Pious Bias

Good Morning!

Have you ever heard of “pious bias”? I ran into that phrase while studying for Sunday morning’s Bible study lesson. We were studying the book of Esther so I checked out what my favorite living Bible commentator has to say about the book. In his introduction to Esther, Bob Deffinbaugh accuses us of having “pious bias” which is where we ascribe holiness to someone where there might not be. Here’s his reasoning:

1. The events take place in Susa (which is now in Iran). Now, the timing is after the Babylonian captivity had ended and God had instructed the people to return to the Promised Land. So why were Mordecai and Esther still in Persia? Had they chosen to remain … in other words, to be disobedient?
2. The character of Mordecai and even Esther are somewhat in question. Mordecai was Esther’s uncle and guardian. When he saw an opportunity, he had Esther enter into a contest to replace Vashti as queen. Now one of the requirements was that she “please” the king (Xerxes I). So good old uncle Mordecai was willing to pimp his niece to gain position at court. Later, Mordecai attempts to manipulate his niece into saving his life. But Esther doesn’t escape notice either. She conceals the fact that she is a Jew so that she can become queen. And she deceives the king and Haman rather than be straightforward with the king about Haman’s threat.
3. Not once in the book is either God or prayer mentioned. Esther does ask that the Jews of Susa fast for three days … and one can imply that fasting was accompanied with prayer … but prayer is not specifically mentioned.

Deffinbaugh is not alone in his thinking. Neither Martin Luther nor John Calvin commented on the book … and it has been said that Luther wished that the book were not in the canon of Scriptures.

Now that is all the “bad” stuff I am going to say about the book. Here are some of the good points to think about:

1. Was it a coincidence that Vashti decided to not report for duty and was thus deposed?
2. Was it a mere chance that Esther was the most favorable of all the queen prospects?
3. Did Mordecai just happen to be in the right place at the right time to overhear the plot against the king?
4. Did the king just happen to remember Mordecai before Haman appeared the next day?

And so on…

What am I trying to say? Okay, let’s assume Deffinbaugh is right and Mordecai and Esther aren’t the champions of faith that we make them out to be. What we are still seeing is God’s omniscient hand in protecting these disobedient non-practicing Jews. And, come to think of it, God did the same thing for me when I was in rebellion against Him. Why? Because God knew my heart … and He knew my future.

I will admit that I was surprised when I read Deffinbaugh’s take on the book of Esther. But as I thought about it, I began to see that the story is more about God’s intervention than Esther’s heroics. And, somehow, it gives me peace about how God loves me.


Agape’


Mr. Jim