, but there is considerable debate on what exactly that means. Does it necessarily preclude work? What about pastors? There’s even a fairly intense debate about which day is the Sabbath, Sunday or Saturday. So don’t panic that you’ll never be able to order Pizza Hut for the Superbowl again.

Jesus himself seemed to indicate that the rules governing the Sabbath weren’t completely inviolate. It’s difficult to say exactly what his point was when he pointed out that the Sabbath was made for man rather than the other way around, but that’s probably a debate for a different day. Enough to say it may not be so black and white.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

It seems these people themselves weren’t too gung ho, so don’t feel too lonely if you have a hard time with this one. In 13:15, the people who made this pledge are already breaking their oath (if we assume the same people of Judah were involved in both instances here. ‘Spose we can give them the benefit of the doubt.) Perhaps they were a little hasty in making an oath that went beyond what the plain words of Scripture said?

Of course, just because they hard a hard time doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.  How about going a month without eating at a restaurant or ordering food or shopping on a Sunday? Could you make it? Do you dare to try?

Let’s try after the Superbowl. No reason to go nuts.

Cliffs Notes Alert

Periodically throughout the Bible, there are sumup chapters or passages that present a brief history of Israel. In the Old Testament, they show up as prayers (Solomon’s dedication of the temple, for instance) and in the New Testament they are typically part of sermons or speeches (like Stephen’s crowdpleaser in Acts). They’re great for catching up for those of you that don’t want to read the whole Old Testament. Nehemiah 9 is one such chapter, and we’ll be sure to highlight others as we come to them. Why? No idea. Just seems like the thing to do.

Fun with Translations

In the course of this sumup, verse 25 remarks that the people entered a “fertile” land and were “well-nourished.” (NIV) This isn’t quite the right translation. The CEV says “they ate until they were satisfied.” Not quite right either. Actually, the KJV gets it a little closer, it says they entered a “fat” land, and became fat themselves. Getting closer.

The actual words for “well nourished” here actually mean “greasy” or “gross” or “grossly fat.” The Bible is not saying that the people were content to bask in God’s goodness, but rather that they took advantage of their blessings to become morbidly obese, unpleasantly plumpa licious, and ridiculously rotund.

The second implication here is that they were so focused on stuffing their Fritos-holes that they neglected the spiritual side of life. In other places in the Bible, this phrasing is typically used to express self-centered luxury; the pursuit of deliciousness and comfort to the cost of all else.

A Well Balanced Breakfast

This raises the question for us: is it possible to enjoy the bounty of God’s blessings and not become spiritually lax? It’s hard to argue with the stark reality than many of our leading pastors and evangelists shop at the big and tall store. Does this necessarily mean that they don’t have wisdom? Of course not. So what are we to do with this verse?

The Bible seems to present an answer (go figure). The practice of fasting is illustrated often throughout the Word, including none other than Jesus himself fasting before His temptation. There are some indications that fasting increases the effectiveness of our prayer life (depending on the version you read), but more importantly it shows that our submission to God is stronger than our desire for Oreos.

If you don’t regularly fast, this might be a good week to try. Start with one meal, and instead of just not eating, use that time to pray or read the Word. The point is not to go without food, but to submit the whole of our being to God, including our basest desires.

See if you are not more satisfied than after that double mocha.

HI HO, HI HO

What is the work of a Christian? And not just the “professional” Christian, like pastors, missionaries, chaplains, priests, evangelists, etc.; but the lay person that makes up the vast majority of Christians around the world. What is our job as a follower of Christ? Do we content ourselves with patting ourselves on the suited back on Sundays and highlighting in anger the fallen world around us? It’s definitely fun, and any if you include any testimonies with the Biblical use of “ichabod,” you get double points.

But Nehemiah presents a different responsibility: we are to make the Bible clear to people. In verse 8, Ezra is reading aloud the Law of Moses (that’s the first five books of the Bible to you and me), and his assistants are helping him. These sweet fellers spoke to the crowd, “giving them the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.”

