“God created us humans to be for one another not against one another. The reason the world is beset by problems is we have departed from this plan and have embraced the opposite plan, which is placing ourselves against each other.
If we want to save our world from destruction, we must follow God’s plan for humanity and be for one another not against one another.
If we continue to defy God’s plan by pursuing the opposite plan of being against one another, we will pay dearly for it.” (Romilia Quote)
When you warned me, I did not listen; I tried to be nice; Ignoring the writing On the wall; Clear as it was; I thought around me I had human beings; Whereas I had wolves; Though they looked Like innocent lambs; Now, my eyes are open; I see better than I have ever done. I see the plane in the sky; I am wiser too. I have learned my lesson The hard way.
Has God ever slept? Does God ever sleep? Does God ever get tired? How does He rest If he gets tired? Many questions That are hard to answer, They have not been answered Since humans came on earth; They are more than Human brains can answer; That’s the mystery of God; Yet, some say They want to understand Before they believe; How foolish! Understood or not understood, There is a mighty God; Bother not yourself, To understand the mystery That is God; And don’t be too full of yourself; You are of too little a mind To understand; Many things, God alone knows.
Today, I acknowledged a miracle of words when I picked up my
sacred golden pages known as the Bible. I was seeking special words of
encouragement to share with my readers when a light shone on a preface. Among
the Scriptures and descriptions of my Bible were four simple words clear as the
morning sky – The history of hope. Wow! This Christian compilation of sixty-six
books and letters, written by over forty authors, says more about the
complexity of God’s holy words than anything else. What better way can you describe
the Bible than hope!
If I ever find time to pen, ‘A Bible for Dummies,’ I’ll
use these encouraging words to show the love God shares with humanity. I often
mention the voids we have in our souls. We look for something to fill the
emptiness deep inside us. Its HOPE, of course, hopes our faith will withstand
the depression of the world we live in today.
This divine and extraordinary book is God’s plan for our
salvation. The Bible gives us deliverance from sin, repentance, a roadmap for
faith, and a refuge in times of trouble. It’s a sourcebook for everyday living,
regardless of your religion. Even though its stories took place in Asia,
Africa, and Europe, the message is still the same for all believers – everyone needs
hope.
Everyone dreams of a better future, but what do we use as
guidelines to make it happen? We can rely on our wisdom and knowledge, or we
can refer to biblical scriptures for the exact answers. I know someone right
now is saying, “I can’t understand or comprehend the Bible.” Guess what?
Neither can I, but I take one passage at a time, and I ask for God’s help…and
it works! Another resource for better comprehension is to do a careful search
on the internet. Only use resources written by the church and their ministry.
The word “hope” in the Bible means “a strong and confident
expectation.” It deals with things, yet unseen, and the testimony of God’s
promises. In other words, the Bible is HOPE. Hope – based on heavenly realities,
which gives us the power to live courageously, and to be all we can be through
Christ Jesus.
The words “The history of hope” alone alludes to peace and sovereignty. Hope gives us strength and courage. Never give it up nor the hope in the power of our Lord!
What makes a woman powerful? Is it money, fame, a
political position, or is it an Oscar-winning actress? Any of these attributes
may be true in today’s society, but not in biblical days. Many excellent
examples of strong, influential women grace the pages of the Bible. Everyone
today, now two thousand years later, may find much wisdom in the biblical
females. Use them as a guiding tool in your personal lives and to develop a
relationship with God.
The last point I want to express is “behind every
successful man is a strong and wise woman.” So true of these most powerful
women in the Bible! I hope you enjoy my review of this week’s next two women.
This biblical story begins in the time of King Xerexes,
who ruled from India to Ethiopia in 486 BC to 465 BC. In the third year of his
reign, he gave a luxurious banquet for all his officials and ministers in the
garden courtyard. His wife, Queen Vashti, threw a separate party for women in
the royal palace. As he became drunk, he ordered his personal servants to bring
his wife to him. She was gorgeous, and he wanted to show her off to his
proteges. Queen Vashti refused to show off her beauty, and the king lost his
temper at her disrespect of his orders. He wanted to avoid his embarrassment,
so he ruled her to leave his premises. “Every man is master of his own
house; whatever he says, goes.”
King Xerexes’ young royal attendants suggested he search
the kingdom for beautiful young virgins to replace Vashti. Soon, a woman named
Hadassah, otherwise known as Esther, was brought to the palace and given over
to the overseer of the women in the harem. She stayed twelve months for beauty
treatments and for visits with the king in the evenings. Esther soon won the
admiration of everyone, including the king. He placed a crown on her head and
proclaimed a holiday for all the provinces. But she had a dark secret…
Her older cousin, Mordecai, raised Esther after her
parent’s death. He was a member of the Jewish community who had an ancestor
captured and taken away from Jerusalem. Her rearing was in exile, and Mordecai
begged her never to tell a soul.
Mordecai often walked in front of the palace, hoping to
glimpse Esther. He still felt responsible for her welfare. One afternoon, he
made his usual trek to the palace gates. He overheard two guards plotting the
death of King Xerexes, so he quickly sent word to Esther, who told her husband.
