For years, the drama of Esther intrigued and distracted me so much that I never moved beyond its shock value. Emotions roll and crest in her story like a storm-tossed ocean. The wild tidal waves of fear, anger, jealousy, and greed, crash against the rock-solid sureness of God’s plan for Esther. In masterful storytelling technique, God portrays the age-old human struggle for control and power. Easily identifying with Esther’s fear, I watched as she edged along the tightrope between life and death.

Eventually, (and relatively recently), the Master Director, God Himself, beckoned me backstage, behind her story. (I narrowly missed tripping over King Ahasuerus when he rushed to stage right, his regal train flooding the narrow aisle.) The dust motes slowly drifted back to the scarred floor in the dim light, and I breathed again. I was backstage with God.

Props

I stared in awe at the “props” that supported her story:

1. The culture of the greatest nation on earth at that time
2. The grandeur of power, beauty, and majesty
3. The allure of a woman’s wildest dreams fulfilled

My eyes grew round with wonder as the Director explained His plot and methods:

1. The intricate layers of deceit and manipulation in the royal court and the miracle of Esther’s loyal followers
2. The literary devices in her story that underscored God’s messages to us
3. The patterns that revealed powerful truths meant to transform my life

As He guided me to the prestigious green room where Esther waited backstage, I marveled at the shelves packed with obscure nuggets of wisdom glinting mysteriously in the dimness.  Esther welcomed me in for a visit, talking with me gently about overcoming fear, handling a crisis, and the powerful love of God which obliterates confusion and empowers godly action.  She showed me the two masks of Esther: the glittering mask of humanity, and the subtle but unmistakably regal mask of divinity.       

Backstage

The contrast between these two masks enabled me to see beyond the entertainment value and opened a door of understanding for me.

What I Learned

1. I learned that, despite Esther’s being tossed about by Haman’s hatred, there is a beautiful order in her story. It was just hidden by the drama, but it was there. Without God directing Esther’s story, it’s a jumbled mass of confusion, unpredictable emotions, and the sinister presence of evil. BUT, with God as the Director, Esther’s story is one of careful attention to detail and of a Supreme God who works miraculously behind the scenes. Without God directing my story, it’s the same chaos, BUT with God as Director, my story is exquisitely planned by Him. And when I go backstage with God in my story, I see Him clearly.
2. Esther taught me what to W.E.A.R. to a crisis: 1) how to Work with godly people, 2) how to Eradicate the enemy described in 1 Peter 5:8, 3) how to Act wisely, and 4) how to Recognize the order of God in my life. By constructing a simple timeline of Esther, the idea that God prepares me for a trial emerged, filling me with the hope of 2 Samuel 22:33. (quoted above)

Priceless Journey

I followed the “Director” as we retraced unmistakable footprints in the dust of time from countless others who had been taught to understand the spiritual messages of Esther.

A tour backstage, into the cavernous depths of Esther’s story, revealed many precious treasures of truth tucked away in obscure corners. When the “Master Director” showed me her script’s secrets, explained her “props” and shined His spotlight on her messages, I became captivated by the lover of my soul. The priceless value of a journey backstage has forever changed the way I look at her story as it rises from the pages of Scripture!

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Hunger pains gnawing in our souls and spirit parched for the quenching waters of the Scriptures, we quietly entered the beautiful sanctuary. Solemn faced, we waited our turn, gratefully accepted our place at the lectern, and began reading where the finger of the last reader pointed.
Numbers 28 “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering, and my bread for my sacrifices made by fire, for a sweet savour unto me, shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due season.”

