Jewish Studies: The Fast of Esther (TODAY) -Wikipedia

 

THE FAST OF ESTHER

 

The Fast of Esther (Ta'anit Ester, Hebrew: תַּעֲנִית אֶסְתֵּר‎) is a Jewish fast from dawn until dusk on Purim eve, commemorating the three-day fast observed by the Jewish people in the story of Purim. It is a common misconception that this fast was accepted by the Jews for all future generations during the time of Esther, as it is stated in the Book of Esther: They had established for themselves and their descendants the matters of the fasts and their cry (Esther 9:31). This verse actually refers to the four fasts which relate to mourning for the Temple. Rather, the first mention of this fast is a Minhag that is referenced in the Gaonic period.^[1]

The Fast is observed on the 13th day of the Hebrew month of Adar. If the date of the Fast of Esther falls on Shabbat (Saturday), the fast is instead observed on the preceding Thursday, as is the case in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014.

Since the Fast of Esther is not one of the four public fasts ordained by the Prophets, the laws are more lenient; pregnant women, nursing mothers, and those who are weak are not required to observe it.

(Note: in certain situations a weak, sick, or pregnant person is not required or even permitted to observe any Jewish fast day; a rabbi should be consulted to determine the law for one's specific situation.)

 

Esther (Hebrew: אֶסְתֵּר, Modern Ester Tiberian ʼEstēr), born Hadassah, is the eponymous heroine of the Biblical Book of Esther. According to the Bible she was a Jewish queen of the Persian king Ahasuerus (traditionally identified withXerxes I). Her story is the basis for the celebration of Purim in Jewish tradition.

 

 

Biblical story

"Ahasuerus and Haman at Esther's Feast," by Rembrandt

Main article: Book of Esther

King Ahasuerus held a 180-day feast in Susa (Shoushan). He ordered his queen, Vashti, to appear before him and his guests wearing no veil, which was dishonorable, to display her beauty. But when the attendants delivered the king's command to Queen Vashti, she refused to come. Furious at her refusal to obey, the king asked his wise men what should be done. One of them said that all the women in the empire would hear that "The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not." Then the women of the empire would despise their husbands. And this would cause many problems in the kingdom. Therefore it would be good to depose her.^[1]

To find a new queen suitable to King Ahasuerus, it was decreed that beautiful young virgins be gathered to the palace from every province of his kingdom. Each woman underwent twelve months of beautification in his harem, after which she would go to the king. When the woman's turn came, she was given anything she wanted to take with her from the harem to the king's palace. She would then go to the king in the evening, and in the morning go to the harem where theconcubines stayed. She would not return to the king unless he was pleased enough with her to summon her again by name.^[2]

For his wife and queen, King Ahasuerus chose Esther, whose parents died so her cousin/uncle Mordecai had to raise her, to replace the recalcitrant queen Vashti. Esther was originally named Hadassah, meaning myrtle, and received her name of Esther—a form of the Persian name Satarah, meaning star—when she entered the royal harem.

“Esther 2:7 And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.” Esther was the daughter of a Benjamite, Abihail. When Cyrus gave permission for the exiles to return unto Jerusalem she stayed with Mordecai.

Shortly, when Mordecai was sitting at the king's gates, he overheard two of the king's officers guarding the gates plotting to assassinate the king. Mordecai let Esther know, and she warned the king about it, and Mordecai was given credit. The two officials were hanged on a gallows.

Soon after this, the king granted Haman the Agagite,^[3] one of the most prominent princes of the realm, special honours. All the people were to bow down to Haman when he rode his horse through the streets. All complied except for Mordecai, a Jew, who would bow to no one but his God. This enraged Haman, who, with his wife and advisers, plotted against the Jews, making a plan to kill and extirpate all Jews throughout the Persian empire, selecting the date for this act by the drawing of lots (Esther 3:7). He gained the king's approval. He offered ten thousand silver talents to the king for approval of this plan, but the king refused to take them (Esther 3:9-11).

