True Greatness

We live in a nation, and perhaps even a world, obsessed with greatness. We admire greatness in all its various incarnations. Depending on their areas of interest, people will go to amazing lengths creating lists recounting the top entries in various areas, posting blogs and encouraging debate. We have countdown lists for the greatest presidents…

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The Feast of Purim

Haman’s plot against the Jews, concocted in hate and malice but exposed through courage and faith, had called for the legal genocide of the Jews at the hand of all those who hated them, wherever they lived throughout the one-hundred twenty-seven provinces of the Persian Empire. So, while the king had executed Haman and authorized…

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A Fighting Chance

Esther’s revelation  to the king of Haman’s perfidy and Xerxes’ subsequent command to have his former ally executed had addressed the root cause of the problem, but they had yet to address the danger formed by the death warrant still standing against the Jews (Est. 8:1-6). Esther’s plea persuaded the king so much that he…

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Irony of an Adversary

The treachery of Haman informs the entire plot of the book of Esther. His malice spills out from practically every page. He existed unnamed at the banquet in which the military minds of Persia planned their march on Greece. In his pride he plotted against God’s people with the intent to destroy them entirely. He…

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Happiness is a State of Heart

Hollywood’s obvious antagonism toward biblical morality notwithstanding, the Oscars demonstrate that people still have the ability to act. By this I do not mean to comment on any given film performance but rather on the ability shown by actors when they lose in their category yet still smile and clap for the winner as if…

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“All This Avails Me Nothing”

You simply cannot satisfy some people. Trust me. I’m a preacher. No matter what you do to accommodate them, help them, be there for them, and encourage them, they will find some reason for dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction quickly leads to complaining, and complaining ultimately reaches that fever pitch where you might prefer fingernails on a chalkboard…

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Do You Think You Will Escape?

Practically overnight, the Persian kingdom had turned against one group of its subjects based on their religious character. Through a combination of the malice of some and the obtuseness of another, the law itself placed Jews in jeopardy. Mordecai’s reaction began with a combination of sadness and outrage (Est. 4:1-2)—understandably so—and he was soon joined…

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Civil Disobedience in an Uncivil Society

For many years, the situation in America provided an environment where Christianity could grow and have influence in society due to the spiritual focus of many early Americans and the appreciation for biblical principles and ethics that the founders considered essential for the republican framework of government based in liberty they called for in the…

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The Character of Mordecai

Few Christians would recognize the name Mordecai immediately, yet he had profound influence on biblical history. His story appears as a sidelight in the book of Esther, and yet his life and character also shape the events of that book significantly. Introduced in the second chapter after King Ahasuerus has accepted a plan to select…

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Hasty Decisions

Interestingly, the first name mentioned in the book of Esther does not belong to the heroine, nor does it belong to her guardian and mentor, Mordecai. Neither does it open with the antagonist, Haman. Instead, the Holy Spirit introduces us first to Ahasuerus, the king of the Persian Empire, known to us in history as…

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