DOES GOD TEST US?

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk.com. 

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied.  “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Job 1:8-12

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

One thing is sure about life if you live enough of it. You are sure to face hardship at some time or another. Often when these times come for believers, they are usually quick to fall on their knees before God and pray for a resolution to their problems, yearning for better days to return.

But what if God is testing us? Do we ever consider this…that in the midst of our difficulties, God is testing our faith, our resolve, our perseverance, or our trust in Him? Or maybe, God wants to show Satan that no matter how hard he tries to turn us from our Master, he will be unable to do so. I’m sure nothing delights the Lord more than frustrating the devil.

We get a sense that some or all of this is going on in our passage from the 1^st Chapter of Job. The Lord asks Satan if he had ever considered His servant Job…a man God distinguished by saying there was “no one on earth like him”. The Lord further described him as being God-fearing, blameless, upright, and a man who would shun evil.

Then Satan gets sly as only he can. Notice his quick move to discredit Job. The assertion is that Job has had everything go his way in life. He has not had to suffer any hardship and is very well off. What does he have to be afraid of?

And so it’s little wonder Job can be talked about in such lofty ways. This is Satan’s point. He hasn’t gone through any hardship. He had reaped the bounty of God’s blessings and Satan went as far to claim that God Himself had done this…that God had “put a hedge around” His servant and “everything he has”, preventing difficulty from happening.

Surely, Job would not be so upright and blameless if he suffered. Satan was sure of it.

In fact, Satan was so sure about it that He challenged God to bring calamity on Job, taking away everything he had. This, Satan believed, would change Job’s attitude drastically. The man who was once faithful to God would change and curse Him to His face.

The dare was on. For God gave Job and everything he had over to Satan and his power. Satan had free reign except for laying a finger on Job himself. In other words, Satan couldn’t kill Job…but he could make him suffer. And he would more than do that as we will soon see.

Could this same scene play out for you or me?

It’s definitely possible. If the Lord did it to Job, He could choose to do it to anyone. After all, He is God.

But maybe the question shouldn’t be whether God would test us but rather, are we ready for it when He does? Are we prepared to trust Him in all circumstances, good and bad? Are we ready to deny Satan and his power, relying instead on God’s almighty power to help us through?

This is why the Book of Job is so critically important to study. For as we’ll see, Job went through more calamity in just a short period of time than we’ll go through for a lifetime. And yet, through it all, Job remained steadfast in his faith and loyalty to God.

Friends, we can only hope to do likewise when God tests us. For it’s not a question of whether God tests us, but rather a question of when will He test us. Every day is a day of preparation for that time when it comes. We should do so, studying God’s word and cementing our relationship with Him in prayer.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com

WHAT WOULD GOD SAY?

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk.com.

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.

His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.

One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

Job 1:1-8

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As the Book of Job opens, we quickly learn a lot about the book’s namesake.

We learn about where he lives (the land of Uz) and that he had a rather large family (seven sons and three daughters). His family got along well as “his sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.”

Job was obviously pretty well off as he owned “seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys”, and had a “large number of servants.”

He also was a man who feared God and shunned evil…described as “blameless and upright”. He obviously loved his children and was concerned about their spiritual standing with God. Scripture tells us that he would “make arrangements” for his children to be purified “when a period of feasting had run its course”, and he also had a regular custom of sacrificing a burnt offering for each of his children “early in the morning”, concerned that his children may have “sinned and cursed God in their hearts.”

Yes…Job was a man of high spiritual and material standing…so much so that we read he was “the greatest man among all the people of the East.”

This is what the word of God has to say about Job.

As I pondered this, I couldn’t help but wonder what the word of God would say about me…or you…if a book was written about our lives. I’ve lived for more than 50 years and I don’t think I could ever describe myself as being “blameless and upright”. You could call me God fearing I guess but I haven’t exactly shunned evil all my life. Guess if I had really been God-fearing I would have shunned evil.

