Milo

APRIL 12

Reading 102

DO THE WICKED PAY?

Job 15–21“How often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out? How often does calamity come upon them, the fate God allots in His anger?” (Job 21:17)Though Job’s friends insisted differently, we all know, as Job knew, that every wicked man is not repayed in this life for his evil deeds.

Background

The fate of the wicked. Both Testaments describe God as a moral Judge who punishes the wicked and rewards the righteous. Job and his friends shared this view of God. But Job’s friends assumed God must punish the wicked in this life. Thus it seemed to them that since Job was suffering so greatly, he must have sinned greatly. Job knew he was innocent. And he had observed wicked people who prospered in this life. Their theology was nonsense, for it was contradicted by evidence they refused to even consider. As the New Testament emphasizes, God does punish the wicked and reward the righteous. But not necessarily in this life. Yes, the books will be balanced. But this will take place only at history’s end. In this dialogue only Job seems to have eternity in view as he said, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God” (19:25–26). How tragic that some Christians adopt the simplistic view of Job’s friends, and see all suffering as punishment for sin. God does permit innocent saints to suffer at times, and at times the wicked do prosper. The day of judgment, when all will be made clear, lies in the future. Until then we need to comfort, not accuse, our suffering brothers and sisters.

Overview

Eliphaz insisted that the wicked suffer terror and distress in this life, implying that Job must be wicked (15:1–35). Job replied that he had been upright, yet was assailed by God (16:1–17:16). Bildad picked up Eliphaz’s theme, graphically describing the fate of the wicked (18:1–21). Job, upset by his friends’ attacks, again shared feelings of abandonment (19:1–20). Yet he concluded with a magnificent affirmation of faith (vv. 23–27). Zophar added his own poem describing the ghastly fate of the wicked (20:1–29). Job, after quoting his accusers, argued that in fact the wicked often prosper. The clichés his counselors used to imply Job is wicked were nonsence (21:1–34).

Understanding the Text

“Man, who is vile and corrupt” Job 15:1–35. Eliphaz was angry at Job for what he saw as arrogant self-defense. Eliphaz viewed man as sinful, while God acted as if bound by some fixed law, forced invariably to punish the rebel. There was no room in Eliphaz’s theology for the notion that flawed human beings have value to God, or that God is moved by love rather than by a mechanical sense of justice which forces Him to react to each sin with appropriate, measured punishment. Eliphaz’s dialogue was filled with barbs hurled directly at Job. Again and again he brought up things that had happened to Job to illustrate punishments God directs against the wicked (cf. vv. 21; 1:17; 15:30, 34; 1:16; 15:28; 1:19; 15:29; 1:17). Nothing causes us to rethink our concept of God like suffering. When suffering comes to us or to loved ones, we need to remember that our God is a God of love. “Even now my witness is in heaven” Job 16:1–17:16. Job feared that he would die before his friends acknowledged his innocence. Thus he begged the earth not to cover his blood. Yet he was confident that witnesses in heaven knew he was right. Even though he felt devastated that “God assails me and tears me in His anger,” he had hope that a heavenly friend and intercessor would testify to his righteousness and that he would be vindicated. It’s hard when friends wrongfully accuse us or misunderstand us. Then our hope, like Job’s, is that ultimately we will be vindicated by the God who seems to attack us when we suffer. “The lamp of the wicked is snuffed out” Job 18:1–21. Bildad continued the friends’ effort to impose their views of God on Job. Once Job accepted their premise, that God only and always punishes the wicked, Job’s defenses would crumble. He would doubt his own innocence, and no longer hold to what he considered his “integrity.” The image here is a powerful one. In Old Testament times a small lamp was kept burning in even the poorest homes all night long. A house with a snuffed-out lamp was an abandoned, empty house. Building on this image of desolation, Bildad described the calamities that befall the wicked. We too are often tempted to use our theology—or a Bible verse—as a club to beat down the defenses of others. Surely Job’s friends were wrong to attack Job in this way, rather than encouraging him with reminders of the love of God. Let’s not err as they did in our use of God’s Word. “Those I love have turned against me” Job 19:19. Job’s suffering, and his insistence that he had been wronged, had alienated not only his friends but even his loved ones. Rather than treat Job with respect, even little children ridiculed him. His servants paid no attention to him, and his intimate friends detested him. One of the most painful aspects of an illness or any other personal disaster is the impact it has on others’ attitudes. The very time supportive love is most needed, friends and acquaintances back away. It may be uncomfortable for us to spend time with persons like Job. But, as Job cried out, it is while people suffer that they have the greatest need for friends who will “have pity on me.” Again we’re reminded that when another person is hurting is no time for theological discussion. What a hurting person needs is a hand to hold, a caring voice to listen to, and some evidence from friends that he or she is still loved and valued. It is striking that Job, deserted by his friends, continued to have a strong faith in the God he felt has misused him. “I know that my Redeemer lives,” Job affirmed. One day, long after this life was over, Job expected that “in my flesh I will see God.”

