My thoughts (Brenda Corbello):

In doing some research into the Jewish tradition of Purim, I learned quite a bit about this story that I had not learned as a girl growing up in the Southern Baptist tradition. I have to admit, we did not talk about any stories in the Bible which may have encouraged a “holiday for parties and fun and laughter.”

It appears that even today the Jewish culture in Israel has a “no holds barred” approach to the celebration of this story of Esther. There are costumes, wine, gifts, and general merry making. How have I missed this all these years?

What interesting questions all this kind of celebrating brings up for me. It appears to me that certain religious people in the U.S. seem to have totally lost the concept of pure joy and celebration. These people were so filled with joy that they not only celebrated for two days, but made sure that their descendants promised to continue the tradition. These two days in the Hebrew month of Adar (around February or March) are celebrated even today in a very big way.

I feel like I am seeing another side of God. I have lived for many years now in a community which does not shy away from celebrations, costumes, and a little party every now and then, but there has always been a part of me that was not quite sure that this was in God’s plan. I have never doubted that God loves me unconditionally, but being raised in a very conservative environment has at times made me feel guilty if I was having too much fun.

The Jewish people may have a considerable amount to be thankful for from Esther, but today I feel very thankful for her myself. In honor of Esther, I believe I will celebrate what God has done for me, and have a little party.

Thought for the day: If you are grateful for what God has done for you and for being delivered from fear and pain, then lift your hands and do a little dance. Make some noise and give a gift to someone in need. You may just feel a bit closer to God after that as well.

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

My thoughts (Tommy Chittenden):

As I slowly read the verses assigned to me for today’s Be Still and Know, I’m pretty sure I started thinking, “What could I possibly come up with in this passage that would come close to resonating within the heart and life of the reader?” I couldn’t even relate to the verses myself. A blank piece of paper with only the framework of “Today’s Scripture and My Thoughts” was parked in my document folder for days.

There was literally nothing happening in response to “God, what would you want to say to me through these words?” And then came Sunday.

Background
Jews around the world celebrate this story of Esther in the Feast of Purim. They set aside two days for holiday, feasting, gladness and merrymaking. On the first evening they read through the story of Esther. This is the day when all Jewish children come into their own. They bring noise makers, little drums and horns to the service, and whenever the name of Haman is mentioned, they blow the horns and pound on the drums, booing and hissing through the reading of the book wherever Haman is mentioned. The second day is set aside for feasting and merrymaking, and for exchanging of gifts, much as we would celebrate Christmas. All of this is in remembrance of the deliverance accomplished by Esther and Mordecai in the days of the Persian Empire, some 500 years before Christ. It is celebrated to this day because God wants the Jewish people never to forget this deliverance. It is to be forever a very important day in their history. From “A Day To Remember,” a sermon by Ray Stedman, RayStedman.org

In God’s awesome omniscience, and because of our propensity to forget some of the most important life-giving truths, God inspired “visual aids” to help prompt our remembrance about these spiritual truths.

I believe baptism and communion are two such visual aids (practices) that serve as prompts for us to remember our deliverance from our perception of separation, sin, and negative prophecies about who we are. Similar to the Feast of Purim that the Jews celebrate each year, the Child of God celebrates the matchless grace of unconditional love expressed through the life of Jesus “as often as we partake of the bread and the cup”.

It is worth noting that the elements Jesus used to establish His ‘memorial’ were not made of steel, iron, granite, marble or any other durable material man would choose to withstand the ravages of time. Instead, two perishable elements were used, signifying that remembering the laying down of the life of the Son of God must rely, not on the elements, but on our conscious, intentional, consistent decision to do so.

Thought for the day: Thank you for providing tangible reminders, visual aids, prompting me to remember that through the death, burial and resurrection of the Christ, I too have been freed from the bondage of everything that would keep me from knowing my true nature — which is Love!

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

My thoughts (Brent Walsh):

Haman had it all. He had just gotten a promotion to a position higher than any of the other nobles, second only to King Xerxes. Yes, life was good! He was indeed a man of great importance in the kingdom, and he made sure everyone knew it! He boasted to anyone within earshot about how influential a guy has to be to receive an invitation to one of Queen Esther’s private banquets. That would be unlikely enough, but thanks to his own personal charm and respectability, he would be going to two banquets in a row, thank you very much!

The only thing Haman still needed to work out was how to rid himself of this pesky insect Mordecai. This crazy Jew didn’t show proper respect, so he had to go. Not only him, but all his little friends, too. Haman simply had to make a request to the king and the law was passed to eradicate the Jews. To top it off, He made a special gallows that were practically tailored to Mordecai’s measurements. All in a day’s work, to be sure.

So Haman is in a good mood and dressed for success as he arrives at the palace for work. The plan is that he will get the king to sign off on Mordecai’s death in the morning so the dirty work can be done and the body hauled away in time for Haman to get changed for the banquet that night. When it doesn’t happen that way, Haman is not happy, but he is determined it will only be a matter of time before the Jews will be out of his way.

The general tone at the second banquet is polite but tense as the food is served and the wine is poured. Then King Xerxes turns to Esther and asks her to reveal her motive for these private meetings, and things start to change. Haman is confused when Esther starts begging for her life, but he sits in reverent silence. Xerxes is outraged that anyone would threaten the life of the Queen and her people and demands the name of the culprit. Suddenly Esther stabs her finger in Haman’s face and says, “The enemy is this vile Haman!”

