Scripture Passage
("Impossible?")
Scripture Focus
On that same day King Xerxes gave the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther. (Esther 8:1 NLT)
Observation
Pick most any verse in the reading for today’s “Scripture focus”—it’s all about divine reversals. The plot, full of delightful twists and turns, is too complex to summarize in a brief paragraph or two, but the bottom line is that throughout the book of Esther, moments that seemed the sure end of Mordecai, of Esther, and of the Jews as a people were one-by-one completely reversed by the hand of God.
The same thing was true a few days ago when we read Ezra’s account of Tattenai, the Persian governor who sought to halt the reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. All of it points to God’s marvelous ability to reverse any situation.
It seems to me today that I can attempt to summarize what’s already been declared, or simply repeat what’s wonderfully obvious: Nothing is to difficult for our God. No circumstance is irreversible, no challenge unmeet-able, no obstacle un-conquerable.
And so I dare to look at my life again and ask, “Where have I given up on God? Where in my life have I decided there’s no hope? Are my circumstances…are my challenges…more imposing than those faced by God’s people in these passages? Is Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever? Then perhaps today is the day I should once again ask for what seems impossible to men.” Why?
"What is impossible with men is possible with God."
(Luke 18:27 NIV)
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Scripture Passage
Scripture Focus
…he moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem. (Esther 2:9 NLT)
Observation
There’s so much to love about the book of Esther. One of my favorite verses is Esther 4:14—“Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” That verse speaks so powerfully to the providence of God and our divine appointments as opportunities to serve Him. I’m focusing today, however, on a different verse.
Esther enters the story of the book that bears her name when she’s rounded up as part of a national “beauty contest” of sorts. It’s delightful how the story ends, but it’s troubling if we pause to think honestly about how the story begins.
King Xerxes’ attendants are searching the empire “to find beautiful young virgins for the king” (2:1). Esther is one of a number of young ladies—scores, maybe hundreds…the text is not specific—brought to the fortress of Susa to be prepared for what is essentially a one-night stand with the king. I’m sure by the standards of the day, the treatment they received really was “royal”, and the treatment Esther receives is better than all the rest! The Bible says that Hegai (the king’s attendant in charge of the harem)…
“…was very impressed with Esther and treated her kindly. He quickly ordered a special menu for her and provided her with beauty treatments. He also assigned her seven maids specially chosen from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem.” (Esther 2:9 NLT)
The treatment Esther received was the best—but still, isn’t there something a bit ironic (not sure that’s the exact word I’m after) about having “the best place in the harem”? The beauty of the story is that God had something better in mind than “the best place in the harem” could ever supply!
When—to everyone else—Esther was simply a commodity to be processed and used (dress it up however you want—that’s what it was), to God she was a daughter to be given purposeful and history-altering opportunity! She was someone precious in His sight whose purpose was far greater than satisfying the kings of this world.
I’m trying to be discreet in what I write and in my choice of words, but I must declare—whatever “best” this present age offers doesn’t hold a candle to the value each of us has to our Heavenly Father (who always sees our true worth) and to the plans and purpose He holds for us. I encourage you—as I encourage myself—don’t settle for less!
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Scripture Passage
Scripture Focus
And I said to them, “If you like, give me my wages, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to.” So they counted out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. (Zechariah 11:12 NLT)
Observation
I think “remarkable” has become my favorite word for describing Scripture. What a remarkable passage today! These promises of restoration given by Zechariah are laden with prophetic declarations regarding Jesus of Nazareth—it’s remarkable!
One of the most interesting chapters is Zechariah 11. Zechariah is called on to play the role of a good shepherd rejected by his sheep—an oppressed flock intended for slaughter. But rather than welcoming and responding to his care, he was hated by the sheep and dismissed as their shepherd. So the shepherd asks for his severance pay:
And I said to them, “If you like, give me my wages, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to.” So they counted out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. (Zechariah 11:12 NLT)
I mean, c’mon. Can anything…could any words…be more prophetically powerful than these? I don’t see how. But more words could add to the marvel of it all, so read the next verse:
And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—this magnificent sum at which they valued me! So I took the thirty coins and threw them to the potter in the Temple of the LORD. (Zechariah 11:13 NLT)
Over 500 years before the fact, Zechariah prophetically announces the rejection of Jesus by His own, the price paid for the betrayal, and the disposition of the funds involved.
