The Power of One

Readings for today: Esther 6-10, Psalms 54

One of my favorite movies is titled, “The Power of One.” It details one young man and one young woman’s fight against the evils of apartheid in South Africa. It addresses all kinds of different issues but the main message is the significant power each individual has to stand up for justice and make a difference in the world. Esther is such a person.

Perhaps the most famous line in the book comes in chapter four when Mordecai encourages Esther to take action by saying, “Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.” (Esther‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬ ‭CSB‬) It’s an incredibly humbling thought. Esther’s entire life had led her to this moment. God using every decision. God shaping her through every experience. God honoring her courage and faithfulness by placing her in a unique position of influence and power so that she might prevent the genocide of her people. Esther had no idea any of this was happening along the way. She was just living her life. Making daily choices that seemed best to her at the time. She wasn’t born into a life of privilege. She was not part of the royal household growing up. She was just another nameless, faceless Jewish woman until a unique opportunity presented itself and God sovereignly acted on her behalf. Now she is the queen. The most powerful woman in the empire and the second most powerful person. She has overcome Haman, the enemy of her people. She has raised her uncle up to a position of power alongside her. She has influenced the king over and over again and proven to be the power behind the throne. It’s incredible.

And it begs an important question for each and every one of us. What are we doing to follow Esther’s example? What are we doing to stand up for justice in our own time? What are we doing to fight evil on personal as well as systemic levels? Where is God calling us to make a difference in the world? For me, it means working hard to influence those I serve to align their lives with the life of Jesus. It means modeling compassion and kindness and sacrifice for those who are marginalized or less fortunate or suffering or struggling in their life. It could be in the town where I live or on the other side of the world. Over the years, I have fought a running battle against poverty and addiction and abuse and neglect and greed and selfishness. I have fought these battles in coffee shops or at local bars as I encourage and challenge the people I know and love to follow Jesus and I have worked hard to change systems and structures in society so they might become more reflective of God’s Kingdom. It’s not easy but I’ve not even approached the sacrifices of a person like Esther. Her example continues to inspire me to this day and hopefully, she inspires you as well!

Readings for tomorrow: Daniel 1-3, Psalms 55 (No devotionals on Sundays)

Strong Women

Readings for today: Esther 1-5, Psalms 53

I love the women of the Bible. They live in incredibly difficult times. They live in cultures where they are treated more as property than people. They are subject to all kinds of abuse and neglect. They have no rights and no legal recourse. They are prized for their physical beauty and cast aside when it fades. Their worth is determined by the number of male children they bear and they are shamed if they cannot produce. It’s a brutal, harsh existence and it would be easy for the women to throw up their hands in despair. It would be easy for them to feel helpless and hopeless. Resign themselves to their lot in life and try to make the best of things. But then you read stories about women like Vashti and Esther. Women who are powerful. Fierce. Courageous. Bold. They dare to stand up to the men in their lives. They dare to be different. They refuse to accept the social and cultural restraints placed upon them.

One of the common mistakes we make when we read the Bible is to assume that because every word is “inspired” it must mean every word has God’s endorsement. For example, I’ve seen our passage from today used to support all sorts of misogynist thinking. Rather than celebrate Queen Vashti’s courage for refusing to bow down to the drunken wishes of an abusive king, they take the king’s side. They worry that Vashti’s example will cause all women to “look on their husbands with contempt” or they use Esther 1:22 where it talks about “every man being master in his own household” as a proof text for hierarchical notions of spiritual leadership. Such thinking is toxic and betrays a lack of understanding on how to appropriately interpret Scripture. Nowhere in the text does the king’s behavior receive God’s endorsement. In fact, God isn’t mentioned a single time in the entire book! The reason this book is included in the Bible is to teach us how God often works behind the scenes through the courage of His people. People He strategically places in pagan culture to carry out His sovereign will. People like Esther for example. “The king loved Esther more than all the other women. She won more favor and approval from him than did any of the other virgins. He placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti. The king held a great banquet for all his officials and staff. It was Esther’s banquet. He freed his provinces from tax payments and gave gifts worthy of the king’s bounty.” (Esther‬ ‭2‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭CSB‬‬) It’s important to note the king’s lecherous behavior never seems to change. He is a man driven by his unrestrained passions. As such, he is vulnerable to all sorts of manipulation. Left on his own, he would have killed all the Jews in his empire. But thankfully God was at work! Behind the scenes. Under the radar. Hidden from view. He orchestrates things in such a way that Esther is placed on the throne. And though she presumably has to endure some of the same abuse her predecessor Vashti did, she leverages her position to save her people.

