Listeners hear no good of themselves--Spanish proverb.
Haman hadn't heard of that proverb in his day. (Or it hadn't been written yet. Spain became known as Hispania under the Romans, several centuries after Xerxes and Haman.)
Xerxes asked his good friend, Haman, "What should the king do for the man he wants to honor?"
Haman assumed the king was talking about Haman. He must be talking about honoring me--who else? (Esther 6:6-7)
Haman was riding a high. He was a trusted confidante of the king. He was within reach of seeing his most hated enemies wiped from the face of the earth. The man who had publicly dishonored him was sentenced to death on gallows that reached seventy-five feet high. He thought his friend the king wanted to honor him.
Instead--yes, you remembered it correctly--the king was asking about Mordecai, because Esther's uncle had uncovered an assassination plot and saved the king's life.
Not only did the king honor Mordecai, Haman was assigned the duty of leading him around the city, calling out his enemy's praises.
There is no need to belittle ourselves and proclaim we don't deserve an honor. Pianists and writers both get praised for fairly average talents, so I've had to learn how to accept a compliment. I found another Spanish proverb that applies: If you are not good for yourself, how can you be good for others?
But, plenty of other people deserve recognition. Give someone a compliment, and watch them smile. Don't walk into the Carol Awards ceremony (the Christian fiction version of the Pulitzer prize) assuming my book will win. Practice how I'm going to congratulate my fellow nominee for her win.
The royal parade went to Mordecai instead of Haman.
The gallows Haman built to hang Mordecai were used for his execution instead.
The danger of making assumptions!
Friday, June 21, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
ANGER MANAGEMENT Esther 3
A few years ago I went to see the movie "One Night with the King," the story of Queen Esther.
I found most of its story adaptations acceptable. I also learned one of those obvious facts that had never occurred to me before.
Jews had encountered Agagites before. When God gave King Saul the job of killing all of the Amalakites. Saul didn't follow the instructions--completely: he didn't kill the king, Agag. "He captured Agag, king of Amalek, alive." (1 Samuel 15:7)
Maybe God had Haman in mind when he gave Saul the order. In the movie, we see Agag's pregnant wife escaping. No wonder Haman hated a man from the people who had tried to commit genocide. (Yeah, we discussed that awhile back, how the wholesale elimination of different peoples offends our modern sensibilities and what we can learn from it.) He wanted to return the favor.
I love the way the translators phrased it. When Haman saw for himself that Mordecai didn't bow down and kneel before him, he was outraged. Meanwhile, having learned that Mordecai was a Jew, Haman hated to waste his fury on just one Jew; he looked for a way to eliminate not just Mordecai but all Jews throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes. (Esther 3:5-6)
Haman "hated to waste his fury."
Hmm, I didn't know fury could be used, let alone wasted. Aside from giving a person an adrenalin rush to accomplish extraordinary physical deeds, anger hinders me from accomplishing my goals. I learned ago that bitterness (which is unresolved anger, isn't it?) only hurts me, not the person I'm angry with. Of course, I shouldn't repress anger either, but that's a different lesson.
Of course I'm working under a New Testament maxim, don't let the sun go down on your anger.
Agag saw it as an opportunity to move up in the king's favor at the same time as he could get rid of an ancient enemy. He could satisfy a long-standing feud with a plausible excuse--the opportunity his family had been waiting for for hundreds of years.
He served a king who had divorced his queen for disobeying an order. Xerxes understood the importance of honor and obedience--and Mordecai denied Haman both by refusing to bow before him. (note to self: Mordecai was obeying the law not to bow before anything other than God.)
The anger Haman unleashed against an entire people, God's people, no less, boomeranged back to him. Not only were the Jews saved from extinction, but Haman died on the gallows he had built for Mordecai.
Beware of your anger. Don't repress it--depression can be awful--but find a way to process it. I would welcome your suggestions on how to do that.
My most recent experience with bad anger came earlier this year, when I learned that the man who had stolen my heart was already married.
At first, I was too numb and shocked to react. Eventually the anger surfaced. I dealt with it by confronting the man with my feelings of betrayal. Why didn't you tell me you were married? His response didn't matter, to me. What mattered was my telling him, in my calm and controlled manner, why he had upset me so.
Something worked. He stopped eating with me.
