Tues.’s Devo - The Story of Esther

Read: Esther 1:1-3:15; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; Psalm 35:17-28; Proverbs 21:19-20

Ahasuerus was the king of Persia whose kingdom spanned from Ethiopia to India which was most of the known world. His capital was in Susa. In his third year of reigning, he brought his military to Susa to honor them with a feast and show them the vastness and opulence of his kingdom. This feast lasted for 180 days. He generously entertained them while his queen, Vashti had a feast for the women at the palace. 

On the seventh day of the feast, the king was drunk with wine and called his eunuchs to bring in Queen Vashti so that all his drunk friends could look at her because she was very beautiful. She was busy entertaining the women and refused to come. 

The king was enraged and embarrassed and asked his wise men what he should do about Vashti’s refusal. They said that when word got out what she had done and she had gotten away with it, then all the women in the kingdom would act the same way to their husbands. Something needed to be done to put these women in their place. They suggested that Vashti be put away and her position given to another. So, the king agreed and Vashti was exiled. 

Now, to find a replacement. The wise men came up with the idea of gathering all the beautiful women and letting the king choose his favorite. He agreed to this plan.

Meanwhile, there was a beautiful woman named Esther who had been one of the Jews exiled to Babylon from Judah. She was an orphan who had been taken in by her older cousin Mordecai. She was taken to the kingdom to be a contender for the queen. She was put in a year of beautifying treatments while Mordecai kept up with her daily. He told her not to let anyone know she was Jewish.

One day while waiting outside of the harem to see about Esther, Mordecai overheard a plot of two of the men who oversaw the safety of the king. They were mad at the king and were planning to kill him. Mordecai told Esther to get word to the king. She told her keeper what Mordecai had told her and it was investigated and found to be true. It was recorded with Mordecai getting the credit.

Ahasurus promoted Haman as his right hand man above all the other officials. At the king’s command, everyone was to bow to Haman, but Mordecai refused. Haman was told that Mordecai would not bow because he was a Jew. Haman sought to kill not only Mordecai, but all the Jews. 

When it came time to make the yearly calendar, Haman met with the king and they cast lots to see what to put on the calendar. Hamen told the king that there was a group of people in his kingdom that didn’t live by the king’s laws but had their own laws. It was not in the best interest of the king to let these people live. Haman would give out of his own treasury 10,000 talents of silver to get rid of those people. 10,000 talents of silver to get rid of those people. The king agreed and gave Haman his signet ring which gave him the authority to make this a law and gave him the money to carry it out. They cast lots and it  fell on the thirteenth day of the twelfth  month to do this. That would be in exactly one year from the day the edict went out. It said that on that day the people of every prince had the right to kill, and destroy every Jew and take their possessions. 

The decree went out and the whole city of Susa was thrown into confusion while the king and Haman sat down to drink and eat. 

In Corinthians, Paul chastised them on how they were dishonoring their meeting for Communion or the Lord’s Supper. Instead of a holy remembrance of what Christ did, it had become a party where only those who go their first got to eat. They not only indulged themselves with food, but got drunk on the wine. This was so far from what it was like when Jesus spent his last meal with his disciples. Paul told them to eat at home first if they were hungry and come to communion to honor the Lord. 

Paul warned them that to take the Lord’s Supper vainly and improperly would cause sickness and death. They were to honor the Lord and one another. 

Lord, may we honor what you did on the cross so that we might have healing and life. Thank you for your Word. Thank you for the story of Esther which is one of the greatest stories of divine reversal. May we see things reverse in our nation as we stand for truth and for you. 

Mon.’s Devo - The Enemy Within

Read: Nehemiah 12:27-13:31; 1 Corinthians 11:3-16: Psalm 35:1-16; Proverbs 21:17-18

Nehemiah called all the Levites to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication of the wall. Singers from all around Jerusalem came to form a two great choirs. The priests and Levites purified themselves, the people, the gates and the wall.

Nehemiah brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and told the two choirs to walk in opposite directions singing on the wall. They surrounded the city with music which would be like having surround sound. The priest blew their trumpets and it was a great day of praise and worship to the Lord for what he had done. All the people rejoiced so that their joy was heard far away.

Men were appointed to be over the storerooms of all the contributions that were brought by the people. They made sure the singers, gatekeepers and Levites got their daily portions. 

