Esther 8:1-8
Faithfulness
We finish up our study of the book of Esther this morning by looking at the events of chapters 8, 9, and 10. Last time, we left off with Esther presenting her request to the King, which was simply to save her people.
The king becomes angry, leaves the scene to cool off for a few minutes, but when he returns it looks to him as if Haman is assaulting the Queen. Haman, is actually begging and pleading with the Queen for mercy.
The king sees what he sees though and has Haman executed and hung on the gallows that Haman prepared for Mordecai. Haman was considered a traitor, so his assets were seized by the king and given to Esther and Esther gave them to Mordecai.
Mordecai was essentially promoted to Haman’s position in the kingdom. He was now the king’s right hand man. We don’t know what happened to Haman’s wife or friends, but we do know that his sons were killed in the battle with the Jews, the very battle that Haman had the king write a decree for.
Esther once again comes before the King and asks what he can do to stop the murder of her people. The king pretty much responds by saying an order is an order, even he cannot over turn it, but she can make her own order.
Mordecai wrote a decree for his people in the King’s name. The decree gave the Jewish people the right to defend themselves against any enemy that might attack them, including women and children.
This sounds bizarre to us. God doesn’t want us to kill our enemies does he? But when you look at some of the things in the Old Testament we see part of God’s justice and Holiness is through His wrath. We also see His wrath in the New Testament, especially in the book of Revelation.
A perfectly just and right God must punish sin. There is a price to be paid. Thankfully, for us, the price has been paid through Jesus Christ. Those who do not accept that payment will suffer the penalty for themselves.
So, the people get this message from the king and they rejoiced. In chapter 9, the day arrives for the battle to take place and the Jews destroy their enemy. 810 people were killed in the area and 75,000 were killed around the country.
As I mentioned, Haman’s sons were killed in the battle. God’s people came out on top. God kept His promise to Abraham about blessing those who bless him and cursing those who curse his descendants.
After the battle, Mordecai sends a letter out to his people to remember this day and establish a feast called Purim. This is an annual feast to commemorate what the Lord did for them on this day and the story of Esther is typically read.
What can we learn from this story? Like most Biblical accounts, faithfulness is an important lesson from God’s Word to us. As we see, when God’s people are faithful, they prosper, maybe not immediately, but it is part of God’s long term plan.
When His people are not faithful, they suffer. Again, maybe not in the short run, but over the long term they do. The same holds true for us today as well. God wants us to be faithful followers of Christ. He wants us to live by faith.
Hebrews 11:1 give us a great definition of faith. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Faith is being sure and certain of the right things. The things of God. The promises of God. Faith is the confidence that God will do what He says He will do.
To apply our faith is to live as if God will keep His promises. That is the question for you, Do you believe that God will keep the promises He has made to us in His Word? If so, then live your life accordingly.
If you aren’t sure about all of His promises, then read His Word, study it, pray about it. He will show you what He wants you to see.
No doubt, some of your are sitting there thinking, “I believe, I believe, but it just doesn’t seem like God comes through for me sometimes. I am struggling, why doesn’t He help me out?” Or maybe there is a past hurt that you have experienced and God didn’t come through like you thought He would.
There are some people that become maybe disappointed with God. They feel as though God let them down. He did not answer their prayers the way they expected. Maybe they even gave up on God, stopped praying, going to church, or even reading the Bible.
That is a bad road to take. Our faith is tested all the time. It is tested to prove if our faith is real or is it something we just say we have. Our faith is tested to help us grow and to strengthen us. And of course, our faith is tested to give God the glory when we persevere.
God doesn’t always answer our prayers in the way we expect. We need to remember that He has a plan and He knows what He is doing. Things will work out. Just because He doesn’t give us what we want, doesn’t mean He doesn’t give us what we need.
God loves us, make no mistake about it. That is not the question. But sometimes part of love might involve discipline.
So be faithful, like Mordecai and Esther. They were sure and certain God would hold to His promises and they were right because God is right.
If you find yourself disappointed with God, ask Him to strengthen your faith. Read though the story of Esther, or Ruth that we looked at a few months ago, or any of those Old Testament Characters, Job, David, or Daniel and His friends.
Look at their lives and see how they lived out their faith even when times were rough for them. And remember that God is there with you through it all.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank your for our time in your word this morning. We thank you for those examples of faith in Esther and Mordecai. Help us to be people of faith. Forgive us for those times when we fail and strengthen us again to give you the glory and honor.
AMEN.
Showing posts with label Esther. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Esther. Show all posts
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Anger
Esther 7:1-10
Anger
Last week we saw God’s hand at work for his people once again. The king got a sudden case of insomnia, so he asks his servants to bring a record book of his kingly deeds. The servants read the story about Mordecai discovering the plot to kill the king.
The king decides to reward Mordecai. At that exact moment, Haman enters the king’s court, seeking permission to hang Mordecai. But he never gets a chance to ask the king. The king initiates the conversation by asking Haman what a good way would be to honor someone.
Haman, of course, believes the king is referring to him, so Haman comes up with this grand honor for this person. The king agrees and tells Haman to carry out the honor on Mordecai. To his credit Haman does obey the king and parades Mordecai around the city giving him honor.
After the parade, Haman returns to his own home and tells his family and friends about his humiliation. They realize Haman is in trouble because Mordecai is a Jew. The servants then come and take Haman to the banquet the Queen has prepared.
At the banquet, the king reaffirms his interest in the matter that is bothering Esther. Again, he pledges to do whatever she wants. Esther once again displays humility and courage as she presented her request to the king.
Esther answered and said, “if it pleases the king, save my people from destruction.” She could have asked for anything, even the death or torture of Haman, but she simply presented the facts and asked the king to spare the life of her people.
Of course, the king wants to know who came up with this plan to kill her people and Esther responds it is Haman.
The king is filled with wrath, but notice what he does. He leaves. He doesn’t start yelling, swearing, kicking, screaming, crying, or whatever. He leaves the scene, presumably to cool off in the garden. To slow down, collect himself, count to ten, or whatever he needed to do.
People handle their anger in different ways, think about some of the ways you have handled your anger and think about some ways in which you have seen others handle their anger.
It seems as we mature, especially as Christians, we handle our anger differently. Anger is no doubt a normal part of life, it is a normal response to a difficult situation.
When we see injustices done in this world we should be angry. When God’s name is trashed we should be angry. When the cable or satellite goes out during a movie, we might be disappointed, but that really isn’t something that we should blow up about.
The king is mad, because of the injustice that occurred. He promoted this man Haman, gave him authority, trusted him and Haman abuses that power, that trust for his own purposes, for his own revenge.
While the king is cooling off in the garden, Haman approaches Esther to beg for mercy and plead for his life. When the king returned it looked to him as though Haman was assaulting Esther.
The other guards grab Haman and one of them mentions Haman’s plan to execute Mordecai. The king thought that would be a good punishment for Haman, so they hanged him.
If Haman were to have been tried, he would have three charges against him. First, he manipulated the king so he could exact revenge upon the Jews. Second, he would be charged with assaulting the Queen, although I believe this charge would have been dropped. Lastly, he planned to use the king to kill a man that the king just honored.
No wonder, the king was so upset with this guy. We all get upset and angry sometimes as I mentioned. But we all need to learn to deal with our anger.
As you might have guessed, the bible has a lot to teach us about anger and how to deal with it. First, we must realize that anger is sin if it is unjust or uncontrolled. Being angry at abortion clinics is justified, but blowing them up in anger is not.
Even with righteous anger, we must remember that we as Christians are representing Christ and we are still to treat others with love and mercy. We are to love our neighbors. We are to love our enemies.
Anger is a work of the flesh and is characteristic of fools, of prideful people. Anger brings about its own punishment, Job 5:2 states, “For wrath kills a foolish man.” When you think about it, that is exactly what happens.
Did you ever get mad at your car for not starting or something? Did you jump out and kick it as hard as you could? What happened? Did the car magically start up and run or did you just hurt your foot and dent the car!
Psalm 37:8 tells us to “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath Do not fret, it only causes harm.” Our best defense against anger is prayer, talking to God. Allowing Him to take control of the situation.