Are you with me?

It would be hard to write a book about me and begin with such amazing words of compliment that Job enjoys in his introduction. I think that is what makes the man and his story so incredibly amazing to me. We maybe have a tendency to doubt Job’s greatness as a human being and man of God until we have a chance to read his testimony. And I can’t wait to walk through that over the next several weeks.

But the accolades for Job didn’t just come from the written word of God. They also came from His mouth.

For we read where “angels came to present themselves before the Lord” one day, joined by Satan who the Lord questions asking, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” We know Satan roams…roams like a lion looking to devour (1 Peter 5:8) anyone he can have his way with. Knowing this fully, God asks Satan if he had considered Job who God referred to as His servant. And then the Lord added this:

“There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

Wow! Did you hear that? God said of Job, “There is no one on earth like him.” If you were a believer and wondering how God felt about you, would there be any better validation that you were living in favor with Him than those words being spoken?

Job was special. There is no doubt in our minds about that as we are introduced to the man. And maybe we would be well served to use him as a role model in the way we live…and as we will soon see…as we deal with life’s challenges and adversities.

What would God say about you or me if He were to tell Satan about us?

Would He be able to challenge Satan to consider us, knowing we would stay steadfast in our faith toward Him if hardship were to come?

Friends, we can only strive every day to ensure our lives are pleasing to the One who gave them to us. And we can start by fully making His way our way…and His will our will. God expects us to do just that.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com

GREATNESS COMES WHEN YOU’RE SECOND

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk.com.

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores. And all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whom the king had promoted, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia? Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.

Esther 10:1-3

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Where would the Jews been had it not been for Mordecai? True that God would have saved them otherwise but Mordecai allowed himself to be an instrument through which God worked. We could learn a lot from his example.

Indeed, Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman who had been elevated to a position higher than any of the other nobles. He would only bow before the One and only true King and authority over his life, the Lord God Almighty. Mordecai full knew the dangers that came with his rebellious refusal to honor Haman but it was more important to Mordecai to honor God first than anything else, even if it put him in grave danger. He refused to give in.

Too often, we buckle under in our own lives when faced with times to stand firm for God or buckle under to worldly demands on us. We too often shift our focal point away from God and pay honor to other people or other things. Indeed, life offers us all kinds of false gods to bow down to. And we all have a choice whether to do so or not.

Mordecai didn’t and neither should we.

And when the rest of the Jews fell into danger along with Mordecai, what did Mordecai do? He advocated for all, not just himself. He petitioned Esther, who he raised like his own daughter, to use her influence with King Xerxes to win all the Jews, including herself, pardon from impending death.

God expects us to advocate and support those who are in danger and distress. Consider how many people in this world are persecuted for their Christian beliefs…or are sold into the bondage of sex trafficking…or are fighting for their lives because they don’t have enough food to eat or clean water to drink. There’s a world in need out there and who will speak up for them…to make others aware of their needs…to seek to interceded and get help for them? Mordecai didn’t hesitate to do what it took to ensure that the Jews would not perish. We’re expected to do likewise.

This is what made Mordecai great. It wasn’t his elevation to second in command behind King Xerxes, although the world would define his greatness that way. No, what made Mordecai great was the way he held firm to being second to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, standing firm on his faith in God while selflessly caring for others. Scripture tells us his fellow Jews “held (him) in high esteem…because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.” It wasn’t about Mordecai but about all the Jewish people, the chosen people of God, and he discovered greatness when he placed himself second.

Through the life of Mordecai, we get a glimpse of One even greater yet to come, a Savior who would live a perfectly selfless life of working for the good of others and interceding for the welfare, not just of the Jews, but for all of God’s people. Jesus did all of that and more. Thanks be to God for Him and the salvation He brings us…and thanks be to God for Mordecai and the great example of leadership and faithful service he provided.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com

OUR AMAZING DELIVERER

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk.com.

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.