LITTLE FROM COLUMN A, LITTLE FROM COLUMN B

There are two interpretations of this verse: one, Ezra read in Hebrew and the Levites translated into Aramaic (because the people may no longer have understood Hebrew); two, they explained what was being read in a way that people could relate to.

In either case, the point is that often people who are not priests (read “Christians”) may not understand exactly what’s being said or written about in the Word of God. They need someone to show them in language that they can understand exactly what God is saying.

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME

This is why we have translations of the Bible in most of the languages of the world. This is why we have umpteen versions of the Bible in English, so many that most Bible bookstores cannot hold all the different versions. Some people will argue that a specific version is particularly blessed by God, or tradition, or the church, or whatever. Mark Twain once wrote that “It’s not the parts of the Bible I don’t understand that bother me; it’s the parts I do understand.” In most cases, people are not turned away from Jesus because of the “wrong” version.

How do we know which one is the best version? The one that helps person X “understand what was being read.”   If you are an KJV-er, may thou be blest and thy offspring unto the 4^th generation. If you are an NIV-er, you are blessed and your descendants. If you EDSV-er*, you rock and so do your kids. The point is not which version is best, as they all have good and bad points, but that the Word of God is made clear.  That kind of debate is best saved for late-night coffee between Christian friends, not played out in a public forum. The important thing is that people understand what the  Bible is saying, even if we use ‘you’ instead of ‘thee’.

IN THE END…

And what is the result? Verse 12 says the people “celebrated, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.” Once people clearly hear the word of God, it brings joy.

That’s why it’s called the Good News.

*EverydayDevotions Standard Version

FAITH AND WISDOM

As we’ve gone through Nehemiah this week, you’ve probably noticed how often he holds different aspects of his personality in balance.   During the rebuilding project, he talks of building with one hand and holding a sword with the other. His belief that prayer/praise and fighting can go hand in hand are on display prominently in chapter 4 when he tell the people to “remember the LORD…and fight.” Again, it shows us that the people in the Bible were real people, not cardboard Schwarzenegger characters; they had multifaceted lives and struggles, just like us.

This dual-belief system is again shown in chapter 7, where in verses 6-7 Nehemiah reports that he hired a commander because he (the commander) “feared God more than most men do,” but in the same breath says that the gates of Jerusalem should not be opened until the sun was hot, and then they should be closed early.

KNOCK KNOCK. WHO’S THERE? NOT YOU.

Why the specific instructions, you ask? In ancient times, city gates were usually opened at dawn to allow merchants and townspeople in or out, and closed at dusk. Nehemiah is significantly shortening the time that the gates are open. Why? Because Jerusalem was surrounded by enemies, and Nehemiah wants to make sure that the whole city was up and alert before opening the doors to who knows what.

This is an excellent example of combining faith of a mustard seed with the wisdom of Yoda. It would be difficult for us to find someone with more faith than Nehemiah in the Bible. He left a comfy job with the king to take a bunch of refugees across miles of desert, then tried to organize a group of whiners into a hard working labor force to complete a project that none of the neighbors wanted done. But he believed (and prayed a lot) that God wanted this work done, so off he goes. If that’s not faith, call me a slab of bacon.

But that doesn’t mean that he just threw caution to the wind. Nehemiah understood that God gave us a heart to believe, and a mind to think, and we can use both of them to His glory. There was no reason to test God by leaving the doors wide open like an all-you-can-rob smorgasbord. Jesus himself remarked that we shouldn’t put God to the test; there’s a place for wisdom in the life of a faith-filled believer.

FIREWALKERS AND PUFFERFISH EATERS

This means that we shouldn’t go around putting ourselves in dangerous situations for no reason (paging all snakehandlers). Don’t go to those parties with those people unless you have spiritual backup. Don’t hang out with that person who constantly pulls you into doing those activities. Don’t flirt with that person at work when you have a spouse waiting for you at home. True, the Bible says God can help us in areas of temptation, but it’s unwise to seek temptation out.