Anger is not good for us physically, mentally, or spiritually. Anger management and conflict resolution are some of the most important things that we need to learn in life. Especially, when others are trying to provoke you to anger. Don’t let them win.
We often find ourselves dealing with people who don’t play by the rules. We find underhandedness, deception, dishonesty, and self-serving attitudes in this world today. It is nothing new though. Those traits pretty much describe Haman, doesn’t it.
When we choose to abide by God’s rules and deal with situations according to His will, then we know that we are under His protection and guidance. He has promised to take care of us, and He will.
When our lives are guided by biblical principals, it gives us the ultimate advantage. Think about that the next time you feel angry, think about what God would want you to do.
Closing Prayer
Lord, we thank you for our time in your word this morning. Sometimes in our anger and frustration we do indeed sin. We ask for your forgiveness for our weaknesses and we thank you for that forgiveness that you provide to us.
Help us respond to others in our daily lives in ways that honor and glorify you.
AMEN
Anger
Last week we saw God’s hand at work for his people once again. The king got a sudden case of insomnia, so he asks his servants to bring a record book of his kingly deeds. The servants read the story about Mordecai discovering the plot to kill the king.
The king decides to reward Mordecai. At that exact moment, Haman enters the king’s court, seeking permission to hang Mordecai. But he never gets a chance to ask the king. The king initiates the conversation by asking Haman what a good way would be to honor someone.
Haman, of course, believes the king is referring to him, so Haman comes up with this grand honor for this person. The king agrees and tells Haman to carry out the honor on Mordecai. To his credit Haman does obey the king and parades Mordecai around the city giving him honor.
After the parade, Haman returns to his own home and tells his family and friends about his humiliation. They realize Haman is in trouble because Mordecai is a Jew. The servants then come and take Haman to the banquet the Queen has prepared.
At the banquet, the king reaffirms his interest in the matter that is bothering Esther. Again, he pledges to do whatever she wants. Esther once again displays humility and courage as she presented her request to the king.
Esther answered and said, “if it pleases the king, save my people from destruction.” She could have asked for anything, even the death or torture of Haman, but she simply presented the facts and asked the king to spare the life of her people.
Of course, the king wants to know who came up with this plan to kill her people and Esther responds it is Haman.
The king is filled with wrath, but notice what he does. He leaves. He doesn’t start yelling, swearing, kicking, screaming, crying, or whatever. He leaves the scene, presumably to cool off in the garden. To slow down, collect himself, count to ten, or whatever he needed to do.
People handle their anger in different ways, think about some of the ways you have handled your anger and think about some ways in which you have seen others handle their anger.
It seems as we mature, especially as Christians, we handle our anger differently. Anger is no doubt a normal part of life, it is a normal response to a difficult situation.
When we see injustices done in this world we should be angry. When God’s name is trashed we should be angry. When the cable or satellite goes out during a movie, we might be disappointed, but that really isn’t something that we should blow up about.
The king is mad, because of the injustice that occurred. He promoted this man Haman, gave him authority, trusted him and Haman abuses that power, that trust for his own purposes, for his own revenge.
While the king is cooling off in the garden, Haman approaches Esther to beg for mercy and plead for his life. When the king returned it looked to him as though Haman was assaulting Esther.
The other guards grab Haman and one of them mentions Haman’s plan to execute Mordecai. The king thought that would be a good punishment for Haman, so they hanged him.
If Haman were to have been tried, he would have three charges against him. First, he manipulated the king so he could exact revenge upon the Jews. Second, he would be charged with assaulting the Queen, although I believe this charge would have been dropped. Lastly, he planned to use the king to kill a man that the king just honored.
No wonder, the king was so upset with this guy. We all get upset and angry sometimes as I mentioned. But we all need to learn to deal with our anger.
As you might have guessed, the bible has a lot to teach us about anger and how to deal with it. First, we must realize that anger is sin if it is unjust or uncontrolled. Being angry at abortion clinics is justified, but blowing them up in anger is not.
Even with righteous anger, we must remember that we as Christians are representing Christ and we are still to treat others with love and mercy. We are to love our neighbors. We are to love our enemies.
Anger is a work of the flesh and is characteristic of fools, of prideful people. Anger brings about its own punishment, Job 5:2 states, “For wrath kills a foolish man.” When you think about it, that is exactly what happens.
Did you ever get mad at your car for not starting or something? Did you jump out and kick it as hard as you could? What happened? Did the car magically start up and run or did you just hurt your foot and dent the car!
Psalm 37:8 tells us to “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath Do not fret, it only causes harm.” Our best defense against anger is prayer, talking to God. Allowing Him to take control of the situation.
Anger is not good for us physically, mentally, or spiritually. Anger management and conflict resolution are some of the most important things that we need to learn in life. Especially, when others are trying to provoke you to anger. Don’t let them win.
We often find ourselves dealing with people who don’t play by the rules. We find underhandedness, deception, dishonesty, and self-serving attitudes in this world today. It is nothing new though. Those traits pretty much describe Haman, doesn’t it.
When we choose to abide by God’s rules and deal with situations according to His will, then we know that we are under His protection and guidance. He has promised to take care of us, and He will.
When our lives are guided by biblical principals, it gives us the ultimate advantage. Think about that the next time you feel angry, think about what God would want you to do.
Closing Prayer
Lord, we thank you for our time in your word this morning. Sometimes in our anger and frustration we do indeed sin. We ask for your forgiveness for our weaknesses and we thank you for that forgiveness that you provide to us.
Help us respond to others in our daily lives in ways that honor and glorify you.
AMEN
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Earning Rewards
Esther 6
Last time we saw Haman’s pride. He was bragging to his wife, family, and friends about how great he was, how many children he had, about his great wealth, about how the king promoted him, and how even the queen invited him to a special banquet.
He also told his friends the story of Mordecai not bowing down to him and paying him the respect he felt he deserved. His friends encouraged him to make a gallows for Mordecai and have him hung on it the next day.
Our Scripture picks up this morning with the King having a sleepless night. So he tells his servants to read the book of records of his kingship. The servants start reading and they come to the part about the plan to assassinate the king.
Once again we can see God’s hand at work. The king “just happen” to have insomnia and the servants “just happen” to read about Mordecai’s good deed. This isn’t just chance. This is God at work.
The king asks his servants what reward was given to Mordecai for discovering this plot. The servants reply, “nothing.”
The king married Esther in the 7th year of his reign. The plot to kill the king occurred shortly there after. It is now the king’s 12th year of his reign. So about 5 years had past since Mordecai exposed this plot to kill the king.
No doubt by this time, Mordecai had long forgotten about his role in saving the king. More than likely Mordecai wasn’t even ever looking for a reward. He was simply doing what he felt was right.
The king wants to reward Mordecai for his actions. The king calls for whoever is in his court to come. Again, it just so happens that it is Haman, who is actually coming to ask the king to execute Mordecai!
Chance? No way! This is God at work yet again. The king asks Haman what is the best way to honor someone. Haman, of course, thinks the king is planning to honor him, so Haman comes up with this wonderful and extravagant plan to honor this person.
As we know, the king is referring to Mordecai. The king likes the plan and tells Haman to go and prepare the honors for Mordecai. Haman is quite shocked, but obeys the king, even though it humiliates himself.
After Haman parades Mordecai around and honors him, he returns to his house to tell his family and friends about the events that took place.
It is interesting to note that Haman must consider these people true friends because he is willing to tell them of this embarrassing story. Most people wouldn’t do that unless they were true, close friends and family.
At the end of the chapter, we read of Haman’s friends telling him that if Mordecai is a Jew, then you will not win this battle. Apparently, they were familiar with the God of the Jews and knew the history and the stories of how they prevailed.
So who earned their reward here? It sounds like both Haman and Mordecai are going to get what they deserve, right? As we shall see next week, that is indeed what happens.
But what about us? Are we rewarded for our good deeds? No doubt we are sometimes. We are rewarded sometimes, if you want to call it that, for our earthly good deeds. Maybe we get a monetary reward for finding a lost dog or helping to capture a criminal or something.
Sometimes we get a thank you or an atta boy for doing an outstanding job. And that is ok too. We must not let that effect us or our ego’s, but it is important on a human, earthly level to give thanks to others and show our appreciation to them for the things that they do not only for us but for others as well.