What?! Hold on! What just happened here? I can imagine Haman getting whiplash as he looks from the Queen to the King and back again. When he realizes he has been perfectly blindsided, he starts begging for his life, but it is too late. He is hauled away and hung on the gallows that were built for Mordecai! To add insult to. . . well, death, Haman’s position in the palace and his entire estate is given to Mordecai that very same day.

This is a truly remarkable story, and it reminds me of what Jesus taught to his disciples as recorded in Matthew 23:12: For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Haman did not exalt himself to the position he held within the palace; that was done by the king. But with the promotion came a fierce pride that drove him to retaliate when Mordecai refused to kneel. He wanted to hit Mordecai where it hurt the most, and that was to attack the entire Jewish population.

The same thing happens sometimes today when people get promoted at work. There is nothing wrong with getting a promotion, and in fact can be a great honor. But when it goes to your head, it can be destructive. If you boast about your position and start treating people badly, it may only serve to turn people against you and ultimately minimize your effectiveness.

Thought for the day: When you are exalted by others, humble yourself to serve them rather than oppress them.

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

My thoughts (Julie Walsh):

Historical resources tell us that King Xerxes was a cruel tyrant, so how could Esther influence the heart of such a king? Could it have been the result of three days of fasting and prayer that changed Xerxes mind? Perhaps. But it could also have been as simple as Esther having gained great favor in the king’s eyes.

Scripture indicates that Esther became Queen because she had impressed King Xerxes with her beauty, but I have to believe that it must have been her demeanor as well. I doubt Xerxes would have risked another embarrassing moment like he had with Vashti at his banquet, and would have selected a woman who exhibited kindness, grace, and obedience.

What if Esther had not been gracious and kind? What if she had not established a good relationship with the king before it was necessary to approach him? When she was ordered away from her family and her people, she could have responded with bitterness, anger, and disdain. After she was crowned, she could have settled into a routine of laziness and apathy.

Instead, I believe Esther presented her best self in every scenario, including fostering a good relationship with a tyrannical king. Ultimately her positive attitude and willingness to move with, rather than against, her changing circumstances resulted in the liberation of the Jewish people from Xerxes’ order for annihilation.

Thought for the day: How you respond to daily situations may ultimately work for or against you. Nurture relationships; choose a positive attitude in trying circumstances; see change as an opportunity rather than a setback. Let your life be led by your best self!

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

My thoughts (Ben Lamb):

We’ve all seen it in oodles of sitcoms and movies: mistaken identities and misunderstandings add up to hilarious consequences for the greedy bad guys. But, whodathunk the idea sprung out of the Bible thousands of years before Hollywood sprung out of the land of swaying palm trees?

It’s comical to picture Haman having to put on a facade as required by being the king’s official representative when he doesn’t want to be fulfilling his duty. He’s inwardly thinking something quite different as he delivers to Mordecai the marvelous honor that he presumed he was going to get for himself. He must have been seething!

But how often do we see others (or ourselves) engage in that same activity throughout our everyday lives? When it hits close to home, it’s not always so funny:

• “I’ve put soooo much effort into this project, it’s a cinch that I’ll get the ‘Office Brown Noser of the Year’ Award.”
• “After all of the people around here that I’ve “trashed”, there’s nobody else to receive a high enough job performance rating to merit a raise from the tight budget.”
• “Mom and Dad have rightfully thought of me as the Favored Child. Surely that’ll entitle me to a bigger piece of inheritance pie.”

At first reading, I was mystified as to why the king never spoke flat-out about whom it was that he was referring: “What would be appropriate for the man the king especially wants to honor?” I now think he already knew the essence of Haman’s heart, and went about “helping” Haman discover it for himself as well.

Thought for the day: Although it may take a while, most people who have an inflated value of themselves experience a price adjustment.

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

My thoughts (Robert Ferguson):

“There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of within ourselves. And the more we have it within ourselves, the more we dislike it in others.” This is a quote by C.S. Lewis taken from his book, Mere Christianity. He was speaking about pride.

In our reading today we encounter Haman, a man who believes he is on top of the world. He has many sons, a prime position in the king’s service, and now a rare invitation to dine with the queen. Things were working out fine for Haman and he was proud of all that he had accomplished.

But on his way home to boast to family and friends about all he had done, Haman encounters Mordecai, who refuses to bow before him and give Haman the honor he thought he was due. Mordecai’s disrespect was viewed as a sign of pride in Haman’s eyes, but Haman fails to see the pride of his own heart.

Perhaps none of us are as filled with pride as Haman. However, today’s reading reminded me of how self-centered I can be. My problems, wants, needs and desires often become the center of my prayer life. Those thoughts and prayers often become my words and those words usually become the driving force behind my actions. Consequently, the vast majority of my actions end up being about what I need and how best to accomplish my will.

Am I alone in this struggle? We do value ourselves, and who among us does not want to take pride in a job well done or give our very best when called upon to serve? The problem comes when we value ourselves more than we value and honor the Lord our God. Often we seek praise for our accomplishments while being sparse with our praise for the only One who is truly worthy — Jesus.

It is easy to get caught up in the long list of things we must get done. If you are fortunate enough to be able to accomplish everything do not forget to put other’s needs ahead of your own. Consider the less fortunate person who is easily overlooked. God may have put someone in the middle of your path to teach you something, not just to get in your way or slow you down.

Pride comes in many forms and though it is hard to admit that we are guilty of holding this vice; on some level we are all afflicted. Yet, through Jesus Christ we are forgiven, and by the power of the Holy Spirit we are transformed into people who become less and less, while Jesus becomes more and more. Eventually, we will no longer take pride in ourselves, but only in Christ who is our life, breath, and salvation!

Thought for the day: Where is my focus — on myself, or on Jesus?

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.