The book of Esther opens with a situation already brewing. I am going to trust you have or will read these chapters as we discuss them, so I am not going to fully review the chapter, but only briefly. King Xerxes was throwing a party to show off all his splendor. His castle, his servants, his wealth - stolen or not. It is in the heart of every man to have an amount of pride in his home, possessions, family, wife. In many men's hearts it is self esteem. Gratitude for blessings, but appreciation for those blessings. I have three sons who, to this time, have decided to follow after the Lord. They show a consideration and appreciation for the things of God. I have a wife who has a beautiful heart and a house which is almost paid for. Of these things I am glad and of my family, I would gladly present them in public and honor them with compliments. At any time - when the situation calls for - I might draw one of them aside and express my pride in them to others. I don't think there is a problem with this. It is this pride in a mans heart which prods him to care for them continually. To provide and to nurture. It is my wife's beauty that draws me home to her each night and why my head is high in public when she is around. In some basic way, she is part of my manhood by simply being attractive. Right or wrong, I don't know, but it is.
My house is very (extremely) basic. It is the same house I purchased when we were first married and was great for three. It's not so great for Five. This two bedroom house has a great yard. It's great for playing with toddlers!! But they are not toddlers any more. As I have outgrown it, I seem to have lost my momentum for taking care of all the little things. The value in my eyes has gone down. Sad, but true. As part of this, I don't invite as many people in. When I do, I always wish I could improve on this or that. There is part of my ego and manhood attatched to that. My best friend, has a very fine home which he purchased several years ago while money was flowing pretty good. After a switch in jobs, his income declined. He did however manage to find motivation to make earn the income to make the payments and take care of it. It is elaborate in every sense of the word. (From my perspective). He is quick to invite friends and business associates over to enjoy the atmosphere. He shows it off regularly and when he does, his wife dresses very nice for those occasions. He always makes mention of how beautiful his wife is. (She is very pretty) He mentions how wonderful thier relationship is. Why? What does it matter to others? It doesn't, it matters to her and to him.
As we enter this book of Esther, we see the king taking a similar pride in his wealth and his wife. It could be argued that he is vain. Yes. (and he probably was) But he is what he is, and that presents the obstacle which Vashti and Esther have to deal with. A very imperfect man and very imperfect situation.
No comments:
Post a Comment