The Blog

Today we are posting two more Purim songs.  You can read yesterday’s post for more of the explanation of Purim.  And enjoy the songs!  (The first one is not traditional; the second one is.  After reading them, you will probably notice that humor is a standard feature of Purim songs.)

The Joy of the Lord is my Strength (with Purim verses)
The joy of the Lord is my strength
The joy of the Lord is my strength
The joy of the Lord is my strength
The joy of the Lord is my strength.

That Haman he was wicked and his plan so bad
To murder all the Jews, it would have been so sad
But through the hand of Esther and through Mordechai
God saved the Jews, ‘twas Haman who would die.

That wicked man named Haman fell in his own trap
He had the gallows built but he himself was zapped
And Mordechai was honored for he loved the Lord
The joy of the Lord was his reward.

Queen Esther and her maidens mourned and called a fast
They prayed for three whole days and then their sadness passed.
Our Lord had turned their mourning into joy that day.
On Purim we remember and we say,

The joy of the Lord is my strength
The joy of the Lord is my strength
The joy of the Lord is my strength
The joy of the Lord is my strength.

A Wicked, Wicked Man 

(Download verse 1 with sheet music here: A Wicked, Wicked Man (Purim Song).  Verses 2-6 follow below )
2. And Esther was the lovely queen
 of King Ahasuerus.
When Haman said he’d kill us all
Oh my, how he did scare us…  Refrain

3. But Mordechai, her cousin bold
said, “What a dreadful chutzpa,”
If guns were but invented now
This Haman I would shoot, sir… Refrain

4. When Esther speaking to the king
of Haman’s plot made mention
“Ha, ha,” said he, “oh no he won’t!
“I’ll spoil his bad intention… Refrain
5. The guest of honor he shall be
this clever Mr. Smarty.
And high above us he shall swing
At a little hanging party… Refrain

6. Of all his cruel and unkind ways
this little joke did cure him.
And don’t forget we owe him thanks
For this jolly feast of Purim… Refrain  

Purim will be here next week, starting the evening of March 20.  Purim is a commemoration of the events recorded in the book of Esther - for a specific explanation of the name, see Esther 9:20-28.  In anticipation thereof, we post a humorous (traditional) Purim song:

Purim Song: ”In Shushan Long Ago”  (to the tune of “Polly Wolly Doodle”)

Oh Haman was a high and mighty bluff
In Shu-shu-shu-shan long ago.
He ordered Mordecai to take his derby off
In Shu-shu-shu-shan long ago.

Refrain:  So we sing, so we sing
               So we sing and praise the Lord.
               For Haman he was swinging   (i.e., on the gallows)
               While Mordecai was singing
               In Shu-shu-shu-shan long ago.

But Mordecai sat and laughed in his face
In Shu-shu-shu-shan long ago.
So Haman said he’d exterminate his race
In Shu-shu-shu-shan long ago.  (Refrain)

Oh Esther was a timid little maid
In Shu-shu-shu-shan long ago.
But Mordecai told her she needn’t be afraid
In Shu-shu-shu-shan long ago.  (Refrain)

So she went to the king and she gave him a smile
In Shu-shu-shu-shan long ago.
The king he liked her manner and her style
In Shu-shu-shu-shan long ago.   (Refrain)

A-ha-su-erus was a high and mighty king
In Shu-shu-shu-shan long ago.
He ordered Haman to take a little swing
In Shu-shu-shu-shan long ago.    (Refrain)

Our recent AMHE newsletter featured an article about Biblical courtship.  (If you’re not already on our mailing list, but would like to receive these newsletters, just let us know and send us your address.)  Our family has benefited from hearing a lot of messages - at conferences and via books and audio recordings - about this subject over a long period of time.  There are two reasons why I think it’s important to get such a broad perspective on the issue. 

First, courtship is a novel idea in today’s secularized culture.  And our secularized culture is inundated with “boyfriend/girlfriend” consciousness.  So generally, I think most of us need to hear more than just one message (and hear it more than just one time) in order to really make the paradigm shift in our thinking, away from the humanistic, hedonistic norm in our culture, toward a Biblical worldview perspective. 

And second, there are a lot of different views out there on what courtship is, or should be.  But if there is one formula that applies to courtship in general, it is that neat “formulas” are not the solution.  So if you just hear one message, you might miss out on hearing different or new ways of approaching the issues.  Hearing Godly wisdom from different sources is extremely helpful, not to try to copy somebody’s “formula,” but to see the countless ways that unchanging Biblical truths can be applied to the innumerably diverse fact-patterns we encounter in real life.

So with this said, here are a few courtship resources that have been helpful to us, and which we recommend:

- Little Bear’s Courtship Series (DVD and audio CD messages; the messages can also be ordered individually here).   Little Bear also has the “Releasing the Arrow” conference messages, featuring Little Bear and Mark Holden.  After you hear Little Bear’s courtship messages, this set makes a good follow-up, focusing more broadly on young adult children.

- Dr. S.M. Davis’ courtship series (on DVD or audio).  The single most important message (the best message to start with) in this series is “Seeds of Disintegration.”

- Sarah Mally’s excellent book, Before You Meet Prince Charming.

 If you’re going to get a single message to start with, Little Bear’s DVD “Preparing for Courtship and Beyond” is a great place to begin (you can get it on DVD or CD). 

Since an understanding of God’s word is central to living out in any way a life of love for God (Matthew 22:37, John 14:15), and living a life of love for God is the central duty of man, the psalmist asks for God’s physical blessings upon his life for the very purpose of living such a life. “Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word” (v. 17). 

The depth of God’s word is emphasized in verse 18, where the psalmist asks God to open his eyes to “behold wondrous things out of thy law.”  The psalmist wants to know God’s law-word for all it is worth; he wants to see the connections between things and understand all the wonderful treasures in the law.

A trust in God and His righteous law teaches the believer to be fearless and confident in God even in the face of opposition (v. 21, 23).  He even knows that he will be vindicated in the face of calumnies (v. 22).