HAMAN HAD 99%, BUT HE WAS NOT SATISFIED. Esther 3:2-5; James 4:10.

The king honored Haman more than all his other counselors. He even passed a law requiring everyone to bow before Haman—and everyone did. Except Mordecai, servant of the One true God; he would not bow to a man.

It made Haman crazy.

“The entire royal staff bowed down and paid homage, but Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage….When Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing down or paying him homage, HE WAS FILLED WITH RAGE” Esther 3:2-5.

Later, Haman was summoned for a banquet with Queen Esther and the king. He was thrilled—until he passed Mordecai.

“Haman left full of joy and in good spirits. But when Haman saw Mordecai and Mordecai did not rise or tremble in fear, HAMAN WAS FILLED WITH RAGE” Esther 5:9-10.

Imagine this from Haman’s perspective. Have you ever been refused an honor that you deserved? Has someone beneath you failed to respect you? Has a superior failed to recognize your talents? Are you being treated as an equal by those who are not your equals?

If so, beware. This humbling moment is a test—a test for YOU, not for them. YOU are being tested. Will you be filled with rage? Or will you forgive the slight and let it go? After all, EVERYONE ELSE was bowing to Haman. Why did he let the one holdout upset him, and upset him so much he planned the genocide of ALL JEWS, a plan resulting in Haman’s death on the gallows he had built for Mordecai.

Maybe it’s the same for you—you have ALMOST everything you deserve. ALMOST everyone recognizes your talents and experience. ALMOST everyone gives you great respect. Does that one holdout really matter? Must that one detail be considered an insult? Is RAGE really the appropriate response?

Remember Philippians 2—Jesus was GOD, but set that aside. You can do the same: humble yourself. “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up” James 4:10.

God, You see the disrespect we endure. Give us humility and patience. Make us more like You.

ΑΩ

WHY IS THE BIBLE FILLED WITH RICHES? Esther 1:4; Luke 11:31.

People are poor. Many struggle to feed their children. Yet the Bible—a story about God’s compassion for the least of these—is filled with tales of the greatest among us.

We meet Egypt’s pharaohs. Then God’s kings: Saul, David, and Solomon. Solomon builds a temple covered in gold. The nation splits. Nineteen of history’s richest men come and go as kings of Israel. Twenty take turns on Judah’s throne, the tales of their lavish wealth filling page after page of the Old Testament. Then God’s people are taken to Babylon where they see the wealth of Nebuchadnezzar, Darius, and Cyrus. Some end up in Persia, living under the king who marries Esther. The book of Esther opens with a record of a six-month feast hosted by the king. He “displayed the glorious wealth of his kingdom and the magnificent splendor of his greatness for a total of 180 days” Esther 1:4.

(How much wealth must he have had if it took six months to show it all off?)

The Bible is filled with riches: golden cups, gold shields, gold idols, bronze and silver beyond measure, precious stones, horses, camels, livestock numbering in the thousands.

The Queen of Sheba came to visit Solomon, bringing him spices, gold, and precious stones. This queen had seen amazing things, but when she saw Solomon’s kingdom, she was overwhelmed.

The queen said, “I did not believe it until I saw it … but the wealth you have far exceeds the report I heard!” I Kings 10:4-7.

Why does a Book written for a poor audience speak so often about incomprehensible wealth?

Jesus explained it.

“The Queen of Sheba … came from the ends of the Earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now ONE GREATER THAN SOLOMON is here” Luke 11:31.

No book in history catalogues the wealth of kings down through the centuries the way the Bible does. Its pages are filled with rubies, purple linens, feldspar floors, marble statues, and gold measured by the ton. Yet what are the world’s greatest treasures compared to Heaven? What is humanity’s wisest king compared to Jesus? What is Solomon’s golden temple compared to the throne of God in Heaven?

Heaven is YOUR REAL HOME.

Jesus is YOUR WISE TEACHER.

ΑΩ

Fallen Preachers. Zechariah 11:15 and 17.

Could there be a bigger disappointment to a church than to see its pastor embroiled in scandal? Could there be a greater hindrance to the gospel than preachers caught in adultery or worse?

God’s judgment awaits those who bring shame to the Name of Christ.

“Take the equipment of a foolish shepherd … Woe to the worthless shepherd who deserts his flock! May a sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm wither away and his eye go completely blind!” Zechariah 11:15 and 17.

Yet it seems God tolerates these men much longer than I would. God is merciful, wants them to repent, and thus spare the flock some pain. Because when a preacher falls, the entire church is devastated.

“Strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered” Zechariah 13:7.