DEVOTIONAL

The Blessed Bad Guy (Job 21)

Just now our newspaper is filled with reports of a battle between a man and his ex-wife over a multimillion dollar Lotto win. Scan the reports, and the impression grows that both these winners are “bad guys.” From what each one says about the other—and I suspect both are right—each is a moral loser, selfish, and sinful. It’s just one more illustration of the bad guy striking it rich, while the poor, deserving Christian has to keep on struggling. Of course, if Eliphaz or Bildad or Zophar read our local paper, they’d never see that article. All three were careful to reject any evidence that might call their theology into question. That’s what exasperated Job in the end, and led him to confront his friends. God always punishes the wicked? Honestly, “How often is the lamp of the wicked [really] snuffed out?” God crush the evil man? Be honest now! “Have you paid no attention” to the fact that the world over “the evil man is spared from the day of calamity”? What Job finally shouted was, in effect, “Why don’t you get real! Why don’t you face facts? Why don’t you consider what we all know, that sometimes bad guys actually are blessed? That the bad guys often hit the Lotto jackpot, while God’s good guys struggle to make a living?” Job’s point was a good one. His friends preferred to distort reality in order to hold on to a flawed theology. Later God would speak to Job’s friends, and condemn them because “you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has” (42:7). Job, who struggled to understand God despite confusing and even contradictory evidence, had “spoken of Me what is right.” Job had been willing to challenge, not God, but his beliefs about God. Job’s three friends took their beliefs for God Himself, and refused to reexamine them, even when clear evidence in their society called those beliefs into question. This too is a lesson for you and me. Our trust is to be in God, not in our theology. Life constantly calls us to reexamine our beliefs about God, while holding firmly to the conviction that God exists, loves us, and is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Heb. 11:6). We can trust God completely. We should not have that same trust in our understanding of God’s ways. As Job’s friends finally learned, the bad guy sometimes is blessed in this life, while the good guy suffers. When facts like these don’t fit our theological pigeonholes, it’s time to discard the holes and develop a better understanding of our Lord.

Personal Application

Don’t be afraid to question your beliefs. God won’t be upset. Really.

Quotable

“He permits His friends to suffer much in this world that instead He may crown them all the more gloriously in heaven, and make them more like His only begotten Son, who never ceased to do good and to suffer injury while He was on earth that He might teach us patience by His example.”—Robert Bellarmine

Job

APRIL 11

Reading 101

JOB’S ANGUISH Job 1–14

“I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil” (Job 3:26).Job’s inner anguish mirrors our own when we are struck by some unexpected tragedy and struggle to understand why.

