Never Revoked

Never Revoked

Reading: Esther 3-8; Luke 18 “Now go ahead and send a message to the Jews in the king’s name, telling them whatever you want, and seal it with the king’s signet ring. But remember that whatever has already been written in the king’s name and sealed with his signet ring can never be revoked.” (Esther 8:8 NLT) Xerxes, Emperor of the Medo-Persian Empire, ruler of the known world, was an impulsive man. Prompted by the request of Haman, who was motivated by his hatred of a Jew named Mordecai, he made a proclamation that would eliminate an entire race of people, and he did this on the spur of the moment! Even worse, his impulsive declaration became an irrevocable law of the empire! Darius, the emperor who succeeded the first Persian Emperor Cyrus a hundred years earlier, had a similar impulsive flaw. His pride led him to proclaim that for a month, anyone who didn’t worship him as a god would be thrown into a den of lions. When his trusted administrator Daniel continued faithfully praying to Yahweh, Darius tried to save him, but was bound by his own impulsive declaration. Ancient Emperors aren’t the only people who sometimes make impulsive and hurtful declarations! Here are a couple of things God’s Word says about that:
• The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. (Proverbs 18:21 NLT)
• You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. (James 1:19 NLT)
• Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. (James 3:2 NLT) I’m hoping to say fewer stupid and impulsive things as I get older. But when I do say something impulsive and stupid, I’m determined to swallow my pride and avoid the “It can never be revoked” trap. Here’s an often-helpful phrase: “I was wrong! I’m sorry! Please forgive me!” Prayer: Father, Please give me wisdom to listen quickly and speak slowly and make fewer impulsive declarations that have the potential to hurt people. When I do say something stupid, give me grace and humility to acknowledge my error and say the right thing. Help me to guard my mind and heart so that I don’t hurt people by what I say. Amen.