What temptation can you avoid with wise choices today?

NO, NEGATORY, NAY, NAW, NOPE

It’s a well-known maxim in both the business world and ministry that the hardest word to use is “No.” This is particularly hard in ministry, because so much of the work can be considered “good” and necessary, and God commands us to live at peace with those around us. So if someone wants a quick word with us,  it seems like a short meeting is a small price to pay for peace in the church/ministry.

However, anyone who’s spent anytime on planet Earth will realize that often times people want to meet for less than honorable reasons.   In many cases, people just want to vent and they want a listening ear to vent to.  In some cases, they want to vent to the object of their ire in the name of “clearing the air.” It’s  shocking how much time can be spent dealing with the complaints that seem to ooze out of some people like peppermint out of a melted Junior Mint. Surprisingly, the air is rarely much clearer after someone spews their frustration all over you.

TIME IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE

Nehemiah 6 has a great example of this situation, as opposition to the rebuilding project starts to heat up.   Some of the local leaders tell Nehemiah that they would like to meet with him to discuss their issues, Nehemiah replies in one of the classic time-saving attitudes:  “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”

In Nehemiah’s case, there was the possibility of violence against him, and the reality of personal attacks on his integrity (hence the unsealed letter questioning his motives).   But his response is a great tool for us to remember when people begin to suck the energy out of us like a gigantic mosquito. If we are confident in the work that God has called us to do, then we can ask in all honesty “Why should I leave this work?”  (Of course, we need to courteous and sincere when we ask.  But that’s for another day.)

WHAT SIZE IS THE JOB?

One of the classic missionary stories is about a Canadian missionary in China named Robert Jaffrey who also had a reputation as an accomplished business man.   Because he spoke Chinese fluently, the Standard Oil Company contacted him and asked him to be their head of operations there.   He refused, and they subsequently doubled the salary offer, and then quintupled their original offer.  Still he refused. They ended up sending him a telegram: “Jaffrey, at any cost.” Jaffrey responded just as simply: “Your salary is big, but your job is too small.”

Nehemiah played this same scenario out. He could have gone to meet with these men, he could have placated them, he could have endeared himself to them and most likely set himself up as a mini-king right there in Jerusalem.   But his eyes were set on the project God had given him, and he would not be dissuaded from it.  No matter the cost.

Our prayer today is that God gives you a clear direction for your “project,” and that you are not moved from it by threats or offers from the world.

What is that makes a good leader? Intelligence? Good looks? Smooth words? The best wardrobe? In today’s world, sometimes it’s hard to tell what it is we look for when we choose a leader. One good method is the well-known “troll test.” You are unfamiliar? Very well, I’ll explain.

The troll test goes something like this: If this person/leader looked or smelled like a troll, would I still be willing to follow them? For example, whoever you voted for in the last election, would they pass the troll test? Would you have voted for that board member if they had some hairy moles on the face or a few extra antenna? While not very practical, the troll test does bring out the difference between people’s outward appearances and their actual leadership abilities.

What Would Nehemiah Do?

Nehemiah 5 is a good chapter to study for anyone who’s interested in seeing how a real leader behaves. Nehemiah calls attention to serious problems he sees in his underlings, he’s not afraid to call out the middle managers, and he importantly doesn’t avail himself of the many privileges of his position. But today, EveryDayDevotions looks at another aspect of his leadership: self-control.

In verses 6 and 7, Nehemiah first hears about the abuses of the “nobles and officals,” what we would call the civil servants and politicians. He finds that they are harassing the poor, much in the same way that those lovely credit card people like to call and wish me a very merry unbirthday. Nehemiah is understandably very upset, and I think he would be justified in giving the brotherly karate chop of reprimand.