That is why rural Jews—those living in villages—observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other.

Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them. For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction. But when the plot came to the king’s attention, he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back onto his own head, and that he and his sons should be impaled on poles. (Therefore these days were called Purim, from the word pur.) Because of everything written in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them, the Jews took it on themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed. These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews—nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants.

So Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim. And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of Xerxes’ kingdom—words of goodwill and assurance—to establish these days of Purim at their designated times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed for them, and as they had established for themselves and their descendants in regard to their times of fasting and lamentation. Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, and it was written down in the records.

Esther 9:18-32

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

See if you agree with this statement: We are people who are fixed on dates and times which mark matters of importance.

It’s true, isn’t it?

A person is born and we start to track their years by their birth date, celebrating every year as another year of life has past and a new one awaits. The same applies for anniversaries, marked by that ever special wedding day.

Other days we celebrate are marked by special events that are assigned holidays like New Year’s Eve and Day, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, the 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and, of course with special celebration for Christians, Easter and Christmas. We also mark days that cause us to pause and reflect on tragedies that might have happened or those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedoms…days like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, 9/11, Veteran’s Day and, for Christians, Good Friday.

Yes, we are a people who celebrate and embrace dates and times of special significance. And we should always strive to remember their origins.

As we have studied the Old Testament, we have already looked at many dates that are special and significant to the Jewish community…dates and events connected to their rich heritage…dates and events that deserve celebration. Of course, the sacred Sabbath (Shabbat) was always observed and recognized. Pre-exile, the major festivals were Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of First Fruits, the Feast of Weeks (or Pentecost…Shavuot), the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Booths (or Tabernacles or Ingathering…Succoth). As we finish reading from the 9th Chapter of Esther, we’re introduced to a new festival…the festival of Purim.

You’ll recall that when Haman was planning the execution of the Jews, he cast lots or purim to choose the date. We know now as we get set to close this important book detailing God’s deliverance of His people that Haman’s plan was foiled by the courageous work of Esther and Mordecai and the Jewish people were saved as a result.

In the aftermath of the Jewish victory, made certain because God was with them, we read where the “Jews in Susa…had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.” We’re told this is why “rural Jews—those living in villages—observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other.”

Mordecai, elevated to Haman’s place of power within the king’s palace, “recorded these events and…sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.” And thus the foundation of Purim was set…and is still celebrated today.

Indeed, “the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them.” They “took it on themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed. These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews—nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants.” Esther then sealed the establishment of the holiday, sending “letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of Xerxes’ kingdom…to establish these days of Purim at their designated times.”

The celebration was set…a time of rejoicing established. But all would be impossible without God first watching over, protecting and delivering His people. We would be well suited to remember this when we celebrate any special day of our lives. In good times and bad, God is ever with us…our very present help in times of trouble…our amazing and blessed Provider when things are well. He ordains all days and is the only One worthy of our praise and worship and celebration. We should always live in remembrance of our God and His awesome, incredible, nature. He does all things so that we might remember Him, whether a special day of significance or not.

Friends, maybe we should look at every day as a holiday. For life itself is precious…each breath and heartbeat critical to our continued existence. If you think about it, none of us really deserve this life we’re granted because of our sinfulness. But by God’s grace and mercy and love, we have life and have it to the full. I have often thought of each breath as a breath of grace and every heartbeat as a beat of mercy. It helps keep me reminded of God’s blessings, ever granted to us until our time here is done. And even then, we have reason to celebrate because the gift God gave all of us in His Son Jesus Christ…a sacrifice offered because He so loved the world and wished that we would not perish but instead have eternal life (John 3:16).

Yes…God gave His only Son Jesus to pay the price for our sins so that whosoever believes in Him might live forever and enjoy a future celebration which will make all others pale in comparison…even Purim. It’s the ultimate deliverance by our amazing Deliverer…our God who has shown throughout history that He is the deliverance business.

