Readings for today: Esther 1-5
The people of God have always been set apart. They are set apart by their worship. The Romans believed them to be “atheists” because they had no images or idols of their God. They believed the early Christians were “cannibals” because they ate the body and blood of Christ. The belief in one God was baffling to the pagan world. Why limit oneself? The belief in a sovereign God was unique among the tribes of Canaan. After all, everyone knew each people group had their own patron god. The belief in a resurrected God remains an enigma to so many even today. And it’s not just worship that sets us apart. It’s our laws and customs as well. We believe God’s law supersedes any human law. We believe God’s ways are higher and better than our ways. We believe our highest allegiance is not to any human king or ruler or authority but to God Himself. This sets us apart. It makes us different. And it often makes us a target.
“There is one ethnic group, scattered throughout the peoples in every province of your kingdom, keeping themselves separate. Their laws are different from everyone else’s and they do not obey the king’s laws. It is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them.” (Esther 3:8 CSB) It is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. This statement holds true down through the ages. Because the people of God have always been set apart, they are perceived as different. And people don’t like difference. They don’t understand difference. And they often persecute difference. The Jewish people have suffered under so many different regimes. Persia. Rome. France. Germany. Italy. Russia. America. The Middle East. Tragically, the church has often been at the forefront of those attacks. Christians too have faced persecution in many different places. Rome. India. China. The Islamic nations of North Africa. The rise of secularism in the West. Yes, even in “Christian Europe” where Christians attacked other Christians simply because they belonged to a different sect. It’s brutal and heartbreaking.
But still the call remains. To be set apart. To live as God’s chosen people. Citizens of the Kingdom of heaven scattered among the kingdoms of this world. Mordecai refused to bow the knee to Haman. He refused to compromise his faith. He would not “go along to get along.” He remained faithful to God though he knew it might cost him his life and it might cost his people everything. What about you? Where are you being challenged today to live out your faith? To make decisions that will set you apart? Make you different? Challenge the status quo? Will you be faithful or will you bow the knee to the kings and kingdoms of this world?
Readings for tomorrow: No devotionals on Sundays