We also need to remember the reward of believers is from God. Our reward is eternal life through Christ. We will reign with Christ because we are joint heirs of Christ. We will receive a crown of righteousness, of glory, of life and an imperishable crown.
We do what we do for God, not for ourselves, not for our own ego. We do it to honor and glorify God.
As I mentioned we should always give thanks to the people that do things for us. We need to remember that it is God working through them to bless us. We should never take our blessings for granted.
How many times have you thanked God for the blessings of our forefathers, like George Washington, John Adams, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin and other signers and supporters of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution?
Think about it! What a blessing it is to live in a free country.
How about the teachers that taught you to read and write or the many soldiers that fought and sacrificed their lives for our freedoms and the freedoms of others.
We are to give thanks to God for all things and everyone. 1 Timothy 2:1 says, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men.”
Let us remember to not only thank each other for the things we do, but to thank God for all that He does for us. Especially, that great and wonderful reward of eternal salvation.
Try to create a spirit of thanksgiving in your life this week. Thank the people that are good to you and encourage others to gives thanks to God for the things that he has done.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank you for that wonderful gift of eternal life. We thank you for the many blessings in our lives. Often times we take for granted the freedoms we have here in this country.
Help us to remember where all of these blessings come from and help us to use the blessings you have given to us to be a blessing to others. We do this all for you and your glory.
AMEN
Last time we saw Haman’s pride. He was bragging to his wife, family, and friends about how great he was, how many children he had, about his great wealth, about how the king promoted him, and how even the queen invited him to a special banquet.
He also told his friends the story of Mordecai not bowing down to him and paying him the respect he felt he deserved. His friends encouraged him to make a gallows for Mordecai and have him hung on it the next day.
Our Scripture picks up this morning with the King having a sleepless night. So he tells his servants to read the book of records of his kingship. The servants start reading and they come to the part about the plan to assassinate the king.
Once again we can see God’s hand at work. The king “just happen” to have insomnia and the servants “just happen” to read about Mordecai’s good deed. This isn’t just chance. This is God at work.
The king asks his servants what reward was given to Mordecai for discovering this plot. The servants reply, “nothing.”
The king married Esther in the 7th year of his reign. The plot to kill the king occurred shortly there after. It is now the king’s 12th year of his reign. So about 5 years had past since Mordecai exposed this plot to kill the king.
No doubt by this time, Mordecai had long forgotten about his role in saving the king. More than likely Mordecai wasn’t even ever looking for a reward. He was simply doing what he felt was right.
The king wants to reward Mordecai for his actions. The king calls for whoever is in his court to come. Again, it just so happens that it is Haman, who is actually coming to ask the king to execute Mordecai!
Chance? No way! This is God at work yet again. The king asks Haman what is the best way to honor someone. Haman, of course, thinks the king is planning to honor him, so Haman comes up with this wonderful and extravagant plan to honor this person.
As we know, the king is referring to Mordecai. The king likes the plan and tells Haman to go and prepare the honors for Mordecai. Haman is quite shocked, but obeys the king, even though it humiliates himself.
After Haman parades Mordecai around and honors him, he returns to his house to tell his family and friends about the events that took place.
It is interesting to note that Haman must consider these people true friends because he is willing to tell them of this embarrassing story. Most people wouldn’t do that unless they were true, close friends and family.
At the end of the chapter, we read of Haman’s friends telling him that if Mordecai is a Jew, then you will not win this battle. Apparently, they were familiar with the God of the Jews and knew the history and the stories of how they prevailed.
So who earned their reward here? It sounds like both Haman and Mordecai are going to get what they deserve, right? As we shall see next week, that is indeed what happens.
But what about us? Are we rewarded for our good deeds? No doubt we are sometimes. We are rewarded sometimes, if you want to call it that, for our earthly good deeds. Maybe we get a monetary reward for finding a lost dog or helping to capture a criminal or something.
Sometimes we get a thank you or an atta boy for doing an outstanding job. And that is ok too. We must not let that effect us or our ego’s, but it is important on a human, earthly level to give thanks to others and show our appreciation to them for the things that they do not only for us but for others as well.
We also need to remember the reward of believers is from God. Our reward is eternal life through Christ. We will reign with Christ because we are joint heirs of Christ. We will receive a crown of righteousness, of glory, of life and an imperishable crown.
We do what we do for God, not for ourselves, not for our own ego. We do it to honor and glorify God.
As I mentioned we should always give thanks to the people that do things for us. We need to remember that it is God working through them to bless us. We should never take our blessings for granted.
How many times have you thanked God for the blessings of our forefathers, like George Washington, John Adams, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin and other signers and supporters of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution?
Think about it! What a blessing it is to live in a free country.
How about the teachers that taught you to read and write or the many soldiers that fought and sacrificed their lives for our freedoms and the freedoms of others.
We are to give thanks to God for all things and everyone. 1 Timothy 2:1 says, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men.”
Let us remember to not only thank each other for the things we do, but to thank God for all that He does for us. Especially, that great and wonderful reward of eternal salvation.
Try to create a spirit of thanksgiving in your life this week. Thank the people that are good to you and encourage others to gives thanks to God for the things that he has done.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank you for that wonderful gift of eternal life. We thank you for the many blessings in our lives. Often times we take for granted the freedoms we have here in this country.
Help us to remember where all of these blessings come from and help us to use the blessings you have given to us to be a blessing to others. We do this all for you and your glory.
AMEN
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Pride
Esther 5:9-14
Pride
Last time we saw the courage of Esther. She knew she needed to approach the King about the slaughter and destruction of her people. But she also knew that if the King rejected her, she could lose her life.
She prayed and fasted with Mordecai and the rest of the Jews in the area for three days. Then she prepared herself. She got all dressed up and she waited. She waited outside of the King’s court.
She waited to see if the King would notice her. Sure enough, the King does. But not just noticed her in a physical way, rather the King actually notices that something is wrong with her mental or emotional state.
The King asks what is wrong. Esther simply requests his presence, along with his right hand man Haman, at a banquet she has prepared for them. The King agrees and has a good time, so Esther invites them back for another party the next day.
In the meantime, where our Scripture picks up this morning. We see Haman heading home to his family. Along the way he sees Mordecai and became very angry again that this Jew would not bow down to him.
But he was able to control his anger and continued his journey to his house. When he got home Haman invited some of his friends and family over for a get together. Haman starts to brag about his accomplishments and how many children he has and how rich he is and how the king promoted him above all others.
Not only that, but the fact that the Queen invited him to a party today and tomorrow as well and no one else was invited. But he says, “there is this Jew that does not honor me.”
His family and friends tell him to build a gallows and hang the Jew from it. Of course, this sounds like a good idea to Haman so he orders the gallows to be built.
Haman’s pride is out on display here in full force. He is showing off to his family and friends and bragging about how great he is. Isn’t is amazing how this man can he think he is on top and yet a little man like Mordecai can ruin his whole day!
Isn’t it also interesting to see how Haman’s family and friends feed his pride and arrogance and encourage him to have Mordecai executed.
Pride is one of those tough things to deal with. I mean we all have some pride right? I am sure when your children did well in school you were proud of them right? It is only natural and it is healthy and Godly.
I take pride in my work. I try to do the best job that I can do given the circumstances. Sometimes I can do a better job than others, but at the end of the day I have to believe I gave it my best shot.
I don’t do that just for me. I do it for the honor and glory of God. He has given me the ability to do the things that I do, so I try to do my best for His honor.
But pride can also be like a disease. We can sum it up by thinking that we know better than anyone else. We are experts in everything. We are never wrong. If it turns out we were wrong, then we make excuses and argue rather than “fessing” up and saying, I was wrong.
Pride insists on being in the spot light. Being the center of attention. This usually involves elevating yourself and belittling others and causing conflict. The Pharisees loved the best seats in the synagogue. Why? Because they were filled with pride.
Jesus tells us that the proud love to hear praises from people. Of course, we know that those praises will be their only reward, they will certainly get no heavenly acclamations for that.
The opposite of pride is humility. We have talked a lot about that during our series in the Gospel of Mark. The humble person may never hear a praise from others here on earth, but we know they will receive their reward in heaven.