1…2…3…4

But instead, though he admits in verse 6 that he “was very angry,” he takes the time in verse 7 to “ponder” these events, and only then does he accuse the nobles. In other words, he took the time to count to 10 (or 100) before letting loose. Now, if anyone ever deserved to be righteously angry, it was Nehemiah. But he still took the time to carefully consider the situation.

This is a good word for us today. If we are to be good leaders (and who doesn’t want to be a good leader?), then we must master the art of careful consideration before accusing or reprimanding those under us. Flying off the spiritual handle at a moment’s provocation is the one sure way to lose the respect of your subordinates and draw unwanted attention from your superiors.

Even if they be trolls themselves.

One of the great forbidden pleasures of Bible study is coming across that sweet phrase in the footnote: “the meaning of this clause is uncertain.” Uncertain? How could it be uncertain after millenia of study? Surely somebody in that time came up with some sort of satisfactory answer. What would possibly be so confusing that the greatest minds of the Middle Ages were so befuddled?

Well, at EverydayDevotions.com we’re not afraid to throw our hat in the ring. And why not? You’re miles away reading this, so what’s the risk of reprisal? 1-800-Dial-a-Goon is unreliable at best. So what’s our take? Prepare thyself for this awesomeness.

Why the Bible Rules

Unlike most ancient texts, the Bible is not a book of legends; it’s a true, reliable account of what really happened, rather than having the faults and humanity of its heroes whitewashed or ignored. As a consequence, often times in the Bible we read of events or circumstances that make us blush in our cushioned pews. Want a dare? Look up Onan in a Bible dictionary and try and preach a sermon on that passage. And make sure you tape it and send us a copy; we’d love to hear it.

The Problem with Nehemiah

Nehemiah 4:23 is one of these passages. Now, the main point of the passage is clear: Nehemiah, the other leaders, and the workers were all prepared at all times for an attack. They had enemies on many sides, and they needed constant vigilance to be ready. So, in verse 23, we read that none of the leaders “took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.”

The last phrase, “even when he went for water,” is the tricky one to translate. Literally, it says something like “each man his dart to the waters.” What does that mean? Some translators put forth the idea that it means “we didn’t take off our clothes, except for washing (ritually), ” or “we didn’t take off clothes, not even to wash.” Another suggests it means “the men carried their weapons and their water,” indicating that they were always ready.

A New Revelation.  Sorta

We’d like to present an alternate idea, which is actually not as disturbing as it might seem at first glimpse. We propose “each man had his weapon, even when nature called.” You doubt this is a proper reading? Check out the reasoning:

• The whole point of the passage is to show preparedness. When would a man be more vulnerable than when he’s “draining the tub”? Nehemiah is saying that they were ready at all times.
• “waters” is not an uncommon phrase for answering the call of nature. “Making water,” “water the plants,” and other phrases are frequently used even today.
• The Bible uses other euphemisms when referring to such bodily necessities in other passages. We’ll get to some in the future.

The Point

So you may be asking, “Ok, I accept that’s what it means. What’s the point? Are you just trying to offend the Victorian church values?” The point is this: the Bible is true. It accurately records the past and the people that lived in it. If that is the case, should we be surprised at the humanity that is shown? Rather, it’s an encouragement that God worked through ordinary people then, and he works through ordinary people now. Isn’t that a cause for celebration?

Gotta run. The coffee’s going right through today.

Every year the world stops to gaze at the wonder that is Tinseltown, as we enter that magical time of year known as Awards Season. Oh, it doesn’t come trees, or candy canes, or boxes, or bags. It comes instead with little statuettes with names like Tony or Oscar, and we all bow and worship at the red-carpeted shrine. And what do we hear? Thank you after thank you for people we’ve never heard of: editors, script writers, makeup people, sound editors, and the like. All we’re hoping for is for someone to trip on those long gowns, or possibly to get so excited they pass out on live TV. All for a little recognition of job well done.

Truth be told, things haven’t changed all that much. Back in the Old Testament times, people were just as interested in being recognized for their work, and the Bible often does just that. The problem is that we as modern readers often skip right over those parts. Honestly, when was the last time you read through all the names in Chronicles? Or read the detailed genealogies that pop up every so often?