This is one time I believe we can learn from sharing each other's stories. Either of successfully handling anger--and going the other direction and mentioning times you held on to it, with bad consequences. I've got a few of those, believe me.
I found most of its story adaptations acceptable. I also learned one of those obvious facts that had never occurred to me before.
Jews had encountered Agagites before. When God gave King Saul the job of killing all of the Amalakites. Saul didn't follow the instructions--completely: he didn't kill the king, Agag. "He captured Agag, king of Amalek, alive." (1 Samuel 15:7)
Maybe God had Haman in mind when he gave Saul the order. In the movie, we see Agag's pregnant wife escaping. No wonder Haman hated a man from the people who had tried to commit genocide. (Yeah, we discussed that awhile back, how the wholesale elimination of different peoples offends our modern sensibilities and what we can learn from it.) He wanted to return the favor.
I love the way the translators phrased it. When Haman saw for himself that Mordecai didn't bow down and kneel before him, he was outraged. Meanwhile, having learned that Mordecai was a Jew, Haman hated to waste his fury on just one Jew; he looked for a way to eliminate not just Mordecai but all Jews throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes. (Esther 3:5-6)
Haman "hated to waste his fury."
Hmm, I didn't know fury could be used, let alone wasted. Aside from giving a person an adrenalin rush to accomplish extraordinary physical deeds, anger hinders me from accomplishing my goals. I learned ago that bitterness (which is unresolved anger, isn't it?) only hurts me, not the person I'm angry with. Of course, I shouldn't repress anger either, but that's a different lesson.
Of course I'm working under a New Testament maxim, don't let the sun go down on your anger.
Agag saw it as an opportunity to move up in the king's favor at the same time as he could get rid of an ancient enemy. He could satisfy a long-standing feud with a plausible excuse--the opportunity his family had been waiting for for hundreds of years.
He served a king who had divorced his queen for disobeying an order. Xerxes understood the importance of honor and obedience--and Mordecai denied Haman both by refusing to bow before him. (note to self: Mordecai was obeying the law not to bow before anything other than God.)
The anger Haman unleashed against an entire people, God's people, no less, boomeranged back to him. Not only were the Jews saved from extinction, but Haman died on the gallows he had built for Mordecai.
Beware of your anger. Don't repress it--depression can be awful--but find a way to process it. I would welcome your suggestions on how to do that.
My most recent experience with bad anger came earlier this year, when I learned that the man who had stolen my heart was already married.
At first, I was too numb and shocked to react. Eventually the anger surfaced. I dealt with it by confronting the man with my feelings of betrayal. Why didn't you tell me you were married? His response didn't matter, to me. What mattered was my telling him, in my calm and controlled manner, why he had upset me so.
Something worked. He stopped eating with me.
This is one time I believe we can learn from sharing each other's stories. Either of successfully handling anger--and going the other direction and mentioning times you held on to it, with bad consequences. I've got a few of those, believe me.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
MEN ARE FROM MARS . . . (Ezra 1)
Every man is master of his own house; whatever he says, goes. (Esther 1:22)
"A man's home is his castle." The familiar proverb was first included in The Institutes of English Law by Sir Edward Coke back in 1628. Although legally it established an owner's right to defend his home, we often hear it to indicate a man has to live as he pleases in his own home. He is not the the king of his house, but of the people who live there as well.
Thank goodness the verse I quoted above is a law created by a Gentile king and not part of "The Revelation" God gave to Moses as our rule of conduct. The war between men and women has been going on a long time.
The story challenged me because it could happen today as well as id did 2500 years (or so) ago.
In case you don't remember the details, King Xerxes held a banquet for everyone in his capital, poor and rich alike--for a week. He entertained the men while Vashti entertained the women.
At the end of the week, fueled by alcoholic stupidity, Xerxes demanded that the beautiful Vashti appear in front of the men.
We're not told if the women drank as heavily as the men. I can imagine, that like women's conventions everywhere, family was the center of conversation. Each one bragging how her husband and children were better than everyone else's. And listening patiently while Vashti extolled the virtues of the king.
Somehow I doubt that she mentioned his demand for her appearance in front of a room full of drunken, leering men.
Vashti refused, Xerxes divorced her, and the process of choosing the next queen--Esther--began.
