Why Mordecai Was Angry

One of the mysteries in Esther is why Mordecai refused to acknowledge Haman. We are never explicitly told, and such guesses as that he was continuing Yahweh’s war against Amalek do not carry weight. If such was Mordecai’s purpose he was in sin, because it was Yahweh’s war, not his. Saul did not move against Amalek until Yahweh ordered him to.

The notion that Mordecai was obeying the Second Word is also nonsense, because bowing to images of God is entirely appropriate. Abraham bowed to the Hittites, for example.

The clue lies in the question asked by the other members of the Persian Supreme Court (King’s Gate): “Why are you transgressing the king’s command?” Note that they did not ask why Mordecai refused to bow to Haman. The question was why he was disobeying the king. The only answer Mordecai gave was that he was a Jew, which of course identified Jews as rebels against the king and caused all the problems that ensued.

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Two Views of Marriage

Below are two views of marriage that came out of an e-mail exchange. The first is a kind of of phenomenology of marriage, and of behavior within marriage. It is who we are by nature. It is bad news, very bad news. The second entry is what can be done about it. It is very good news. Wonderfully, very good news. Enjoy the reading!

First, here is the depressing truth for many…

Seriously, sex and communication, sex and communication. I have always found Tim from Home Improvement’s remarks during a fight with Jill to throw more light on the subject than anything I have ever heard. Jill is complaining that what they need is “more communication…” “Communication?!!” exclaims Tim, “that’s what got us into this mess in the first place.” Well, who can argue with that? The great panacea of “communication,” as it is practiced, is more often than not, water on a grease fire. It just spreads the problems and speeds them up.

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