Miss Persia Pageant
We are continuing our Deep Dive into the book of Esther. The reason we are focusing on this study is to gain wisdom from God.
Proverbs 22:17 says, “Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips.”
Wisdom gives us direction for our life, and hope for tomorrow. Of course, the opposite of wisdom is foolishness, and foolishness leads to destruction.
I don’t know if this story is true or not but according to KIX 94.1 they released a list of the dumbest criminals in Colorado. There was a man in Colorado Springs in 2009 who walked into store with a shotgun deciding to rob it. After the cashier put the cash in a bag, the robber saw a bottle of scotch and demanded that. I can’t give that to you the cashier said, because you’re not 21. To where the robber took his wallet, handed the cashier his driver’s license. The clerk studied the license and agreed that the man was in fact over 21 and he put the scotch in the bag. The robber then ran from the store with his loot. The cashier called the police and the robber was arrested two hours later.
Like I said, foolishness leads to destruction. The book of Esther is a great read about two kinds of choices and two kinds of people: people who make wise choices and people who make foolish ones. One of our goals in life is to become people who make wise choices because a lot rides on the choices we make. But before we get to that, let’s begin with the decision-making track record of King Xerxes and what we can learn from it. In chapter one, Xerxes blew it when it came to making a good decision. He decided to divorce and banish his wife Vashti because she wouldn’t obey his command.
Four years have passed since the events of chapter one. During this time King Xerxes had been away on a military campaign against the Greeks where he lost and came home in humiliation. But he didn’t have a queen to come home to because he had banished Vashti from his presence. He regretted his rash actions, but under Persian law once an order was enacted it could not be rescinded. Since the king can’t undo his decision, his counselors suggest a Miss Persia Pageant. From this chapter we learn a few lessons.
Be cautious of advice from biased parties. If you’re going to make a major purchase don’t take everything the salesman says at face value. Read up on the item you’re thinking about purchasing. Read what consumer advocates are saying because they are less biased. Just remember that it is always wise to consider the source of your advice. Getting advice is good. Getting it from the wrong source can be destructive.
Don’t base decisions on outward appearances alone. The recommendation of the king’s advisers was to basically pick the prettiest girl to be his next wife. These young women were not willing participants, and if they were not chosen they would become a part of the royal harem. The only criterion for choosing given by the king’s counselors was that they were young and beautiful. This is the mantra of Hollywood and Madison Avenue today. And the sad thing is so many Americans have bought into this deceptive thinking.
Do the right thing at the right time. Timing is very important in good decision making. By this time Esther had been forced into the king’s harem for consideration as queen. Before ending up there, Mordecai had given her one valuable piece of advice; don’t tell anyone that she was Jewish. There were citizens in Persia who did not like the Jews, so Mordecai wisely advised Esther to keep her ancestry private. Later, time would come to divulge this information, but this wasn’t the right time. A lot of bad decisions are made in life when we try to do the right thing at the wrong time!
Bad timing is usually a matter of impatience and getting ahead of God’s timing. We can make wrong choices financially because we don’t want to wait to have what we want now. We want to buy it now on credit when it would be wise to wait and pay cash. Our timing can be off in so many areas by rushing God. But we can also drag our feet when God wants us to move. Learning good timing for decision making takes walking with God and trusting in His leadership.
Carl Michalson tells the story of an interaction he had with his son. They were wrestling on their front lawn when Michalson accidentally hit his son in the face with his elbow. The little boy was stunned, and he was just about to burst into tears, but then he looked into his father’s eyes. Instead of anger and hostility, he saw his father’s sympathy, concern, love, and compassion. Instead of exploding into tears, the little boy suddenly burst into laughter. What he saw in his father’s eyes made all the difference!
The sharp blow of God’s message to us is repent. Change our minds about the choices we make. Be wise in how we make our decisions. God is not interested in hurting you. He’s interested in helping you.
Until Next Week When We Meet at the P.E.W.
(Pastor’s Encouragement Weekly)
Pastor Joel