Traditional Families

Esther 1 and 2

The Old Testament lection this week is Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22. But it's the only reading from Esther for all 3 years of the lectionary, and poor Esther is virtually unknown by most Christians - so let's look at the entire book. Chapters 1 and 2 for today...
If you normally use a formal translation (King James, Revised Standard, NRSV, NASB), I strongly encourage you to try a different translation; when reading long passages, you will find much quicker reading, improved comprehension, and greater enjoyment of the story with a "dynamic translation" (The Message, Good News, New Living, or NIV) - not as good for close study, but better for long-haul reading. Give it a try! You can always go back.

Context
The book of Esther is set in the Persian empire, in the 5th century BC. Israel has been conquered by Persia, and there are Jews spread throughout the empire.

Listening to the writer
Esther is very different from most Biblical books. God is never mentioned; the author gives you the freedom (and responsibility) to decide for yourself how and where God is working. So enjoy your reading and be on the lookout for how people and God act.
Esther is a good book to remember that the Bible sometimes describes some activity without prescribing it. In other words, just because someone says or does something in the Bible, it doesn’t mean that they’re speaking the truth, or that they did a good thing! The Bible often makes moral judgements, but sometimes it just puts the story out there and leaves it to you to figure out what God thinks about it. For example, should the queen have the right to refuse the king?
Important story elements to remember: the pomp and circumstance of the Persian court, the laws of Persia cannot be changed (verse 1:19), Mordecai’s fear of Esther revealing she is a Jew, and the discovery of the plot on the King.

Listening to God
Instead of questions and answers, I’ll be giving you one or more observations to think about; choose at least one each day and spend some time on it after your reading.

“The traditional family” is an interesting myth. Think through the Biblical examples of families with one husband, one wife, and children, all living together - there aren't that many, and they don't all turn out great. The first one, in particular, is quite a disaster. Think about the different kinds of family relationships in the Bible—for example, many heroes had several wives. Work out the relationship between Mordecai and Esther.

Miscellaneous Meanderings
I grew up in a "traditional family," and very much appreciated it. Dad worked outside the home, drove the car (when he was in it), and relaxed in the evening. Mom worked around the house, raised the kids, and drove us everywhere. My older sisters took care of me and did a pretty good job (don't let them know I admit this). As the youngest, and the only son, I got plenty of attention and enjoyed it.
By default, family patterns repeat (cf Exodus 34:7 - is this descriptive or prescriptive?). I work outside the home, drive the car (when I'm in it), and relax in the evenings. Kendall works around the house, raised Gregory & Becca, and drove them everywhere. In some senses, we're as traditional as they come.

But there are many other ways to be a family of Christians.

Some traditions we have let go. Unlike Queen Vashti, Kendall not only acts as her own person, she is her own person; I don't own her! In fact, she's been known to order me around, and I've obeyed. We don't see "the husband is the head of the wife" as God's will for all marriages, just as we don't see "slaves, obey your masters" as being God's endorsement of slavery. And much as I enjoy pointing out that polygamy is practiced by godly men in scripture and is never forbidden*, Kendall keeps insisting that we're better off as a couple.
Those who insist that the husband is intended to be the decision-maker of the family - "because the Bible says so" - should also insist that we don't eat rare steak, and that women should always have long hair and keep it covered. A few do so, and I respect their integrity. For the rest - tell us how you decide what is culturally conditioned and what is not.

*Timothy & Titus do claim that bishops and elders should be "the husband of one wife" (which of course rules out women, and single males). They also state that he shouldn't have rebellious children, which would rule out a number of very good pastors, including Billy Graham. They don't say anything about concubines, which have been popular (and accepted) at times in the church.
But, truth be told, I agree with Kendall.

Dig Deeper at Textweek.