God hates pride. Pride made sin a reality way back in the garden of Eden. Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.”
The apostle Paul is a great example of a humble servant of God. And God kept him from become proud. As we know, Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrews’. He had the perfect upbringing and training in the Jewish faith.
Then he is converted to Christ, to Christianity. Paul teaches and preaches the Gospel. He sets up and leads many churches. He oversees the spiritual growth of many. He is inspired to write about half of the New Testament. Here is a man that could truly be proud.
But Paul knew it wasn’t him. Paul knew it was God doing the work. And Paul knew that God was keeping him humble.
In Paul’s Second letter to the Corinthian church, he mentions that thorn in his flesh. We don’t know what that thorn was, but it caused Paul some trouble. Paul prayed and begged God to remove it. But God would not.
Why? Because that is what God used to keep Paul from losing his humility and becoming filled with pride.
Pride seems to be so natural for many of us today. As I mentioned, we are all proud of some things, especially our children. But listen to some conversations this week. I suspect you will notice someone telling a story and then the other person tries to “one up” that story. They are more proud of their story than they are interested in hearing your story.
Don’t feed pride like Haman’s family did. Instead when you hear someone boasting, simply say something like, “Wow, God has really blessed you!”
But what about you? Examine your heart this week, look at your actions and attitudes and see if there is any self-pride in them. If so, pray that God will do whatever needs to be done to remove that pride from you.
Closing Prayer
Lord, so often in this world today we are focused on ourselves and we forget that all things come from you. Thank you for blessing us in so many ways. Give us your vision for our lives.
Enable us to see our pride and remove it. Help us to humbly serve you with our lives.
AMEN
Pride
Last time we saw the courage of Esther. She knew she needed to approach the King about the slaughter and destruction of her people. But she also knew that if the King rejected her, she could lose her life.
She prayed and fasted with Mordecai and the rest of the Jews in the area for three days. Then she prepared herself. She got all dressed up and she waited. She waited outside of the King’s court.
She waited to see if the King would notice her. Sure enough, the King does. But not just noticed her in a physical way, rather the King actually notices that something is wrong with her mental or emotional state.
The King asks what is wrong. Esther simply requests his presence, along with his right hand man Haman, at a banquet she has prepared for them. The King agrees and has a good time, so Esther invites them back for another party the next day.
In the meantime, where our Scripture picks up this morning. We see Haman heading home to his family. Along the way he sees Mordecai and became very angry again that this Jew would not bow down to him.
But he was able to control his anger and continued his journey to his house. When he got home Haman invited some of his friends and family over for a get together. Haman starts to brag about his accomplishments and how many children he has and how rich he is and how the king promoted him above all others.
Not only that, but the fact that the Queen invited him to a party today and tomorrow as well and no one else was invited. But he says, “there is this Jew that does not honor me.”
His family and friends tell him to build a gallows and hang the Jew from it. Of course, this sounds like a good idea to Haman so he orders the gallows to be built.
Haman’s pride is out on display here in full force. He is showing off to his family and friends and bragging about how great he is. Isn’t is amazing how this man can he think he is on top and yet a little man like Mordecai can ruin his whole day!
Isn’t it also interesting to see how Haman’s family and friends feed his pride and arrogance and encourage him to have Mordecai executed.
Pride is one of those tough things to deal with. I mean we all have some pride right? I am sure when your children did well in school you were proud of them right? It is only natural and it is healthy and Godly.
I take pride in my work. I try to do the best job that I can do given the circumstances. Sometimes I can do a better job than others, but at the end of the day I have to believe I gave it my best shot.
I don’t do that just for me. I do it for the honor and glory of God. He has given me the ability to do the things that I do, so I try to do my best for His honor.
But pride can also be like a disease. We can sum it up by thinking that we know better than anyone else. We are experts in everything. We are never wrong. If it turns out we were wrong, then we make excuses and argue rather than “fessing” up and saying, I was wrong.
Pride insists on being in the spot light. Being the center of attention. This usually involves elevating yourself and belittling others and causing conflict. The Pharisees loved the best seats in the synagogue. Why? Because they were filled with pride.
Jesus tells us that the proud love to hear praises from people. Of course, we know that those praises will be their only reward, they will certainly get no heavenly acclamations for that.
The opposite of pride is humility. We have talked a lot about that during our series in the Gospel of Mark. The humble person may never hear a praise from others here on earth, but we know they will receive their reward in heaven.
God hates pride. Pride made sin a reality way back in the garden of Eden. Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.”
The apostle Paul is a great example of a humble servant of God. And God kept him from become proud. As we know, Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrews’. He had the perfect upbringing and training in the Jewish faith.
Then he is converted to Christ, to Christianity. Paul teaches and preaches the Gospel. He sets up and leads many churches. He oversees the spiritual growth of many. He is inspired to write about half of the New Testament. Here is a man that could truly be proud.
But Paul knew it wasn’t him. Paul knew it was God doing the work. And Paul knew that God was keeping him humble.
In Paul’s Second letter to the Corinthian church, he mentions that thorn in his flesh. We don’t know what that thorn was, but it caused Paul some trouble. Paul prayed and begged God to remove it. But God would not.
Why? Because that is what God used to keep Paul from losing his humility and becoming filled with pride.
Pride seems to be so natural for many of us today. As I mentioned, we are all proud of some things, especially our children. But listen to some conversations this week. I suspect you will notice someone telling a story and then the other person tries to “one up” that story. They are more proud of their story than they are interested in hearing your story.
Don’t feed pride like Haman’s family did. Instead when you hear someone boasting, simply say something like, “Wow, God has really blessed you!”
But what about you? Examine your heart this week, look at your actions and attitudes and see if there is any self-pride in them. If so, pray that God will do whatever needs to be done to remove that pride from you.
Closing Prayer
Lord, so often in this world today we are focused on ourselves and we forget that all things come from you. Thank you for blessing us in so many ways. Give us your vision for our lives.
Enable us to see our pride and remove it. Help us to humbly serve you with our lives.
AMEN
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Courage
Esther 5:1-8
Courage
Last week, we read about Mordecai and Esther finding out about the plan to exterminate the Jews. They discuss between themselves what needs to be done. And it is finally decided upon that Esther must approach the King and plead for mercy.
But before she does that she tells Mordecai to gather the Jews in the area and fast for 3 days and she and her servants will do the same. Fasting is a way of showing a grieved heart and soul. It is a way of becoming closer with God.
During a fast you block out worldly things and focus on God. Today most people only fast for medical reasons and even then it seems like such a sacrifice. But here we see all of the Jews fasting for 3 days to get in tune with God.
Then comes the action. After the third day of the fast, Esther gets dressed up real nice and pretty, goes to the King’s inner court and waits. She waits for the King to notice her. And sure enough, the King does notice her. And he extends his royal scepter to her, meaning he welcomed her presence.
As we have seen with the king so far, he doesn’t really pay much attention to what is going on. Remember, his first wife refused to come to him so he got rid of her because that is what his advisors said. And he signed the decree to kill the Jews because that is what Hayman said to do.
So the king isn’t one to really think for himself. But here he sees his beautiful wife and notice what the New American Standard text says in verse 3, “Then the king said to her, “What is troubling you, Queen Esther? And what is your request?”
Amazingly the king actually had a thought of his own. He recognized something was bothering his wife and he was genuinely concerned for her.
Esther requests the presence of the King and his right hand man Hayman at a special banquet she has prepared for them.
Esther believed God’s hand was at work in this situation. How do I know that? Because she had the courage to approach the King. A man that could have you killed. Not only that, but she invited the guy who wanted to kill her and her people.
But Esther believed, she had faith. She knew the King would come, she had everything prepared for the King. What an example of faith, confidence, and dedication.
Esther had a plan. No doubt during the fast the plan came together as she followed God’s lead. She had a plan. Make the king notice her, so she doesn’t get killed. Get the king interested in her, so she can please the king. And then get the king to come back for more, so she can accomplish her goal of saving her people.
Esther was indeed prepared and had a plan, but she still trusted in God to strengthen her and see this plan through.
Often times, we too have plans. But do we leave God out of those plans. Or do we consult with God to see what he wants us to do?
