The Hidden Heroine of the Bible

Thursday, while during school, I was reading in the book of Esther.  I'm sure y'all remember that story from the Bible.  Esther was the one written about as "fair and beautiful", and was pampered for 12 months!  A whole year!  I'm sure many girls would love to have beauty treatments for a whole year.  You know how girls are.

However, today I am not wanting to talk about Esther, although she was an amazing woman used of God.  That is for another time and place.  Today, there is a hidden hero, or I should say, heroine, in the story of Esther: Queen Vashti.  Surprised?  Not many people know anything about her.  Honestly, I don't either.  That is why I want to want to try and uncover somethings that have came to my attention. (Oh, by the way, since this is Saturday, I also have a book review mixed in.  The book is Secret Keeper, written by Dannah Gresh.)

In the book Secret Keeper, Dannah Gresh also recognizes Queen Vashti as a hidden heroine of the Bible.  Listen to what she says:  "Queen Vashti, Esther's predecessor, is the Bible's hidden hero.  The king called her to flaunt herself.  He and his friends were drunk, and she knew it was inappropriate for a woman in her culture to flaunt her beauty in front of a man, let alone a room full of drunken men.  She lost her crown but not her honor.  She oozed with inner confidence!  Queen Vasthi understood that the power of her allure was protected not only by what she wore but also by where she went, when she went, and how she acted.  She held the power of inner modesty in the palm of her hand.  She wasn't about to forfeit that power...not even at the command of the king."  Pretty strong statements, what?  I believe we have found a hidden hero in the Bible - one we would have never though of.

Women do have a certain kind of power.  You may not think so?  Guys are visual. (Sound corny the way I put that?)  They go by what they see.  Why do you think magazines always have the picture of a woman on the cover (although indecent most of the time)?  It is because most people are attracted to the sight of a woman, particularly a beautiful one.  Especially guys.  Women do have power - but do we want to flaunt ourselves at every guy we see, or do we want to be modest, chaste, discreet, and wait for the one that will ultimately love us for who we are?  I'll take the latter.

That is why Queen Vashti should be a Biblical role model for us as Christian ladies.  She knew it was wrong and inappropriate for her to be on display in front of a room full of drunken men.  In the end, she behaved in the appropriate manner, although it cost her her position.

Esther1:10-11 say, "On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, (drunk, perhaps?) he commanded...the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king, to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty, for she was fair to look upon."

The king had been feasting and drinking; drinking quite a lot by the sound of it.  Then a bright idea popped into his head: why not bring forth Vashti, his beauteous queen, before the province so she might flaunt her beauty before his subjects?  So he commanded Vashti to come before him in the feasting room.  However, Vashti would not come.  She knew better than to appear before intoxicated men.  LORD only knows what might have happened!

Vashti knew the power that women possessed, and still possess today.  Unfortunately, many women today don't care - they only want the attention their beauty and bodies bring.  You can tell by the way a woman dresses if she wants to please God, or gain the attention of man.  Skintight jeans, low-cut shirts, miniskirts spaghetti straps, etc.  All those are made to be attention grabbers.  In this day in which we live in, it is very hard to find modest attire.  Very hard indeed.  But that doesn't mean we Christian girls give in to the pressure and start behaving as the girls of the world - NO! On the contrary, we should strive harder to be light in a darkened world, like Vashti was!  She is a very good example to follow.

Although the Bible doesn't say much about Vashti, I believe what is said is to serve a purpose.  In spite of what the king commanded, Vashti still held her ground by doing what was right.  A great lesson can and should be learned from her example.  "We ought to obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29)   Even in face of loss, torment, persecution, and contrary to popular belief, we are to stand our ground and boldly proclaim we will uphold what it right!  Queen Vashti did just this.  She must have known consequences would follow, yet she still held her ground.  Praise God for such an encouraging story!  We should "do right until the stars fall." -Charles Spurgeon.

O God, give us more women today that will stand up like Vashti and do Your will and law!

The book I highly recommend today is Secret Keeper, written by Dannah Gresh.  A very good little book on modesty and how girls and women are to use their power.  I encourage every woman  and girl to read it.  Although the book is small, perhaps your eyes will be opened to some things.

To conclude, who would you rather be like?  Queen Vashti, who stood her ground to do right, even in the face of consequences, or one of the "fashionable models and actresses" that cover every magazine, those that are weak and have given up everything of themselves?  Do you want to be weak, or strong?

Saturday Book Review: The Real Lincoln

Everyone knows about Abraham Lincoln. No doubt about that. He is considered one of the greatest American Presidents and the favorite of many.

However, nobody knows him for what he really was.  Did you know that Lincoln didn't really free the slaves, contrary to popular belief?   Did you also that the real reason for the War of Southern Independence wasn't slavery? Although these things defy the modern perception, they are true.

  Lincoln was not the man everybody makes him out to be today.  Let's take a look at what Mr. Thomas Dilorenzo writes in his book The Real Lincoln.  If you read the book you will uncover many facts history books do not tell us today.
 

