Jesus didn't rush to judgement (and neither should you)

Ever have one of those moments where you wish you could say something clever and your mind is blank?  This happened to me the other day.

I was riding around town with a close relative.  To say this person is on an extreme side of the political spectrum is an understatement.  Hate spewed from this person's lips, and I found anger growing inside me as I lean toward the other end of the political spectrum.

I honestly do not care what one's political leanings are as long as one can be civil about it.  And this relative of mine also puts themselves upon a pedestal of superiority while putting down others for thinking the "other candidate" is worth anything.

As I rode around town for a few hours, this person judged others so many times I lost track.  Near the end of our ride, this person commended on a flag with one of the current candidates name on it.  What vile comments came out of their mouth.

But again, I was silent.

Thinking of the four gospels, many of Jesus's actions have puzzled me.  But after I returned home and reflected on the vile hatred this person spewed worth, I thought about the 8th chapter from the book of John.  Starting in verse 6, the religious leaders were trying to trap Jesus, but he "stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger."  Continuing on in verse 7: "They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, 'All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!'"  Verse 8: "Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust."

This stooping down and writing in the dust has puzzled me, but I finally got what Jesus might have been doing.  He didn't rush to judgement (even though he knew what evil lied within their hearts).  He paused, as if pondering what to do.

I am not proud that I allowed anger to burn inside me.  But I am happy that I paused and did not say anything in return.  I believe the Holy Spirit was granting me the opportunity to think, to not say anything at that time.  In the future, the Holy Spirit will probably give me the opportunity to relay how displeased I was at their tone, and how judgmental and hypocritical they were.

Last year, judgement was one of my lessons learned--and it appears that I am continuing to learn more and more about it.

Praise Jesus!

The Lord, our only true Judge

Psalm 75 starts by giving thanks to the Lord, and "people everywhere tell of your wonderful deeds."

In the next few verses, God says that according to His plan, He will bring justice against the wicked.  Even when the earth quakes and people live in turmoil, He is the only One to keep a firm foundation.

God alone is the only one who judges, He decides to will rise and who will fall.

He increases the strength and power of the godly, in His name.

Do not be boastful and do not speak arrogantly against heaven.  Only God will be the judge against the wicked.

The Lord knows our heart (and has perfect timing)

Last week, I examined the first two chapters from the book of Esther, and once again I'm going back to the first chapter to examine further proof that, despite our free will, God still speaks into our hearts.

The Persian king was a pompous, arrogant man, and loved to put his wealth on display for all.  But one thing he didn't do was show off his queen.  It took until the end of a 180-day feast, along with a 7-day drunken banquet, for him to command his queen to put on her crown and display herself to his people.

Which, as you know, she refused.

This caused him to be very angry.

The overindulgence of alcohol may have paved the way for Esther to become queen.  We do not know much about the king's queen in chapter one, but since she had a separate banquet from the king's, she may not have wanted to be a part of the drunken festivities.  She may not have even loved him, and only became the queen for other reasons we do not understand.

Also, when the king was consumed by alcohol, this allowed the Holy Spirit to speak into his heart, to get him to put his queen on display.  This started the turn of events that lead to Esther becoming queen, and changing the history of her people forever.

For as far back as I can remember, I have always said that God works in mysterious ways, that there is a reason for the events that happen in our lives.  Only when we put our complete faith in the Lord, and listen for His answer, will we understand.  For example, I do not know why my wife Melissa had to pass away in January of this year.  But there was a reason.  I do know this: given the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, it's difficult to imagine her still being alive and suffering like she did.  But the Lord's timing on her passing into Heaven was perfect.

Yes, I said it.  Perfect.

The ways of our Lord has astonished me and as I examined even her final days and hours, she went into Jesus's arms at the absolute perfect time.

Questioning the Lord

Psalm 74 starts with the the question: "O God, why have You rejected us forever?"

This sets the tone for the next several verses, questions and pleading directed to God.  The reader asks God to remember His congregation and the land where he gave to His people.  His enemies have set up signs of their victory and there has been much destruction to the Lord's sanctuary.

By verse 12, the true nature of the Lord is revealed by casting His salvation in the midst of the destruction.  The Lord divided the Red Sea and crushed His enemies in Egypt.  He provided food for His people, broke open fountains and streams, and even dried up rivers.  The Lord is the One who created light and the earth, creating the various seasons.

Despite the destruction that has been cast on His people, that is nothing when compared to the awesome might of our Lord.

One person can make a difference

This past Sunday, I shared my thoughts on the first two chapters from the book of Esther.

Today, I'm examining the entire book as a whole, as Esther is well-deserved to have a book all her own.

