The proverb writer tells us that it is better to love alone in a hostile environment (such as a desert) than with someone who is quarrelsome (especially if that someone is your wife, or husband). Think about it and do not do that to your spouse.
It is before God that I wish to be judged. I ask that God judge between me and those who are my enemies. I know that I am not innocent of wrongdoing, but I have faith in God’s mercy. My human enemies will find wrongdoing where I did nothing wrong. They will condemn me for crimes I did not commit. I trust that God will only condemn me for those things I have actually done wrong. I will throw myself on His mercy for those things, because I know that His justice is righteous.
Paul castigates the Corinthian Church for their divisions. When they meet together they divide into factions, each attempting to prove that it is they who have God’s approval, not the others. As I read what Paul is writing here, many of the Corinthian believers were attempting to lift themselves up by putting others down. This is always a mistake, because the only way for us to lift ourselves up in God’s eyes is to raise others above ourselves.
Paul goes on from there to condemn the way they celebrate the Lord’s Supper/Communion. What I always think about when I read this is that the event described by Paul bears little resemblance to our modern celebration of the Lord’s Supper. It is impossible to imagine anyone abusing our modern Communion the way in which Paul condemns the Corinthian believers for doing. Paul’s description sounds more like a fellowship meal gone wrong. The more I read this passage, and to some degree even the Gospel accounts of the Last Supper, the more convinced I become that we have lost something in turning Communion into a ritual overseen by “clergy”. It seems to me that Communion should be more a family style event where we reaffirm our family relationship and build bonds with our brothers and sisters while acknowledging the Lordship of Jesus.
The first thing that struck me about today’s passage was the fact that King Xerxes threw a huge party to celebrate how wonderful he was. Then when he had gotten himself and all of his advisers and dignitaries completely potted, not just drunk, but seven days binge drinking drunk, he decided to show off how beautiful his wife was. He did not do this in order to honor Queen Vashti, he did this in order to demonstrate how great he was to be able to get such a beautiful, attractive wife. Queen Vashti did not wish to be paraded before a bunch of men to be gawked over as a piece of her husband’s property. God used King Xerxes foolishness for His own ends, but, men, if you want to have a lasting, happy marriage don’t make the sort of mistake Xerxes made here (there is a lesson here for women, but it’s a stretch, so I am not going there today).
For today, One Year Bible Online links here. It does not seem like it has been a year since I last read the book of Esther, yet, here I am starting it again today. I think this is a good thing. It tells me that my reading through the Bible each year is increasing my familiarity with with it. More importantly, it is making me more aware of the lessons taught by the various portions of the Bible.
The wise store up wealth and good things while fools spend all of their money as soon as they get it. The only way to avoid poverty and acquire wealth is to minimize spending on things we do not need.
If we cry out to the Lord, He will protect us from those who attack us solely because we serve Him. He will pay back those who do us wrong because of our faith. He will humiliate and disgrace those who make themselves our enemies because we follow His will. On the other hand, the Lord will bless those who come to our defense.
It seems that Paul is being sarcastic in the first part of this passage when he says, ” But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!” Time and again Paul tells us not to attempt to lift ourselves up above our fellow believers, but to consider others better than ourselves. It appears to me that here he is telling the Corinthians (and us) that the divisions in the Church are a result of those who wish to be seen as more closely in tune with God and thus better than others.
All too often when we gather as the body of believers we come together we our own agendas. I grew up with this passage being interpreted as to the importance of having the right spirit when we take Communion. This is not wrong, but it misses Paul’s main point. When we gather each Sunday, we should be seeking to worship God and how we can work together in order to accomplish His will. This means that we should not be seeking to further our own interests as part of the Sunday worship.
Just as hunger is a legitimate need, so too may some of our interests be legitimate needs for us to pursue. However, we should pursue them on “our own time”, not on the time we are dedicating to worshiping God and forging unity with the body of believers. There is a time and a place for advancing our needs and interests. That time and place is not when we gather with our brothers and sisters to advance God’s will in this world.