Mordecai tore his robes and put ash on his head (signs of mourning or grieving/anguish) on hearing this news. Esther sent clean clothes to him, but he refused them, explaining that deliverance for the Jews would come from some other place, but that Esther would be killed if she did not do what she could to stop this genocide - by talking to the king. Esther was not permitted to see the king unless he had asked for her, otherwise she could be put to death. Esther was terrified of this (she had not been called to the king in 30 days), so she and her maid-servants and her people the Jews of Persia fasted earnestly for three days before she built up the courage to enter the king's presence. He held out his scepter to her, showing that he accepted her visit. Esther requested a banquet with the king and Haman. During the banquet, she requested another banquet with the king and Haman the following day.

After the banquet Haman ordered a gallows constructed, 75 feet (23 m) high, on which to hang Mordecai. Meanwhile, the king was having trouble sleeping, and had some histories read to him. He was reminded that Mordecai had saved him from an assassination attempt, and had received no reward in return. Early the next morning, Haman came to the king to ask permssion to hang Mordecai, but before he could, the king asked him "What should be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?" Haman thought the king meant himself, so he said that the man should wear a royal robe and be led on one of the king's horses through the city streets proclaiming before him, "This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!" The king thought this well, then asked Haman to lead Mordecai through the streets in this way, to honor him for previously telling the king of a plot against him. After doing this, Haman rushed home, full of grief. His wife said to him, "You will surely come to ruin!"

That night, during the banquet, Esther told the king of Haman's plan to massacre all Jews in the Persian Empire, and acknowledged her own Jewish ethnicity. The king was enraged and ordered Haman to be hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordecai. The king then appointed Mordecai as his prime minister, and gave the Jews the right to defend themselves against any enemy. The king also issued a second edict allowing the Jews to arm themselves, and kill not only their enemies but also their enemies' wives and children, as well as partake of the plunder (Esther 8:11). This precipitated a series of reprisals by the Jews against their enemies. This fight began on the 13th of Adar, the date the Jews were originally slated to be exterminated. The Jews went on to kill only their would-be executioners, and not their wives and children, altogether eight hundred killed in Susa alone, 75,000 in the rest of the empire. The Jews also took no plunder (Esther 9:10,9:15-16). The story as "a historical record must be definitely rejected" according to the Jewish Encyclopedia.

Jews established an annual feast, the feast of Purim, in memory of their deliverance. According to traditional rabbinic dating, this took place about fifty-two years after the start of the Babylonian Exile.^{[citation needed]}

[edit]Origin and meaning

According to the Esther 2:7, Esther was originally named Hadassah. Hadassah means "myrtle" in Hebrew. It has been conjectured that the name Esther is derived from a reconstructed Median word astra meaning myrtle.^[4]

An alternative view is that Esther is derived from the theonym Ishtar. The Book of Daniel provides accounts of Jews in exile being assigned names relating to Babylonian gods and "Mordecai" is understood to mean servant of Marduk, a Babylonian god. "Esther" may have been a different Hebrew interpretation from the Proto-Semitic root “*?aθtar- ‘morning/evening star’”,^[5] which descended with the /th/ into the Ugaritic Athtiratu^[6] and Arabian Athtar.^[7] The derivation must then have been secondary for the initial ayin to be confused with an aleph (both represented by vowels in Akkadian), and the second consonant descended as a /s/ (like in the Aramaic asthr "bright star"), rather than a /sh/ as in Hebrew and most commonly in Akkadian.

Wilson, who identified Ahasuerus with Xerxes I and Vashti with Amestris, suggested that both "Amestris" and "Esther" derived from Akkadian Ammi-Ishtar or Ummi-Ishtar.^[8] Hoschander alternatively suggested Ishtar-udda-sha ("Ishtar is her light") as the origin with the possibility of -udda-shabeing connected with the similarly sounding Hebrew name Hadassah. These names however remain unattested in sources, and come from the original Babylonian Empire from 2000 BCE,^{[citation needed]} not the Chaldean Empire or Persian Empire of the Book of Esther.^{[citation needed]}

The Targum^[9] connects the name with the Persian word for "star", ستاره setareh, explaining that Esther was so named for being as beautiful as the Morning Star. In the Talmud (Tractate Yoma 29a), Esther is compared to the "morning star", and is considered the subject of Psalm 22 because its introduction is a "song for the morning star."