Why, you may ask?

Simple: the book of Esther is another example of one person making a difference.  Despite disadvantages in her upbringing, with her being a descendant from Israel, not from Persia, as well as an orphan (adopted by her uncle), she took the gifts God had given her and prevailed.

I did miss a few things in chapter two that is worth noting.  From the time she went to the palace to when she met the king, she spent much time learning and training to do just the right thing for her people.  The Lord set her upon the path she was about to embark and, with the proper guidance, she not only won the heart of the king, she won the hearts of the people.

The book of Esther is just another example, in the history of God's people, where a woman had much influence over the course of history, just as God commanded.

The Bible is loaded with people who, seemingly single-handedly, albeit with the awesome blessing of our Lord God, made a difference.  No matter their upbringing or disadvantages, they had favor of God and did what they were meant to do.

Drunken festivities turn bad, then good

In the first chapter from the book of Esther, the Persian king held a grand feast, displaying his great wealth and might, for 180 days.  Near the end of the feast was a week-long banquet for all of the people, from great to least.  The king allowed as much drinking as possible.  The queen held a similar banquet for the women of the palace.

By the end of the festivities, the king wanted to show off his queen.  He ordered her to wear her crown, so she could show off her beauty to the others.

But she refused to come.

This made the king angry.  So angry that, after much counsel with his advisors, made a decree that he would find himself a new queen and banish the current queen.

Then, starting in the second chapter, the search for a new queen began.  Leaders from each province gathered the most beautiful women to come to the palace.  This is where we find Esther.  You see, Esther was adopted by her uncle Mordecai, who was a Jew and her previously been taken into exile from Jerusalem when King Nebuchadnezzar took over Judah.

Esther was very beautiful and seemed to curry favor with all of those she met.  Even at the palace, while she waited to meet with the king, she was given seven hand-picked female servants and given a special diet and treatment.  She also did not reveal her ethnicity, as her uncle had ordered her not to.

Long story short, the king chose Esther as his queen and her uncle Mordecai was given a new position in the palace.

One day, Mordecai overheard two of the king's servants plotting to assassinate the king.  Mordecai reported this to Queen Esther, who then told the king.  An investigation was completed, verifying that the report was true, and the two servants were hanged from the gallows.

Don't envy those who are wicked in their ways

Psalm 73 is the first psalm in the third book of Psalms.

This is an interesting psalm, for the speaker appears to envy those who are wicked.  He sees how well-fed they are, how they appear to have everything of material worth, and yet they continue to speak arrogantly and maliciously.

These people strut around, mocking God, and their material wealth seems to increase.

The speaker struggles with understanding all of this, seems to feel they are being punished and feels helpless.

Then, the speaker comes to the understanding that the Lord's sanctuary is their ultimate destiny and those who are wicked are doomed to desolation.

The Lord is our refuge, no matter what material possessions others may have.  Only God can give strength to our hearts and He is our refuge.

A king's duty to the needy and poor

Psalm 72 is the final psalm of David.

In this psalm, David describes many qualities and duties of a king.

The king has a love of justice, righteousness, and judges people in the right way as prescribed by the Wisdom of the Lord.

The poor will always be treated fairly.

The oppressors of the needy will be crushed.

The king's rule is as refreshing as spring rain or freshly cut grass, and there will be an abundance of prosperity.

Throughout this psalm is a constant need for the poor and needy to be defended and provided for.  Their needs will be met with abundance, so they can thrive and grow like grass in a field.

Reading this psalm definitely portraits not only an earthly king, but the One King in our Lord, through His Son Jesus.

May He reign forever and ever.  Amen.

Righting wrongs

 In the final chapter from the book of Nehemiah, chapter 13, there was a priest named Eliashib.  He was appointed to watch over the house of God and had taken upon himself to reassign a large room to an adversary of Jerusalem named Tobiah.

All of the items that were usually stored in that room was removed and Tobiah's belongings were placed inside.  Even all of those assigned to duties inside the house of God were told to leave, so they left to tend their fields.

When Nehemiah returned from Syria, he was not happy with what had transpired.  He threw out all of Tobiah's belongings and gave the order to have the rooms in the house of God cleaned.  He then righted the wrongs done to him by the previous priest and set everything back in order.

Nehemiah trusted Eliashib prior to his trip, because Eliashib was a very gifted priest.  But he was not faithful to God, and that is where everything went wrong.  There were many things that occurred while he was away.  Even those who had promised not to wed and have children from those who did not believe in God, they did so in his absence.  Also, merchants set up tables on the Sabbath and sold their wares.  Nehemiah threw them out of the city and said he would arrest them if they continued.