Do you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? If not, please don’t delay today and possibly lose your invitation to the greatest celebration of all time. Believe in Christ and gain your final deliverance today.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com

VICTORY IS CERTAIN

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk.com.

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. The king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed him over Haman’s estate.

Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews. Then the king extended the gold scepter to Esther and she arose and stood before him.

“If it pleases the king,” she said, “and if he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces.

For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?”

King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to Esther, and they have impaled him on the pole he set up. Now write another decree in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring —for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.”

At once the royal secretaries were summoned—on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. They wrote out all Mordecai’s orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush. These orders were written in the script of each province and the language of each people and also to the Jews in their own script and language. Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the dispatches with the king’s signet ring, and sent them by mounted couriers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king.

The king’s edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate the armed men of any nationality or province who might attack them and their women and children, and to plunder the property of their enemies. The day appointed for the Jews to do this in all the provinces of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

The couriers, riding the royal horses, went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa.

When Mordecai left the king’s presence, he was wearing royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration. For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor. In every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.

On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those determined to destroy them. No one could stand against them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them. And all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king’s administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them. Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful.

The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha, the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not lay their hands on the plunder.

The number of those killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king that same day. The king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in the citadel of Susa. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? It will also be granted.”

“If it pleases the king,” Esther answered, “give the Jews in Susa permission to carry out this day’s edict tomorrow also, and let Haman’s ten sons be impaled on poles.”

So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they impaled the ten sons of Haman. The Jews in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to death in Susa three hundred men, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder.

Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of them but did not lay their hands on the plunder. This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.

Esther 8:1-17, 9:1-17

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I joined the Navy in 1983 and would serve on my first ship in 1987. All Navy ships have a motto and my ship, the USS SAN JACINTO, was no different. Our motto was “Victory is Certain” and we took those words to heart in carrying out our mission each and every day.

As we have studied Esther, you can see that Mordecai and, after some mentoring from Mordecai, Esther also believed that victory was certain for them. Why? Because God was with them.

When things looked bleakest for the Jews, you’ll recall Mordecai’s confidence that God would deliver him and the Jews from destruction, if not by way of Esther then by some other means. (Esther 4:14) And God did just that.

As Chapter 7 closed, the archenemy of the Jews, Haman, had been impaled on the pole he had erected to kill Mordecai on. But there was still unfinished business to ensure that the Jews would be saved.

This is because the edict issued by Haman and sealed by the king’s ring was still in effect. The Jews were to be killed on “the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar”. And so Esther, now went to work to reverse the edict as Chapter 8 opens.

As the chapter opens, we learn that King Xerxes gave Haman’s estate over to Esther who in turn appointed Mordecai to manage it. Mordecai had been presented Xerxes’ signet ring, the same ring he had given to Haman and would assume his position of power.

Esther then “pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping” as she begged him to “put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews”. Esther asked Xerxes to “let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman…devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces.” Esther shared that she couldn’t bear to see her people destroyed.

The king granted Esther’s request and ordered that “another decree” be written “in the king’s name on behalf of the Jews”, sealed with “the king’s signet ring” which would ensure the decree could not be revoked. The “royal secretaries were summoned” and they “wrote out all Mordecai’s orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush.” The orders were “written in the script of each province and the language of each people and also to the Jews in their own script and language” as “Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the dispatches with the king’s signet ring, and sent them by mounted couriers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king.”

What did the king’s edict authorize?

Scripture tells us the “edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate the armed men of any nationality or province who might attack them and their women and children, and to plunder the property of their enemies.” All this would be allowed on the “thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar.” The same date that the prior edict was to begin.

We read where “a copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. This was done by way of the “couriers riding the royal horses” who went out and issued the edict “in the citadel of Susa.” And with that, the Jews were saved.