Have you ever wondered why slavery took a war to "supposedly" end it?  What if I told you it didn't take a war to end it?  No, slavery wasn't the cause of the War for Southern Independence. (By the way, that war is most commonly known as the "Civil War."  But a civil war is a war for control of a single government.  The Confederate states didn't want to rule the North - they wanted to be separate from them, to gain independence.  It was the Union that wanted to subject the seceded states to accept northern/federal government rule.)

This is the first thing I want to talk about: Slavery.  Lincoln was all for the "freeing of the slaves", right?  Humph.  Another "mixed-up" myth in modern revisionism.  No, he was not!  He wasn't for racial equality, he was opposed to it!  He didn't believe that "all men are created equal."  Instead, he referred to African Americans, Mexicans, and probably all colored people, as "inferiors." (Same mindset as Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany that started the great Holocaust.)

Lincoln actually defended the rights of slave owners to own their "property."  He said, "when they remind us of their constitutional rights [to own slaves], I acknowledge them, not grudgingly, but fully and fairly; and I would give them any legislation for the reclaiming of their fugitives."

Lincoln had no intention whatsoever of doing anything about slavery, particularly Southern slavery.  In his first Inaugural Address, Lincoln said, "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so."  A man who is considered to have upheld the rights of all men?  This couldn't be the same man, could it?  Yes, the very same.    Lincoln was and is known as "Honest Abe", but he should be known as "Dishonest Abe."  He was a politician after all.  Aren't all politicians, or at least most all, liars, sneaks, frauds, and cheaters?  He, Abraham Lincoln, was one of them.

Now let's take a look at the Emancipation Proclamation.  Everybody knows about that as well.  The document that "freed" the slaves.  But Lincoln (a politician and lawyer) crafted the proclamation in such a way so that slaves would really not be emancipated.  When the Emancipation Proclamation was proclaimed, it applied only to rebel territory, although the federal armies occupied most of the South.  Then those places were exempted by name in the proclamation.    The slaves were really not freed.  Here is what the London Spectator said about the Emancipation Proclamation: "The principle is not that a human being cannot justly own another, but that he cannot own him unless he is loyal to the United States."  Lincoln was pretty crafty.  He knew he gave no guarantee for the emancipation of the slaves.

What about the War?  If slavery wasn't the issue, what was?  It was simply, States rights.  The Southern states still believed in Freedom and Liberty.  They still believed in maintaining their rights.  The federal government really didn't have power over them - if anything, the states had more power over the federal government.  After all, it was the people that created the federal government and gave it the powers specified in the Constitution.  But, of course, the federal government couldn't be satisfied.  They wanted all the power and control.

When the Southern states seceded from the Union, Lincoln sent soldiers to force them back.  But the Southerners were not going to give up that easily.  They also rounded up an army, one of the greatest, in my opinion.  With General Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, along with many other great men, the Confederates won some great military battles.  But alas!  How devastating the War was!  Unfortunately, the South didn't have everything the North did - factories, guns, cannons, supplies, shoes, clothes, blankets, food, gun powder, and not near as many soldiers.   However, even against such odds, the Southern army still took a great stand, one that should go down in history forever.

In the end, the South lost.  Because of that, we are still reaping the benefits of Lincoln's agenda and all the corruption he brought in.  All that just added to the Supreme Court's and the whole federal government's lust for more power.  Even today we are having to continue in our fight for Freedom and Liberty.  Today we need more people like Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and a lot less men like Abraham Lincoln.  This just goes to show how much wrong and chaos totalitarian governments cause.  I'm not saying that the U.S. has become like any of the other countries with dictators, communists, fascists, and socialists at the head.  But then again, maybe we have in a way.  I'm afraid so much more than I know is really what I don't want to know.

Because of a majorly Unnecessary War, things have only become worse.  Slavery was eventually ended, but it didn't take a war to accomplish that.  It has all been based upon power.  The federal government wants to be in control of all the states.  But it was the states that created the federal government!  Washington has only a certain amount of power - 17 different ones in fact.  But they have overstepped their boundaries by far!  Hundreds upon thousands of different ways have they crossed the line!  What really bugs me is that they are not being stopped!  What is wrong with the people?  Are we all so yellow bellied that we can't take a stand?  Are we so cowardly that we won't take back our freedoms that are rightfully ours?  They are God-given rights.  Then if they are God-given, why, oh WHY have we allowed the federal government and corrupt leaders to take them away?  I for one think it is high time we do a little fighting.  I don't want to end up like Russia, Germany, Iran, Iraq, and all the different countries that have had their freedoms taken away by tyrants. 

For a true look at Abraham Lincoln, I highly suggest you read the book The Real Lincoln, written by Thomas J. Dilorenzo.  Ever since I was little I had always know that Abraham Lincoln was a "bad man."  But now my eyes have been opened by so much more! Of course, I know I don't understand as much as some people do about some things, and I could never debate against someone. (I don't have that gift)  But I have high hopes that you have still gained something out of my ramblings.  The history books today portray Abraham Lincoln as a hero, so everybody else in America does the same.  Those people need their eyes opened by the truth, instead of being blinded by lies.  I wish everybody would read this book.  It could do a lot of changing in lives.  For the good.

I know I didn't even cover half of the book - there is so much importance that needs to be read.  I only wrote a wee bit of my personal opinion, as well as a portion of what I learned.  I really you have made something out of this.  We need to know the truth!