SERVICES: SATURDAY 6PM | SUNDAY 9AM & 10:45AM. 

We Livestream at www.FaithFellowshipWeb.com/livestream, through the FFC App, and YouTube.

Hasty Utterances

Words of Faith Final

Hasty Utterances

Words of Faith 5-26-2021

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2008, 2021

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

www.faithfellowshipweb.com

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><<><

 

Esther 2

      [1] Later when the anger of King Xerxes had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what he had decreed about her. [2] Then the king's personal attendants proposed, "Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. [3] Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful girls into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them. [4] Then let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti." This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it.

 

         The anger of the King subsided and he remembered his lovely wife Vashti.  He remembered what he had done.  He remembered what he had decreed. According to law, the King could not reverse himself once such a decree was made.  The same was true for King Darius and the decree against the prayers of Daniel in Dan. 6:12.

          What an ugly place to be in.  The King woke up and realized what a "horses' rear end" he had made of himself. (That is actually a technical theological term.)    Anger can do that.  Pride can do that.  Lust can do that.  It is a place of deep regret when we realize we have allowed our anger, pride, or lust to drive a permanent wedge into a relationship.

           There is a harsh reality here.  Some "decrees" are irreversible.  Some of the terrible things we say can never be brought back.  We may find forgiveness before God but sometimes the rash decrees we make in anger can never be turned backward.  Xerxes had the option of humble and contrite confession but nothing he could say or do would ever bring back his wife.  Even if he asked her forgiveness she could never come into his presence again.

            This miserable place might have been a point of reflection for Xerxes but those around him could not allow that!   Instead, they had an elaborate plan for finding the next Mrs. Xerxes and the search for a new young bride began almost immediately.  Of course, God was at work in all of this, but how tragically human it is that those who surround honest misery cannot leave it alone to do its work.  We so quickly rush to take the consequences of bad behavior away from people. 

           There is some powerful stuff here.

           How do we avoid such situations?  Besides the obvious point of honoring those we love and not making selfish demands?  We might also take the advice of James to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires (James 1:19-20). 

           What can we do if we find we have made a "horses' rear end" of ourselves?  Confession works well.  Facing our sin squarely makes for a much better new beginning than starting a search for new virgins.  But don't be naïve.  Even with confession some of the damage will not be repaired in this lifetime no matter how we wish for it.  The decree is made.

 

           There is at least some similarity between King Xerxes and King David.  They both were powerful.  Both let the power go to their head and both made disastrous decisions that cost them their integrity and the people most dear to them.  The differences between King Xerxes and King David are many-- but foremost is that King David confessed and repented of his sin in a determination that it would not become habitual and he would get right with God.

            So what does God do with a leader who is lustful, arrogant, prideful, and unrepentant?  We will see that God uses even such as these.  God is sovereign.  His is Lord.

 

           Lord, protect the affections of my heart from the lust of the flesh.  Let me be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.  Help me to see when I have made a fool of myself.  Give me the grace to confess and repent.  Give me the grace to accept consequences of decrees uttered in haste.  Lord, keep me from rushing to judge but also from rushing to remove the consequences in the lives of others.  Most of all, I trust You as sovereign Lord and God.  Help me to see You at work in even the ugliness of life.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2008, 2021

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)       

2820 Business Center Blvd.

Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an E-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an E-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -     

The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.