Background

The Structure of the book. Job begins and ends with brief prose sections. The opening portrays God giving Satan permission to attack Job in an effort to make Job curse the Lord. Satan stripped Job of his possessions, family, and health, but failed the challenge as Job worshiped rather than cursed God. The book then moves to an extended poetic exploration of God’s role in human suffering. Job and his three friends believed God punishes sin. Job’s friends concluded that Job had sinned. But Job was sure he had not knowingly done wrong. As the dialogues probed the question of suffering, Job found himself confronting not only his three friends but his own assumptions about God. The dialogue ended in an impasse, which was broken by a younger listener, Elihu. He pointed out that God sometimes uses suffering to instruct, not to punish. Thus Job’s suffering did not necessarily mean he had sinned, nor did it mean God is unjust. God Himself then spoke, not to explain what He had done, but to point out that His nature is beyond human comprehension. Job then repented and was commended by God. The Lord restored Job’s health, doubled his wealth, and blessed him with a new family and lengthened life. While the outline of this story is simple, the contents of the book are profound, probing as they do one of the most basic issues in human experience.

Overview

The setting is established: God permitted Satan to take Job’s wealth, his family, and his health (1:1–2:10). Job shared his feelings with three friends (v. 11–3:26). In a cycle of attacks and defenses, each friend proclaimed God’s justice, and suggested that Job deserved what had happened to him (4:1–5:27; 8:1–22; 11:1–20). Job defended himself against all of their charges (6:1–7:21; 9:1–10:22; 12:1–14:22).