What a time of joy this must have been! Mordecai, who was once in sackcloth and wailing in mourning, was now wearing “royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen.” The “city of Susa” was in the midst of a “joyous celebration”…a “time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor.” And it wasn’t just in Susa. Scripture tells us that “in every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating.”

And if that wasn’t enough, we read where “many people of other nationalities became Jews because (the) fear of the Jews had seized them.” God has a way of convincing people to follow Him…the only one true God. After what the people had seen happen, they were ready to follow and serve this God of the Jews.

Fast forward to the “thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar”…the day the “edict commanded by the king was to be carried out.” On that day, the Jews “got the upper hand over those who hated them”, assembling “in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those determined to destroy them.” Scripture tells us that “no one could stand against them” and “the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them.” And the Jews weren’t fighting alone because “all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king’s administrators” helped them.

And so the “Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them.” We read that “the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men” in the city of Susa. They “also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha, the ten sons of Haman” who were then impaled on poles by order of King Xerxes after the recommendation of Queen Esther.

And so there was great success by the Jews against their enemies on the day set prescribed by the king. But more time was needed. Esther asked the king to allow the edict to be carried out one more day…and her request was granted with three hundred more men being put to death in Susa. Elsewhere in the king’s provinces, the Jews also “assembled to protect themselves and get relief from their enemies”, killing “seventy-five thousand” on the “thirteenth day of the month of Adar”. Unlike in Susa, they did not fight on the fourteenth day, instead resting and making the day one of “feasting and joy.”

Indeed, the Jews were victorious…and that victory was certain because God was with His people.

Once again, He was the Deliverer of Israel.

Friends, the same God that was with Israel is with you and me today. He assured you and me that no one can be against us if He is with us. He promised us that He would never leave us nor forsake us. He guaranteed us He would never allow us to have a burden we couldn’t bear.

So why do we so often live like we’re a defeated people? Why do we waver in faith when life’s circumstances start to go against us? Why do we fail to trust the only One we truly can trust…the only One who can deliver us…just as He delivered the Jews over and over?

We simply must remember that God is indeed with us…ever ready to help us. The God of Creation is ready to use His almighty divine power to help us through life in accordance with His will and way for us.

Believe this…never forget it…and always hold onto the fact that victory is certain with God on our side.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com

GOD HATES HATRED

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk.com.

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

Then the king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you.”

“If it pleases the king,” replied Esther, “let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.”

“Bring Haman at once,” the king said, “so that we may do what Esther asks.”

So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared. As they were drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, “Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”

Esther replied, “My petition and my request is this: If the king regards me with favor and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question.”

Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage against Mordecai. Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home.

Calling together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials. “And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.”

His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a pole set up, reaching to a height of fifty cubits, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai impaled on it. Then go with the king to the banquet and enjoy yourself.” This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the pole set up.

That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him. It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

“What honor and recognition has Mordecai received for this?” the king asked.

“Nothing has been done for him,” his attendants answered.

The king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king about impaling Mordecai on the pole he had set up for him.

His attendants answered, “Haman is standing in the court.”

“Bring him in,” the king ordered.

When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?”

Now Haman thought to himself, “Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?” So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor, have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor! ’”

“Go at once,” the king commanded Haman. “Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.”

So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!”

Afterward Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman rushed home, with his head covered in grief, and told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him—you will surely come to ruin!” While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman away to the banquet Esther had prepared.

So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet, and as they were drinking wine on the second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted. ”

Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.”

King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?”

Esther said, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!”

Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life.

Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining.

The king exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?”

As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A pole reaching to a height of fifty cubits stands by Haman’s house. He had it set up for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.”

The king said, “Impale him on it!” So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai.

Then the king’s fury subsided.

Esther 5:1-14, 6:1-14, 7:1-10

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Jesus said, ““You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” Matthew 5:21-22a

It was of little doubt that Jesus was trying to teach His disciples that you had to deal with the root causes of murder first if you were going to avoid murdering. In this case, getting angry at someone would be subject to judgment as well. Jesus even goes as deep as saying that any person who calls someone an insulting name would be subject to the “fire of hell”. I wonder how often we remember this as we so often hurl less than endearing words toward others.