Seventy-seven and a half hours later, 166 men, women, and children had finished reading sixty-six books, proclaiming aloud the Word of God What began as an inspiration from the Bible-reading marathon at the National Day of Prayer in Washington, D.C., traversed a path straight to my church, hundreds of miles away.
From an eight-year-old young man to ladies and gentlemen in their 70s and eighties, this inaugural Bible-reading marathon reached across the strata of a county. The project encompassed people from community leaders to retired professionals and from children and teens to relatives and friends from other churches.
One of the leaders commented, “Our prayer is that our church will remember this Bible-reading Marathon experience and stay close to the LORD and in His Word in the days ahead.” And another leader added that “The whole experience was very emotional for me. The Bible reading was exactly what I needed at that time.” She continues, “We had very few no-shows for health or confusion about times. They took it seriously. What was profound to me spiritually was the overwhelming power of the Word of God. Any observers were respectful. It was quiet which set the tone for the next reader. Some would come long before their time and sit afterwards just listening. It was solemn, and I think everyone felt it.”
What originally began as a simple reading of an article about an out-of-state-church conducting a Bible-reading marathon prompted a suggestion that our church could do this. Their memories were still ringing from their time in Washington, D.C. on the Capitol steps where, she says, “We felt the hunger for a godly awakening.” She continues, “There was a real feeling of revival. There is something happening. Both events were inspirational, and a spiritual awakening happened on a greater level than was anticipated.”
The lantern burned steadily in the vestibule, making the chandelier gleam and the rich stained glass window overhead glow. By its light and others, and one by one, nurses, pharmacists, fragile elderly and energetic adolescents filled the church with their voices. In obedience to the National Day of Prayer’s theme verse, they lifted up their voices “like a trumpet” and proclaimed the Word of the Lord!

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Imagine the caress of precious silk as you move through the richest rooms in the palace. Treasured and privileged, you will consult with the most sought-after designer to have a new robe spun from the Mulberry silkworms, the finest silk in the world. Some 6,000 silkworm cocoons later, a golden sheen of fabric catches the sunlight as you parade before the king, vying for his attention.

These rights and privileges of an opulent lifestyle belonged to Rizpah, an obscure woman in the Bible but the specially chosen concubine (acquired for her beauty and intelligence rather than political alliance) of the first king of Israel, King Saul. We catch a glimpse of her in 2 Samuel 3:1, and she glides fully into view in 2 Samuel chapter 21. Her looks and charm maintained a relationship with the king strong enough to produce two sons, Armoni and Mephibosheth.

Sackcloth

Rizpah’s story plunges from the heights of silken luxury into the grief of losing children to a violent death due to her husband’s actions. King Saul, the father of her two sons, had killed some of the Gibeonites. In doing so, he had broken a sacred oath that his people, the Israelites, had made with them some 400 years earlier (Joshua 9). When a famine dragged on for three years in the reign of King Saul’s successor, King David, he asked the LORD why, and in 2 Samuel 21:1, God said it was because King Saul had killed the Gibeonites. King David allowed the Gibeonites to set the punishment, and they chose to have seven of King Saul’s sons hanged. Two of them included Rizpah’s sons. What shock must have ripped through her as she learned that her two sons would be executed. But she did something that has resounded through millennia and that speaks to us today. She honored her sons in death by guarding their bodies from the vultures that would have picked them clean. What a gruesome and morbid sight must have met her as she opened her eyes each morning. She had been cast down from her lofty position as the powerful concubine of King Saul. Now, her skin was dried and roughened from daily exposure to the elements. Her voice was raspy from driving the carrion away. And her once-legendary beauty had faded under the sun’s relentless heat and the drought that plagued Israel.

Beauty

However, her determination to send a message to anyone who lifted their eyes to the hill on which her son’s bodies hung rang loud and clear. The beauty of her sacrifice transcended her physical deterioration, and the fierce shining light of her devotion has illuminated her message to us today, 3,000 years later.

Rizpah’s Story

2 Samuel 21:10 says, “And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.

Samuel describes her movements. As she prepared for the hideous job of driving away the beasts and birds, she spread sackcloth on a rock. This fabric, unlike the value and beauty of her usual silks, felt rough. The ugly dull surface suited the purpose of wearing it as a symbol of grief and repentance. This was her life now, exposed to the elements of being ignored by the nation of Israel and descending into the depths of humiliation and shame. Even the dignity of burying her sons was denied. The people who once envied her and tried to copy her beauty and style turned their heads, denying her existence and ignoring her tragedy.

Where does our sackcloth rest?