In the king’s investigation of the incident, she told her husband that Mordecai,
“her cousin,” heard the conversation, but this was all the details she gave
him.
Sometime later, King Xerexes promoted a man named Haman to
the highest-ranking official in the government. He required everyone at the
palace gates to kneel before Haman, but Mordecai refused repeatedly. Haman
learned Esther’s cousin was a Jew, so he devised a plan to kill all Jews
throughout the kingdom.
Esther’s maids told her of Haman’s plan, and she was shocked
and scared for her relatives. So she sent a servant to find Mordecai and find
out the whole story. She also handed the servant clothes for her cousin to wear,
which would hide his Jewish roots. But, Mordecai refused to wear it and relayed
a message to her, “Do not imagine that because you are in the king’s palace
you alone will escape the fate of all the Jews.…” He encouraged her to talk
to her husband.
Esther sent a strong message back to Mordecai.
“Go and get all the Jews living in Susa together. Fast
for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, either day or night. I and my maids
will fast with you. If you will do this, I’ll go to the king, even though it’s
forbidden. If I die, I die.” Mordecai followed her instructions.
Three days later, Esther dressed in her royal robe,
visited the king on his throne. She asked him to arrange a dinner with Haman,
of which he obliged her request. Meanwhile, Haman was building seventy-five
foot high gallows. He would soon hang Mordecai.
The day of the dinner party arrived, and King Xerexes,
Esther, and Haman gathered for the feast. The king asked Esther, “What would
you like? Half of my kingdom? Just ask and it’s yours.” Her charm beguiled him.
She broke into tears and revealed the horror of her people’s fate at the hands
of their dinner guest. Haman was now terror-stricken. The king raged with fury and
stalked out into the palace garden. He saw the gallows structure and came
storming back into the banquet room when he noticed Haman on the floor in front
of his wife. Haman was pleading for his life at Esther’s feet, and the king
exploded with anger. King Xerexes ordered him hanged at the very gallows meant
for Mordecai… and so it was done.
Later in the day, the king presented Queen Esther the
estate of Haman, archenemy of the Jews. She admitted her background to him and
the story of her cousin. Mordecai came before the king who took off his signet
ring and handed it to him in a loving gesture. Esther appointed Mordecai over
Haman’s estate. Then, she pleaded with her husband to please revoke the plan
plotted against the Jews. “How can I stand to see this catastrophe wipe out
my people? How can I bear to stand by and watch the massacre of my relatives?”
King Xerexes allowed Esther and Mordecai to write whatever
she deemed necessary to stop the massacre on an order, and he signed it. Their
city exploded with joy for Esther saved their lives. Celebration, cheering, and
feasting took to the streets. Many non-Jews became Jews on this day. Mordecai
also became a mighty name in the palace. The king, with love on his face,
turned to Esther and said, “What else would you like? Name it and it’s
yours. Your wish is my command.”
Mordecai soon released a notice calling for an annual
celebration of the Jew’s freedom, and it became a tradition. He soon ranked
second in command to King Xerexes for the peace and prosperity he brought to
his race.
I found it interesting God is not mentioned in the Book of
Esther, however, the protection of His chosen people is implied. The Jewish
religion was an ethnic choice rather than a religious practice in the era of
Esther. When the Bible was interpreted, many rabbis were troubled by Esther’s
failure to live as a Jew, so her story suffered in its religious connotation.
Why was Esther a powerful woman?
Esther was a female hero, for women in Persia were
a low species in society. Whatever power she did have was earned through
manipulation of higher forces (such as her husband). Esther used her beauty,
charm, and political intelligence to save the Jews. She fought for her
objectives.
Queen Esther was a positive role model for Jewish women
during her lifetime. She was courageous to approach the king about the
death plot of her race. Her life was on the line and it was risky but Esther stood
up for what she believed in, even though it was dangerous.
Though God was not mentioned in the Book of Esther, Esther
used fasting and prayer for clarity. It placed her in the path of humility.
Esther is a powerful example that our background does not
determine God’s plan for us, only faith. She was an orphan and lived in
exile, but God brought her to redemption and freedom.
Not many details are known about Esther after the story
written in the Bible. However, Jewish scholars claim she had a son named Darius
who became a king. He lifted the ban against the rebuilding of the Holy Temple,
which led to the building of the Second Temple.
According to Wikipedia, Esther is commemorated as a
matriarch in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. She
is also recognized as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox and Coptic Orthodox
Churches. It is believed Esther’s son buried her, with Mordecai, in a mausoleum
in Hamadan, Iran. In 2009, Iran added it as a Jewish holy site on their
National Heritage List.
ABIGAIL
Image of Abigail courtesy of Pinterest
Abigail’s short, but compelling story, is in 1 Samuel 25,
and written about 960 BC. It occurs in the town of Maon, a Jewish settlement in
the West Bank.
Nabal was a very wealthy, yet obstinate and harsh man, who
owned three thousand sheep and one thousand goats. His wife, Abigail, was an
intelligent and beautiful woman. One afternoon, Nabal was shearing his sheep in
the wilderness. A young warrior named David was hiding in a nearby town, and he
heard of Nabal’s huge undertaking. He sent ten of his men to visit Nabal; after
all, he guarded Nabal’s sheep on more than one occasion.