It takes courage to live as a Christian in this world today. Sometimes I suspect our plans would go real well with what God wants. Sometimes our plans are not God’s. Sometimes we go places where we really wouldn’t want God to go.
But you know what. God is there. If we are true Christians then we have the Spirit of God living inside of us and wherever we go, we take God with us. So as you make plans, check in with God to see if that is where He wants to go.
It takes courage, because sometimes you will have to say no to your friends or family members. And sometimes you will have to say yes to God and go somewhere or do something that you don’t really want to do on an earthly level, but it is what He wants.
So we need courage and we can only get that courage through God. One author wrote, “Courage is the power to do well when the air is turbulent and the going gets tough. It is having the character to do well when things are tempting, when things are painful.”
It is easy to be a parent when your child is an A+ honor student, but it takes a lot of courage when your child gets mixed up in the wrong crowd and is harming themselves or others.
“Courage is the power to do well in the face of a threat – to your life, to your security, to your future, to the things you hold dear.”
Esther had faith and courage. And God honored that. Everything went as planned for her. She stepped up and did what was right and God honored that. His hand was upon her.
Think about what is keeping you from living courageously? Is it worldly pressures or possessions? Is it lack of strength and faith?
Whatever it is, take it to God. Ask him to strengthen you; to increase your faith, to increase your courage to see you through your difficult situation. And He will do it.
Closing Prayer
Lord, we thank You for the strength and courage that you have given each one of us. On the outside we may appear calm and collected, but you know our insides as well. You know our thoughts, our anxieties, and our fears.
Help us with those things that we are afraid of. It is something different for each of us. Maybe we are afraid of being jobless, of being sick, of being alone, or of pain in our aging years.
We offer these fears to you and ask you who knows no fear to give us courage to face our challenges and do what it is that you want us to do.
AMEN
Courage
Last week, we read about Mordecai and Esther finding out about the plan to exterminate the Jews. They discuss between themselves what needs to be done. And it is finally decided upon that Esther must approach the King and plead for mercy.
But before she does that she tells Mordecai to gather the Jews in the area and fast for 3 days and she and her servants will do the same. Fasting is a way of showing a grieved heart and soul. It is a way of becoming closer with God.
During a fast you block out worldly things and focus on God. Today most people only fast for medical reasons and even then it seems like such a sacrifice. But here we see all of the Jews fasting for 3 days to get in tune with God.
Then comes the action. After the third day of the fast, Esther gets dressed up real nice and pretty, goes to the King’s inner court and waits. She waits for the King to notice her. And sure enough, the King does notice her. And he extends his royal scepter to her, meaning he welcomed her presence.
As we have seen with the king so far, he doesn’t really pay much attention to what is going on. Remember, his first wife refused to come to him so he got rid of her because that is what his advisors said. And he signed the decree to kill the Jews because that is what Hayman said to do.
So the king isn’t one to really think for himself. But here he sees his beautiful wife and notice what the New American Standard text says in verse 3, “Then the king said to her, “What is troubling you, Queen Esther? And what is your request?”
Amazingly the king actually had a thought of his own. He recognized something was bothering his wife and he was genuinely concerned for her.
Esther requests the presence of the King and his right hand man Hayman at a special banquet she has prepared for them.
Esther believed God’s hand was at work in this situation. How do I know that? Because she had the courage to approach the King. A man that could have you killed. Not only that, but she invited the guy who wanted to kill her and her people.
But Esther believed, she had faith. She knew the King would come, she had everything prepared for the King. What an example of faith, confidence, and dedication.
Esther had a plan. No doubt during the fast the plan came together as she followed God’s lead. She had a plan. Make the king notice her, so she doesn’t get killed. Get the king interested in her, so she can please the king. And then get the king to come back for more, so she can accomplish her goal of saving her people.
Esther was indeed prepared and had a plan, but she still trusted in God to strengthen her and see this plan through.
Often times, we too have plans. But do we leave God out of those plans. Or do we consult with God to see what he wants us to do?
It takes courage to live as a Christian in this world today. Sometimes I suspect our plans would go real well with what God wants. Sometimes our plans are not God’s. Sometimes we go places where we really wouldn’t want God to go.
But you know what. God is there. If we are true Christians then we have the Spirit of God living inside of us and wherever we go, we take God with us. So as you make plans, check in with God to see if that is where He wants to go.
It takes courage, because sometimes you will have to say no to your friends or family members. And sometimes you will have to say yes to God and go somewhere or do something that you don’t really want to do on an earthly level, but it is what He wants.
So we need courage and we can only get that courage through God. One author wrote, “Courage is the power to do well when the air is turbulent and the going gets tough. It is having the character to do well when things are tempting, when things are painful.”
It is easy to be a parent when your child is an A+ honor student, but it takes a lot of courage when your child gets mixed up in the wrong crowd and is harming themselves or others.
“Courage is the power to do well in the face of a threat – to your life, to your security, to your future, to the things you hold dear.”
Esther had faith and courage. And God honored that. Everything went as planned for her. She stepped up and did what was right and God honored that. His hand was upon her.
Think about what is keeping you from living courageously? Is it worldly pressures or possessions? Is it lack of strength and faith?
Whatever it is, take it to God. Ask him to strengthen you; to increase your faith, to increase your courage to see you through your difficult situation. And He will do it.
Closing Prayer
Lord, we thank You for the strength and courage that you have given each one of us. On the outside we may appear calm and collected, but you know our insides as well. You know our thoughts, our anxieties, and our fears.
Help us with those things that we are afraid of. It is something different for each of us. Maybe we are afraid of being jobless, of being sick, of being alone, or of pain in our aging years.
We offer these fears to you and ask you who knows no fear to give us courage to face our challenges and do what it is that you want us to do.
AMEN
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Be Responsible
Scripture Reading - Esther 4:12-17
Be Responsible
Last week in Esther chapter 3 we learned that a man named Haman was made head of security for the King after Mordecai discovered a plot by some officers to kill the King. Everyone was to bow down and pay honor to Haman, but Mordecai would not.
Some of the other security guards saw that Mordecai was not bowing down to Haman and they repeatedly came and asked Mordecai why he would not bow down. Mordecai simply responded that he would not bow because he was a Jew.
Now we don’t know for sure if Mordecai was standing on the principle of the second commandment, which is idol worship, or if he was referring to the long running feud between his ancestors and Haman’s.
Either way, Haman becomes filled with fury. He is extremely upset and mad. But rather than punishing Mordecai for his actions, Haman decides to have the King destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews.
The King signs the decree to destroy all the Jews on a certain day. This is where our scripture picks up this morning in chapter 4. Mordecai heard about the King’s decree and was filled with sorrow.
He tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and went out to the city gate wailing in grief and sorrow. Putting on sackcloth and ashes was an outward sign of an internal distress, shame, or sadness. Mordecai realized that he had prompted this genocidal retaliation by Haman.
Some of Queen Esther’s maids and eunuchs saw Mordecai weeping and wailing so they came to inform her of the situation. Esther immediately sent Mordecai some clothes so he could enter the king’s gate and talk with her directly, but he refused.
Instead Mordecai and Esther communicate through a trusted servant. Mordecai tells Esther to go to the King and plead for the mercy of her people.
At first, Esther reminded Mordecai of Kingly protocol. In other words, you didn’t approach the King unless he summoned you or else you could lose your life. It appears as though for whatever reason, the King had not contacted Esther for about a month.
Esther was obviously concerned for her life by being rejected by the King. Mordecai responds by saying that she too was a Jew and she would not survive the massacre either. Mordecai also believed that if Esther did not step up so to speak, that God would still find a way to deliver them from this trouble.
Mordecai had faith in God. He believed in God’s sovereignty and power to protect His people. He believed that God had a plan and would see that plan through. No doubt, he remembered God’s promise to Abraham.
In Genesis 12:2-3, God tells Abram “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing, and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Finally, Mordecai appeals to Esther’s faith by simply asking the question, who knows if this is what God would have you do? Maybe God put you in this position for this reason, so do what you need to do, not only for yourself and your people, but for God.
Esther then agrees to visit the King, but only after she and her servants fast for three days and also Mordecai and the Jews he gathers together fast as well. Now the scripture here does not explicitly state that they prayed during this time, but I think it can be implied. Praying was and is usually a part of fasting.