But where she placed that sackcloth became a turning point of grace and mercy. She carefully spread the sackcloth upon the rock, recognizing her grief and longing for restoration. The word, the, indicates that the rock was singularly qualified in her eyes to support her need. In the Bible, the word picture of a rock is often used to remind us of God’s qualities.

Deuteronomy 32:4 uses the visual of a rock as it declares God’s unyielding truth and granite surety of righteousness, “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”

2 Samuel 22:2 again uses a rock to visualize the protection and delivering qualities of God. It says, “And he said, The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;”

In Psalm 40:2, God’s Word assures us that God not only delivers but gives confidence compared to the solidity of a rock and a plan for our lives as solid as a rock. It says, “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.”

God intentionally used the idea of the rock, a familiar sight to us, to send a message of one word. He underscores the life-changing focus that we can experience when we rest our sackcloth, the fabric of our hurt, upon our Rock of Ages.

When your silk turns to sackcloth and your life plunges into despair, spread the sackcloth of your sadness on the Rock that can deliver you, give you a sure-footed focus in life, and hope in the future!

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Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

Built in 1913, the Pagoda today is 10 stories tall. After 105 years of colorful history, the tower remains a hub of activity and the control center for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. When we visited recently, I was impressed by the core importance of the building, its centrality to the entire Speedway, and its ability to control and communicate the highest-capacity sports venue in the world. Finally, after a myriad of facts and legendary stories during a recent bus tour, I understood.

How simple and yet how intricate were the parallels between Christ in us as believers and the Pagoda of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and its importance to the whole entity.

The Pagoda’s ten stories control the race, enforce safety, record the timing and scoring of the races and broadcasts its commentary to the world. Likewise, when our Christian lives are controlled by our tower, Jesus Christ, centrally located in the hub of our commitments, we possess a core of control and communication that others see and enjoy. The confidence that we have in Christ, our high tower, to carry out our lives in His will stands taller than the whims of our personalities, strengthening the core of our Christianity.

In the Media Communications Center floor of the Pagoda at the Speedway, my daughter and I were thrilled to “broadcast” a race, hamming it up behind the microphones at the Indy 500 news desk as our friend snapped our antics. Similarly, our Christian lives have a Media Communications Center with unlimited opportunities to spread the Gospel, a world to reach with His plan for eternal life. With powerful speedy technology, we can lead others to the Christian race.

Each floor of the towering Pagoda catered to the needs of the Speedway, from the first-rate seating for visitors to the Media Center. Likewise, the tower of our Christian lives, our Savior, helps us with the greatest need in our lives which is to glorify Him!

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Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Ladies and gentlemen: Start your engines! For over 100 years, hundreds of thousands of visitors plunge yearly into the passion and traditions of the Indy 500 race. From breathless heights of victory to devastating pits of despair, the statistics pile up, tangled bits of history glimpsed among the wreckage of hopes and dreams. And the race continues…the flags wave their messages…and the announcers and media center blast their fueled results of the winner.

As Christians, we roar into our lane of earthly life, and the Bible compares our experiences to a race (a runner’s race but a race nevertheless). Begun some 6,000 years ago of recorded history, God offered to live in relationship with His creation of mankind. The laps of time passed, and eventually mankind decided to wreck his life. But God provided redemption and allowed him to reenter the race with new life under the hood!

Now, we drive the short 2.5 laps of life repeatedly, but our eyes are focused on the LORD, not on money, fame, or relationships. We are not as proud as before the defeat because we realize our sinful nature. But our new race uses the pure clean-burning ethanol of His energizing fueling Word. Mixed with enough humanity for others to see the fire of His love for us, we turn the laps of our lives, attracting others to our Savior.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum boasts dozens of Indy 500 winning cars since the first race in 1911. A dazzling collection of styles, colors, sponsors, decals, and shapes, they praise the accolades of their owners as they proudly park in the last winner’s circle – the museum. As I posed with the car that won in my birth-year, I realized that God lavishly displays the stunning victory of His racing men and women. I John 5:4 waves the flag of that victory, emblazoned with the word faith, boldly written across the checkered banner. In the daily pits of life, we refuel with the high octane of His Word. We change our worn tires for new tread that grips life with the traction of God’s Word. And we check the oil level of the Holy Spirit for daily turbo charging.

