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Kingdom harem sleep therapy9/27/2023 Instead we grasp for high self-esteem, and believe God primarily works with inherently good people. We want Esther (and other heroes) to be naturally good because we misunderstand the evil within ourselves, and we fail to grasp grace. Luther wrote, “I am such a great enemy of the book of Esther that I wish it hadn’t come to us, for it has too many heathen unnaturalities” (slightly edited).For the first seven hundred years of the Christian church no one-not one person-wrote a commentary on Esther.The first translations into Greek added words to “improve” Esther’s character, saying she never violated kosher law and she abhorred the bed of the gentile.*.When early readers read Esther, they saw moral ambiguity at best. Nowadays we want think Esther was pure as the driven snow, but readers for over two thousand years thought otherwise. Why do we begin reading the Bible with a built-in bias for these heroes to have an innate goodness? Let’s put aside (for a moment) Esther’s willing compliance or innocence. Why won’t we admit any shortcomings in our heroes? I wonder if she was a complicit adulterer. Many think she was forced into sexual slavery. I wondered, “ Have they even read those stories?”īut I was astonished at the hail-storm of hundreds of angry emails that hated my history of Esther. I was surprised by the many readers who were upset at my negative description of “good” Abraham, Joseph, and David. Esther had sex outside of marriage with a non-believer and God loved her and pursued her.David was a murdering adulterer and God loved him and pursued him.Joseph was a narcissistic boy and God loved him and pursued him.Abraham was an idol worshiper and God loved him and pursued him.I once suggested we tell true stories of our heroes, stories that show God’s pursuit of them despite their failings. Hiding the faults of our heroes robs us of grace. I question our practice of painting biblical heroes more heroically than the Bible does. SHARES 945 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn 307 Pinterest Pocket Reddit Share
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