The next few devotionals I will post come from the book of Esther. She is a wonderful character in God’s redemptive story. She embodies humility, characterizes courage, and reflects God’s sovereignty. I trust you will be both encouraged and challenged by the lessons this book teaches us.

Focal Passage: Esther 2:5-10, 15-17. Originally posted at the Biblical Recorder here.

Sometimes it is easy to have present-day bias. We think that today’s culture is more advanced than previous cultures. Or we think that today’s culture is more evil than previous cultures. Or we think that politics today could not be any worse.

Of course today’s politics are filled with corruption, partisanship and intrigue. Even a cursory glance at any major news network will reveal the perversion and corruption of too many politicians, but our culture and the nature of politics today are not really that unique.

King Ahasuerus of Persia was known for his selfishness, disregard for others and immorality. Perversely dismissive of his first queen, Vashti, the king needed a new queen.

The suggestion for finding a new queen pleased King Ahasuerus. Virgins from across the kingdom were brought to the harem, pampered, then sent to spend the night with the king. The story of Ahasuerus and Esther is neither a fairy tale, nor a model of biblical morality. But the story of Esther should give us confidence in the Lord.

Behind the immorality and the machinations of king and court, God is accomplishing His purposes. God is working through the integrity of Mordecai. God is working through the humility of Esther.

We must be careful not to judge Esther’s conduct in the same manner we would criticize the king. Esther really had no choice but to present herself at the king’s proclamation, but Esther stood out. She stood out precisely because she acted out of humility. She was not governed by queenly ambition. She knew who she was, a Jew, and knew who God was. As a result she found favor with everyone she met.

That favor is very important to the story as God was poised to use the humble character of the new queen who stood out to keep His promises to His people. The lesson for us – we can stand up and stand out for the Lord because He is sovereignly orchestrating events, even behind acts of immorality and corruption.

Bible Studies for Life Sunday School lesson originally published here at the Biblical Recorder.

Focal Passage: Jeremiah 33:3-8; 14-16

In Jeremiah 33, the Lord makes a great many claims: “I will answer you” and “will tell you,” “I shall strike down,” “I have hidden my face,” “I will bring it to health and healing,” “I will heal them and reveal to them,” “I will restore” and “rebuild,” “I will cleanse them,” I will forgive,” “I will fulfill the promise,” “I will cause a Righteous Branch.” Finally, Jeremiah declares that Jerusalem will be called, “The Lord is our righteousness.” I hope the pattern is obvious. The Lord is the active agent when it comes to righteousness. We are like the people of Israel. We have been given commands and expectations, but we consistently fail. We are certainly to strive toward righteousness. No doubt the Scripture teaches that God expects holiness. But we must acknowledge that we have no hope of earning the righteousness we desperately need. When we examine our lives against the expectations of righteousness that God has for us, we can grow depressed and discouraged. Thankfully, the Lord does not leave us wandering in hopelessness. He acts, answers, heals, forgives, fulfills and provides a Righteous Branch. The Righteous Branch is none other than the Lord Jesus who is the incarnated fulfillment of God’s righteousness for us. Jesus came to do what we could not. He obeyed God’s Law, kept every standard and fulfilled every expectation. He did what we could not do. Because he is Righteous, he could take our place. He became our substitute, carrying our sin on the cross and transferring his Righteousness to us. Again, I hope the pattern is obvious. Jesus is the active agent with regard to righteousness. We cannot hope to earn God’s approval. But we can receive it. We should heed the Lord’s command to Jeremiah, “Call to me.” If we will call upon the Lord, we can receive the Righteousness without which we cannot know the Lord.