When a preacher falls, it feels like a betrayal—not only to his family and close friends, but to the entire congregation. And once the shepherd is gone, naturally the sheep will scatter—many to other churches, but some will quit church altogether. Some churches never recover.

But you can make it! If you are facing a scandal involving paid staff, praise God–because He is still on His throne. Thank God for bringing the truth to light. Pray for justice to be done and for nothing to be swept under the rug, but shouted from the housetops, Luke 12:3. (God will survive the bad publicity.) Pray for mercy for those who are hurt, victims and perpetrators alike. Pray for God to restore you.

“I will put them through fire. I will refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say they are My people, and they will say, ‘Yahweh is our God’” Zechariah 13:9.

God, bless your bride. Cleanse Your churches and comfort Your people when they are betrayed by fallen preachers.

ΑΩ

Is it Important to Attend Church Regularly? Zechariah 14:17

Why do we go to church? Can’t we just read the Bible and watch a TV preacher? Maybe sing along with Christian radio? Why bother with the Sunday service?

Hebrews 10:25 says, “Let us not forsake the assembling together of ourselves, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another, and do so even more as you see the day of the Lord drawing near.”

We need to get together with believers to worship, teach, learn, and fellowship. We need them in our lives for the hard times; they remind you that you are not alone. Seeing your believing friends on Sunday helps you remain faithful on Monday.

Another verse indicates blessings that come from assembling together:

“Should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, rain will not fall on them” Zechariah 14:17.

So worship the Lord daily. Read, study, pray. But do not forsake the assembling together on Sundays. It is important. It keeps you accountable. Keeps you humble. Keeps you walking in truth and blessings.

God often reveals Himself and His plans while we are assembled together.

Try not to miss church. It is essential to your spiritual health.

ΑΩ

HOW SHOULD A KING COME? Zechariah 9:9.

One of my all-time favorite stories of the Incarnation–of Christmas–is the song “How Should a King Come?” by Jimmy and Carol Owens. Read it as a poem. It clearly lays out the contrast between how most kings would want to enter a city, and how the KING OF KINGS entered. He could not have made a more humble entrance. Any peasant, no matter how poor, knows that Jesus understands their meager beginnings. The anointed Messiah, Creator and Savior of the universe has been there. He has been there.

HOW SHOULD A KING COME?
Even a child knows the answer of course,
In a coach of gold with a pure white horse.
In the beautiful city in the prime of the day,
And the trumpets should cry
and the crowds make way.
And the flags fly high in the morning sun,
And the people all cheer for the sovereign one.
And everyone knows that’s the way that it’s done.
That’s the way that a King should come.

HOW SHOULD A KING COME?
Even a commoner understands,
He should come for His treasures,
And His houses and lands.
He should dine upon summer strawberries and milk,
And sleep upon bedclothes of satin and silk.
And high on a hill His castle should glow,
With the lights of the city like jewels below.
And everyone knows that’s the way that it’s done,
That’s the way that a King should come.

HOW SHOULD A KING COME?
On a star filled night into Bethlehem,
Rode a weary woman and a worried man.
And the only sound in the cobblestone street,
Was the shuffle and the ring of their donkey’s feet.
And a King lay hid in a virgin’s womb,
And there were no crowds to see Him come.
At last in a barn in a manger of hay,
He came and God incarnate lay.

And the angels cried: “Glory! Glory to God!”
Earth was silent so heaven rang: “Glory! Glory to God!”
Men were dumb so the angels sang: “Glory! Glory to God!
Peace on earth good will to men, Glory! Glory to God!
Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Glory to God! Glory in the Highest!
Glory to God! Glory in the Highest!
Glory to God!”

—What a perfect story of the Incarnation. God became a man and did it with humility! If the God of the universe can be humble, how can we be proud? On Palm Sunday many years later, Jesus could have come on a grand white stallion, but he came riding a lowly donkey, as prophesied:

“Look your King is coming to you, He is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9.

Dear God, bless us with that kind of humility—so that our hearts would draw others to You.

ΑΩ

A good recording of this song is available here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLF2jc7UDcY

AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM. Zechariah 8:4-5,12,16-17.

America is not perfect, and it was never holy. There are evil threads woven into our story—slavery, the genocide of Indian tribes, racism, greed.

But what other nation do the people of the world flock to enter?

What other nation is a melting pot like this land of opportunity? What nation can offer such freedom, opportunity, and hope?America is special. Who else could have defeated the Nazis, the Japanese, and the Soviets? Americans are generous givers to good causes, not only personally, but through billions of dollars in taxes that the government gives to support causes both foreign and domestic.

Doesn’t this Bible passage sound like small-town USA?

“Old men and women will sit along the streets … each with a staff in hand because of advanced age. The streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in them” Zechariah 8:4-5,12.

