Home Runs with Broken Bats

One of the worship leaders on our staff, Andy Cherry, recently said in a meeting, “God loves to hit home runs with broken bats.” He was specifically referencing the story of Mary and Joseph. A teenage girl, pregnant, out of wedlock and the scandal of the small village looks like a very vulnerable and broken vehicle for God to bring the Savior of the World in, but He did. That is a home run with a broken bat. (For accounts of the most strike outs with broken bats look up the history of the Chicago Cubs.)

The story of Esther is a similar picture with a similar outcome. Esther is a young Jewish Queen with a price over her head as well as all of her people. She is in a culture where the last Queen was removed for refusing to dance! She is skating on thin ice because no one, but her Uncle, knows she is a Jew. She is about to take on the power brokers of Persia and try to rescue the lot. Sounds like a broken bat!

Now, let’s look at what her uncle says as he calls her to take the challenge of rescue:

“If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your Fathers’ house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the Kingdom for such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14-15)

This is one of most amazing verses on the Sovereignty of God and the free will of a woman coming together.

The storyline is in God’s control and He will rescue the Jews. The genealogy depends on it. If the Jews do not stay in existence at this time there will be no Messiah. This will end the promise that God has made, and He will not allow that to happen. But, God allows Esther to actually play a hand in the rescue of her people and in our redemptive future. What a wonderful offer.

So, if today you are feeling like you are broken and not sure what you can add to the story, know that the same kind of offer is given to you today. You can see where God is working, pray for Him to reveal an opportunity and jump in on the redemptive history of your family, your neighborhood and even in the world. It’s always before you if you are willing and watching for the next turn at bat.

Tips for Reading - (Observation tip #17)

Note: This section is help for Bible Reading in general. It has been building throughout the year under the topics of Observation (what the Scripture says), Interpretation (what it means) and Application (what it means to your life). Feel free to look back over past weeks to get the whole picture.

Have you ever wondered what people write in their journals? One popular discipline that many Christians have in their time with God is journaling…but what does that mean. It may mean writing out prayers, or processing emotions through writing, but you can also use your journal to take notes about what you are reading in your Bible Study. I think it’s funny how I can believe that somehow I am going to remember what I am learning without writing it down and taking notes. For years I would not take the time to write out my thoughts about the chapters I was reading because I had a notion God would somehow make it stick since it was from Him. Now, I call that a shortcut and, to be honest, laziness on my part. The truth is, just like taking notes on your science reading so that you remember what you read, there is an appropriate time for taking notes on the Bible.

One way you can take notes is to spend some time summarizing what you have read. In other words, when you get done with a book of the Bible put it all together.

Here are a few helpful tips from Howard Hendricks in “Living by the Book.”

· While you are studying through the book assign titles to paragraphs or chapters. Be creative and make them your own, not just the titles already written in the Bible you are using. This will help you retain your insights in neat packages.

· Create a chart using all these titles you have been writing. Keep the charts simple. You can always add more detail later when you study the book again. The challenge is to clear away clutter.

· Just write the big ideas, the key characters to start with. Esther is an easy book to chart because it is a narrative with three different movements. See if you can title them creativity.

Next week Jeremiah will be harder to chart, but I think it will help to understand its twists and turns. I will give you a couple more tips in this area next week.

Notes from David’s Journal

One of the most amazing facts of history is the hatred of people toward the Jews. On several different occasions, the most recent being Hitler in World War II, leaders have tried to completely eliminate the Jews from the face of the earth. There is no other race of people on the face of the earth that has had to face repeated attempts of genocide!

The book of Esther describes one of those attempts. The attempt is authored by an evil man named Haman. We really don’t know exactly why Haman wanted to kill the Jews in the Captivity. Part of it was most assuredly jealousy of some positions held by Jews in the Persian court. I would also surmise that most of it had to do with the evil one in the dark, spiritual world, who knew it would be through the Jews that God would bring His Son, Jesus, into the world. He knew that through Jesus sins would be forgiven and the assurance of God’s ultimate victory over evil would be shown and given to all humanity. Therefore, the devil would stop at nothing to try and eliminate God’s Chosen from the face of the earth.

Esther is a Jewess who become queen of Persia. She is deeply loved and respected by the King. She is also a woman of extreme courage who loves her people. She realizes the plot of Haman and also realizes she alone is the one whom God is calling to save her people.

The story in the book of Esther reads like a Dan Brown novel, filled with strategy and intrigue. From page to page you wonder what is going to happen! I hope you read it with enjoyment like you would a novel.

However, as you read it, don’t miss the book’s primary message: the courage of a Godly woman. She knew this truth: “If you don’t have something to die for, you don’t have anything to live for.” She was willing to die for her faith. She was willing to die trying to help her people survive!

By the way, some early Jewish fathers did not think Esther should be included in the Old Testament canon. Why? Because, “God” is not actually mentioned. However, it eventually was. Why? Because, even though God’s name isn’t actually mentioned, you see His divine design, His hand working constantly behind the scenes in the story. You see faith guiding the major characters lives and actions. God is present, even though His name isn’t necessarily mentioned.

Enjoy the story! It’s a terrific testimony to God’s faithfulness. And remember this: one of the major reasons we should believe in God is the continued existence of God’s people throughout the ages!