[edit]Interpretations

Further information: Esther in rabbinic literature

Esther is considered a prophet in Judaism, and is commemorated as a matriarch in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod on May 24.

Dianne Tidball argues that while Vashti is a "feminist icon", Esther is a post-feminist icon.^[10]

Abraham Kuyper notes some "disagreeable aspects" to her character: that she should not have agreed to take Vashti's place, that she refrained from saving her nation until her own life was threatened, and that she carries out bloodthirsty vengeance.^[11]

[edit]Persian culture

The Shrine of Esther and Mordechai inHamedan, Iran

Tomb of Ester and Mordechai

Given the great historical link between Persian and Jewish history, modern day Persian Jews are referred to as "Esther's Children". A building known as The Mausoleum of Esther and Mordechai is located in Hamedan, Iran.^[12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NatsZal

The Jewish Network

 

 

Jewish Studies: All About Fast of Esther -On File

 

 

All About Fast of Esther

(on file)

Purim is the celebration of the story told in the Biblical book of Esther. In this story tov (good) and evil struggle as Yisrael faces extermination by the wicked man Haman. Haman plots to kill all the Hebrews, but this evil plan is stopped by Esther and her cousin Mordechai. Since that time Hebrews everywhere have celebrated this appointed time with joy and ruckus! On the day BEFORE the celebration of Purim a special fast is held. This fast, of food or water, is taken to commemorate the fasting of Esther and her maidens before she presented herself to the King. Ta’anit Esther fast isn’t specifically commanded in the Scriptures. It was established by the sages as a way to remember the efforts of Esther and the protection of YHWH.

Now understanding and celebrating the Fast of Esther is as easy as A,B,C…

A - All about the festival, a simple overview
B - Biblical references concerning the holy day
C - Celebration information on how to make the day special

A - All about the festival
Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays. It commemorates the book of Esther, a time when the Hebrew people living in Persia were saved from extermination. The Fast of Esther or “Ta’anit” is a new tradition that has sort of evolved concerning Purim.

The day before Purim is observed as a minor fast day.

Esther 9:3--Fasting is mentioned as having had a role in the victory

Participants can fast from sun up to sundown on this day as a reminder of three days of fasting that the Hebrew people did before Esther went before the King. (Read the story to know more about this.

One source sites that, “The 13th of Adar is also the anniversary of the day the fighting against the anti-Semitic forces occurred; Purim is the day the victorious Jews rested and celebrated. The 13th of Adar was then established as an annual fast day for every generation, known as The Fast of Esther. (Esther 9:31).”

Every year, on the 13th of Adar the Fast of Esther is observed in commemoration of the Fast observed by Mordechai and Esther and all Israel. This fast is held the day before Purim.

Over two thousand years ago, the enemies of the Hebrews had planned to subjugate and destroy them. The opposite, however, occurred and the Israelites ruled over their enemies. Read about this in the book of Ester.

The practice of fasting was observed by the people of Israel whenever they were faced by war. It has continued ever since.

In Hebrew this holy day is called “ta’anit Hadassah.”

The day before Purim is a fast day observed in commemoration of the 3 days of fasting by Esther, Mordechai and the entire Jewish community before Esther approached Achashverosh.

On the 13th of the first month Haman issued a decree for the annihilation of the Jews which was to take effect later that year. Mordecai after reading the decree proceeded to inform Esther and to encourage her to promptly plead the cause of her people before her husband the king.

Esther being concerned about approaching the king requested that all Jews present in the city fast for the following 3 days, she and her maids would also fast.

The fast begins at the break of dawn and ends after the Megillah (Book of Esther) is read that night.

If one is feeling weak, one may break the fast after nightfall, prior to Megillah reading.

Some people will get up before dawn and have an early morning breakfast and then fast the rest of the day.