Understanding the Text

“This man was blameless and upright” Job 1:1–5. The phrase does not mean Job was sinless. The Hebrew word for “blameless,” tamim, indicates a person whose motives are pure and who lives a good moral life. Job’s wealth may have impressed his neighbors. But his reverent awe for God and his decision to shun evil are keys to his character. What shocks us is that terrible trouble could strike such a godly man. We feel that if Job is vulnerable, surely each of us is. This is one of the important messages of Job. Relationship with God does not guarantee an easy life. Our relationship with God is more significant than that! “Have you considered My servant Job?” Job 1:6–2:11 God is the One who drew Satan’s attention to Job, and gave him permission to cause the devastating series of tragedies that struck Job on a single day. Satan contended that Job honored God only because God had given him material blessings. Satan claimed Job would “curse You to Your face” if God permitted Satan to take those blessings away. Job did not act as Satan expected, but instead worshiped, acknowledging God’s right to take what He had given (1:20–21). Satan then claimed Job would curse God if his own life were threatened. So God permitted Satan to afflict Job with a painful and loathsome disease. Again Job refused to curse God, saying, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (2:10) At this point Satan passed from the scene, defeated, and is not mentioned again. But Job’s suffering continued, showing us that God had His own purposes in permitting the satanic attack on Job. One reason that God permits Christians to suffer is to display the reality of relationship with the Lord. Believers suffer when hurt, as other human beings do. But our continuing faith in God’s goodness testifies to all that God does make a difference. God is glorified as Christians continue to hope in the Lord despite suffering. Like Christ, at this stage of the story Job has “entrusted himself to Him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). “Why did I not perish at birth?” Job 3:1–26 Three friends who visited Job were so shocked at his condition that they sat, silent, for seven days. At last Job opened the dialogue. Job’s earlier words had expressed his beliefs. Now he shared his feelings, and we discern an anguish so great that Job wished he had never been born. It’s not wrong for a gap to exist between what we believe and our emotions. Intellectually Job realized that God is free to act as He chooses. Emotionally Job was in the grip of anguish and fear. When suffering strikes us, we often respond as Job did. We do trust in God. But our emotions are in turmoil, and we have “no peace, no quietness, no rest” (see v. 26). Such emotion is natural, for at best we human beings are finite, limited, and weak. How encouraging to realize through Job’s experience that faith and fear can be present at the same time. Emotional turmoil is not evidence of a lack of faith, but rather an opportunity for us to affirm the reality of what we believe despite our feelings. “Who, being innocent, has ever perished?” Job 4:1–5:27 Eliphaz, one of the three friends, was unable to respond to the powerful emotions Job had shared. Instead he brought up a point of theology. It’s not the upright who are destroyed, but those who “plow evil” (4:7–8). Job must appeal to the God who corrects, and who can heal (5:17–18). If Job were right with God, the Lord would have protected him from disaster and Job would know peace (vv. 20–27). Many of us, like Eliphaz, listen for concepts and not feelings. Eliphaz did not respond to Job’s feelings or even acknowledge them. He might have said, “Job, I know you’re hurting. I hear how devastating this is to you, and I do care.” Instead Eliphaz jumped in with an oblique accusation, suggesting that Job’s suffering must be his own fault. When you or I respond to a person who is suffering with a theological statement, even with pious reassurance that “God must have a purpose in something so terrible,” we miss our opportunity to minister. What a sufferer needs to know is that someone cares. An experience of the love of God through a caring friend is the first and greatest need of those who suffer. “If only my anguish could be weighed” Job 6:1–7:21. Job tried again to share his feelings and his tormented thoughts. He felt cut off from God, and crushed by Him (6:8–10). As a despairing man Job had hoped for a sign of devotion from his friends, not accusations. Job continued to focus on his feelings, speaking out “in the anguish of my spirit” and complaining in the “bitterness of my soul” (7:11). Life had lost all meaning for Job. He could not understand what he had done to God to deserve what had happened, or why, if he had sinned, God did not simply forgive him (vv. 17–21). In this speech, part of which is directed to the Lord, Job expressed the doubts and uncertainties which tormented him even more than the loss and pain. Job’s experience again helps us identify what happens within us when tragedy strikes. The very foundation of our existence—our conviction that God is good—is brought into question. If we understand this we can accept our own doubts and uncertainty without feelings of guilt. And we can empathize with others who experience tragedy. “How long will you say such things?” Job 8:1–22 Bildad was uncomfortable with Job’s self-revelation. To protect himself from the flood of emotions, he too turned to theology. Bildad was unwilling to accept what Job felt because those emotions seemed to imply that the Almighty “pervert[s] what is right” (v. 3). Bildad’s solution? “Surely God does not reject a blameless man” (v. 20). If Job got right with God, the Lord would “yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy” (v. 21). Bildad’s error was a common one. He assumed that he knew so much about God he could speak for Him! “God doesn’t reject the blameless” is transformed from a general truth to an unbreakable rule, binding God’s own freedom of action. Bildad never once imagined that he might not know God well enough to explain the Lord’s purposes in Job’s life! When you and I know others who suffer, we must avoid Bildad’s error. We can’t explain “why” because we are not wise enough to grasp God’s purposes in another person’s life. All we know for sure is that God loves all human beings, and that He does have a purpose in what happens to each one. “I know that this is true” Job 9:1–10:21. Job was aware that what his friends had said was true. But this only made his torment greater. Job believed himself blameless (9:21), and thus had no explanation for what had happened to him. It was this that made his anguish so bitter! He couldn’t even plead his case with God, for God had not brought any charges against him. Again Job was forced to question the meaning of life itself. Why had he even been born? How much better it would have been if Job had died in infancy! “Will no one rebuke you?” Job 11:1–20 Job’s third friend was outraged by this talk. God must not be questioned! But Zophar couldn’t resist suggesting that Job must have sinned to suffer so, and that if Job would only “put away the sin that is in your hand” life would be brighter, for God would relieve his suffering. Again, be warned. The person who assumes that he knows another individual’s heart, much less understands all of God’s ways, is almost certain to be wrong. To take such a position is spiritual pride, surely as great a sin as any we accuse others of committing. “What you know, I also know” Job 12:1–14:22. Job responded with sarcasm. Job too knew the general truths about God that his friends had used against him. But Job also knew that in his case suffering could not be punishment for some known sin. Again Job addressed his complaint to God. Human beings are so weak. Why did God do this to him? Why not just permit Job to die and so avoid the brunt of what he experienced as the anger of God? Again we sense the anguish that any believer experiences when his or her suffering cannot be explained. We know general truths about God. But we cannot know the specific reasons for what is happening to us. And suffering feels like God’s anger, directed against us, rather than feeling like love. How important to remember at such times that God does love us still.