Christians, start your engines of faith!

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A degree in computer science elevated his credibility, so I asked, “What is an elegant solution?” And what does this fashion word have to do with modern technology? He answered, “An elegant solution is one that is the most simple, effective and efficient.”

His peers in the computer world shamelessly borrowed words from other facets of life such as health (computer viruses), animals (computer mouse), and relationships (computer motherboard). And the echo of yet another heisted term bounced around in my mind: elegant.

According to http://searchsoa.techtarget.com/definition/elegant-solution an elegant solution is: “one in which the maximum desired effect is achieved with the smallest, or simplest effort.” Fresh from my Abigail Bible study, I realized that God provides elegant solutions for life from His powerhouse of Scriptures. As the Creator of Abigail’s story, God prefaced her courage and wisdom with a simple phrase: “and she was a woman of good understanding.” (1 Samuel 25:3) Intrigued, I read verses with the word, understanding, in them, seeking God’s definition of this word that formed the foundation of Abigail’s actions. Tucked into Proverbs 9:10 is a simple but profound definition of understanding. It says.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Abigail sends us elegant solutions for the worst of life’s problems, and these answers were based on her “good understanding” which developed from her “knowledge of the holy.” Her story reveals that she did, indeed, know God. The vibrancy and power of the prophet Samuel reached throughout all Israel (1 Samuel 25:1), and Abigail listened. The teachers of her Jewish culture imparted spiritual riches. And her words indicate that she had a relationship with God. (She used the word, LORD, a relational name, seven times.) She knew what to do when her crisis crashed in upon her.

In a conversation with David, she gifts us with methods that work when we come alongside a friend in need such as:

1) identifying with them,
2) being humble,
3) using word pictures,
4) pointing them beyond the current crisis,
5) reminding them of God’s promises, and
6) bringing gifts.

Her methods arose from her elegant solution; a “knowledge of the holy.” Knowing God produced wisdom and the ability to dissipate David’s murderous anger which was directed toward her household, saving their lives.

Simple, elegant, powerful: knowing God. Reading His Word, walking with Him, being living proof of His beauty and power. Yes, Abigail is telling us that the most elegant solutions for life’s deepest pits of despair and danger come from knowing Him. As the Apostle Paul phrases it in Philippians 3:10

 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Teaching basic computer classes several years ago, I would advise beginning computer students to do the simplest thing first. “Sometimes,” I would say, “the simplest, most elegant solution to a computer problem is to unplug the thing and plug it back in.” Simple. Effective. Elegant.

When we encounter what seems to us immovable and unsolvable problems, consider Abigail’s elegant solution: the “knowledge of the holy!”

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“As writers, we are agents of transformation,” my writer friend commented on her post. Those words prompted me to consider why I write about Bible women.

I write because God writes. As His “agent of transformation,” my writing introduces the ancient women of the Bible to the 21st century woman. I love to observe their God-given power to change us today as we scurry about, submerged in the minutia of life.

God has written upon the world He created with colored ink. He scrawls upon the lush foothills of the Appalachian mountains in early summer with forest green. He writes in deep black within the dark holes of caves and the stormy clouds overhead. And His red pen, shaped like a cross, writes in flowing crimson of His love. His Words culminate in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. John 1:1 says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Because Jesus is the Word, my attempts to describe His Words about Bible women draw me in to the heart of Christ.

In his last interview on May 7, 1963, C. S. Lewis, famed author of The Chronicles of Narnia  and The Screwtape Letters, answers this question of his interviewer, Mr. Sherwood Eliot Wirt.

Wirt: Would you say that the aim of Christian writing, including your own writing, is to bring about an encounter of the reader with Jesus Christ?

Lewis: “That is not my language, yet it is the purpose I have in view. ..” “We must show our Christian colors, if we are to be true to Jesus Christ. We cannot remain silent or concede everything away.”

I agree with C. S. Lewis. We must not be silent about our Christianity because its power can change anything! Even our written words can mirror His Word, and, in so doing, reflect God’s great love, holiness, and wisdom.

And, so, I pick up my pen and ready myself to write…

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