Chapter 13 happens years later when Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem. Nehemiah had returned to Persia when he finished his 12 years allotted him by the king. He has now returned and gathered the people to Jerusalem. They read from the Book of Moses and came to the part where it said that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God because they did not bring Israel bread and water when they left Egypt but instead, hired Balaam to curse them. God turned his curse into a blessing. 

When the people heard this, they separated themselves from all the foreigners. Eliashib, the priest who was over the chambers of the house of God was related to Tobiah, Israel’s enemy who had tried to stop the building of the wall. While Nehemiah was gone, Eliashib, the high priest had allowed Tobiah to set up residency in the house of God. When Nehemiah found this out he was so upset. He threw Tobiah out of the chamber and had it cleansed and had the vessels of God brought back in. 

Nehemiah also found that the Levites had stopped being paid so they had had to go back to working their fields. He brought them back and put them to work in the house of God. The people began to bring their tithes to the house of God again. 

On the Sabbath, Nehemiah saw that they were still doing trade with importers and stopped this. Next, he noticed that some of the Jews had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab so their children spoke their language and not the language of the Jews. Nehemiah violently confronted them and chastised them for bring this great evil upon the nation. 

One of Eliashib’s grandkids had married a daughter of Sanballat, another enemy of the Jews. Nehemiah chased the man from the priesthood. 

Through all this, Nehemiah prayed that God would remember what he did to cleanse the nation and his house. 

Tobiah and Sanballat had been enemies of God’s people from the start and when they couldn’t stop the building of the wall, they decided to penetrate from within. They got the Israelites to marry their daughters to they could be the enemy within the nation. This is a strategic practice of the enemy. 

In Corinthians, Paul sets up the order of things. Christ is the head of everyone. The husband is head over the wife. God is the head of Christ. Then Paul goes into a talk about head covering.

I understand this to mean that since man’s head is Christ, he should not try to cover it but be transparent before God. But, since woman’s head is her husband, her head should be covered to show that she goes through her husband first. 

Lord, may we cleanse our house of things that do not please you. May we not let the past sins creep back in like Eliashib did when he let Sanballat and Tobia back into their nation. May you be lord over all we do.

Sun.’s Devo - Freedom in Christ

Read: Nehemiah 11:1-12:26; 1 Corinthians 10:14-11:2; Psalm 34:11-22; Proverbs 21:14-16

The leaders of the people were the only ones living in Jerusalem so they cast lots and one out of every 10 people were moved to Jerusalem. Others volunteered to live in Jerusalem. 

Records were made of the chiefs, the sons of Benjamin, the priests, the Levites, and the gatekeepers who came to live in Jerusalem. The rest of Israel lived in the towns of Judah according to their inheritance. The rest of the temple servants lived on Ophel which was a mound on the southern slope of the temple hill, between the Tyropoeon and the Kidron valley.

In Corinthians, Paul continues his teaching on eating food offered to idols. He had established the fact that the food was not the problem, it was the intent of the user and his heart. He explained why they as believers don’t participate in the ceremony of offering food to idols because that is idolatry and they eat the Lord’s Supper as their worship to God. 

He told them not to worry about whether the food they bought at the meat markets were food offered to idols, they just shouldn’t ask. If they do ask and find that it is food offered to idols, then they shouldn’t buy it for the sake of the other person’s conscience. Not theirs. 

Paul sums if up by saying that in everything we do, we should do it not to harm another person’s conscience but for the glory of God. 

Lord, help us to honor other’s weaknesses and yet be free in our own heart. Thank you that you have set us free from the slavery of sin. May we do everything to glorify you.  

Sat.’s Devo - A New Covenant

Read: Nehemiah 9:22-1-:39; 1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13; Psalm 34:1-10; Proverbs 21:13

Nehemiah continues his speech about their nation’s history. He reminds them of all God did for them and then how over and over they rebelled against him and found themselves in trouble. In their troubles they would call out to him and because he is merciful and love, he forgave them only to have them repeat their sins. It was a vicious cycle and they found themselves repenting once again and turning back to him as their God.

They made a covenant to the Lord in writing and had it sealed with their own names. Nehemiah, the governor, the priests, the Levites, and the chiefs of the people signed it. The rest of the people entered into a curse and an oath to walk in the law of the Lord given by Moses and to obey it. They vowed not to do business on the Sabbath, but to keep it holy. They vowed to honor the seventh year and forgive all debts. They promised to give a third of a shekel every year for the upkeep of the temple and to observe all the feasts, Sabbaths and holy days. 