DEVOTIONAL

God’s Hedge (Job 1–2)

The doctor happened to look in on her as she lay in the labor room. What he saw brought a half dozen people on the run. My wife had suffered a massive placental separation, and only quick action by the doctor saved her and our daughter Joy. There was only one problem. Joy had been without oxygen for several minutes. When she was born her face was blue, and the doctor warned that there might be brain damage. There was. Today Joy, at 28, lives in a community for retarded adults in Arizona’s Verde Valley. She will live there or in a similar facility all her life. It’s hard to express the bittersweet experience of bringing up a daughter who is strong and healthy, and yet suffers from irreversible retardation. Each visit is a reminder of what might have been, but can never be. Yet at the same time each visit is a reminder that Joy is who God intended her to be. A young, strong, loving girl, who laughs and cries, rejoices and complains, who prays and sings and works up to her limited capabilities. Each visit is a reminder of Satan’s complaint, recorded in Job 1:9. “Have You not put a hedge around him [Job]?” Haven’t You protected him from me, so that I can’t touch him or anything that he owns? Satan’s complaint portrays an important reality. God has put a hedge around every believer. He actively protects us from the dangers that threaten on every side. Only if God lowers the hedge—and that for His own purposes—can disaster strike. When Joy was born, God lowered the hedge. I don’t know why. But I believe He had His own good purpose. And I know that God raised the hedge again. God has protected our Joy, and given her as blessed a life as she could expect to live. I can identify other times when God lowered the hedge around me. But each time the hedge has gone up again, and blessing has followed. Each time the hedge has gone down, I’ve become more aware of how often God’s hedge has surrounded me and guarded me from harm.

Personal Application

When God lowers the hedge around you, consider the many more times you have had His protection.

Quotable

“How desperately people brush up their little faith in times of sorrow. It is quite easy to see that religious faith prospers because of, and not in spite of, the tribulations of this world. It is because this mortal life is felt as an irrelevancy to the main purpose in life that men achieve the courage to hope for immortality.”—Reinhold Niebuhr

Job

INTRODUCTION

Set in the second millennium B.C., when wealth was measured in cattle and the patriarch served as family priest, the epic of Job explores the relationship between human suffering and divine justice. Job, a righteous man, was crushed by sudden disasters. His three friends argued that God was punishing him for some hidden sin. Job resisted, but could find no alternate explanation for what had happened to him. In a lengthy poetic dialogue marked by the most difficult Hebrew in the Old Testament, Job and his friends struggled to understand the ways of God and the meaning of human suffering. Though there are many examples of similar literature in the ancient East, Job is set off from them by its vision of God and its in-depth exploration of the issue of suffering. It is impossible to establish a date for the writing of this epic or to know its author.

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS

I.	Disasters Strike Righteous Job	Job 1–3
II.	Job Dialogues with Three Friends	Job 4–31
	A. Did God cause Job’s suffering?	Job 4–14
	B. Do the wicked really suffer?	Job 15–21
	C. Had Job committed hidden sins?	Job 22–31
III.	Elihu Breaks the Impasse	Job 32–37
IV.	God Speaks Out	Job 38–42

Esther

APRIL 10

Reading 100

DELIVERANCE OF THE JEWS Esther 1–10

“If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place” (Es. 4:14).The doctrine of providence holds that God quietly works through cause and effect in the natural world to supervise events. The Book of Esther shows how a series of “coincidences” combined to deliver the Jewish people from an early, organized effort to exterminate the race.

