Short Reflection from Esther 1-10

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (BRU) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

[7:22 am, 11/05/2022] S.R: 𝔼𝕤𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝟙:𝟙𝟡

"If it pleases the king, let a royal edict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti may no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to another who is more worthy than she."

We aren't told why Vashti refused to come. But the wise men perceived it to be an act of contempt against the husband which wives must never do. And of course, in the providence of God, it was a way for Esther to be the Queen!

#Honor. #Providence

 

𝔼𝕤𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝟚:𝟙𝟟

"The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti."

Esther, a Jew marrying the king, a Gentile. The best option among the worst. Still, a very odd story!

 

𝔼𝕤𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝟛:𝟙𝟙

"The king said to Haman, ‘The silver is yours, and the people also, to do with them as you please.’"

Did the king love money? Did the king hate rebellions in the kingdom? Was the kingdom in a financial crisis? No matter what the motive of the king was, the king didn't examine the complaint and the plan. He was quick to trust Haman.

Don't quickly listen to complaints and plans like king Ahasuerus. Do your homework. Don't be too dependent on others. Don't be lazy.

 

𝔼𝕤𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝟜:𝟙𝟞

"Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish."

A necessary thing must be done even if it involves a great risk! That's why they are called heroes and heroines for their bravery, conviction, and execution!

 

𝔼𝕤𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝟝:𝟙𝟚-𝟙𝟛

"Haman also said, ‘Even Esther the queen let no one but me come with the king to the banquet which she had prepared; and tomorrow also I am invited by her with the king. Yet all of this does not satisfy me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.’"

Seeking self-glory at the expense of killing a person is so evil. And in this case, the whole community, the very people of God. That has to be paid for by his own life. And so, Haman would be hanged, later on.

 

𝔼𝕤𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝟞:𝟛

"The king said, What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this? Then the king's servants who attended him said, ‘Nothing has been done for him.’"

Honor comes from the Lord. Learn to rest in God!

 

𝔼𝕤𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝟟:𝟝

"Then King Ahasuerus asked Queen Esther, 'Who is he, and where is he, who would presume to do thus?'"

God did fight for His people. God did fight for those who put their trust in Him. God did fight for the oppressed people. God did fight for the victims!

But through people like Mordecai, Esther, and the King! Mordecai was a tough man, a man of principle, who would not bow to pressure or intimidation.

 

𝔼𝕤𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝟠:𝟠

"Now you write to the Jews as you see fit, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's signet ring; for a decree which is written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's signet ring may not be revoked."

Permission for civil war, a community clash. It must happen!

 

𝔼𝕤𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝟡:𝟚𝟝

"But when it came to the king's attention, he commanded by letter that his wicked scheme which he had devised against the Jews, should return on his own head and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows."

Thou shall not devise wicked schemes against your neighbors!

 

𝔼𝕤𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝟙𝟘:𝟛

"For Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews and in favor with his many kinsmen, one who sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the welfare of his whole nation."

We need statesmen like Mordecai!

Short Reflection from Nehemiah 1-13

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (DRU) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

[9:43 pm, 08/05/2022] S.R: ℕ𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕒𝕙 𝟙:𝟙𝟙

"O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man. Now I was the cupbearer to the king."

Nehemiah knew his Bible well. He recalled the prophecy of Moses concerning God's judgment for the disobedient ones and the restoration for the repentant people. Nehemiah confessed their sins and was asking God to restore them. He trusted God's word. And he decided to be the repentant one to bring restoration.

Would we like Nehemiah see ourselves as the agent of change? But to do that we need to be saturated in the grace and knowledge of God!

 

ℕ𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕒𝕙 𝟚:𝟠

"‘and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go.’ And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me."

Nehemiah recognized the hand of God in this situation. He didn't credit himself or the king.

 

ℕ𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕒𝕙 𝟛:𝟚𝟘

"After him Baruch the son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the Angle to the doorway of the house of Eliashib the high priest."

Only this verse described it differently. The addition of the adverb "zealously"

We may do the same work, but some are more passionate than others!

 

ℕ𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕒𝕙 𝟜:𝟡

"But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night."

Prayer was their best strategy, weapon, and strength! Prayer was not enough, so, they set up a guard. But without prayer, the guards would be in vain!

"Priority of prayer"

 

ℕ𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕒𝕙 𝟝:𝟙𝟝-𝟙𝟞

"But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their servants domineered the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God. I also applied myself to the work on this wall; we did not buy any land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work."

We need leaders who fear God. Leaders ought to lead people in and to righteousness!

 

ℕ𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕒𝕙 𝟞:𝟙𝟙

"But I said, ‘Should a man like me flee? And could one such as I go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.’"

We need to be brave and courageous like Nehemiah!

 

ℕ𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕒𝕙 𝟟:𝟜

"Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few and the houses were not built."