We still live in a world full of abuse. A world where women are often dismissed, neglected, or ignored. A world where women are not treated as equals. They often do not receive equal pay or equal access or equal opportunity. Their rights are now being further eroded as more and more men identify as women. I know many men who are intimidated by strong women. I know many men who are afraid of strong women. I know many men who weaponize Scripture in order to subjugate women. Thankfully, Scripture itself attests to the truth that women are made in the image of God. Women are co-heirs to the Kingdom of God. Women are co-equals in the eyes of God. Furthermore, Scripture gives us example after example of women of deep faith who courageously buck their traditional cultural roles as they seek to serve and honor God. Jesus Himself affirmed the women who sacrificed everything to follow Him. They were among His first and most faithful disciples. I myself have been incredibly blessed to be married to a strong, godly woman and to be raising three strong, godly daughters.

Readings for tomorrow: Esther 6-10, Psalms 54

Powerful Women

Readings for today: Judges 4-5, Psalms 71

Last Friday was International Women’s Day. A day dedicated to celebrating the global and historical achievements of women from every family, clan, tribe, and nation all over the earth. I found myself reflecting on the influence of the many women in my life. My wife and daughters. My mother and mother-in-law. Women in my family tree who sacrificed so much to serve our family over the generations. I thought of the women I have the privilege of working alongside. Women who serve as elders and leaders in our church family. Their contributions to our life together simply cannot be measured. And I know I certainly would not be the man I am today without the incredible impact of these women in my life. They are modern-day versions of Deborah who we read about in the chapters for today.

Deborah was the spiritual and political leader of Israel. She was filled with God’s Spirit and set apart as judge over all Israel. She led during a time of great uncertainty. Israel was not yet established in the Promised Land. She was surrounded by enemies on all sides. She was at war with King Jabin of the Canaanites. Deborah was a woman of great faith and courage. She commanded Barak, the military leader of Israel at the time, to fight to deliver God’s people but he refused to go into battle unless she went with him. This story echoes some of what we saw when Moses led Israel into battle. When he raised his arms and Israel could see him, they won. When he sat down and they couldn’t see him, they lost heart and would begin to retreat. It seems Deborah’s leadership had a similar effect. Not only that but once the battle was joined and the Canaanites fled, God used a second woman named Jael to kill Sisera, the Canaanite general, and bring an end to Israel’s oppression.

Over the years, I’ve met some Christians who try to downplay Deborah’s leadership. They talk about the abdication of Barak and other male leaders in Israel but the text never indicates this is the case. In fact, it presents Deborah’s leadership as normative. Just another in a long line of judges who led Israel during a chaotic, tumultuous period in her history when she had a tendency to do what was right in her own eyes rather than follow the Lord. In fact, when one compares Deborah to the judges who come after her, one can easily conclude her godly leadership surpasses them all.

As sinful human beings, we can get so caught up in who holds the power. Who holds the authority in a relationship. Is it the man or the woman? Is it the husband or the wife? Is it the parent or the child? Is it the employer or the employee? Is it the pastor or the elders? Is it the denomination or the church? All of it, frankly, is nonsense. There is only One who holds all authority in heaven and on earth. There is only One who holds the keys to Death and Hades in His hands. And He chooses to use whomever He wills to accomplish His purposes on the earth. Over time, He has used any number of powerful women in extraordinary ways and we are blessed beyond measure by their courage and faithfulness.