It’s more than just an interesting tidbit of history. This is one of hundreds of prophecies—several others are included in this very passage—specifically fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God. And it does more than “only” affirm that Jesus was indeed Son of God and Savior of the world. These prophetic declarations announce that long before I was conceived, God sacrificially planned for my redemption. Neither my life nor yours is an afterthought. The God who cared enough to purposefully and intentionally plan for our redemption has just as assuredly planned purposefully and intentionally for all our days—including this one.
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Scripture Passage
Scripture Focus
“This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.” (Zechariah 7:9-10 NLT)
Observation
I love today’s reading from Ezra—enemies of God’s people are determined to halt the construction of the temple. Instead, they end up being ordered to help—with construction costs, the supply of sacrificial offerings to Yahweh, and even a meals per diem for the priests! Wow…
But the thing that’s captured my attention is the discussion in Zechariah 7 between the people of Bethel and the prophet himself. They’ve sent representatives with a question: “Should we continue to mourn and fast each summer on the anniversary of the Temple’s destruction, as we have done for so many years?” (Zechariah 7:3 NLT)
“We’ve been observing a day of remembrance because of the destruction of the Temple. Now it’s rebuilt. Do we keep up with the observance?” (My paraphrase)
The question, essentially, is “Are we doing the ritual right?” And Zechariah’s answer, essentially, is “Are you doing ‘right’ right?”
“This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.” (Zechariah 7:9-10 NLT)
His words remind me of those of Isaiah when addressing this very issue *before* the destruction of the Temple.
“[6] Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? [7] Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? [8] Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.” (Isaiah 58:6-8 NIV)
I find all this a particularly interesting interchange one day after 9-11 observances all across America during a season of significant political turmoil. All the rhetoric is fine, I suppose (he writes, believing really that it isn’t)…but all the rhetoric in the world won’t accomplish God’s purpose—
“Are you doing ‘right’ right?”
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Scripture Passage
Scripture Focus
"Does anyone remember this house—this Temple—in its former splendor? How, in comparison, does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all! But now the LORD says: Be strong, Zerubbabel. Be strong, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you, says the LORD of Heaven's Armies." (Haggai 2:3-4 NLT)
Observation
Just a day or two ago I wrote regarding the mixed emotions experienced by the people of God as the foundation for the Temple was re-laid in Jerusalem. There was “delightful joy over a new beginning mixed with the sorrowful sense of loss over what was missed and can never be recovered.”
Amazing to me that today God addresses those very emotions. He acknowledges the sense of loss His people experienced, but addresses that loss with a great promise made to Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and all the people still left in the land.
“Get to work, for I am with you.” (Haggai 2:4 NLT)
And then, through His prophet Haggai, God expands on His promise in wonderful, gracious-beyond-measure ways.
“For this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!” (Haggai 2:6-9 NLT)
I don’t know how you top that. I don’t know what you can add to a promise like that made to a people who had so completely wasted every opportunity God had given them, and were now privileged by God’s grace with even another opportunity. How good God is and how gracious—not just to Israel, but to me!
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Scripture Passage
Scripture Focus
Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.” (Daniel 10:12-13 NLT)
Observation
I am both boggled of mind and blessed of heart by today’s reading—specifically the reading from Daniel 11 and 12. Upon first reading, the language of this prophetic passage is complex and confusing, kings from the north doing battle with kings from the south (and vice versa) with no obvious identification of anyone in particular along the way. Any good Bible commentary, however, makes clear the ways in which much of this prophetic word was quite specifically fulfilled from the time of King Cyrus of Persia (whose reign began around 535 BC) through the conflicts between Jewish patriots and the Seleucids (ending around 161 BC). Even as a guy with no mind for retaining historical dates and sequences, the fulfillment of the specific prophecies detailed here is beyond remarkable. (Click here to find a good summary of the fulfillment of these prophecies.) The gears begin to shift near the end of chapter 11, and the prophecy seems to begin to address end-time events that, I’m sure, will someday be as clearly fulfilled as were the prophecies given previously.