And so they did according to the plan.
What an interesting turn in our story. Here we see a young girl struggle to do what was right. Think about it, we all have had to make tough decisions, but for Esther it was truly a matter of life and death.
Her decision really shows her character. She was willing to risk her life for her people. She knew the right thing to do, she had a moral responsibility to do what was right. And she did, but only after three days of prayer and fasting, gaining strength from God to do what he wanted her to do.
Jesus tells us to take up our cross and follow Him. The story of Esther occurred about 400 to 500 years before Christ and here she is, taking up her cross and carrying out God’s will.
She trusted in God’s plan and she believed and listened to Mordecai once again. I think this goes to show you that we all need that personal role model in our lives. That person that we can trust. We can always trust God and sometimes God uses others to convey His message to us.
She had a problem and consulted with her trusted friend, but more importantly she took the matter to God through prayer and fasting.
How about you? Is that what you do? Fasting doesn’t seem to be a popular method of communing with God these days. Maybe we fast for medical or health reasons but rarely for God these days.
I think part of that is because we all live in a busy, noisy society. But it is important to take our troubles and worries to God.
And I don’t mean just knock on His door and drop them off and go about our business. I mean really focus on talking to and more importantly listening to God.
We need to remember that He has much more knowledge of the situation than we do. In fact, He has the big picture of it all. He also has more power, in fact ultimate power over the situation and He has an infinite amount of resources available to use.
The next time you are struggling with something, take it to the Lord and I mean really take it to Him fully. Focus your life on Him and He will respond. He may not tell you what you want to hear, but trust Him and He will take care of you.
We have a responsibility to ourselves, to others, especially the body of Christ, but most importantly we have a responsibility to God. We need to do what is right and what He wants us to do.
Closing Prayer
Lord, we thank You for helping us in our times of need. Help us to be responsible and to do the right thing in all situations. Help us to do what you want us to do. We are so thankful that you do not turn our backs on us, even when we fail you.
Give us the knowledge and wisdom to know and do what it is that you would have us to do and give us the courage to do it.
AMEN
Be Responsible
Last week in Esther chapter 3 we learned that a man named Haman was made head of security for the King after Mordecai discovered a plot by some officers to kill the King. Everyone was to bow down and pay honor to Haman, but Mordecai would not.
Some of the other security guards saw that Mordecai was not bowing down to Haman and they repeatedly came and asked Mordecai why he would not bow down. Mordecai simply responded that he would not bow because he was a Jew.
Now we don’t know for sure if Mordecai was standing on the principle of the second commandment, which is idol worship, or if he was referring to the long running feud between his ancestors and Haman’s.
Either way, Haman becomes filled with fury. He is extremely upset and mad. But rather than punishing Mordecai for his actions, Haman decides to have the King destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews.
The King signs the decree to destroy all the Jews on a certain day. This is where our scripture picks up this morning in chapter 4. Mordecai heard about the King’s decree and was filled with sorrow.
He tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and went out to the city gate wailing in grief and sorrow. Putting on sackcloth and ashes was an outward sign of an internal distress, shame, or sadness. Mordecai realized that he had prompted this genocidal retaliation by Haman.
Some of Queen Esther’s maids and eunuchs saw Mordecai weeping and wailing so they came to inform her of the situation. Esther immediately sent Mordecai some clothes so he could enter the king’s gate and talk with her directly, but he refused.
Instead Mordecai and Esther communicate through a trusted servant. Mordecai tells Esther to go to the King and plead for the mercy of her people.
At first, Esther reminded Mordecai of Kingly protocol. In other words, you didn’t approach the King unless he summoned you or else you could lose your life. It appears as though for whatever reason, the King had not contacted Esther for about a month.
Esther was obviously concerned for her life by being rejected by the King. Mordecai responds by saying that she too was a Jew and she would not survive the massacre either. Mordecai also believed that if Esther did not step up so to speak, that God would still find a way to deliver them from this trouble.
Mordecai had faith in God. He believed in God’s sovereignty and power to protect His people. He believed that God had a plan and would see that plan through. No doubt, he remembered God’s promise to Abraham.
In Genesis 12:2-3, God tells Abram “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing, and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Finally, Mordecai appeals to Esther’s faith by simply asking the question, who knows if this is what God would have you do? Maybe God put you in this position for this reason, so do what you need to do, not only for yourself and your people, but for God.
Esther then agrees to visit the King, but only after she and her servants fast for three days and also Mordecai and the Jews he gathers together fast as well. Now the scripture here does not explicitly state that they prayed during this time, but I think it can be implied. Praying was and is usually a part of fasting.
And so they did according to the plan.
What an interesting turn in our story. Here we see a young girl struggle to do what was right. Think about it, we all have had to make tough decisions, but for Esther it was truly a matter of life and death.
Her decision really shows her character. She was willing to risk her life for her people. She knew the right thing to do, she had a moral responsibility to do what was right. And she did, but only after three days of prayer and fasting, gaining strength from God to do what he wanted her to do.
Jesus tells us to take up our cross and follow Him. The story of Esther occurred about 400 to 500 years before Christ and here she is, taking up her cross and carrying out God’s will.
She trusted in God’s plan and she believed and listened to Mordecai once again. I think this goes to show you that we all need that personal role model in our lives. That person that we can trust. We can always trust God and sometimes God uses others to convey His message to us.
She had a problem and consulted with her trusted friend, but more importantly she took the matter to God through prayer and fasting.
How about you? Is that what you do? Fasting doesn’t seem to be a popular method of communing with God these days. Maybe we fast for medical or health reasons but rarely for God these days.
I think part of that is because we all live in a busy, noisy society. But it is important to take our troubles and worries to God.
And I don’t mean just knock on His door and drop them off and go about our business. I mean really focus on talking to and more importantly listening to God.
We need to remember that He has much more knowledge of the situation than we do. In fact, He has the big picture of it all. He also has more power, in fact ultimate power over the situation and He has an infinite amount of resources available to use.
The next time you are struggling with something, take it to the Lord and I mean really take it to Him fully. Focus your life on Him and He will respond. He may not tell you what you want to hear, but trust Him and He will take care of you.
We have a responsibility to ourselves, to others, especially the body of Christ, but most importantly we have a responsibility to God. We need to do what is right and what He wants us to do.
Closing Prayer
Lord, we thank You for helping us in our times of need. Help us to be responsible and to do the right thing in all situations. Help us to do what you want us to do. We are so thankful that you do not turn our backs on us, even when we fail you.
Give us the knowledge and wisdom to know and do what it is that you would have us to do and give us the courage to do it.
AMEN
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Standing Firm
Scripture Reading Esther 3:1-11
Standing Firm
We come now this morning to the third chapter of Esther. Last time we left off with Esther finding favor with the King. The King and Esther get married. The older cousin and guardian of Esther, Mordecai, is still cautious though and watching out for her.
One day Mordecai was hanging out at the city gate and overhead a plot to kill the King. The men involved in the plot were a couple of the King’s officers. Mordecai tells Esther about the plot and Esther tells the King.
The King investigates the plot and finds it to be true. He has the men plotting the assignation executed and Mordecai has his name written in the Book of the Chronicles for the King. This is an important part of the story to note for later on.
Because of this assassination plot, the King increases his security and puts a guy by the name of Haman (Hay-man) in charge of the security detail. The people were to bow down and pay honor to Haman because of his position.
But Mordecai would not bow to this man. See Mordecai was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin and Haman was an Agagite, a descendant of King Agag. The Agagites tried to exterminate the Jews about 1,000 years before the time of Mordecai and Haman, but the feud was still in their blood.
So Mordecai would not bow down and show honor to Haman. Some of the guards tried to warn Mordecai and questioned him as to why he would not bow down. Mordecai replied that he was a Jew and would not bow down, implying he was obeying the 2nd commandment, which forbids idol worship.
After talking with Mordecai several times to no avail, the guards finally bring Haman’s attention to the situation. Haman was filled with anger, fury, resentment, and hatred. Haman doesn’t want just Mordecai punished, but he wants to punish and eliminate the entire Jewish population.