This passage has a lot of things for us to learn. The first is the danger of acting while under the influence of alcohol. The passage tells us that Xerxes threw a big party and that the alcohol flowed freely. After seven days of partying, Xerxes sent for his queen while he was well into his cups. When she refused his request he was furious (something that happens to many heavy drinkers when they do not get their way). Rather than wait until he was sober, he immediately sought counsel from his advisers, who were also rather drunk at this point. He was given advice which everyone present thought was sensible, of course everyone present had been drinking heavily for seven days. The action he took was to irrevocably put aside his queen and send out a ruling declaring that every man should be the ruler of his own home and say whatever he pleased. However, once he sobered up, Xerxes began to regret his actions, but he was unable to undo what he had done. How many times have people made decisions under the influence of alcohol which they came to regret later when they were unable to change things?
I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
The book of Esther takes place during the reign of Xerxes, king of Persia. The account starts with Xerxes holding a three month festival celebrating the opulence and power of the Persian Empire (it strikes me as being a sort of World’s Fair). At the end of the festival, he threw a week long party for everyone in his palace in the capital. Xerxes ordered that the wine flow freely and it did. At the same time, his queen, Vashti, threw a similar party for the women in the palace. On the seventh day, Xerxes was rather in his cups and ordered his eunuchs to bring Queen Vashti to him where he was partying with his attendants in order to show off how beautiful his wife was. Vashti refused to come. Xerxes was furious and, upon the advice of his advisers, divorced her (well, probably not technically divorced, but that’s close enough for understanding the rest of the story).
Once Xerxes got over his anger, he began to regret not having a queen. His servants came up with a plan to find a replacement for Vashti by searching for the most beautiful women throughout the Empire. Xerxes could then choose a new queen from among them. Xerxes approved this plan. Among the women who were brought in as part of this plan was a young Jewess named Hadassah (also called Esther). Esther was the cousin of a Jew named Mordecai. Mordecai had adopted her and raised her as his own daughter after the death of her parents. Esther, along with the other young women brought in through this program, was put under the care of the eunuch Hegai. Hegai was impressed by Esther and gave her the best room in the harem. In addition, Hegai gave her a special menu and additional beauty treatments. While she was undergoing the one year preparation, Mordecai passed near the courtyard of the harem everyday in order to keep informed about how she was doing.
When the young women were called to Xerxes bed, they were given their choice of clothes and jewelry. When it was Esther’s turn, she wore only what Hegai recommended. Xerxes was taken with Esther and made her his queen in place of Vashti. Through all of this Esther kept her nationality a secret, even after Mordecai became a palace official. Through all of this, Esther continued to consult with Mordecai and follow his directions. At one point, Mordecai overheard a plot to kill King Xerxes and reported it to Queen Esther. Esther passed this report on to the king, giving Mordecai credit for it.
Some time later, Xerxes appointed Haman as the most powerful official in the Empire, after the king. All of the king’s officials would bow down to Haman when he passed, except for Mordecai. When Haman realized that Mordecai would not bow down to him, he became furious. He investigated and discovered that Mordecai was a Jew. Haman felt that it was not enough to punish Mordecai for the slight. He decided to destroy all of Mordecai’s people as well. Haman had lots cast in his presence to decide when to do this. The result was for a time 11 months in the future. Haman went before King Xerxes and told him that there was a people scattered throughout the Empire who obeyed their own laws and refused to obey the king’s decrees, a people who it was not in Xerxes interest to allow to continue to live. Haman told Xerxes that he would deposit a large sum of money into the royal treasury if Xerxes would authorize him to destroy these people. Xerxes gave Haman authority to issue such a decree as Haman saw fit. Haman composed a decree to be sent throughout the Empire instructing Empire officials that all Jews, young and old, male and female, were to be killed on March 7 of the following year. Those who killed them were authorized to appropriate their property.