I won't attempt to discuss the definition of a wife's "submission" to her husband in this post. But I think it's safe to safe to say that the expression of a woman's sexuality should be reserved between husband and wife.
Never in the ancient version of a strip bar.
And men, by the way? Home is the queen's castle as well.
(In fact, that's how American Alexander Chase put it: "A man's home is his wife's castle." 1966)
"A man's home is his castle." The familiar proverb was first included in The Institutes of English Law by Sir Edward Coke back in 1628. Although legally it established an owner's right to defend his home, we often hear it to indicate a man has to live as he pleases in his own home. He is not the the king of his house, but of the people who live there as well.
Thank goodness the verse I quoted above is a law created by a Gentile king and not part of "The Revelation" God gave to Moses as our rule of conduct. The war between men and women has been going on a long time.
The story challenged me because it could happen today as well as id did 2500 years (or so) ago.
In case you don't remember the details, King Xerxes held a banquet for everyone in his capital, poor and rich alike--for a week. He entertained the men while Vashti entertained the women.
At the end of the week, fueled by alcoholic stupidity, Xerxes demanded that the beautiful Vashti appear in front of the men.
We're not told if the women drank as heavily as the men. I can imagine, that like women's conventions everywhere, family was the center of conversation. Each one bragging how her husband and children were better than everyone else's. And listening patiently while Vashti extolled the virtues of the king.
Somehow I doubt that she mentioned his demand for her appearance in front of a room full of drunken, leering men.
Vashti refused, Xerxes divorced her, and the process of choosing the next queen--Esther--began.
I won't attempt to discuss the definition of a wife's "submission" to her husband in this post. But I think it's safe to safe to say that the expression of a woman's sexuality should be reserved between husband and wife.
Never in the ancient version of a strip bar.
And men, by the way? Home is the queen's castle as well.
(In fact, that's how American Alexander Chase put it: "A man's home is his wife's castle." 1966)
THE GOOD OLD DAYS (Nehemiah 12)
Nehemiah 12 has to be one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, in the way it demonstrates the way music was central in temple worship, just as music plays an important in worship services today. Look at the musical abundance mentioned: two choirs, trumpets, cymbals, harps, lutes performing both thanksgiving hymns and songs.
For you see (have I mentioned this before?), I was a church musician long before I was a writer. I played piano in church from the time I was twelve onward earned my bachelors degree in sacred music. (Few people know what B.S.M. refers to, LOL.)
I love writing but it's hard work. Music streams straight from my heart. It bypasses the barriers I erect between myself and God and goes straight to my heart. In the months following my divorce, I sat in the balcony of my church, unable to stop crying while the congregation sang choruses such as As the Deer Panteth. I've had a similar experience here at the nursing home, when church group come and sing hymns. Our services here include no preaching but hymn after precious hymn. Many times I am unable to sing, my heart lifting in worship (I talked about this a couple of weeks ago, when the hymn "Whiter Than Snow" touched me in a new way.)
Hmm, I'm one of those people crying during a time of joy.
The technological, electronic age has brought a resurgence of church music with it. We have contemporary Christian music available 24 hours a day. I can name a few of my favorites: Points of Grace, Casting Crowns, Steven Curtis Chapman.
But as a student of the sacred music tradition, I sometimes fear we are losing music of the ages, songs from Martin Luther and Charles Wesley and Frances Crosby, as well as newer ones like Andre Crouch and John Peterson. However, I acknowledge that is a preference and an opinion and believe that the best of the past will survive.
The returning exiles enjoyed much the same variety, suggested by the differentiation between "thanksgiving hymns" and "songs." Even Paul talked about "psalms, hymns, and songs of the spirit" in Colossians 3:16. Boy, can you imagine what arguments started when gentiles brought their music to a Jewish worship service?
The Israelites reveled in reviving the past. The writer says, "The priests and Levites. . .had done everything so well, conducted the worship of their God . . . in a way that would have made David and his son Solomon proud. That's the way it was done in the olden days, the days of David and Asaph, when they had choir director for singing songs of praise and thanksgiving to God." (Nehemiah 12:44-46, MSG) And let's not forget the instruments mentioned. (As a pianist, I appreciate that addition, my "instrument of ten fingers" (Psalm 33:2)
At the next worship service, we attend, let us join in song, which has been a part of worship since the earliest days of man (Genesis 4:21)
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Everyone old enough to understand joined their noble kinsmen in a binding oath to follow The Revelation of God given through through Moses the servant of God, to keep and carry out all the commandments of God our Master, all his decisions and standards. (Nehemiah 10:28-30).