As I mentioned before, God’s name is not mentioned throughout this book, but His hand and presence is shown through out it. The same holds true for Satan. This isn’t simply Haman wanting to kill the Jews, it is Satan’s hand at work to exterminate God’s chosen people.
Haman goes to the King and says “there is a certain group of people that refuse to obey your laws. Issue a decree to have them all killed on a certain day and we will gather their possessions into our treasury.”
The King, as usual, doesn’t ask any questions and makes the order to kill all these people, in one day all around the country. Now, the King didn’t know these people were Jews, nor did he know that his wife, Esther, was a Jew.
The decree was sent out to all of his towns and the people went crazy with confusion. They were confused because they could not understand why the King would show such hatred to a certain group of people.
What can we learn from this Scripture this morning.
Well for one thing, it seems as though political leaders rely on their advisors a little too much. It is good to gather the advice of others, but we need to make sure we have all the facts and ask the right questions before we act. We also need to think for ourselves once in a while.
When we do stand up for what we believe in, we truly need to know just what it is exactly that we are standing and believing in.
Mordecai had his beliefs and he stood for what he believed was right. He was willing to pay whatever price was necessary. When you are standing firm for what is right in God’s eyes, He will stand with you and take care of you and see you through the situation.
The world puts pressure on us to compromise our convictions today. The world says, lets sit down and have a dialogue about this topic and we can come to some type of agreement based upon our discussion.
That is what the world is like, it tries to get us to bend our beliefs and start to think more like the world. Is this what Jesus did? No, not at all!
He didn’t sit down with the Pharisees, Sadducees, or Scribes and hash out an agreement. He stood for what is right. He did not compromise.
Sometimes when we are holding true to our belief we will need to make sacrifices. We may have to give up worldly activities, friends, jobs, or even family members.
Let’s say you have a great job working for a Doctor and one day the doctor says he is going to start to perform abortions. As a Christian you are against abortions, so what do you do? Do you compromise your beliefs and help the Doctor or do you walk away from the job?
It is tough to do what is right sometimes and it may mean making difficult life changing decisions. But as we live for God, we should make the choices and decisions that He would want us to make. It won’t be easy.
You may be harassed or even persecuted for your beliefs, but that should be expected. After all, wasn’t Jesus killed by the world? If it hated Him, won’t the world hate us too if we are here representing Him?
One final though here this morning. None of us is perfect. Sometimes we all give in, we waver a little bit or make compromises. This isn’t because we want to, it is because we are weak.
It is easy to crumble apart and fail when we try to do stand for something on our own. We need to rely on Christ, all things are possible to Him who believes. We need to speak the truth, but speak it in love. And stand firm with God.
Think about the life of Peter. When Jesus was arrested all the disciples scattered. Peter denied the Lord three times. After that, Peter stood firm in His beliefs and he lost his life because of it. Tradition tells us that before he was hung on a cross, he watched his wife be executed and he kept telling her “Remember the Lord, remember the Lord.”
Stand firm in your faith and remember the Lord each day.
Closing Prayer
Lord, Help us to be strong. Thank you for giving us that strength. Give us the courage to be loyal and stand up for what is right in your eyes, even though it may cause us embarrassment or persecution in this world.
We do this not for our own ego, but for your honor and glory. AMEN.
Standing Firm
We come now this morning to the third chapter of Esther. Last time we left off with Esther finding favor with the King. The King and Esther get married. The older cousin and guardian of Esther, Mordecai, is still cautious though and watching out for her.
One day Mordecai was hanging out at the city gate and overhead a plot to kill the King. The men involved in the plot were a couple of the King’s officers. Mordecai tells Esther about the plot and Esther tells the King.
The King investigates the plot and finds it to be true. He has the men plotting the assignation executed and Mordecai has his name written in the Book of the Chronicles for the King. This is an important part of the story to note for later on.
Because of this assassination plot, the King increases his security and puts a guy by the name of Haman (Hay-man) in charge of the security detail. The people were to bow down and pay honor to Haman because of his position.
But Mordecai would not bow to this man. See Mordecai was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin and Haman was an Agagite, a descendant of King Agag. The Agagites tried to exterminate the Jews about 1,000 years before the time of Mordecai and Haman, but the feud was still in their blood.
So Mordecai would not bow down and show honor to Haman. Some of the guards tried to warn Mordecai and questioned him as to why he would not bow down. Mordecai replied that he was a Jew and would not bow down, implying he was obeying the 2nd commandment, which forbids idol worship.
After talking with Mordecai several times to no avail, the guards finally bring Haman’s attention to the situation. Haman was filled with anger, fury, resentment, and hatred. Haman doesn’t want just Mordecai punished, but he wants to punish and eliminate the entire Jewish population.
As I mentioned before, God’s name is not mentioned throughout this book, but His hand and presence is shown through out it. The same holds true for Satan. This isn’t simply Haman wanting to kill the Jews, it is Satan’s hand at work to exterminate God’s chosen people.
Haman goes to the King and says “there is a certain group of people that refuse to obey your laws. Issue a decree to have them all killed on a certain day and we will gather their possessions into our treasury.”
The King, as usual, doesn’t ask any questions and makes the order to kill all these people, in one day all around the country. Now, the King didn’t know these people were Jews, nor did he know that his wife, Esther, was a Jew.
The decree was sent out to all of his towns and the people went crazy with confusion. They were confused because they could not understand why the King would show such hatred to a certain group of people.
What can we learn from this Scripture this morning.
Well for one thing, it seems as though political leaders rely on their advisors a little too much. It is good to gather the advice of others, but we need to make sure we have all the facts and ask the right questions before we act. We also need to think for ourselves once in a while.
When we do stand up for what we believe in, we truly need to know just what it is exactly that we are standing and believing in.
Mordecai had his beliefs and he stood for what he believed was right. He was willing to pay whatever price was necessary. When you are standing firm for what is right in God’s eyes, He will stand with you and take care of you and see you through the situation.
The world puts pressure on us to compromise our convictions today. The world says, lets sit down and have a dialogue about this topic and we can come to some type of agreement based upon our discussion.
That is what the world is like, it tries to get us to bend our beliefs and start to think more like the world. Is this what Jesus did? No, not at all!
He didn’t sit down with the Pharisees, Sadducees, or Scribes and hash out an agreement. He stood for what is right. He did not compromise.
Sometimes when we are holding true to our belief we will need to make sacrifices. We may have to give up worldly activities, friends, jobs, or even family members.
Let’s say you have a great job working for a Doctor and one day the doctor says he is going to start to perform abortions. As a Christian you are against abortions, so what do you do? Do you compromise your beliefs and help the Doctor or do you walk away from the job?
It is tough to do what is right sometimes and it may mean making difficult life changing decisions. But as we live for God, we should make the choices and decisions that He would want us to make. It won’t be easy.
You may be harassed or even persecuted for your beliefs, but that should be expected. After all, wasn’t Jesus killed by the world? If it hated Him, won’t the world hate us too if we are here representing Him?
One final though here this morning. None of us is perfect. Sometimes we all give in, we waver a little bit or make compromises. This isn’t because we want to, it is because we are weak.
It is easy to crumble apart and fail when we try to do stand for something on our own. We need to rely on Christ, all things are possible to Him who believes. We need to speak the truth, but speak it in love. And stand firm with God.
Think about the life of Peter. When Jesus was arrested all the disciples scattered. Peter denied the Lord three times. After that, Peter stood firm in His beliefs and he lost his life because of it. Tradition tells us that before he was hung on a cross, he watched his wife be executed and he kept telling her “Remember the Lord, remember the Lord.”
Stand firm in your faith and remember the Lord each day.
Closing Prayer
Lord, Help us to be strong. Thank you for giving us that strength. Give us the courage to be loyal and stand up for what is right in your eyes, even though it may cause us embarrassment or persecution in this world.
We do this not for our own ego, but for your honor and glory. AMEN.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Be Prepared
Scripture Reading – Esther 2:8-16
Be Prepared
We begin our study of the book of Esther this morning. The story of Esther is about how the world tried to destroy the Jewish race. But God preserved His people. He kept His covenant with Abraham.
It is interesting to note that God’s name is never mentioned in the book of Esther, but you can see His hand at work throughout the lives of Esther and Mordecai.
