Editor’s Note: The AMI Quiet Time for today are provided by Cami King of JCC.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
Esther 7:7-10
The king arose in his anger from drinking wine and went into the palace garden; but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm had been determined against him by the king. 8 Now when the king returned from the palace garden into the place where they were drinking wine, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, “Will he even assault the queen with me in the house?” As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. 9 Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who were before the king said, “Behold indeed, the gallows standing at Haman’s house fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai who spoke good on behalf of the king!” And the king said, “Hang him on it.” 10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided.
If I were to respond to the ending of Haman’s story in emojis, I would have to use the little face with wide eyes, raised brows, and utter confusion (sorry to android users for the lost pop culture reference). At the start of this narrative, it’s certainly hard to see this ending coming. I’m sure it caught Haman by surprise as well. We’ve all heard the saying, “Evil never prospers.” As kids we might have been told this by our parents or teachers who caught us doing something underhanded or conniving or deceitful (as most children begin to do after their toddler years). But from the story of Haman, we learn that not only will evil not prosper, but it will have the absolute averse effect in our lives.
As believers, we are called to a life of holiness. We are called to live as Jesus would in our place and to honor and exalt God (make Him famous) through our lives. And while this is our calling (and a lofty one at that), we still find ourselves living in the real world where we are tempted to scheme with the best of them. Whether it’s intentional and malicious (like outright slander, lying on our taxes, lying on our resumes, cheating on a test) or inadvertent and seemingly innocuous (like work gossip, representing someone in an unfavorable light to make ourselves look better, taking credit for something we didn’t do), our human nature leads us to “evil” quite naturally. But may we learn a hard lesson from the story of Haman, that all the evil we do, especially against others, will at some point or another come back to haunt us – and often times in painfully ironic ways.
It’s easy to plot evil to get ahead or even in response to those who’ve harmed us, but may we choose instead the path of righteousness (and forgiveness). Not only is it a better road as we are protected from the potential painful consequences, but the God who was faithful to Esther will be faithful to all who choose righteousness as well.
Prayer: “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. Let it be so with me, O Lord.” In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: John 16
Lunch Break Study
Psalm 37:1-11
Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
2 For they will wither quickly like the grass
And fade like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
11 But the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
Questions to Consider:
- Do you find yourself “fretting because of evil doers” or “envious toward wrong doers”? What does the psalmist instruct us to do instead?
- Who are the “wrongdoers” in your life? What do we learn is the fate of those who do evil? How should this encourage us to respond to them?
Notes:
- If we’ve ever been victimized or wronged by anyone else, especially in a painful or habitual manner, we can relate to David in his temptation to worry over these things. Moreover, if we’ve ever tried to live honestly and found that those who choose to take shortcuts continue to get ahead, we may have experienced envy toward them. But we are challenged instead to trust in the Lord and continue to be faithful. God will take care of the rest as we delight ourselves in Him. We must also be careful not to become angry lest we fall into evil of our own.
- The scripture is clear – their end is destruction. And not the kind of destruction we might want to bring up on them in our anger, but God’s righteous judgment. This should lead us to have hearts of compassion and concern for them – God’s judgment is no small thing. We might pray for them, or be encouraged to love them in hopes that God might soften their hearts and change their ways.
Evening Reflection
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. (Psalm 37:7)
Are you facing any opposition or adversity today? Take some time tonight to be still before the Lord. Offer Him your cares and rest in His promises to protect and provide. Commit anew to walking in the path of righteousness, no matter the cost, and praise God for His good plans to prosper you through every circumstance.
The story of queen Esther is a familiar one. Esther, with fear and trembling, goes before the king to make a request that could cost her life. Yet she does so knowing that it was what she must do to save her people, believing the potential sacrifice to be more than worth the potential outcome. Her confidence, as we learned yesterday, came from the Lord her God, whom she knew was at work in the unseen to protect and defend His people. And we see today that her boldness and courage paid off. She was granted her request before a king with whom she found favor – and many were saved as a result. What an amazing opportunity and immense power available to Esther. And what a worthy way to utilize it!
If you have been following the NFL this season, you know that the Carolina Panthers are currently undefeated. Out of eleven games played, they have won eleven – no one has beaten them. Their quarterback, Cam Newton, has been quite dominant this season leaving many wondering, can he and the Panthers be overcome?
Have you ever done something, thinking you would earn recognition, only to find that no recognition or honor was given? That can often be quite painful. It feels good to be recognized, to get that high-five or pat on the back or that “good job.” But sometimes, no one notices what we do. We are left hanging, like an unreciprocated high-five.
I remember one time as a college student, I posted a photo on Facebook showcasing all the books I had recently purchased, captioned with a declaration that I would be reading them all throughout winter break. I received so many approving “likes” and comments that spoke to my productivity and refined choice of leisure, but here’s a belated update to that highly publicized goal of mine: I didn’t even finish a single book. While it wasn’t my plan to deliberately deceive people, the acknowledgement I received from sharing my goal gave me a false sense of accomplishment and thereby weakened my resolve to actually read.
Atheist Richard Dawkins said, “The God of the OT is . . . a petty, unjust . . ., a vindictive, bloodthirsty . . . bully.” His evidence: God’s command to King Saul to “attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them”—including “men and women, children and infants” (1 Sam. 15:3).
After the end of a long drive from Philadelphia to Houston to take my youngest child to college, it was nice to sit in a cool auditorium, listening to several speakers in a program called “New Families Orientation.” As was customary, before the speakers approached the podium, the master of the ceremony read off a long of list of their academic pedigrees and accomplishments. Although it wasn’t quite the same sensation as seeing a Harvard Medical School diploma hung on the office of my new doctor, knowing that these speakers weren’t “hacks” put me at ease.
In 597, Pope Gregory the Great sent Augustine of Canterbury (not St. Augustine of Hippo) along with forty monks to Great Britain in hopes of evangelizing the Anglo-Saxons who lived there. But upon arrival, seeing buildings with crosses, they realized that someone had already beaten them to it. No one knows who first evangelized the Anglo-Saxons, but their church was known as the “Celtic Church” (which earlier produced the great missionary St. Patrick in the 5th century). In time, Augustine, after learning about this church, insisted that the Celtic Christians adopt the Catholic way (e.g., celebrating Easter on the Sunday following Passover instead of on the day of Passover). In an important meeting in which the two sides were to talk, it is believed that Augustine—the pope’s deputy no less—greatly offended the Celtic delegation when he refused to get up to greet them. Suffice it to say, they were off to rocky start.
Some might question: “Esther, should you be hosting back-to-back dinner parties when life and death of hundreds and thousands of your people is hanging in the balance?” To fault Esther for her alleged indifference is no different than questioning the sanity of King Solomon for ordering that the baby in dispute, between two women claiming to be his mother, be cut in two so that each could have half (1 Kings 3:24). Rest assured that Esther was not only valiant (“If I perish, I perish”), but she was also wise, much like Solomon who knew that the real mother would rather lose the baby than let him be sawed in two.
As we have been reading the story of Esther, one of the most pivotal characters in the story is Mordecai. He was the one who raised Esther, and he was there for her to give advice in the face of evil. There are many adjectives we can use to describe him, but one characteristic that stands out is—his humility. He was never impressed by the riches of royalty or desired to take any credit for Esther’s plan to expose Haman, but rather, we see a man who sincerely wanted to obey the Lord and to honor God by doing what was right. He completely understood the providence of God and his potential role in it if he remained faithful. Anyone in his position could have taken the glory for his plan to thwart Haman, but rather, he seemed to always respond in humble obedience.