Paul continues his critique of the Corinthian Church. He tells them that he is not surprised that there are divisions among them. Then he says something that seems like sarcasm to me. He tells them that there must be divisions among them in order to show who does, and does not, have God’s approval. This strikes me as sarcasm, because if there are no divisions in the Church than there is no need to distinguish between those with God’s approval and those without since everyone either has His approval or does not have His approval.
Paul then goes on to discuss what is happening when they gather to eat the Lord’s Supper (which in this case seems to be more like our modern fellowship meals than what we call the “Lord’s Supper”, more on that in another blog…someday). He tells us that when they gather, rather than waiting and sharing the food and drink equally, some people hurry up and eat their meals. This results in some going hungry while others get drunk. Paul continues by telling them that they are disgracing God’s Church and shaming the poor. Paul immediately dismisses the argument of, “We were hungry and could not wait for them to be ready,” by saying that, in that case, you should have eaten something at home. Paul points out that the Lord’s Supper is a symbolic joining together of the congregation in the death of Jesus. He talks about how when we eat the bread, we are taking into ourselves the Body of Christ and when we drink the cup we are taking into ourselves the Blood of Christ. What is the Body of Christ, but the Church, which is composed of our fellow believers? If we eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the Body of Christ, we are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon ourselves. Paul tells us that such behavior causes us to have weakness and illness. Finally, Paul reinforces his message that when we have fellowship meals and the Lord’s Supper, we should wait for each other. If we are too hungry to wait for everyone, we should eat at home before we go.
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Paul’s teaching applies to meetings where the meal is the purpose of the gathering. However, there is a principle that can be applied to shared meals at Church gatherings of all sorts. In those cases where we have gathered together for some other purpose and share a meal somewhere in the middle, we may not be able to wait for everyone to get there to begin eating. However, in that case we should make sure that we do not take so much food that there is none left for those who have been delayed. It also means that we should strive to be on time to the meals at such gatherings so as to not inconvenience others.
There are two other things this passage says that strike me. The first is that I think we should more often make our Communion celebrations fellowship meals, as apparently was the practice in the Corinthian Church. The second is that Paul recommends (perhaps “commands” is a more appropriate word) that we examine ourselves and our motives before we take part in Communion. I would recommend that we do the same for fellowship meals, something which the Corinthian Church did not apparently distinguish from Communion.
Hydrangea bloom
The psalmist begins today’s psalm with a phrase I think we can all sympathize with at some point or another:
How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?
The psalmist expresses the desire that God take action to address the injustice he is suffering. He asks how long God will allow the injustice to continue, but he never has any doubt that God will take action against those guilty of unjustly causing suffering on others. We may look at the world around us and think that there is a lot of injustice going on and that God has done nothing. However, God will take action when the time is ripe and all will see His goodness and love for those who worship Him.
Hydrangeas and hostas
I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Today we begin the Book of Esther. The story begins when the king of Persia, King Xerxes, throws a six month celebration. At the end of it, he threw a seven-day “open bar” feast. On the seventh day, King Xerxes was quite lit and decided that he wanted to show off his queen, Queen Vashti, to his guests, so he sends for her to come to him. Queen Vashti refuses the summons. King Xerxes is furious and turns to his advisers as to what he should do. Now keep in mind that King Xerxes and his advisers have been drinking heavily for seven days at this point. One of his advisers tells him that Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king, but everyone in the entire empire because women throughout the empire will follow her example and treat their husbands with contempt. Therefore he recommends that Xerxes issue a decree that Queen Vashti be forever banished from his presence. King Xerxes issues this decree that in addition says that every husband should be ruler in his own home.
When the wine wears off and his anger subsides, King Xerxes begins to regret banishing Queen Vashti. His attendants suggest that he have the most beautiful unmarried young women from throughout the empire brought into his harem. From among these women, King Xerxes can then choose a replacement for Queen Vashti. King Xerxes orders that this plan be implemented.