Chapter One of Esther gives us a brief background about what is happening. The King of Persia, King Ahasuerus or King Xerxes as he was also known, is giving a party, a banquet for some important people in His kingdom. The princess, attendants, army officers, nobles and so on were all there.
After several days of this party, the King tells his servants to go get his wife, the queen. Dress her up nicely and bring her to the party so he can show off her beauty to everyone there.
The queen refuses the request. The King’s advisors tell him to make an edict and declare that the queen is no longer allowed in the King presence because of her disobedience.
Now they weren’t really concerned about the alleged disrespect the Queen showed the King, they were really more concerned about an uprising in their households, having their wives disobey them. Remember, at this point in time, women were treated like possessions.
So, the King listens to his advisors and the Queen is no longer allowed around Him and his edict informs everyone that the men are to be the masters of their household.
At the beginning of chapter 2 we find the King is now a little lonely without his wife, so he asks his advisors what he should do. The brilliant advisors tell him to round up all the beautiful young women, give them beauty treatments for a year and then see which is best.
Of course, the king likes this idea, so he orders it to be done. During the round up, a young women, named Esther, was taken. Esther is described as a beautiful women, having a perfect face and perfect figure. And this is before the year long beauty treatment.
Esther’s parents were killed during a raid some years ago, so she lived with her older cousin Mordecai who took care of her and treated her as a daughter. Mordecai was very well aware of the hatred for Jews, so he told Esther not to make it know that she was a Jew.
As I mentioned Esther was very pretty physically, but she was also a charming young lady with her personality. She trusted others in her life, but most importantly she trusted God.
Esther finds favor with the chief servant, Hegai, who was overseeing this project of the Kings. Hegai treats Esther nicer than the others, he provides better beauty treatment and personal advice to help Esther.
When Esther’s turn came to meet the King, the King also found favor with her and married her.
What an interesting story so far. It sounds like a nice love story or something, but how is it religious? What does it mean to us today?
Looking at Esther’s life, we see that she lost her parents. She had to rely on someone else to provide for her. She saw God’s hand protecting her through Mordecai. When she was taken from Mordecai, she listen to him and she trusted God with her life.
She was nice to her “captives” so to speak and the head servant found favor with her and helped her out. See God prepares us for our future through our current experiences. We don’t always know why things are happening the way that they are, but we can simply trust in God’s plan.
God especially uses our consciences to work in our lives. He uses it to convict us of our sin. It enables us to rely on him for strength and guidance. We don’t know what is coming next in our life.
We simply need to take it as it comes and trust that God indeed does have a plan for us. He is in control and He knows what He is doing.
Looking back at my life, and I know the world doesn’t revolve around me, but looking back just a few years ago. My wife and I were attending a church, that eventually closed. After that we rearranged our schedules and starting attending the Strongstown church were I had attended before my father entered the ministry.
From Strongstown I attended some lay speaking courses and before long I was filling in for my Dad while he was sick. Next thing I know I am preaching regularly to a couple of churches.
This all started because a Church closed and we went to another church. Had that original church not closed, I am not sure if I would have had the opportunities to do what I do today. Don’t get me wrong it was sad that the church closed, but it worked out according to God’s plan for me.
From what I understand the people who attended the church that closed have gone to another church and are actively involved in it as well.
And that is the point of our scripture this morning. Be prepared. God has a plan for you. Read His Word, look at examples of faithful people, Moses, Abraham, Mary, and so on.
Ask God to open your eyes to His plan for your life. Don’t get discouraged when things don’t appear to be going according to your plan. Instead look at God’s plan. Pray that He will open your eyes to see what He sees and for the wisdom and knowledge and trust to accept the things that have been placed into your life.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you that you play a part, a big part, in each and every one of our lives. We know that you have a plan for us. Help us to be available and prepared for you to use us to accomplish your plan.
Help us to prepare for your plan by studying your word and listening for your call in our lives. We don’t know what is in store for us, but we can trust in you. In Jesus Name we pray and give thanks. AMEN.
Be Prepared
We begin our study of the book of Esther this morning. The story of Esther is about how the world tried to destroy the Jewish race. But God preserved His people. He kept His covenant with Abraham.
It is interesting to note that God’s name is never mentioned in the book of Esther, but you can see His hand at work throughout the lives of Esther and Mordecai.
Chapter One of Esther gives us a brief background about what is happening. The King of Persia, King Ahasuerus or King Xerxes as he was also known, is giving a party, a banquet for some important people in His kingdom. The princess, attendants, army officers, nobles and so on were all there.
After several days of this party, the King tells his servants to go get his wife, the queen. Dress her up nicely and bring her to the party so he can show off her beauty to everyone there.
The queen refuses the request. The King’s advisors tell him to make an edict and declare that the queen is no longer allowed in the King presence because of her disobedience.
Now they weren’t really concerned about the alleged disrespect the Queen showed the King, they were really more concerned about an uprising in their households, having their wives disobey them. Remember, at this point in time, women were treated like possessions.
So, the King listens to his advisors and the Queen is no longer allowed around Him and his edict informs everyone that the men are to be the masters of their household.
At the beginning of chapter 2 we find the King is now a little lonely without his wife, so he asks his advisors what he should do. The brilliant advisors tell him to round up all the beautiful young women, give them beauty treatments for a year and then see which is best.
Of course, the king likes this idea, so he orders it to be done. During the round up, a young women, named Esther, was taken. Esther is described as a beautiful women, having a perfect face and perfect figure. And this is before the year long beauty treatment.
Esther’s parents were killed during a raid some years ago, so she lived with her older cousin Mordecai who took care of her and treated her as a daughter. Mordecai was very well aware of the hatred for Jews, so he told Esther not to make it know that she was a Jew.
As I mentioned Esther was very pretty physically, but she was also a charming young lady with her personality. She trusted others in her life, but most importantly she trusted God.
Esther finds favor with the chief servant, Hegai, who was overseeing this project of the Kings. Hegai treats Esther nicer than the others, he provides better beauty treatment and personal advice to help Esther.
When Esther’s turn came to meet the King, the King also found favor with her and married her.
What an interesting story so far. It sounds like a nice love story or something, but how is it religious? What does it mean to us today?
Looking at Esther’s life, we see that she lost her parents. She had to rely on someone else to provide for her. She saw God’s hand protecting her through Mordecai. When she was taken from Mordecai, she listen to him and she trusted God with her life.
She was nice to her “captives” so to speak and the head servant found favor with her and helped her out. See God prepares us for our future through our current experiences. We don’t always know why things are happening the way that they are, but we can simply trust in God’s plan.
God especially uses our consciences to work in our lives. He uses it to convict us of our sin. It enables us to rely on him for strength and guidance. We don’t know what is coming next in our life.
We simply need to take it as it comes and trust that God indeed does have a plan for us. He is in control and He knows what He is doing.
Looking back at my life, and I know the world doesn’t revolve around me, but looking back just a few years ago. My wife and I were attending a church, that eventually closed. After that we rearranged our schedules and starting attending the Strongstown church were I had attended before my father entered the ministry.
From Strongstown I attended some lay speaking courses and before long I was filling in for my Dad while he was sick. Next thing I know I am preaching regularly to a couple of churches.
This all started because a Church closed and we went to another church. Had that original church not closed, I am not sure if I would have had the opportunities to do what I do today. Don’t get me wrong it was sad that the church closed, but it worked out according to God’s plan for me.
From what I understand the people who attended the church that closed have gone to another church and are actively involved in it as well.
And that is the point of our scripture this morning. Be prepared. God has a plan for you. Read His Word, look at examples of faithful people, Moses, Abraham, Mary, and so on.
Ask God to open your eyes to His plan for your life. Don’t get discouraged when things don’t appear to be going according to your plan. Instead look at God’s plan. Pray that He will open your eyes to see what He sees and for the wisdom and knowledge and trust to accept the things that have been placed into your life.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you that you play a part, a big part, in each and every one of our lives. We know that you have a plan for us. Help us to be available and prepared for you to use us to accomplish your plan.
Help us to prepare for your plan by studying your word and listening for your call in our lives. We don’t know what is in store for us, but we can trust in you. In Jesus Name we pray and give thanks. AMEN.
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