Maybe there was no better case study to validate Jesus’ words than Haman.

You’ll remember that Haman’s anger was first on display in Chapter 3 of the Book of Esther. King Xerxes had appointed him to a seat of honor higher than any of the other nobles. This high position brought with it the required respect of the people who were expected to kneel down and pay honor to him. Mordecai refused to do so, enraging Haman who decided it wouldn’t be enough to punish just Mordecai so he put together a plot to kill all the Jews. Notice…anger led to murderous thoughts.

Lots were cast, a date was set for the execution of the Jews and an edict was issued by Haman who gained the king’s favor to carry out his plan without specifically mentioning who he wanted to do away with. All seemed to be going well for Haman. Too bad he failed to factor God’s intervention into his plan...an intervention that Mordecai was certain of whether it would come by way of Esther or someone else God would raise up to save His people.

As Chapter 4 opens, Esther bravely enters the “inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall”. You’ll recall that this could result in the death penalty unless the king had specifically summoned someone before him. Esther knew this but was willing to die in order to stand up for the Jews.

We read where “the king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance” and “when he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand” which Esther touched. The king was ready to hear Esther out.

King Xerxes asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you.” Obviously Esther was still very much in good standing with the king and so she made her request responding, “If it pleases the king, let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.” Without hesitation, Xerxes sent for Haman and they “went to the banquet Esther had prepared.” Scripture tells us that “as they were drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, “Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.” He was ready to offer Esther her request as long as it was within reason.

Esther asked the king and Haman to come to a second banquet she would prepare the next day and promised to tell the king what she wanted then. And so it would be. We read where Haman left the banquet “happy and in high spirits” until he once again saw Mordecai who stayed true to form and refused to show any respect or honor to Haman. Again, Haman was full of rage but didn’t take any action, restraining himself and returning home. Once there, he first bragged about himself to his friends and his wife Zeresh…about “his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials.” And then he boasted about being the “only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave” which included a second invite the next day.

Then, Haman shared his disdain for Mordecai and his desire to be rid of him. His wife and friends suggested that Haman “have a pole set up” which would reach “a height of fifty cubits.” Once constructed, Haman could ask the king to have Mordecai “impaled on it”. All this was to happen before the second banquet hosted by Esther with the idea that Haman could best enjoy himself if the disrespectful Jew at the king’s gate were gone.

And so Haman had the pole erected, unaware that it would really be for his end, not Mordecai’s.

Haman thought his evil plan was working out perfectly. God had other ideas.

For before Haman could approach the king with his request to impale Mordecai, we read where the king has some problems sleeping. He calls for the book that served as a record of his reign and remembered how Mordecai had saved his life by exposing the assassination plot of “Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway.”

Not remembering what was done for Mordecai, the king asked his attendants, “What honor and recognition has Mordecai received for this?” His attendants told him nothing had been done yet and just as they said this, someone appeared in the king’s court. It was Haman who had really come to request permission to kill Mordecai. The king asked him to come in but before Haman could ask the king for what he wanted, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?” Note that the king doesn’t mention Mordecai by name and so almost comically, Haman thought the king was talking about honoring him. And so his response to the king was really driven around what Haman would like to have from the king to be honored. This is what he said to the king:

“For the man the king delights to honor, have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!’”

Can you almost feel how giddy Haman must have felt at this point? What an awesome experience he will have being honored in such a special way by the king himself! And then the bottom fell out as Haman’s bubble got burst big time.

This is because the king commanded Haman to “Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.” Haman must have been in disbelief. Not only was he not the one to be recognized but the man who would receive the honor was the very man he wanted killed. God’s plans can often contain subtle ironies that you and I could never conceive.