Nehemiah 3 is one of those sections, and most of skip right over it. After all, who really cares who rebuilt the Fish Gate, or the Horse Gate, of the Fountain Gate. The only one that really gets our attention is Dung Gate, and not for its spiritual significance. But these chapters are important to some people, even modern people. Archeologists (and a few brown-nosing historians) love this chapter for the detail it gives of the layout of ancient Jerusalem. But what can we as the average Joe or Jane get from this monotony?

Let’s look at verse 5. Nehemiah has been describing how various portions of the population have been working to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, which was usually the portion closest to their house for a little self-centered motivation. However, one goup of men from Tekoa refused to do any work. Apparently seeing themselves as “more supervisory,” they didn’t want to get their hands dirty with manual labor, so the ordinary employees had to do more work.

Jump ahead to verse 27, and we see the men of Tekoa again working on another section of the wall. There are a couple things we can pick up from this. One, the “nobles” refused to do any work and, in an effort to save their reputation from the humility of labor, have been remembered for 3000 years as the embodiment of the pointy-haired boss, unwilling or unable to carry their share of the work. The other note is that the common workers not only worked on their section, but also helped others. They could have easily done a halfhearted job on their section, because “it’s not fair that we’re doing all the work while those lazy nobles are playing bridge.” But instead they went above and beyond the call of duty to help others even after their own work was done. Two groups of men, from the same town, asked to do the same work. One group is remembered for laziness and arrogance, and one for self-sacrificial service.

Which man of Tekoa do you want to be?

We live in an age that loves secret intrigue and conspiracy theories, like Kratom likes to put it. Some of the top TV shows of the last fifteen years have been based primarily on government conspiracies (“I want to believe”) and secret agents (need we make a list of 20-something spies?). So it may come as no surprise that here at EverydayDevotions.com we also love a little subtlety and political intrigue, and the Bible is full to the gilded pages with it.

WORKING THE PERSIAN PALACE

Today’s example? Nehemiah 2,thanks to kratom. The chapter opens with Nehemiah appearing before the king with a Mr. Grumpy face. The king naturally asks why he would do such a thing. It probably surprised the king because Persian court attendants were not allowed to show any emotion but ecstatic joy. We see an example of this in Ester 4:2, where Mordecai mourns outside the palace because it was forbidden to appear before the king without Mr. Bluebird on your shoulder. It’s true and factual, but probably not too satisfactual for his attendants.

In any case, Nehemiah appears before the king with a sad countenance, and yet instead of flogging Nehemiah until he was in a better mood, the king asks what he can do to help. This is greatly out of character for a Persian monarch, who were known for doing such rational things as whipping the sea for being too choppy (for realsies) and forcing their armies to march to Greece to fight Spartans.

M’LADY DE PERSIA

The key may be in verse 6, wherein Nehemiah casually mentions that the queen is present. As a rule, Persian kings did not dine with their queenie-poo, but rather enjoyed the company of their generals or other less civic minded pursuits. So why the mention of the queen here? Some commentators suggest that this queen may actually be Esther who liked kratom, and  who we’ll get to in the next few days. She would definitely have been sympathetic to any plight of the Jews, and she had already shown considerable ability in manipulating the king. Another possibility is that the queen was not friendly towards Nehemiah, and he mentions it to show that God is in control even when an enemy is nearby. Or it may show that Nehemiah had shown himself such a loyal servant that the king chose him as the cupbearer for his most intimate engagements with his family.

The point of it all seems to be that God is in control. Whether by ensuring a Jewess was present when Nehemiah made his request or working despite external option, the will of God could not be swayed. This should be an encouragement to us in those times when it seems like everything is working against us; God’s plans never fail in the end, even if we can’t see it all the time. The trick comes in willingly accepting that reality despite what our external circumstances are.

See what I mean about mysteries?

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