Nehemiah contains a covenant made by the people of Israel, down to listing the name of every person who signed it. Like the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, it indicated a joint purpose and to-the-death dedication to see it accomplished.
Nehemiah contains a list of do's and don't's, summarized in the sentence that ends chapter ten: We will not neglect the Temple of our God. Perhaps this was the start of the 603 rules Jews followed in Jesus's day to ensure adherence to the law. They had learned their lesson in the harshness of exile; never again did they fall prey to idol worship. (Of course, they didn't recognize the Messiah when He came, but no one could accuse them laxness in following the letter of the law.)
This oath-taking reminded me of other memorable documents designed to bind people in a common purpose. How about the Mayflower Compact, a document designed to govern the xx hardy Puritans who arrived in Plymouth in 1620?
Other "rules" are shorter and easier to remember. How about the rules for holy living by John Wesley?
Nehemiah contains a covenant made by the people of Israel, down to listing the name of every person who signed it. Like the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, it indicated a joint purpose and to-the-death dedication to see it accomplished.
Nehemiah contains a list of do's and don't's, summarized in the sentence that ends chapter ten: We will not neglect the Temple of our God. Perhaps this was the start of the 603 rules Jews followed in Jesus's day to ensure adherence to the law. They had learned their lesson in the harshness of exile; never again did they fall prey to idol worship. (Of course, they didn't recognize the Messiah when He came, but no one could accuse them laxness in following the letter of the law.)
This oath-taking reminded me of other memorable documents designed to bind people in a common purpose. How about the Mayflower Compact, a document designed to govern the xx hardy Puritans who arrived in Plymouth in 1620?
Other "rules" are shorter and easier to remember. How about the rules for holy living by John Wesley?
Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever. . .
You can.
Accountability and support--the advantages of community are recognized and urged upon us. We join Bible studies, critique groups, weight loss groups, a homeowners association--any one of a myriad of activities--with others. Their encouragement helps us pursue a goal after we would give up on our own.
Many of my readers will recognize the following lines:
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
I spent three happy years as a girl scout junior. How about you?
I will close with the words of the Girl Scout Law, which could be taken as our code of conduct as believers:
I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.
Monday, June 17, 2013
JOY FOR THE JOURNEY (Nehemiah 7)
This day is holy to God. Don't feel bad. The joy of God is your strength! (Nehemiah 7:10)
This verse is one I've known since childhood. The whole book of Nehemiah resonates with me. I heard one very memorable sermon on the gates that the Israelites rebuilt. We sang "the joy of the Lord is your strength" as a praise chorus, repeating it with the sounds of laughter--"ha-ha-ha-ha-ha"--until the rush of oxygen made us giddy.
It's the kind of verse I usually skip, because I associate it with my childhood, and because it fits in with the fake-smile personality we sometimes experience at church.
But today it captured my attention. The Jews came together to get to know God's Word better. Think of it like a revival week-long revival meeting.
Some of the people came under conviction and couldn't stop crying. When we become aware of sin, we have a heavy spirit.
And God said to stop weeping.
The reason? This day is holy to God.
Holiness=joy does not compute for me. I tend to think of holiness in terms of rules, restrictions, the "thou shalt nots" of life.
In this passage, holiness is celebrated with feast, song, offerings. The completion of a job well done made it a holy day.
Maybe like the day I receive one of my completed books in my hands--that kind of a day.
The joy of holiness is like getting my new book in the mail. Wow.
Our "holy" days, Christmas, Resurrection Sunday, even Thanksgiving, are times of celebration. In our efforts to "keep Christ in Christmas," we can go too far in emphasizing the spiritual aspects of the day and not the celebration.
On our journey to holiness, we have many occasions for joyful celebration. The joy of the Lord is our strength as we struggle forward in life, and each tiny victory--from the first day of school to graduation, from the first devotion written on this blog to a full year, from repentance of sin to long-lasting victory--deserves a joy-filled celebration.
