2010 – October 4 – Hurting Only Ourselves

Study from God’s Word… Esther, Chapters 5 – 10: 3 … Passage for Reflection: Esther 7: 10 … NIV So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.

My Journal for Today: The feast of Purim in Jewish tradition, established by Mordecai at the times we read about in the Book of Esther [see Chapter 9], is the celebration of the deliverance God provided for His people through the courage and actions of Queen Esther. But in the events which transpired to overcome the evil Haman almost perpetrated on God’s people, there is an ironic turn-about which is chronicled in this portion of Scripture which gives us a lesson in humanity as we seek Godliness.

We find that rather comical (if it weren’t so tragic) event in today’s highlight passage where Haman was lynched to death on the very gallows he had had constructed for Mordecai to begin the planned holocaust of the Jews. And discovering that Haman was going to hang the very man, Mordecai, who had saved the life of King Xerxes, the king used that very gallows to string up Haman. And as Dr. Smith points out, it can be the case that our attempts to hurt others, possibly with gossip or some other malicious intent, can be turned on us and we end up “hanging ourselves.” As Dr. Smith points out, That’s why the Bible is so sensible … [with] many admonitions to self-control, tolerance, and forgiveness.”

It’s easy to point fingers at the faults of others; but there’s an old saying, which I learned years ago. “When you point a finger at someone else, there are three of your own fingers pointing right back at you.” So, … we need to be careful that our singling out evil in our culture – which we certainly need to do – is not a desire to hide something within ourselves which is sorely lacking or evil itself.

Being in the ministry in which God has led me to lead, where we try to help Christian men who’ve gotten themselves trapped by their own sexual desires, we’ve seen a number of so-called “Christian leaders,” who’ve spoken out loudly in public against sexual sin of various types, themselves be uncovered being deeply into the same sexual and lustful traps. And these men, who’ve stood publically for sexual purity, hang themselves on the same social gallows to which they had built to call attention to others who had fallen into sexual sin. And in the process, the kingdom of God is set back by their breech of Christian self-control.

So, … like the drunk who avoids going into bars for personal entertainment, I’m very careful about pointing fingers toward others who are uncovered into one form of habitual sin or another; because I realize my own proclivities and weaknesses for which I must humbly seek God’s enabling grace to walk in HIS purity and HIS strength. So, beware of pointing your finger of blame at others, lest you reveal yourself, pointing back at yourself.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, You know that my past points me only to You for deliverance and strength. Amen