The priests vowed to offer the sacrifices and bring all the offerings into the house of the Lord every year. It was their job to collect the contributions from the people and bring them to the house of God. They vowed to keep the praise and worship going in the house of God. 

In Corinthians, Paul continues his sermon on being free in Christ. Although he is free to enjoy what he wants, he chooses to serve others and honor them above himself. He keeps the letter of the law to honor the Jews in hopes that he might win some over to faith in Jesus. His law is not the law of Moses, but the law of Christ. 

Paul compares our walk with the Lord to a race and challenges us to do what is necessary to win. It takes discipline and self control to be in top shape to be the winner. We have to discipline our spiritual bodies to run our spiritual race.

The people Moses brought out of Egypt all saw the miracles God did and ate the manna from heaven and drank from the water from the rock which represented Christ, yet they still did not please God. They brought their false gods with them and rebelled against the Lord. They were examples to us of what not to do. 

When Moses was up on the mountain receiving the law, there was a group of 23,000 that made a golden calf and worshiped it. They died in one day because they chose idolatry over God. 

God has promised us that in all temptation, He is able to provide a way to escape participating in it. 

Lord, may we take the escape door that you provide and may we choose to follow the path of righteousness instead of the fleeting pleasure of sin. May we see sin as it is - a path to death. Thank you that you have given us life. 

Fri.’s Devo - The Feast of Tabernacles

Read: Nehemiah 7:61-9:21;1 Corinthians 9:1-18; Psalm 33:12-22; Proverbs 21:11-12

Everyone came to be registered and to claim what land was owned by their family. If they could’t find their names in the genealogy, they were not allowed to serve as priests until a priest came with the Urim and the Thummin so they could ask the Lord. Even their donkeys were registered and counted. 

Many gave of their wealth to the work of the Lord. By the seventh month everyone was living in the town they came from. Ezra assembled all the people before the Water Gate and told Ezra to bring the Book of the Law of Moses. The priests read and explained all the words in the law. 

Nehemiah explained that this day was to be holy and not a sad day even though as they read the book, they realized their sin against God and were grieved. Nehemiah told them to be joyful and enjoy the food God had provided. So the people rejoiced. This was the week of the Feast of Tabernacles which had not been celebrated since the days of Joshua. For seven days they listened to the reading of the law. The priest would read then break it down where they could understand it. 

On the eighth day they had a solemn assembly where they fasted and repented. They confessed their sins and separated themselves from all foreigners. The laws was read for the first four hours, then they confessed and worshipped the next four. They listened to the retelling of their history as a nation and how their sins led them into bondage. But, God delivered them from Egypt and brought them through the wilderness where their clothes didn’t wear out and there feet didn’t swell.

In Corinthians, Paul gives a number of questions trying to get them to think about all their accusations against the apostles. He defends their right to eat and drink and marry.  He also defends their right to be paid by the church for their work. He backs what he is saying with God’s law. Then he says that he didn’t party or marry even though it would have been his right to do so. His only claim to fame is that he preached the gospel everywhere. 

Lord, thank you for your Word which gives us life. May we as a nation repent of our sins and return to the Word as our source of living. May we stand behind those who are faithfully teaching the Word of God and doing his work. May we be faithful to do what you have called us to do. Thank you for saving us.

Thurs.’s Devo - Finishing the Wall

Read: Nehemiah 5:14-7:60; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Psalm 33:1-11; Proverbs 21:8-10

When Nehemiah was appointed to be the governor of Jerusalem he didn’t tax the people for a food allowance for his government. He provided for his own food and that of his 150 servants because he feared the Lord. 

Amazingly Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem and their group are still around as the adversaries of God’s work. They heard that the wall was finished and all they had to do was to set the gates in. They sent a message to Nehemiah wanting to meet with them at Hakkephirim on the plain of Ono which was in the territory of Benjamin. Nehemiah sensed they were up to no good and declined the invite four times. On the fifth invitation Sanballat sent his servant with an open letter in his hand. An open letter means that instead of being rolled up and placed in a bag, it was just handed to him as a sign of disrespect. In it they wrote that they heard reports that one they had their wall built they would rebel against the king and proclaim Nehemiah their king. The accused Nehemiah of having his prophets prophesy that their is a king in Judah. They were going to tell the king, so Nehemiah should meet with them to discuss this. 

Nehemiah saw this as a way to get them distracted from their task of finishing the wall so he prayed that God would give him the strength to finish the wall. 