Celebrate the journey! And God gives us the strength to continue.
This verse is one I've known since childhood. The whole book of Nehemiah resonates with me. I heard one very memorable sermon on the gates that the Israelites rebuilt. We sang "the joy of the Lord is your strength" as a praise chorus, repeating it with the sounds of laughter--"ha-ha-ha-ha-ha"--until the rush of oxygen made us giddy.
It's the kind of verse I usually skip, because I associate it with my childhood, and because it fits in with the fake-smile personality we sometimes experience at church.
But today it captured my attention. The Jews came together to get to know God's Word better. Think of it like a revival week-long revival meeting.
Some of the people came under conviction and couldn't stop crying. When we become aware of sin, we have a heavy spirit.
And God said to stop weeping.
The reason? This day is holy to God.
Holiness=joy does not compute for me. I tend to think of holiness in terms of rules, restrictions, the "thou shalt nots" of life.
In this passage, holiness is celebrated with feast, song, offerings. The completion of a job well done made it a holy day.
Maybe like the day I receive one of my completed books in my hands--that kind of a day.
The joy of holiness is like getting my new book in the mail. Wow.
Our "holy" days, Christmas, Resurrection Sunday, even Thanksgiving, are times of celebration. In our efforts to "keep Christ in Christmas," we can go too far in emphasizing the spiritual aspects of the day and not the celebration.
On our journey to holiness, we have many occasions for joyful celebration. The joy of the Lord is our strength as we struggle forward in life, and each tiny victory--from the first day of school to graduation, from the first devotion written on this blog to a full year, from repentance of sin to long-lasting victory--deserves a joy-filled celebration.
Celebrate the journey! And God gives us the strength to continue.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
NEHEMIAH’S SECRET STRATEGY
Today's devotional was written by Roberta Tucker Brosius. We were roommates in college, when she was Legolas to my Gimli, many moons ago. We've been published together in a couple of books as well.
There’s so much about Nehemiah I admire, but Darlene has advised me to
pick just one thing from chapters 4 – 7 in his book . So I won’t write about
Nehemiah’s ability to encourage others when he should have been discouraged
himself. Nor will I expound on his discernment in recognizing evil in both foes
and frenemies. I won’t gush about his total investment of time, money, and self
to achieve his goal of rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls after Judah’s exile.
Instead I’ll share
some thoughts about Nehemiah’s strategy, because I think you and I should adopt
it.
I like the style of
the book of Nehemiah; it seems to be his personal journal. He’ll spend a few
paragraphs recounting all the craziness and frustration he’s experiencing and
then suddenly he’ll write a prayer.
He had “pray without
ceasing” mastered centuries before Paul penned it.
When his enemies
insulted him and his building project, he prayed, “Hear us,
our God, for we are despised….” (4:4).
When the
same men plotted to stir up trouble, he prayed and increased security personnel
(4:9).
After
he resolved the conflict between the haves and the have-nots among the returned
exiles, he asked God to reward him. (5:19).
When Sanballat (Public Enemy Number
One) continued to harass Nehemiah and tried to intimidate him, he prayed for
increased strength (6:9).
When Shemaiah (a frenemy) tried to
lure Nehemiah to seek sanctuary in the Sanctuary, he saw through this scheme to
intimidate him, and asked God to judge all the co-conspirators (6:13 – 14).
Nehemiah writes that
those who hauled the materials carried a weapon in one hand and those who built
the wall wore swords (5:16 - 18). Nehemiah himself was also continually armed
(5:23). His attitude about swords, spears, and arrows extended to prayer, a
believer’s spiritual weaponry. His every action was linked to prayer. His every
prayer was joined to action. That’s how the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt
after 52 days of construction, opposition, conflict, famine, and
discouragement.
Since we’re not living
in Bible times, can this work for you and me? I’ve seen it happen this year at
the small, struggling Christian academy where I teach. We experienced
opposition and discouragement, and our pitiful salaries remained the same while
our health insurance costs climbed. We came perilously close to shutting the doors
forever.
I wasn’t thinking
about Nehemiah when we began the school year, but looking back, I think we
followed his strategy in our own faltering, imperfect way: We linked our
actions to prayer. We joined our prayers to action. God honored both.
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