Daily Butter 10/25: Money Talks

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (10/25/11):

[Haman to Ahasuerus] “If the king approves, let an order be drawn up authorizing their destruction, and I will pay 375 tons of silver to the accountants for deposit in the royal treasury."

(Esther 3:9 HCSB)

While there truly is “nothing new under the sun,” (Ecc. 1:9-10) I missed the payoff in the VeggieTales version. Power and money always seem to go hand-in-hand in this world and Haman really didn’t like his power being questioned. The Holman Christian Standard Bible’s converting the original “talents” weight into modern units makes a pretty vivid picture of how badly he wanted revenge for the disrespect of one lowly but (literally) upright guard.

While money talks, one’s attitude toward money speaks volumes.

But godliness with contentment is a great gain.

    For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out.

    But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.

    But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction.

(1 Timothy 6:6-9 HCSB)

Unfortunately, money is still inextricably intertwined with political power. In the current political climate in this country where money and appearance rule the polls, I am thoroughly convinced that few if any of our great past presidents (I’ll leave that for you to speculate who I place on that list) would ever be elected – either because they couldn’t afford the advertising budget or because they have a good old fashioned “face for radio.”  Money was already mentioned, so for perspective on appearance and popularity:

He had no form or splendor that we should look at Him,
no appearance that we should desire Him.

He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.
He was like one people turned away from;
He was despised, and we didn't value Him.

Yet He Himself bore our sicknesses,
and He carried our pains;
but we in turn regarded Him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.

But He was pierced because of our transgressions,
crushed because of our iniquities;
punishment for our peace was on Him,
and we are healed by His wounds.

We all went astray like sheep;
we all have turned to our own way;
and the LORD has punished Him
for the iniquity of us all.

(Isaiah 53:2b-6 HCSB)

- Andy Jentes