Background

The author of Esther is unknown. But the number of Persian loan words in the book, and the lack of similar Greek terms, indicates it was written early, between 450–300 B.C The events described took place in the reign of Xerxes, best known as the invader whose attacks on Europe were thrown back by the Greeks at Marathon. The feast mentioned in Esther 1 is probably the same feast mentioned by Greek historians as one Xerxes called to plan his conquest of the West. The author is careful to let the story carry his message. He points to no event as the handiwork of God, and fails to criticize any of the questionable acts of either Esther or Mordecai. Yet through the story we see that God, even though unmentioned, sovereignly works out the deliverance of His people.

Definition of Key Terms

Providence.

Providence is a term theologians use to express the conviction that God works out His purposes through natural processes in the physical and social universe. In this universe every effect can be traced back to a natural cause. In the world of cause and effect there is no hint of miracles, and no need to bring God up to explain what happens. In the natural universe the most one can point to is coincidence: “What a coincidence that Esther happened to be queen just when Haman tried to exterminate the Jews!” Or, “What a coincidence that the king couldn’t sleep one night, and that the portion of the annals of his kingdom that were read to him recorded how Mordecai had uncovered a plot against his life.” The believer can say that God arranged the coincidences—the unbeliever scoffs because each event can be traced back to natural causes that “fully explain” what happened without reference to God. The story told in the Book of Esther illustrates divine providence by identifying “coincidences” which led to the deliverance of the Jewish people from a plot to exterminate them. Because this is a book about providence, God is not mentioned. Yet the string of coincidences, leading so naturally to the deliverance, is so striking that His activity is clearly implied. The God of the Old Testament is God of the Covenant. God is committed to care for His chosen people, Israel. Against the background of the covenant relationship of God with the Jews, the story’s “coincidences” testify to the fact of His providential care. What you and I learn from Esther is that God is always at work in the lives of His people. The seeming “coincidences” that mark our lives are not simply products of cause and effect or of random change. The coincidences that mark our lives are ordained by God, and are intended for our good.

Overview

Esther was chosen as Xerxes’ queen (1:1–2:23). Her uncle, Mordecai, aroused the hatred of a high royal officer, Haman. Haman determined to destroy Mordecai’s whole race (3:1–15). Mordecai enlisted Esther’s reluctant help (4:1–5:14). Coincidentally Xerxes honored Mordecai for a forgotten service (6:1–14). Esther revealed she was one of the race Haman plotted to exterminate, and Haman was hanged (7:1–10). The Jews gained the right to protect themselves from their enemies (8:1–17). Many enemies of the Jews were slain (9:1–16), and Purim, celebrating deliverance, was instituted (vv. 17–32). Mordecai gained high rank in Persia, and used it to help the Jewish people (10:1–3).

Understanding the Text

“The king and his nobles were pleased with this advice” Es. 1:1–2:18. The first “coincidence” in the book is that of Queen Vashti’s rebellion against her royal husband. The author traces the reasoning of those who advised Xerxes to divorce his wife and choose a new queen. Vashti’s willfulness, and the reasoning of Xerxes’ advisers, cleared the way for Esther to become Queen of Persia. God is able to use the free acts and the uncoerced reasoning of unbelievers to shape events. “Two of the king’s officers . . . conspired” Es. 2:19–23. Mordecai thwarted a plot against Xerxes’ life. This act, though unrewarded at the time, was destined to loom large in the future. Our own actions, and the responses of others to them, become elements in God’s providential plan. Let’s not worry if we are unrewarded at the time. Frequently God’s purposes are long-range. “They cast the pur (that is the lot)” Es. 3:1–15. Haman reacted to what he felt was Mordecai’s insult by determining to exterminate the whole Jewish people. He turned to the occult to fix a day for the attack on the Jews. The lot fell, supposedly by chance, on a distant date, far enough off to give Mordecai and Esther time to counter his plot. God is able to turn even evil practices to His good purpose. “Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” Es. 4:1–5:14 Mordecai enlisted the aid of a reluctant Esther. It was clear to him that God had placed her in a strategic place to influence Xerxes in favor of the Jews. Even Esther’s hesitancy, as she put off the confrontation and invited Xerxes and Haman to supper with her, played a part in God’s timing of events. “What honor and recognition has Mordecai received?” Es. 6 Unable to sleep that night, Xerxes had the annals of his kingdom read to him. The reader “just happened” to read the report of Mordecai’s exposure of the plot against Xerxes’ life, and the king realized Mordecai had not yet been rewarded. The next day Haman was himself forced to walk through the streets of Susa, leading one of the king’s horses on which Mordecai rode! Haman, furious and frustrated, sensed that his plot was going wrong. “This vile Haman” Es. 7–8. That night at supper Queen Esther accused Haman of plotting against her and her people. The furious king ordered Haman’s execution—on the very gallows he had erected intending to hang Mordecai! Mordecai was permitted to write a decree in the king’s name granting the Jews permission to defend themselves if attacked. (The earlier decree was not reversed because by custom Persian laws once made could not be changed.) “Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes” Es. 9–10. The Jews were successful in defending themselves against their enemies. Purim was instituted as a festival of deliverance. And Mordecai went on to achieve the second highest rank in Persia, which he used to aid his people. The plot Haman had against the Jews had not only been thwarted but was turned around, so that its effect was to promote the welfare of God’s people rather than to harm them!

