President Obama = Queen Esther?
Email"If I perish, I perish," said Queen Esther.
In the Biblical Book of Esther, Queen Esther was talking about going before her husband, King Ahasuerus, to plead the case of the Jews, despite not having been summoned to see him — a crime in that era. But her uncle Mordecai was beseeching Esther to go before the king anyway, to save the Jews of Persia, who were about to be slaughtered.
Mordecai appealed to Esther, suggesting perhaps it was God’s will to be in this place at this time to do this act.
Esther agreed.
"I go in unto the King, which is not according to the law: and if I perish I perish."
This morning at Nineteenth Street Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., the pastor cited this excerpt from the story — the backbone of the Jewish holiday of Purim — and suggested to one particular worshipper, President-elect Barack Obama , that he had been sent to this world to be in the right place at the right time for an important reason, like Rosa Parks, theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Pastor Derrick Harkins suggested that Mr. Obama could have led a comfortable life in academia, but he had been called to something larger.
"Thank God for the Mordecais in our lives," said Harkins, "those who stir us to do what is right and just."
"Listen to Mordecai," he said to the congregation.
"Perhaps, just perhaps, you are where you are for just such a time," Harkins said to the president-elect. "We can be like this brave woman of scripture…She said, ‘I will go to the king. If I perish, I perish.’
"She was not going because she had a wish for martyrdom," Harkins said. She said, "’I'm going to trust God, no matter what the circumstances are.’
"God has prepared you and placed you," he told Obama. "God will not forsake you. Go forward in prayerfulness and faithfulness."
As an aside, former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris took great comfort in the words of Queen Esther during the Florida recount, telling aides, "if I perish, I perish," when discussing her plan to not accept certain ballots.
And during CNN’s Compassion Forum, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., asked her favorite Bible story, said, "I have been — ever since I was a little girl — a great admirer of Esther. And I used to ask that that be read to me over and over again, because there weren’t too many models of women who had the opportunity to make a decision, to take a chance, a risk that, you know, was very courageous."
- jpt
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Obama is to be commended for actually following through and picking a new church (I am assuming this now permanent). The place looks real.
Talk about old school though- from their “What We Believe” it looks like they support the Divine Right of Kings.
Posted by: BertieW | January 18, 2009, 2:16 pm 2:16 pm
Way to ramp up the Holyness!
You know, at this point, he could commit a human sacrifice in the Oval Office, and his followers would say, “SEE, SEE, just like Abraham! God TOLD him to do it! He even said so!”
And don’t say he doesn’t want to be worshipped like this. He does; he feeds on it.
Bush nauseates me, Obama nauseates me. They both will leave this country a dependent, bankrupt shadow. And the people who voted for them deserve it, but your Hopey Changey dreams doom us all.
Posted by: Laughing Cynic | January 18, 2009, 2:21 pm 2:21 pm
The pastor “suggested to one particular worshipper, President-elect Barack Obama , that he had been sent to this world to be in the right place at the right time for an important reason, like Rosa Parks, theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King, Jr.”
Read Rick Warren’s “Purpose Driven Life” – God has a purpose for everyone’s life, but we often do not follow the plans. Warren may be shocked to learn that God planned for a pro-choice and gay rights advocate to be President.
It seems sometimes that God brings people to their knees before they hear God’s messages. The United States is close to being on its knees. Sarah Palin, Obama’s performance in the debates, and the economic crisis turned many voters toward Obama.
I had never heard of Obama before accidentally seeing his speech after winning the Iowa primary. In January 2008, after researching Obama’s history, I emailed my son about going to see the next President that God has been preparing since his conception.
I have never had such a strong feeling about anyone. I am white, so it had nothing to do with his being African-American.
Posted by: Julie | January 18, 2009, 2:32 pm 2:32 pm
President Obama please obey the Gospel as given in the New Testament word which is Christ’s last will and testament to man kind. I pray for your soul’s salvation, which can only be obtained by the New Testament Gospels. Don’t look for praises of man, but be pleasing to God’s will through obedience, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9. Please stay away from denominational Christianity, your soul is at stake here !!