Readings for tomorrow: Judges 6-8, Psalms 72

Biblical Feminism

Readings for today: 1 Chronicles 7-9

Today’s reading brings us to the end of the genealogies of Israel. Whew! These are some of the harder sections of Scripture to get through simply because they feel so remote. After all, we don’t feel a connection to these people or these particular tribes or these particular families. Sure, we acknowledge they are our spiritual mothers and fathers but there’s very little information about most of these names so it’s hard to feel any kind of tie. However, a careful reading reminds us that behind every name is a story. And behind every story is a powerful testimony of God’s faithfulness.

For example, consider the case of Zelophehad’s daughters. “The sons of Manasseh: Asriel, whom his Aramean concubine bore; she bore Machir the father of Gilead. And Machir took a wife for Huppim and for Shuppim. The name of his sister was Maacah. And the name of the second was Zelophehad, and Zelophehad had daughters.” (1 Chronicles‬ ‭7:14-15‬) Their story is told in Numbers 27 right in the middle of another genealogical section of the Bible when Moses was dividing up the inheritance of the land. It’s a remarkable testimony and worth recapping again.

Five women appear before the gathered leadership of Israel at the Tabernacle to present one of the earliest recorded lawsuits in history. Their claim? Their father died without a male heir which means his inheritance is now in jeopardy. He was not part of the rebellion of Korah so they have legitimate standing to bring his case before the Lord. And they ask Moses to grant them their father’s property rights so they can preserve the family line. 

I cannot imagine the courage this course of action must have taken. Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah (Zelophehad’s daughters) knew very well that women did not have any rights in the ancient near east. Not in Israel and certainly not in the nations that surrounded them. Women were considered property in that time. Not even counted as human beings. At the death of their father or brothers or husbands, they were not entitled to any inheritance and were often left destitute. Fast forward a few centuries and we see this scene play itself out in the book of Ruth where Naomi loses not only her husband but also her two sons, leaving her to fend for herself.

So imagine you are one of these five women. Raised to believe you have no rights. Your primary value is to bear sons to your future husband so his family line can be preserved. Now imagine making the decision to approach Moses and the gathered leadership of Israel in front of the Tabernacle itself to present your case. You know what you are about to do has never been done. You know what you are about to ask for has never happened before. You know there’s a good chance your petition will fail but you courageously step forward anyway. You argue persuasively for the preservation of your father’s inheritance and you make the audacious claim to be counted among your father’s brothers. 

I would have loved to see the look on Moses’ face. Was it shock? Confusion? Did he smile at the women’s boldness? There is no indication in the text one way or another. What we do know is Moses recuses himself and takes their petition to the Lord. This, in itself, is a strong affirmation of the women. And then there is the response from God. I have to believe their courage brought a smile to His face and He issues a new law for Israel. From this point forward, “If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.” (Numbers‬ ‭27:8‬) A statute still used today as legal precedent by the American Bar Association. 

The Bible is a history of God’s interactions with many different human cultures. Human culture, by definition, is always corrupt and unjust. Thankfully, God is at work constantly bending the arc of human history towards justice. Towards righteousness. Here is a clear case where God honors the rights of women, granting them a unique status when compared to other ancient near east societies. There is a direct line between the daughters of Zelophehad and Deborah who served as judge and spiritual leader for all of Israel. A direct line between the daughters of Zelophehad and the female disciples who gathered round Jesus and remained faithful to Him even to the end when all the other male disciples had long since fled. A direct line between the daughters of Zelophehad and the women Paul affirms like Priscilla, Phoebe, and Junia who was “excellent among the apostles.” God is still doing this work today as women continue to be affirmed as strong and gifted leaders across all sectors of human society. 

Readings for tomorrow: 2 Samuel 5:1-10, 1 Chronicles 11-12, Psalms 133