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JULY 31
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law. You, therefore, who teach another, do 26 Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps
you not teach yourself? You who preach that a the righteous requirements of the law, will not
man should not steal, do you steal? You who his uncircumcision be counted as circumci-
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say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit sion? And will not the physically uncircum-
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adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob tem- cised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even
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ples? You who make your boast in the law, do with your written code and circumcision, are a
you dishonor God through breaking the law? transgressor of the law? For he is not a Jew
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24 For “the name of God is blasphemed among who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that
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the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written. which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew
25 For circumcision is indeed profitable if you who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of
keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose
your circumcision has become uncircumcision. praise is not from men but from God.
DAY 31:Why isn’t God directly mentioned in Esther?
The question naturally arises when reading the book. Even the usual clues about God’s pres-
ence seem absent. No one refers to the Law of God, sacrifices, worship, or prayer. God does not
appear to receive public or private recognition for the preservation of the Jews.When it comes to
God, Esther seems strangely silent.
In fact,the silence is so obvious that it becomes an argument.Esther challenges the tendency
to demand that God prove His power and presence. Must God be apparent? All too quickly we
expect God to demonstrate in unmistakable ways His identity. Yet God has repeatedly resisted
human ultimatums. God reveals Himself for His own purposes, not human requirements.
Throughout history,God has more readily operated behind the scenes than in plain sight.The
Scriptures are filled with unusual circumstances in which God worked obviously. But Esther comes
close to revealing God’s standard procedure.God’s fingerprints are all over Esther’s story.His super-
ficial absence points to a deeper presence. God chose to be subtle, but He was there.The events in
Esther give us a model for hope when God works in less than obvious ways in our lives.

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