“In Esther 4:16 agrees to see the king uninvited, and asks the Jewish People to fast for three days beforehand. Why did she call for a fast? Because a fast helps to lower the volume on our physical pursuits in order to focus more acutely on our spiritual selves. This facilitates the process of "teshuva" -- literally "return." We return to our essential state of purity. Esther called for a fast, knowing that through soul-searching the Jews would forge a spiritual connection necessary to make her mission successful. And it paid off!,” reads on unknown source.

This is not a fast of sadness. Rather, the purpose of the fast is elevation and inspiration.

The acceptance of this Fast of the 13th of Adar on the part of Israel for later generations is alluded to in the Scroll of Esther: 'And as they accepted upon themselves and upon their children, the matters of their fastings and their cry' (Esther 9).

The 13th of Adar is also mentioned in the Talmud as the day on which vengeance was executed (during the time of the Hasmoneans) against a tyrant who oppressed the land of Yehudah cruelly and arrogantly blasphemed the city of Elohim. The name of the tyrant was Nikanor and he fell by the hand of Yehudah, the son of Matityahu, on the 13th of Adar, which was hence celebrated as a festive day.

The Fast is called by the name of Esther because it was she who first requested the observance of a fast, of Mordechai: 'Go and gather all the Hebrews who are found in Shushan and fast over me, and do not eat and do not drink three days, night and day; and I and my maidens will also fast thus.'

The third chapter of Megillat Esther ends with the publication of Haman's decree to massacre the Hebrew people. The next chapter begins, "When Mordekhai learned all that had happened, Mordekhai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes. He went through the city, crying out loudly and bitterly, until he came in front of the palace gate." The Talmud, in Ta'anit 22b, helps elucidate Mordekhai's motive: "The rabbis taught: When a city is surrounded by gentiles an individual may, in all such cases, afflict himself by fasting."

The fast is nevertheless not observed for a three-day period, as was the case with the original Fast, nor is it observed on the same date. Originally the Fast was observed by Esther and the entire people of Israel on the 14th, 15th and 16th of Aviv, immediately after Mordechai was informed of Haman's decree and of the letter of annihilation which Haman wrote on the 13th of Aviv. Our Fast however, is observed on the 13th of Adar, in memory of the Fast observed by Israel on the day of their mobilization for war against the enemies. The Fast is nevertheless called by the name of Esther since it was she who first proposed its observance. Some Jews in times past have fasted on the 14th, 15th, and 16th of Aviv.

This is a partial fast that begins at dawn ("Alot Hashachar") and ends after nightfall ("Tzait Hakochavim").

Some Orthodox Jews fast an additional three days; on Monday, Thursday and Monday after Purim. Others voluntarily fast the night as well as the day on the 13th of Adar, since the original three-day Fast was observed night and day.

If the 13th of Adar falls on Shabbat, the Fast is observed the preceding Thursday which is the eleventh of Adar.

Just as there is a day to celebrate before Purim there is also a day to celebrate after Purim. This is called "Shushan Purim." According to Megillat Esther, the fight against the anti-Semites in the walled capital city of Shushan, the city in which King Achashverosh lived, took a day longer than in the rural areas. The Jews in Shushan didn't get to rest and celebrate until the day after those in rural areas. In commemoration of this, Megillat Esther says that Purim is celebrated a day later in cities, on the day now known as "Shushan Purim." Our Sages decided that a "city" in this case means a city that had walls (whether they are still standing or not) at the time of Yahshua (Joshua - Moses' successor). For example, Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) celebrates Purim on Shushan Purim.

