August 18: Of History, 2500 Years Ago and Today

Esther 1:1-3:15

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Psalm 35:17-28

Proverbs 21:19-20

Please pardon the length of today's reflection.  I hope it is worth the time it takes to read.

The Book of Esther took place 2500 years ago, during the reign of King Xerxes I.  And yet what it teaches, about the oppression of people of faith, and how we are to respond, remains true to this day.  Consider: the Jews have been "carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar"; they have been "taken captive".  They live in a land whose laws are hostile to their faith.  And because one man - Mordecai - had refused to commit idolatry by bowing down to a local official - Hamman - that official deemed it just recompense to punish not just Mordecai, but the entire Jewish people.  That official decided that if the Jews would not abandon their God, they would be exterminated.  If they would not bend to his will, then they would be broken.

This was not idle talk.  Mordecai obtained the king's approval and support, and sent instructions throughout the land to kill all the Jews - "young and old, women and children - on a single day…and to plunder their goods".  This was real.  And in light of the Jews' status in exile, it seemed there was nothing they could do to prevent it.

If you've been following the news, there is a case of a Christian baker in Colorado.  He sells his cakes to any customer, without regard to gender, race or creed.  And yes, he sells his cakes to the gay community.  With one exception: as a Christian, he believes marriage is meant to be only between man and woman.  And so he will not bake a cake for a gay wedding.

A gay couple, longtime customers, asked him to bake a cake for their wedding.  He refused, they sued, the state courts sided with the couple, threatening to put him out of business.  He appealed to the Supreme Court, who determined that the state regulators had demonstrated such animosity towards religion that they were unable to demonstrate an impartiality in their adjudication.  They vacated the decision.  Case closed, right?

No.  Shortly thereafter, a woman asked for a cake to celebrate her "gender transition" anniversary.  Again, the baker refused, citing his religious beliefs.  And so the state is once again punishing him for those beliefs.  [An aside: if all the woman really wanted was a gender transition cake, why couldn't she have gone to any number of bakers who would have happily baked one for her?]

Put yourself in the baker's shoes.  For sticking to his beliefs - beliefs he is supposed to be allowed to live by - he is possibly going to lose not just his livelihood - the ability to meet his needs going forward - but all his savings, which represent the fruits of his labors past.  Because he would not put anything above God.  And because the officials decided that, like Mordecai (and like Daniel before him), if he would not bend to their will, then he would have to be broken. As would anyone else who might have the temerity to exercise their religious beliefs.  

And lest one think I focus on just one issue, the fact is this is true about so many things.  The world today, in so many ways, insists, demands that we agree, that God's commands are irrelevant, that He doesn't exist. And it is prepared to exact its pound of flesh from those who will not bend.

How does one trying to live one's faith respond to such a situation?  Thankfully, further along in the book of Esther, we get clear directions, and a warranty.  The directions are straightforward - continue to live as we should; lift the situation up to God; and then fast and pray.  The warranty is pretty clear as well - God promises to answer our prayers, as He did the Jews' prayers as Esther was about to enter into the king's presence, as He did when He gave the Jews the approval and the means by which to prepare to repel the attack.  

To my mind, this is a reminder that Satan hasn't figured out he's already lost the battle; it's been over 2500 years, and he is still trying to fight.  And it is also a reminder that, if we let Him, God will fight, and win, in our behalf.  

Father, the world demands we abandon You and we reject Your commands.  As the world seeks to either bend us to its will, or break us if we will not bend, fight the battle for us - the battle we cannot fight, the battle we cannot win.  Fight it, as You did for Esther, Mordecai and the Jewish diaspora.  "Rescue me from their ravages, my precious life from these lions.  I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise You.

Thanks for reading.