Esther and the Scepter

Throughout history the Jews have been uniquely persecuted and uniquely preserved. These days we see extreme anti-Semitism in the likes of radical Islam, which has many different faces. King Abdulla of Saudi Arabia, for example, talks a lot about peace, yet his country upholds radical sharia law. People were a bit miffed when Obama gave the king a deep bow in April, wherein he even seemed to kiss the king's hand. Another example of radical Islam is Iran’s president Ahmadinejad, who called the extermination of 6 million Jews during WWII a “myth.” He also stated "...this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time." Also, he said “Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation's fury.” The use of terrorism against innocent people underlines the fact that the radicals consider the people themselves the enemy, not just the form of government.

Have you Heard of Sibel Edmunds?

Up until yesterday, I didn’t know who she was, but her name is buzzing on the net recently because of her allegations and the US government’s continued attempts to silence her. Sibel Edmonds is a former FBI translator and founder of the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition. She has received awards for her defense of free speech, including the Sam Adams Award in 2004 and the PEN/Newman's Own First Amendment Award in 2006. Recently, Google and Blogger have shut down her blog, as she describes: “My Blog Site http://123realchange.blogspot.com is now blocked by Google’s Blogger. They will not let me post during this most sensitive period, when I am about to provide deposition on Foreign US government illegal operations in the United States!”

What types of illegal operations does she wish to address? As a Turkish-American FBI translator, she was exposed to a lot of classified information regarding the Middle East. She claims that she saw documents describing how Osama Bin Laden was planning attacks on 4-5 US cities with planes. These reports, that the FBI received in April 2001, from a reliable Iranian intelligence asset, described how some of the people were already in the country and the attacks would happen in a few months. She submitted this information to the official 9-11 investigation committee, but, as we know, this and any other information contrary to the hypothetical surprize attack story was kept out of the report.

Handling Slander

When US President Obama visited Russia recently, journalists pointed out that he declined from tasting the sumptuous Russian dishes prepared for him. Why so rude? He may have recalled an image of Victor Yushchenko’s pock-marked face after his poisoning during the 2004 Ukraine election. Or perhaps he recalled Russia's ex-KGB Alexander Litvinenko’s dying words in 2006 after drinking poisoned tea: Putin has "no respect for life, liberty or any civilized value." Poisoning happens, but we may not be aware of how it happens in our own lives regularly. The scriptures say our tongues can be “full of deadly poison” based on the words we speak, according to James 3.8.

Nehemiah’s main job in life was “cup-bearer,” one who would take a cup of wine prepared for the king, handle it, examine it and test it, and if it was pure then pass it on to the king. This experience of discernment would prove to be very similar to his role as he returned to build the walls of Jerusalem. As the people worked, the enemy prepared for attack. Because the workers became aware and armed, the enemy chose different tactics including slander and deception. But through God’s wisdom, Nehemiah was able to discern what was going on with each different kind of attack and the work was accomplished, nevertheless. The rebuilding of the city walls can be seen as a symbol for the restoration of the soul after salvation. Nehemiah's name means "God's comfort" and like the Holy Spirit, he helped the Israelites greatly with discernment, guidance and comfort.

Trekking with Ezra

Ezra really intrigues me and I look forward to meeting him someday. He was both an unassuming writer and an unstoppable reformer. He was both a studious bookworm and a serious backpacker when necessary. He’s accredited with writing 1 and 2 Chronicles and Ezra, with establishing synagogue worship during the Israelite exile in Babylon and leading 5,000 exiles through desert lands for four months in order to return to Jerusalem in mid 5C BC. There he helped spark a spiritual revival, helped reestablish worship in the temple and led people back into the study of the Torah.