Here we are introduced to Mordecai, a man of some standing among the Jews. We are told that he is Esther’s cousin and when her parents died, he adopted and raised her. Esther is chosen by the king’s agents to enter into his harem. Each woman who was brought in was given twelve months of beauty treatment. Esther made a positive impression on the eunuch in charge of this portion of the harem and he treated her with favoritism. During this time (and up until the critical point in this whole story) Esther kept her heritage a secret because Mordecai had told her to do so. When each woman was first taken to King Xerxes bed, she was given her choice of clothes and jewelry to wear. When Esther’s turn came, she followed the advice of the eunuch in charge of the harem as to what to wear. Esther made a positive impression on the king and he chose her as his queen to replace Queen Vashti.
Mordecai throughout this time maintained communication with Esther and when Esther was made queen she used her influence to get Mordecai a post in the palace. Shortly after taking up this new post, Mordecai uncovered a plot against King Xerxes that he passed on to Esther. Esther informed King Xerxes of the plot while giving credit to Mordecai.
Some time after this King Xerxes appoints a man named Haman to the number two spot in the empire. All of the king’s officials bowed down before Haman whenever he passed, except for Mordecai. Other palace officials told Mordecai that he ought to bow down to Haman, but he refused. The account does not tell us outright why he refused, but it suggests that no other Jew would have either. This in turn suggests that Mordecai refused to bow down because he viewed doing so as worshiping Haman in place of God. When Haman became aware of Mordecai’s refusal to bow down to him, he was furious. He decided to destroy all of the Jews. Haman used divination to determine when the best time to carry out his plan would be. Once he had made his plan, he approached King Xerxes and, presenting the Jews in the worst possible light, offered King Xerxes a large sum of money if he would order them destroyed. King Xerxes does not issue the decree, but gives Haman the authority to do so. Haman sends out a decree to the entire empire that all of the Jews, men, women and children, should be killed on the day he selected, with all of their property going to those who killed them. We are told that this order threw the capital into confusion.
Today’s passage is teaching from Paul on the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. The first thing Paul says as introduction to this topic is that he has no praise for them on this topic. He says that he hears that when they meet it causes more harm than good because of the divisions among them. Then before he goes on he says something that I have never noticed before. Paul says that some division in the Church is necessary in order to tell who has God’s favor. Then he gets back on topic. He condemns them for gathering for the Lord’s Supper and then some hurrying to eat their own meal. This results in some going hungry while others get drunk. He tells them that this sort of behavior disgraces the Church and shames the poor. He then reiterates the meaning of the Lord’s Supper. Paul says that when we eat the bread and drink the cup of the Lord’s Supper we are announcing His death again, something we are to continue doing until He returns. We should examine ourselves before we partake of the Lord’s Supper because if we take it in an unworthy manner we are guilty of sinning against the body and blood of Christ. When we do that we are bringing God’s judgment upon ourselves. Paul suggests that this sort of behavior is why some are weak and sick. Paul concludes his teaching on the Lord’s Supper by saying that when we gather such a meal we should wait for each other. Paul answers the argument of those who say, “But I can’t wait, I’m really hungry,” by saying, “If that’s the problem eat something at home before you come to this meeting.”
The psalmist calls on the Lord to come to his defense. He proclaims that his enemies are bearing false witness against him. He calls on God to humiliate and bring disgrace against those who are unjustly attacking him, but bring joy to those who are coming to his defense. This brings up an important point we should keep in mind when people claim that someone of otherwise good reputation has done wrong. We should consider two things in judging such accusations. The first is, what do the accusers stand to gain from ruining the reputation of the person they are accusing? The second is, what sort of person is the accuser? If the accuser fails on both accounts, it does not necessarily mean that their testimony is false, but it does mean that we should seek corroboration before we accept it as true.
Every time I write about how grateful I am that I do not have a quarrelsome wife (which is every time the proverbs for the day talks about it) my wife thanks me and expresses her concern that she is a quarrelsome wife. There is nothing wrong with her concern because remaining conscious of not wanting to behave in a certain way is part of avoiding behaving that way.
The second proverb tells us that if we spend our money as soon as we get it, we will never accumulate wealth and be able to enjoy luxury. This is one of several proverbs that tell us that in most cases poverty is the result of the actions of those who are impoverished.
