Bad Advice

Have you ever received bad advice?  Did you follow through with the advice?  That’s what the third chapter of Esther is dealing with. 

Esther has now been queen for around 4 years.  And, the plot thickens.  The king has decreed that everyone must bow down and pay homage to Haman, who worked for the king.  Well, Mordecai refused.  Why?  Well, it’s because he was a Jew.  He was to not bow down before anyone but the Lord.  This infuriated Haman.  Haman then plotted to kill every Jew, young and old, women and children.  Not only that, but to plunder their goods and take their money. 

What a low-down, dirty scoundrel!  What do we know about Haman?  Well, the only thing told to us in this chapter is that he is an Agagite.  These Agagites are descendants of the Amalekites.  The Amalekites HATED the Jews.  So, you know that Haman HATED them.  Especially Mordecai!  The goal:   Kill them all!

Well, the king isn’t very bright.  Haman convinces the king that this group, the Jews, is breaking the law.  Look at his advice in Esther 3:9, “If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king's business, that they may put it into the king's treasuries.”  And the king goes for it!  Can you believe that the king is so gullible?  The king didn’t even ask anything about these people.  He didn’t ask who they were, how many people there were, or what they had done so wrong that they would deserve to be “destroyed”.  He just said, “OK Haman, here’s my signet ring to make it official.”  And once it was official, a king’s edict couldn’t be reversed.

An A. W. Tozer quote says “No one has any right to counsel others who is not ready to hear and follow the counsel of the Lord.”  When you give or even receive advice, do you weigh the responsibility?  Do you understand the motives, have you evaluated the situation?  How do you guard against giving bad advice?  What about the advice you receive from others? 

God’s word explains it to us in Psalm 1:1-2, “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scoffers!  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” 

If you ask God for help, he will give it to you.  He is the only source of the BEST advice you could ever receive.  Prayer and bible study will guide you.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, your word is perfect.  It is a help in ever present trouble.  Whenever we need advice on difficult situations, and even little problems, you are the best source for advice.  Forgive me Father, for those times that I’ve took the “counsel of the wicked” and didn’t seek YOUR counsel.  Help me, Lord, I pray, to always seek YOUR advice.  In Jesus precious and holy name, Amen.