Many agree this is a special place. The question is why?  Why would God bless America?

America, WHY did God shed His grace on thee?

I do not know the answer. When I consider the evils, not only in our history, but the terrible crimes happening in this land right now, I am stumped. This land of fraud and trafficking and pedophiles and broken homes and addictions of every kind—we do not deserve God’s blessings.

But God is merciful.

The Bible reports God blessing entire nations when only a small remnant of the people were living lives that pleased Him. God may be blessing our nation because of the few who are serving Him and bearing fruit for His kingdom.

“‘These are the things you must do: Speak truth to one another. Make true and sound decisions. Do not plot evil in your hearts against your neighbor, and do not love perjury, for I hate these things,’ says the Lord” Zechariah 8:16-17.

God blesses people who honor Him, who speak truth and obey laws. God blesses our nation because of the good people who have gone before us and who live among us now. He blesses us because of His grace, in spite of our national sins. But we must honor Him and live with integrity.

God, help us live lives that honor You and please You!

ΑΩ

*The above parade picture is from July 4th in Fredericksburg, Texas.

ARCHITECTURAL ZERO. Zechariah 4:10.

Adolf Hitler loved architecture. Albert Speer, his architect, writes that Hitler was forever coming up with plans for buildings and monuments. The drawings were not bad, but the designs dwarfed everything else. Hitler dreamed of making Berlin a partial copy of Paris, but making everything larger: a wider main boulevard, a taller victory arch, and a capitol boasting the world’s largest dome. These projects were never completed—but Speer built wooden architectural models that Hitler showed off proudly.

The ten-foot model of the capitol had a small balcony where the dictator could step outside and be seen by the masses. The problem, as Speer describes it, is that the proposed building was so fantastically large anyone standing on the little balcony appeared to be “an architectural zero.”

Solomon’s temple was one of the most famous buildings in history, its walls and ceiling covered in 45,000 pounds of gold paneling. And the wood, stone, gold, and other materials required for the temple involved a labor force of 153,600 men! Yet it boasted an interior of only 2,700 square feet—about the size of a four-bedroom house.

Are you impressed by size? God is not. Not the size of your building, your college, or your bank account. After Solomon’s temple was destroyed and a smaller one was to replace it, God rebuked those who criticized its size:

“Who dares despise the day of small things?” Zechariah 4:10.

How big is God’s temple today? It’s the size of your heart. As Solomon himself explained, no one can build a house for God—not even the highest heavens can contain Him. Be humble:

God is infinitely larger than every human achievement, rendering them ‘an architectural zero.’ We are INFINITELY SMALL, our achievements smaller still.

But the Holy Spirit uses us anyway!

God, thank you for inviting us to partner with You in Your work. Help us love better and spread grace and hope.

ΑΩ

DREAM SMALL. Zechariah 4:10.

We encourage you to dream big. We say it every day. We tell children they can all be presidents, astronauts, football stars, heroes. And we should. Children should be encouraged to think big. And when you see problems, you should dream of big solutions. When you see a mountain, you should have hope and believe, and set out hiking for the summit.

But maturity involves adjustments. Remember: HEAVEN IS YOUR REAL HOME. In Heaven, you will achieve the most outrageous success. But much of that success will come from a changed heart—a heart that has endured a few disappointments and learned to trust God more and to be content with a little less. In other words, as you grow, God may teach you to dream small. Writing this is a delicate balancing act, and a subtle, sophisticated message for me. I want to get this right:

Dream big. Have BIG faith. Beg God for a massive vision, and be ready to do whatever He calls you to do.

But at the same time, remember that some of the biggest dreams God gives us, some of our DEEPEST DESIRES will NOT be fulfilled until we reach Heaven—our REAL HOME.

God reserves the most true contentment for Heaven. Earth will always involve some challenges, some disappointments, and making adjustments to our hopes, dreams, and expectations. Why? Because:

GOD IS MORE INTERESTED IN YOUR HEART THAN YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES.

Look again at the story of the second temple, Zerubbabel’s Temple. The SMALLER temple. The people were sad and disappointed but God taught them a lesson about their over-sized dreams.

“For who has despised the day of small things? … You should “rejoice when you see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.” Zechariah 4:10.

Dream Big. Ask for a BIG VISION of God’s plan for your life. And remember some of your biggest desires will be fulfilled in HEAVEN. So Dream Big, but have the wisdom to rejoice and be thankful for the SMALL THINGS. Remember—the more stuff you own, the more stuff owns you.

ΑΩ

DEFEND BULLYING VICTIMS. Zechariah 3:2-4.