“There are actually five minor fasts on the Jewish calendar. With one exception, these fasts were instituted by the Sages to commemorate some national tragedy. Three of these five fasts commemorate events leading to the downfall of the first commonwealth and the destruction of the first Temple, which is commemorated by the major fast of Tisha B'Av. Following is a list of minor fasts required by Jewish law, their dates, and the events they commemorate:

The Fast of Gedaliah, Tishri 3, commemorates the killing of the Jewish governor of Judah, a critical event in the downfall of the first commonwealth. The Fast of Tevet, Tevet 10, is the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem. It has also been proclaimed a memorial day for the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust. The Fast of Esther, Adar 13, commemorates the three days that Esther fasted before approaching King Ahasuerus on behalf of the Jewish people. The fast is connected with Purim. If Adar 13 falls on a Friday or Saturday, it is moved to the preceding Thursday, because it cannot be moved forward a day (it would fall on Purim). The Fast of the Firstborn, Nissan 14, is a fast observed only by firstborn males, commemorating the fact that they were saved from the plague of the firstborn in Egypt. It is observed on the day preceding Passover.

The Fast of Tammuz, Tammuz 17, is the date when the walls of Jerusalem were breached, another major event leading up to the destruction of the First Temple,” says www.judaism101.com

The Talmud reminds us, "Whoever identifies himself with the suffering of the community will be deemed worthy to witness the deliverance of the community."

B - Biblical References

“Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered,” Psalm 35:13

Now Mordekhai speaks to us: "Do not imagine that you, of all the Jews, will escape with your life by being in the king's palace. On the contrary, if you keep silent in this crisis, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another quarter, while you and your father's house will perish" (Esther 4:13-14).

Esth 9:21,22, “to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor.”

Esther said, "Go, assemble all the Jews who live in Shushan, and fast in my behalf; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens will observe the same fast. Then I shall go to the king, though it is contrary to the law." Why do all of the Jews need to fast before Esther can approach the king? The Talmud teaches: "When the community is in trouble, a person should not say, ‘I will go to my home, and eat and drink, and enjoy myself.' If he does so, then to him will apply the verse, "And behold joy and gladness, eating meat and drinking wine, saying, 'Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die (Isaiah 22:13).’ And what does it say after this? ‘And the Lord of hosts revealed Himself to my ears: 'Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven you until you die' (Isaiah 22:14)."

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of Yahweh will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and Yahweh will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I,” Isaiah 58:6-9

The entire chapter of Isaiah 58

“Even now,” declares Yahweh, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to Yahweh your Elohim, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing—grain offerings and drink offerings for Yahweh your Elohim. Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber,” Joel 2:14-16

“Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly,” Matthew 16:6-8.

"And I set my face unto YHWH Elohim, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: And I prayed unto the YHWH my Elohim, and made my confession, and said, O YHWH, the great and dreadful Elohim, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from the precepts and from thy judgments: Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land," Daniel 9:3-6; see entire chapter).

"..... The children of Israel were assembled with fasting .... and the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins ....." (Neh 9:1-2).

There are over 30 positive examples, commands, and instructions in Scripture about fasting.

Judges 20:26--Israel fasted for victory in war.
1 Sam. 1:6-7--Hannah fasted for a son
1 Sam. 7:6--Israel fasted in repentance
1 Sam. 31:13--Men of Jabeshgilead fasted in mourning for Saul
2 Sam. 1:12--David and his men fasted in mourning for Saul, Jonathan, and the fallen of Israel
2 Sam. 12--David fasted for mercy upon his child
1 Kings 21:27--Ahab fasted for mercy
2 Chron. 20:3--Jehoshaphat and Israel fasted for help and protection
Ezra 8:21-23--Ezra and the people fasted for help and protection
Nehemiah 1:4--Nehemiah fasted in mourning and for help upon Jerusalem
Nehemiah 9:1,2--Israel fasting in mourning and repentance
Esther 4:16--Esther and friends fasted for victory
Esther 9:3--Fasting is mentioned as having had a role in the victory
Psalm 35:13,14--Fasting in prayer and mourning
Psalm 69: 10,11--Fasting in prayer and mourning
Isaiah 58:6-8--The fast which pleases God
Jeremiah 36:9--Israel fasted for mercy
Joel 1:14; 2:12,15--YHWH commanded fasting and repentance
Jonah 3:5--The Ninevites fasted in repentance for mercy
Daniel 9:3--Daniel fasted for wisdom
Matthew 4:2—Y’shua fasted when tempted in the wilderness
Matthew 6:17-18—Y’shua promised that the Father would bless fasting
Matthew 9:14-15—Y’shua said his disciples would fast
Matthew 17:21--Fasting is necessary for overcoming some demonic strongholds
Mark 9:29--Fasting is necessary for overcoming some demonic powers
Luke 2:37--Fasting was part of Anna's service to YHWH
Acts 13:2--Fasting was part of the ministry of the workers at Antioch
Acts 13:3--Ordination was accompanied by fasting
Acts 14:23--Ordination was accompanied by fasting
1 Cor. 7:5--Fasting and prayer is the only proper reason for abstinence from the marital relationship
2 Cor. 6:5--Fasting was one way Paul approved himself as a minister
2 Cor. 11:27--Paul fasted often