DEVOTIONAL

Look Back (Es. 6–7)

It was only looking back that Esther and Mordecai could clearly see the hand of God in what had happened to them. It’s like that for us too. We seldom sense God’s hidden guidance or protection as events unfold. But when we look back, we see His hand more clearly. My mother used to read a magazine called Revelation, edited by Donald Grey Barnhouse of Philadelphia. When I joined the Navy I went to a school in Norfolk, and then, because I had graduated high in my class, picked a duty station in Brooklyn, New York. It just happened that Dr. Barnhouse taught a Monday night Bible class in a Lutheran church in Manhattan. My mother, reading about it in Revelation, suggested I go see him. I began to go each Monday, and was stimulated to begin serious personal Bible study. I started a Bible study on my base, and soon sensed God’s call to the ministry. Coincidences? Mom reading a magazine. Me, stationed in a city where the editor came weekly to conduct a Bible class? Through that class being moved to personal study, and then called to the ministry? The humanist would say, “Yes, nothing but coincidence. A different set of coincidences and you could have been launched on an entirely different career.”,Yet, looking back, I clearly see the hand of God, working providentially to draw me closer to Him, and guide me into my life’s work. And there are so many more ways that, looking back, I can see the good hand of God, even in things that when I experienced them seemed like tragedies. Perhaps this is the secret of discovering God’s work in your own life. Look back. Examine the coincidences that set you on each new course. And realize that God was at work in each, even those which at the time brought pain. You see, the doctrine of Providence tells us that God is at work in the life of each of His covenant people. God’s activity may be hidden. But it is very real. Look back, and you’ll see it in your life. Look back, and you’ll find evidence of the constant love of your Lord.

Personal Application

God is at work on your behalf right now, through the coincidences of your life.

Quotable

“Trusting in Him who can go with me, and remain with you, and be everywhere for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well.”—Abraham Lincoln

Esther

INTRODUCTION

The Book of Esther is set in the Persian capital of Susa. It tells the story of a vicious plot against the Jewish people that was thwarted by Esther, a young Jewish girl married to the empire’s ruler, Xerxes. This victory of the Jews over Gentile persecutors, which took place in the 470s B.C., is commemorated by the Feast of Purim, still celebrated in our own day. The Book of Esther is unique for its failure to mention God. Yet its messages shine clearly through as the story unfolds. God did take providential care of His Old Testament people, even when they lived outside the Promised Land. And, God works through circumstance as well as through miracles.

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS

I.	Esther Becomes Queen of Persia	Es. 1–2
II.	Haman’s Hatred of Mordecai	Es. 3–5
III.	Haman’s Downfall	Es. 6–8
IV.	The Victory of the Jews	Es. 9–10