Posted by: a new testament chrisitan who cares | January 18, 2009, 2:55 pm 2:55 pm
Ah yes…..the MAGIC carpet ride!!
Posted by: American Infidel | January 18, 2009, 2:57 pm 2:57 pm
Judging from the comments and the press coverage he gets I think if Obama held a press conference where he summoned an aide to bring him a pistol and proceeded to shoot himself in the foot Obama worshippers would praise him for it as a brilliant move.
Posted by: Bob | January 18, 2009, 3:32 pm 3:32 pm
With all the hysteria from Evangelical Bushites screaming that Obama is the Antichrist or worse, this is a refreshing story.
Being a former United States Senator, it is a given that he is a professional liar, but for the first time in eight years there is at least hope. Time will tell.
At least give Obama a chance. If he is as bad as Bush we will know soon enough.
Posted by: Tom | January 18, 2009, 3:47 pm 3:47 pm
Again, why lump the Rev Harkins, Obama, Hillary, and Queen Esther together with Kathleen Harris and her malfeasance?
Posted by: kathy | January 18, 2009, 4:55 pm 4:55 pm
kathy wrote: “Again, why lump the Rev Harkins, Obama, Hillary, and Queen Esther together with Kathleen Harris and her malfeasance?”
That’s right. Obama’s and Hillary’s malfeasance can stand by itself! Let “Kathleen” Harris go get her own popsicle stand!!
Posted by: Ebenezer | January 18, 2009, 5:18 pm 5:18 pm
Could we leave religion out of politics. I had my fill of it with Bush and I don’t like it any better with Obama.
Posted by: Ken | January 18, 2009, 5:45 pm 5:45 pm
Ebenezer – I wouldn’t trust anything at Kathleen’s Harris popsicle stand. No telling what she might slip into the fudgesicles or what sleight of hand she’d pull when giving you change.
Posted by: kathy | January 18, 2009, 7:02 pm 7:02 pm
How many churches are endangering their tax-exempt status with all of this Obama-worship? He is just a man, a politician, and politicking in church is against the law.
Posted by: Hillary Fan | January 19, 2009, 1:04 am 1:04 am
I’m not a humanataryanist………get out of the mans way
Posted by: olacishdolacom | January 19, 2009, 2:52 am 2:52 am
Using Katherine Harris (who ‘legally’ stole the election under the auspices of Jeb Bush & W.) in the same story as Obama is both an outrage & blasphemy. ABC News should be ashamed to remind us of the last years of this complete ERROR in history caused by a FRAUDULENT vote ‘recount’.
Posted by: Leishtek | January 19, 2009, 8:48 am 8:48 am
The hypocrisy on the Left is unlimited.
These folks are mixing up religion with dirty earth-bound politics, producing babble which makes no sense, especially to God.
Posted by: bluecollarbytes | January 19, 2009, 8:52 am 8:52 am
Considering the saccharine entreaties coming G-d’s way in the next couple of days, we can hold out some Hope that an angry deity will Change the District of Columbia, puppet Pharoah and all, into a vast expanse of water.
Posted by: Belle Starr | January 19, 2009, 10:16 am 10:16 am
“How many churches are endangering their tax-exempt status with all of this Obama-worship?”
With the Pharoah-elect’s corporate hustler Geithner in charge of the IRS? Surely you jest.
Posted by: Belle Starr | January 19, 2009, 10:21 am 10:21 am
If would have been enjoyable to see Ryan C, Kat and the rest of the Omen chorus try to defend 19th Streets teleology given the ‘progressives’ hierarchy of Goods.
It probably would have been very salutatory for the Obamas to sit in those pews for a few years.
And very amusing for the rest of us a the ‘progressives’ struggle the rationale of why this church shouldnt be vandalized.
Posted by: BertieW | January 19, 2009, 11:03 am 11:03 am
I can not believe that anyone would even try to compare this man to Queen Esther.
this whole thing of “”oh my god he’s the new messiah”" pleeese, some people need
to get a life! bamas not going to do
anything, any better than any other pres.
EXCEPT maybe get a lot more people killed!
you voted for it now live with it.
Posted by: chargerone | March 18, 2009, 5:05 am 5:05 am