C - Celebration Information
A few short prayers or liturgy for a Ta’anit Esther service include:

May YHWH who blessed Esther with the strength and courage to challenge plots of evil and desecration,

Steel our own resolve to foil the abuse of power where gender is a tool of oppression.

Sustain our effort to return the captives who have been sold into bondage.

May we dismantle the structures of desperation that render us vulnerable to capture and exploitation.

May we create conditions for families and communities to embrace each other lovingly, and enable healthy sustenance for all, that we may live lives that affirm our fullest human dignity, women and men, girls and boys.

Tavo l’fanekha enkat asir, k’godel zro’akha; hoter bnei t’mutah.

May the cry of the captive come before You, according to the greatness of Your power; release those who are appointed to die. [Psalms 79:11]

Joy and gladness shall we attain, sorrow and misery shall flee.

Barukh Ata YHWH, Elo-heinu Melekh Ha’Olam Matir Asurim.

Blessed are You YHWH, Sovereign of the Universe, who frees captives.

May the Shekhina, Divine Presence, dwell among all people at every table in every heart.

It is recommended to cut down on caffeine and sugar before fasting and also to break the fast with light foods. Perhaps you could break the fast with some good matzah ball soup or break the fast with some breakfast!

Don't appear downcast when you fast or boast about how long the fast has been. Fasting is not for show but to afflict your soul so that your Father in heaven will answer your prayer. There are many ways to fast. You can fast by drinking only water or you can fast by drinking water and just enough juice to keep up your strength so that you can do your work. You can fast one meal, two meals, or the whole day. Spend as much time in prayer, reading the Word and meditation as possible. It is important to draw greatly on the strength of the YHWH during your fast.

 

 

NatsZal

The Jewish Network

 

 

God Help Me: ""Judging Anyone"" by Michael James Stone

GOD HELP ME

God help me is my vent. It is where I blow off steam.

It is the place and means I choose to stomp my feet, scream and shout about stick my thumb in mouth over and toss sackcloth and ashes in and over the things of God and the world and its' ways; sometimes people too.

Every Man of God wants to do this; from the Pastor to the Preacher, from the zealot to the saint; but in reality for me; God Help Me is an expectation stated for God and His

people to intervene in some way, because some how, God brought it to me that day, and there was NO WAY for me to do anything about it.

THAT is always my only vent I really have. God you do it because I cannot so in those days and means I cry out:

 

"Judging Anyone"

 

 

God help me; but when I hear someone start down the daisy trail of telling people they never met, they never will and have little compassion over;

That God is judging them

I go nuts.

 

If God were to judge He would say so

He always has and He always will

 

And everytime that some numbskull decides to play Holy Spirit and misrepresent MY FATHER in Heaven

I go nuts.

 

Its as though God in His love, God in his mercy, God in His grace is not good enough so lets take out our frustration on someone else.

Lets invoke images of a wrathful God so for a moment of glory the "priest and the prophet" look good and sound important.

Thats just plain  stupid.

 

Jesus when they tried that in your day with that disaster at the Tower of Siloam you said

There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?

 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

 

God help me

But when any person has to say

How God is judging someone else

I can tell You for a fact

He is judging you.

 

 

God Help us.

 

 

-Michael James Stone-