Similarly, the earth is big and there's a need for development. Also, in the church!

 

ℕ𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕒𝕙 𝟠:𝟙𝟘

"He read from it before the square which was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law."

Enough of attention span! These people listened to sermons for 6 hours. People can watch a web series that last 20 hours.

It's the unsanctified mind that gets bored with the word of God. At least give credit to your brain. Have some self-respect! Don’t talk about attention span. Just tell you aren't that spiritual to listen to a long sermon.

And in this world, people respect smart people, not spiritual people!

 

ℕ𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕒𝕙 𝟡:𝟛𝟚

"Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and lovingkindness, Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before You, Which has come upon us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers and on all Your people, From the days of the kings of Assyria to this day."

A good prayer model. Recalling the goodness of God and asking for His mercy again.

 

ℕ𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕒𝕙 𝟙𝟘:𝟚𝟡

"are joining with their kinsmen, their nobles, and are taking on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in God's law, which was given through Moses, God's servant, and to keep and to observe all the commandments of GOD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes;"

Where are the men and women of principle in our time? Hardly, anyone has biblical conviction. They live like the rest of the world. We should learn to separate ourselves even from other church members—to be more godly, to speak differently, and to conduct differently.

 

ℕ𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕒𝕙 𝟙𝟙:𝟙𝟡

"Also the gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon and their brethren who kept watch at the gates, were 172."

Even the names and list of the gatekeepers are recorded. God knows each one of us.

ℕ𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕒𝕙 𝟙𝟚:𝟜𝟛

"and on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy, even the women and children rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar."

4 times the description of joy is repeated in this verse. It's given by the Lord. And btw, the Lord wants all of us to be joyful people at all times!

 

[11:40 am, 20/05/2022] S.R: ℕ𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕒𝕙 𝟙𝟛:𝟚𝟠-𝟚𝟡

"Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite, so I drove him away from me. Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites."

Nehemiah was zealous for purity! We need leaders like him, more in our time

Short Reflection from Ezra 1-10

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (OVU) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

[6:34 am, 11/05/2022] S.R: 𝔼𝕫𝕣𝕒 𝟙:𝟝

“Then the heads of fathers' households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose, even everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.”

v1 and v5 talk about the stirring of the spirit of the king and the people by the Lord. We ought to desire after this that such stirring would be done in our hearts to live for God.

 

𝔼𝕫𝕣𝕒 𝟚:𝟙

"Now these are the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city."

They were supposed to live in the promised land but were taken away. The next generation was brought back btw. After all, Babylon is not their destiny. Exceptions are exceptions. A rule is a rule!

 

𝔼𝕫𝕣𝕒 𝟛:𝟙𝟚

"Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' households, the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy,"

It's sad when newer ones aren't good as the older ones. In fact, we expect the newer ones to be better. Not that old is gold in this story, but the glory of God was missing in this new temple.

And when younger ones were so glad even of this new temple, it was appropriate for the older ones to weep. How can you be satisfied with ordinary things when you were given the best thing? You trampled gold for mere iron.

 

𝔼𝕫𝕣𝕒 𝟜:𝟜-𝟝

“Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building, and hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.”

Don't underestimate what your opposition can do!

 

𝔼𝕫𝕣𝕒 𝟝:𝟛

"At that time Tattenai, the governor of the province beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues came to them and spoke to them thus, "Who issued you a decree to rebuild this temple and to finish this structure?"

We need political leaders like this governor, Tattenai. He seemed fair, logical, and righteous. There was opposition, but he won't be intimidated to stop the work without a genuine cause.

Next time, when you pray for leaders, pray that they will be at least like Tattenai, even should they leap into hell!

 

𝔼𝕫𝕣𝕒 𝟞:𝟙𝟛

"Then Tattenai, the governor of the province beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues carried out the decree with all diligence, just as King Darius had sent."

This governor is of noble mind, noble works, and well appreciated by the Jews and the king!

 

𝔼𝕫𝕣𝕒 𝟟:𝟚𝟞

'Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him strictly, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of goods or for imprisonment."

Wow! The trust the king had in Ezra! It was a time when the king had authority over the kingdom.

Our present world is full of freedom—and freedom only to sin. The depraved sinner knows nothing except to sin. Even the redeemed saints are not free from sin, that's why we have to battle sin, not easily but as "do or die"

 

𝔼𝕫𝕣𝕒 𝟠:𝟚𝟙

"Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions."

Ezra would rather depend on God than depend on the king. That sent a message to his people, enemy, and everyone that he believed and practiced what he read and taught!

 

𝔼𝕫𝕣𝕒 𝟡:𝟙𝟘

"Now, our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments,"

Ezra was pleading before God, interceding for the people.

