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Gen. 25
As humans, we tend to exaggerate. Actually, we lie…to ourselves. A lot. We see it in Esau’s statement when Jacob asked for his birthright in exchange for a bowl of stew. Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?” (Gen. 25:32). Would Esau have died had he not eaten that bowl of stew? It’s beyond unlikely. But Esau allowed himself to be guided by his heart. In the book of Jeremiah we learn, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). Sure, Jacob lured Esau into his poor decision, but it was Esau who deceived himself into taking the bait.
The thing I want to impress upon myself here is how dangerous human rationale is. The ‘heart’ Jeremiah wrote of is far more than just our feelings. It is the entire framework of how we think, feel, and make decisions. It is this ‘heart’ that convinces us that our fears and desires are far bigger than they really are, then convinces us that we are justified in basing our decisions on these false perceptions, just as Esau did. I have literally seen people’s minds create whole new realities because, for whatever reason, they didn’t want to accept the truth. And I know that I do a similar thing, albeit on a vastly smaller scale. I also know that if I do it on a small scale, I am capable of going bigger. I don’t want to do that.
Thankfully, God told us how to avoid Esau’s failure. We find His instruction in Philippians 4:6-7. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Matt. 24
There is a reason God does not let us know when Jesus will return. We aren’t meant to concern ourselves with that. It should have absolutely no impact on how we live our lives. What we are to concern ourselves with is serving God by caring for others and living for Him and His purposes instead of for self. And honestly, that is more than enough!
Est. 1
I don’t know if Queen Vashti did the right or the wrong thing in this account. What I am aware of, however, as noted by Memucan, is the potential ripple effect of one person’s actions. Whether an act of defiance or a bold stance against wickedness, the queen’s decision gave power to others that the king felt it necessary to squelch.
Queen Vashti’s story isn’t the revealer of this truth, but it is certainly a good example of it. And, as with Esau’s story, it makes me want to be very careful about how I make my decisions. The ripples of my actions may spread out in a much smaller pond than that of the likes of Queen Vashti, but I still want to make sure that I send out the right kind of ripples. I want to send the kind that empower people to boldly live by faith for God even when all their human reasoning says they might die because of it.