Beyond the astonishing fulfillment of prophecy is the fascinating description of unseen spiritual authorities in Daniel 10:12-13 and 10:20-11:1. The angel who appears to Daniel (fascinating enough in and of himself) speaks of “the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia” and “the spirit prince of the kingdom of Greece” (10:20). Further, he describes how “for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked [his] way” (10:13) and describes almost a tag-team match where he was relieved in his battle by “Michael,” identified in the text as Daniel’s own “spirit prince.” Are you kiddin’ me?
I say that not to dismiss the reality of warfare in the spiritual realm but to emphasize it—to suggest that we *have* dismissed a genuine and highly significant portion of our existence. In our scientific, rationalistic, secular-logic-driven worldview, if you can’t put it under a microscope or duplicate it in a laboratory, it must not exist. "Such warfare," we say to ourselves, "might make for a good Saturday morning cartoon—hey, maybe even a full-length feature film if there's money to be made—but none of this actually has anything to do with day-to-day reality." The Scriptures matter-of-factly declare otherwise, revealing a world of spiritual authorities—authorities with territorial and/or personal assignments. Wow!
I’m out of space—my word count is excessive already. But what are you going to do with that? What am I going to do with that? How would I actually live differently if I genuinely believed what the Bible plainly reveals—not *only* the spiritual reality of “one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:6 NIV) but also (yeah, I know we can quote it, but do we believe it) the spiritual reality of “rulers…authorities…powers of this dark world…spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV). Would we pray more tenaciously? Live more confidently (knowing that His Spirit lives in us)? Believe more expectantly?
Daniel invites us again to consider the realities of our broken world—challenges greater than “just” education or medicine or modern psychology or economic renewal can address. Daniel affirms the reality of a spiritual realm—one that beckons submission and allegiance to Jesus Christ, the only One who has overcome all darkness for all time.
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Scripture Passage
Scripture Focus
…many of the older priests, Levites, and other leaders who had seen the first Temple wept aloud when they saw the new Temple’s foundation. The others, however, were shouting for joy. The joyful shouting and weeping mingled together in a loud noise that could be heard far in the distance. (Ezra 3:12-13 NLT)
Observation
I know—I’ve probably already said this many times—but today’s reading involves one of the most interesting passages in all of Scripture. The first wave of exiles have returned to Jerusalem and begun the process of rebuilding. As their first order of business, they rebuild the altar and resume the daily sacrifices. As someone has said, “That’ll preach!” (If that’s not obvious, stop and think about it.) Ezra also says, “The work force was made up of everyone who had returned from exile” (Ezra 3:8 NLT). That’ll preach, too!
Next, the people re-laid the foundation of the Temple itself. When the foundation was completed, a rich celebration broke out. Not everybody, however, celebrates wholeheartedly.
…many of the older priests, Levites, and other leaders who had seen the first Temple wept aloud when they saw the new Temple’s foundation. The joyful shouting and weeping mingled together in a loud noise that could be heard far in the distance. (Ezra 3:12-13 NLT)
Must’ve been an interesting scene, huh? Joyful shouting and sorrowful weeping mixed in cacophonous (always wanted to use that word) discord.
And yet—to the discerning—that’s often the mix of emotions that humanity’s brokenness and God’s graciousness produce. What’s it like when someone finally runs to Christ late in life, or perhaps only when things are so crossed up that there’s really no undoing the mess any longer? What’s it like when I run back to Christ having failed again to listen to His voice and obey His word? To those who see the big picture, it’s that interesting mix of delightful joy over a new beginning, a fresh start…mixed with a sorrowful sense of loss over what was missed, what’s gone and can never be recovered.
What glory Israel had known in earlier days! How regretful what was lost! How wonderful a new day dawning! Oh, that this side of loss…this side of regret…God’s people would chose the best path, so that the mixed emotions (and lost opportunities) of a late return to Him would never again be our experience!
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