 

𝔼𝕫𝕣𝕒 𝟙𝟘:𝟙𝟘-𝟙𝟙

"Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, ‘You have been unfaithful and have married foreign wives adding to the guilt of Israel. Now therefore, make confession to the LORD God of your fathers and do His will; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.’"

Admit you are wrong. Stop doing wrong. Start doing right.

In short, Confess and Be Separate unto God.

Short Reflection from Selected Chapters of 2 Chronicles

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (AG) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

I shall put up only 4 updates for the book of 2 Chronicle. However, I have read all of them this evening. It's more interesting to read through the book in one sitting.

𝟚 ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕤 𝟡:𝟠

"Blessed be the LORD your God who delighted in you, setting you on His throne as king for the LORD your God; because your God loved Israel establishing them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness."

The Queen of Sheba blessed Yahweh because of God's wisdom upon King Solomon. May people curse not our God because of our actions, words, or lifestyle! Let's live like God's children in this ungodly world.

 

𝟚 ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕤 𝟙𝟡:𝟚

"Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, 'Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD and so bring wrath on yourself from the LORD?'"

Jehoshaphat helped King Ahab but God was not pleased with him. Kings were placed by God in those days to represent God; it was a theocracy, not democracy form of government those days.

Nowadays, pastors are the ones who represent/deliver the message of God. It's imperative that we do not associate with those people who undermine the authority and sufficiency of the word of God, or else we shall be like Jehoshaphat.

 

𝟚 ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕤 𝟚𝟠:𝟚𝟚

"Now in the time of his distress this same King Ahaz became yet more unfaithful to the LORD."

What do you do in your distress? Do you repent or rebel? There's no point in getting angry with God. He's not a man to change; it's you who must change your ways.

King Ahaz wasn't only unfaithful but increasingly unfaithful. And he died and his funeral wasn't an honorable one.

 

𝟚 ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕤 𝟛𝟛:𝟙𝟚

"When he was in distress, he entreated the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers."

Ahaz was a bad king. God chastised him. However, instead of repenting he became increasingly unfaithful and died without an honorable funeral.

His grandson, Manasseh was the most wicked king of Judah. 🥶 And he reigned the longest for 55 years. Oh! What a saddest combination! 😭 The worst king reigning the longest. Imagine people wishing him to die soon but still outliving them.

Finally, the Assyrians overpowered him and tortured him badly. Many people must have wanted him to be skinned alive and be rubbed with chili powder. But v12 happened. Oh! No. He repented, and God heard him.

What's this? It's to demonstrate the love of God. The worst sinner was granted repentance. God can and did change the most wicked man. He did save Apostle Paul, the "chief sinner" too.

God can save and change your friends, siblings, neighbors, near and dear ones, if He could change Manasseh. There's hope. Don't give up.

Short Reflection from Selected Chapters of 1 Chronicles

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (AG) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

I shall put up only 4 updates for the book of 1 Chronicle. However, I have read all of them this evening. It's more interesting to read through the book in one sitting.

𝟙 ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕤 𝟝:𝟚

"Though Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came the leader, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph),"

It's interesting to see that birthright can be taken away as it was of Esau and even be disqualified like that of Reuben; that's good.

While Joseph got the birthright, still the chosen tribe for greatness was Judah. God has a way of being gracious!

 

𝟙 ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕤 𝟙𝟙:𝟙𝟡

"and he said, 'Be it far from me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.' Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did."

David would not accept that water for his pleasure. God was dearer to Him. And it's not hard to see why people were so loyal to him even these three risking their lives just for the water for David.

Unfortunately, it's also true that false teachers are accumulating wealth for themselves at the suffering of needy people, and still, people flocked to them.

However, such loyalty seen in this verse is beautiful. Today, I met a guy who says, (I am sure it was just for the sake of saying but still then) that suppose he knows he has only one hour to live, and if I happen to ask him for help, he will still help me. 😃

 

𝟙 ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕤 𝟚𝟙:𝟙𝟟

"David said to God, 'Is it not I who commanded to count the people? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned and done very wickedly, but these sheep, what have they done? O LORD my God, please let Your hand be against me and my father's household, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.'"

There were times, I prayed similar to this, of course, but not to this extent. Leaders must protect those who are under their care.

All of us are leaders in some areas. Don't just expect of others. Fulfill yourself! 🙂👍

 

𝟙 ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕤 𝟚𝟠:𝟚𝟘

"Then David said to his son Solomon, 'Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.'"

Hmmm! I thought only Joshua was asked multiple times to be strong and courageous. Today, I have just realized that Solomon was also asked/charged multiple times to be strong and courageous.

Indeed, a leader needs to be strong and courageous. Hitler-defeating Winston Churchill was right, "Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because it has been said, it is the quality which guarantees all others."