One of the prophets named Noadiah who was house bound, invited Nehemiah to his house to give him a “word from the Lord.” He told Nehemiah that Sanballat and Tobiah were planning to kill him and he should hide out in the temple and live there to escape them. Nehemiah saw this as a deceptive devise to get him to fear Sanballat and Tobiah and sin against God. He realized that they had hired Noadiah to say these things to him to get him to be afraid and sin. He prayed that God would remember what Noadiah, Tobiah and Sanballat did against him and against God.

The wall was finished in 52 days which even their enemies recognized as an act of God. The doors and gates were all set and gatekeepers, singers and Levites had been appointed to open and close the door at the set times. Guards were set to guard the city but no houses had been built in the city yet. 

God put it in Nehemiah’s heart to find the book of genealogies and see which families came from the city of Jerusalem. 

In Corinthians, Paul starts out to talk about food offered to idols but instead explained that knowledge puffs up the person who has it, but love causes the person who has love to build up others. The person who thinks he is knowledgeable doesn’t know everything, but the person who loves is known by God which is so much better.

Paul goes back to explaining eating food offered to idols and says that they know that idols have no power or life and that there is only one God. But not everyone knows this and they worship all these false idols. He is trying to let them see that their worship of these idols doesn’t change the food - it is still the same. So they are free to eat it. But, if they are with others whose conscience is weak and they have a problem with eating the food offered to idols, then they should not eat it. It all goes back to his first statement about knowledge verses love. The person who is free to eat it shouldn’t flaunt his knowledge, but because he loves the person who has a problem with eating the food offered to idols, he should not eat it in his presence to honor his convictions. To wound their conscience is to sin against Christ. 

Lord, may we let love guide our actions and may we honor other’s convictions. May we be strong like Nehemiah who stood in the face of opposition to do what God put in his heart to do. May we build our walls around the temple in our heart that we don’t let sin and pride break through to make us unholy.

 

Wed.’s Devo - Building the Wall -

Read: Nehemiah 3:15-5:13; 1 Corinthians 7:25-40; Psalm 32:1-11; Proverbs 21:5-7

As we read through the places the people built the wall we learn how extravagant Solomon’s kingdom was. There were artificial pools, gardens, an armory, a house for the mighty men, buttresses and towers, and many gates. Everyone was responsible for the wall on his own property and others worked on the wall in the public places. 

Sanballat heard that they were successfully building the wall and came to make fun of them and intimidate them. He obviously knew some of the prophecies concerning the Jews because he said things like, “Will they finish up in a day?” “Will they revive stones out of the heaps of rubbish?” These were all things prophesied to the Jews.

  Nehemiah prayed that God would plunder the land where their enemies were and cause them to become captives. He prayed that God would remember their sin and hold them responsible for it.

They build the wall to half of its height and more of their enemies heard that the breaches were being closed up and they were very angry. They plotted to come and fight Jerusalem and cause confusion to stop their work. 

The people of Jerusalem prayed and set a guards day and night. The people of Judah were getting discouraged because there was so much rubble. They were also afraid for their lives. The leaders responded to their cry for help and came armed and protected the workers as they all worked. They worked with one hand and held a weapon in the other. 

They were so spread out that they also had people with trumpets and if the enemy came they could sound their trumpet and help would come. 

In the midst of all the building, it was bought to Nehemiah’s attention that because of the famine, many of the people had had to borrow from the nobles and officials to buy grain to live. The interest on the loans were so great they were having to sell their sons and daughters to be slaves to their debtors. Nehemiah was distraught over this and called a meeting. 

Nehemiah reminded them that they had been sold to other nations and now they were doing the same thing to their own people. This should not be going on and they needed to give back the land they had taken from the people and the money they had taken as interest and everything they had taken from them. They should not do this to their own people. He made them swear they would do this and pronounced a curse on those who didn’t obey. If they didn’t set them free then they would lose everything they had. They promised to do this.

In Corinthians, Paul continues his advise to the people in Corinth. His advise is just that…advise to a people who were coming out of paganism and facing the end of the world. He advised them to remain single if possible, but told them it was not wrong to marry. He thought the world was close to passing away and they were at the end of the age.

He wanted them to be free from the pressure of marriage so they cold devote themselves wholly to the Lord. He talked as if he thought they were about to face the judgment of God and the end of the world. One day this advise will be applicable. Not today.

Lord, may we be free from the slavery of debt our system has put on us. May we witness a jubilee in our day. May we practice living each day with the sword of your Word in one hand and our schedule in the other. May we finish the task we were sent to accomplish. To your name be the glory!