There is something infuriating about watching someone powerless endure bullying by someone stronger. Bullying is not harmless or funny or a case of “boys will be boys.” It can be abusive. But you need situational awareness—the context, the age, and the personalities are important considerations. I don’t believe in the application of black-and-white “zero-tolerance” rules or a one-size-fits-all approach. (What happens in college baseball with coaches looking on, for example, is different than what happens in a middle-school locker room with no adults present.) You have to consider the people and context.

God zealously defends His children. Zechariah paints an interesting picture. Joshua the High Priest is standing before the Angel of the Lord. He is wearing filthy clothes and Satan is standing next to Joshua to accuse him and abuse him before the Lord. (How often are people bullied because of their clothing or appearance?)

First, the Lord rebukes Satan. Then He deals with Joshua’s filthy clothes.

“The Lord rebuke you, Satan! May the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you!… The Angel of the Lord spoke to those standing before Him, ‘Take off Joshua’s filthy clothes.’ Then He said to Joshua, ‘See, I have REMOVED YOUR GUILT FROM YOU, and I will clothe you will SPLENDID ROBES.’” Zechariah 3:2-4.

Think of that. God will remove the thing that gets you bullied—the unfashionable clothes, the filth, the sin, the shameful secrets in your deepest heart—and He will CLOTHE YOU IN SPLENDID ROBES! (Somehow that means a lot to me at Back to School Time.)

And God is passionate about defending you!

“Anyone who touches you, touches the pupil of His eye!” Zechariah 2:8.

So anyone bullying you is poking God in the eye. And God loves you. He will defend you. He will remove your filth, your shame, your embarrassment, and whatever gets you bullied. And then He will CLOTHE YOU IN SPLENDID ROBES!

God, thank you for rescuing us from bullies, removing our shame, and giving us splendid clothes! May we bless others and rescue them the same way.

ΑΩ

The Whole Earth is Calm and Quiet. Zechariah 1:8-11.

If I offered you $1,000 to bring me a true story no one has yet reported, could you do it? What if I added $5,000 if the story provokes fear or outrage? You could listen to a police scanner, attend a trial, talk to people in an E.R. waiting room, interview a tow-truck driver, fire fighter, or civil rights attorney. You would find something for us to publish. And now a peaceful day includes more bad news of marginal relevance.

One night, the prophet Zechariah saw something odd.

“I … saw a man … standing among the myrtle trees in the valley. Behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. I asked, ‘What are these, my lord?’ … Then the man among the trees explained, ‘They are the ones the Lord sent to patrol the earth.’ The horses reported, … ‘We have patrolled the earth, and right now the whole earth is calm and quiet’” Zechariah 1:8-11.

Horses? Sent to patrol the earth? Who knew that was a thing? Have you ever seen horses coming around, checking on things? These horses circled the globe, checked on EVERYTHING, and what did they report?

“Right now the whole earth is calm and quiet.”

Think about that. The biggest news of the day was that there wasn’t any news!

“Right now the whole earth is calm and quiet.”

Can you imagine a newspaper sending a reporter to check on … the whole world? If the journalist came back saying “everything’s calm and quiet,” he would be fired. The angry newspaper editor (such the Daily Bugle’s Jonah Jameson in SPIDER MAN–pictured) would shout, “Where’s the story? What am I paying you for?!”

Reporters are paid to write stories. If they don’t find something, they keep digging, because no one pays for empty newspapers.

But sometimes the truth is simply “the whole earth is calm and quiet.” The equine reporters in Zechariah’s vision—the horses—are NOT being paid by the story. They have no reason to lie. Everything was calm and quiet, so that’s what they reported.

But you will never hear that on the six-o’clock news. Is it possible that sometimes everything is calm and quiet? Yes. But that does not sell newspapers.

Look at the word “news.” It’s all about finding the NEW story. Every day there are accidents, crimes, and scandals—and if those taper off, you still have traffic, sports, and weather. And if it’s the same story we told you yesterday, we will find a new way to spin it today. And what is it that keeps people coming back—what delivers viewers and dollars to one network over another? Emotion.

Fear is journalism’s emotion number one, and anger number two. If fear makes the network money, then could fear have an impact on what stories they choose to tell—and how they tell them? Absolutely.

Every broadcast carefully delivers two messages:

(1) you should feel fear and anger over the state of the world, and

(2) you should trust only our network to report the truth and guide you through it.

God, fill us with the conviction that sometimes “the whole earth is calm and quiet.” Show us what sources to trust for honest reporting—and show us how much or how little news to consume every day. You are the Prince of Peace. Fill us with Your peace.

ΑΩ

*Consider reading Michael Crichton’s excellent novel about modern news reporting, STATE OF FEAR, now translated into some forty languages.