Three of These Things Belong Together

… But one of these things just doesn’t belong here,
And now it’s time to play our game…

Esther 3:1-15

Reference: v.8 Haman then spoke with King Xerxes: “There is an odd set of people scattered through the provinces of your kingdom who don’t fit in. Their customs and ways are different from those of everybody else. Worse, they disregard the king’s laws. They’re an affront; the king shouldn’t put up with them. (The Message Bible)

Explore: I remember when I was a child I used to watch Sesame Street.  They used to play a game where they showed four items.  Three of the items were connected in some way, but the fourth item did not belong.  They used to sing a song to go with the game:

Three of these things belong together,
Three of these things are kind of the same,
But one of these things just doesn’t belong here,
And now it’s time to play our game, it’s time to play our game.

I used to be so impressed with myself as I was always able to tell which item was the odd one out.  Now I look back and realize how simple the game was, I’m not sure I can really boast about my incredible intelligence!

Application: People always find it easy to spot the odd one out.  As a general rule we like to fit in with the crowd and would be horrified to think that we might be the fourth item that doesn’t belong here.  And yet, being part of the crowd was not necessarily a prerequisite in following God.  In fact, often the person that God chose was the ‘odd’ one.  Moses’ mother gave him away as a baby, King David was thought of last by his family, and Esther was to be killed through a genocide decree.  They were certainly the ‘odd one that didn’t belong’ and yet, God raised them up to change the course of history.  We are not called to fit in or be a part of the crowd, but to stand up for what we believe, no matter how odd that makes us appear.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me when I remain silent in the hope that others will accept me.  May I have the courage to stand for what I believe, even if that makes me odd!  Amen.

Have you ever felt like the odd one out due to your beliefs?

acceptance, belong, Esther, odd