“Go and approach Nabal. Greet him in my name, ‘Peace!
Life and peace to you! When your shepherds were camped near us we didn’t take
advantage of them. I’m asking you to be generous with my men – share the feast!
Give whatever your heart tells you to your servants and to David, your son.”
Nabal was furious and began insulting the men while
demanding to know the identity of David. He yelled, “Who is this David? The
country is full of runaway servants these days. Do you think I’m going to take
good bread and wine and meat freshly butchered for my sheepshearers and give it
to men I’ve never laid eyes on? Who knows where they’ve come from?”
David’s men ran back to tell him of Napal’s arrogance. “Strap
on your swords!” he called out to four hundred of his men. “What a slap
in the face! May God do his worst to me if Nabal and every cur in his
misbegotten brood isn’t dead by morning!”
Meanwhile, a young shepherd ran back to Abigail and told
her of the confrontation in the fields. He begged Abigail to do something
before they killed everyone. She immediately took action by gathering two
hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep ready for cooking, a
bushel of roasted grain, a hundred raisin cakes, and two hundred fig cakes. She
loaded all the food on the donkeys and had her servants lead the way to David.
No one could say a word to her husband.
Image courtesy of timothylutheranbiblestudy.com
As Abigail was riding her donkey into a large ravine,
David and his men were descending from the other end. They all met in the
middle where Abigail quickly climbed off the donkey and fell on her knees
before David. With humility, honor, and respect, she humbly spoke to him of her
husband’s faults.
“My lord should not pay attention to this wicked man
Nabal. He simply lives up to his name! His name means ‘fool,’ and he is indeed
foolish!” David immediately recognized Abigail was sent by God. He
apologized and thanked her for stopping him from murdering all of them. He
accepted the food she brought him and said, “Return home in peace.”
Abigail arrived home, and Nabal was eating a huge spread
of food and was very drunk. She left him be… until the next morning when she
told him what she gave David. Nabal’s raging face turned red, and he grabbed
his heart and fell onto the ground. For ten days, he laid in a coma until God
took his life.
When David heard Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be
God who has stood up for me against Nabal’s insults, kept me from an evil act,
and let his evil boomerang back on him.” He sent for Abigail to propose
marriage to her, and she didn’t linger. She climbed onto her donkey and rode to
David.
Abigail was David’s second wife, as he was also married to
Ahinoam of Jezreel. Both women accompanied him while they sought refuge in a
Philistine territory, and their life wasn’t easy. But, soon after settling in
Hebron, Abigail gave birth to their only child, who was named Chileab (also
called Daniel).
In case you did not make the connection in Abigail’s
story, the man who she married was none other than a young King David, one of
the most well-known figures in Jewish history. He was promised by God that his
children would rule Israel forever. If we delve into Bible scriptures, Abigail
was one of eight wives to David.
She suffered the consequences of an arranged marriage to
Nabal. She could not blame or fight their choice. But, her story reveals why
women should follow God’s guidelines for a partner. Though he was an abusive
husband, she remained dedicated to him until God’s perfect timing played out.
Why was Abigail a powerful woman?
Abigail was a very humble woman. Though she was wealthy,
she did not let her riches interfere with the welfare of her family. Not only
did she save her family, but she saved David from committing murders.
She was fearless as she rode to find David and give
him her offerings. It was perilous for her to face a man with an army of four
hundred men.
Abigail had an attitude of humility, honor, and respect
as she approached the man who would one day rule Israel. I think David knew
Abigail was the kind of comrade he needed to be a successful king.
She always acted in wisdom, for God was building
character in her heart. Living with an abusive man, she still grew into a
respectful woman, even amid adversity.
Please join us again next Sunday for two more powerful women in the Bible. God bless!
“It is normal for anger to take you to battle, but if you keep that anger while at the battle front you may regret ever engaging in that war. It takes a cool head, not anger to win a war. Anger rids you of wisdom and you take decisions before you think. Of course, at times you may appear to win but sit down and calculate the cost. I bet you it will be pyrrhic victory. Always put wisdom ahead of anger and power.” (Romilia quotes)
Tell me what you do When you are going through Delicate times Like the present times; Have you ever Found yourself traversing Such dangerous times? It is not easy, With the threat of death Hanging overhead; Everywhere gunfiring; And human life snuffed out Like a candlelight; That is when You must be very careful. Prudence is imperative; Instead of waiting to cure, Prevent. That is called wisdom.
Do you know The wisest decision Ever made? Do you know The wisest decision Someone can make? Do you know The wisest decision You can ever make? I know; The wisest decision That someone has ever made, Is the wisest decision That you can ever make; It is the wisest decision That someone can make. It is to say “Yes!” To God when He calls. God is always calling; If you listen, You will hear His voice Calling out to you. If you say “Yes, Lord, Here, I am; I am ready to do what You want,” That would be Your wisest decision Of your life. Every “Yes” to God Is the wisest decision.