And so Haman did just what the king commanded. He “got the robe and the horse” and then placed the robe on Mordecai before leading him “on horseback through the city streets” while proclaiming, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!” God ensures His good and faithful servants get proper recognition. I can’t help but think that many people came up to speak to Mordecai after he returned to the king’s gate, asking about why he was honored which allowed ample opportunity to talk about God and His amazing goodness, grace and blessings.

So what happened with Haman, the angry man who sought to murder?

Scripture tells us that he “rushed home with his head covered in grief and told…his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him.” And after he finishes, his audience predicts Haman’s ruin. What’s interesting here is that they all knew Mordecai was a Jew before and yet urged Haman on to build the pole and ask the king to kill Mordecai. Maybe they now began to understand the awesome presence and protection God gives His people…and thus realized that Haman was in deep water. Whatever the case, they didn’t get to finish advising Haman before “the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman away to the banquet Esther had prepared”…the banquet that would seal Haman’s doom.

For we read that at the banquet, the king asks Esther again about what she desired. She replied, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.”

The cat was now out of the bag. Esther was a Jew. She had revealed what Mordecai asked her never to reveal. Her people were in danger, “sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated” and she asked for the king’s pardon.

Note that the king never makes a big deal about Esther’s nationality. He is only concerned with her request and honoring his word to honor what she wanted. But first, he had to know who was daring to carry out such a plan. And so he asked Esther about whom she was talking about and she boldly replied, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!” And with those words, we read where “Haman was terrified before the king and queen.”

King Xerxes “got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden.” Haman now feared for his own life. Funny how the tide turned. Haman was now experiencing the same dread he brought on the Jews. God has a way of teaching lessons like that. What comes around often does go around.

In what was an almost comical turn of events, Haman tried “to beg Queen Esther for his life”, falling “on the couch where (she) was reclining” when the king walked in from the palace garden. Imagine the king’s thoughts when he observed Haman on the couch with Esther. But wait, we don’t have to imagine them because he tells us what was on his mind as he exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?”

And so Haman’s fate was sealed. They covered his face and impaled him on the very pole he had erected for Mordecai. The threat to the Jews was silenced for good.

Yes, God hates hatred and will deal with it through consequences. We would be well suited to do away with the anger in our lives lest we become a modern day Haman. If someone does wrong to us, we should keep in mind the grace and mercy that the Lord shows us despite our failings. We would all be well served to keep in mind the words of Paul to the church in Colosse when he wrote:

“…clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12b-14

This is the way Jesus lived. As Christians, we are expected to live likewise. And God expects it.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE WHAT GOD IS DOING

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk.com.

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, the pur (that is, the lot ) was cast in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.

Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will give ten thousand talents of silver to the king’s administrators for the royal treasury.”

So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. “Keep the money,” the king said to Haman, “and do with the people as you please.”

Then on the thirteenth day of the first month the royal secretaries were summoned. They wrote out in the script of each province and in the language of each people all Haman’s orders to the king’s satraps, the governors of the various provinces and the nobles of the various peoples. These were written in the name of King Xerxes himself and sealed with his own ring.

Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews —young and old, women and children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so they would be ready for that day.

The couriers went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was bewildered.

When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

When Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.

So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.

Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”

When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.

Esther 3:7-15, 4:1-17

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

After Haman was given a position of great power by King Xerxes, it didn’t take long before he set out to abuse that power.

You’ll recall that Haman was angered by Mordecai’s refusal to bow down to him and so he longed to not just kill Mordecai but all the Jews.

As our scripture opens, a lot was cast “in the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan…in the presence of Haman to select a day and month for the annihilation of the Jews. We read where the “lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar”.

Haman then went to King Xerxes and told him, “There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will give ten thousand talents of silver to the king’s administrators for the royal treasury.” Note Haman never mentioned who the certain people were and Xerxes didn’t ask…he just “took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman” saying, “Keep the money…and do with the people as you please.”

And so Haman summoned the royal secretaries “on the thirteenth day of the first month” and tasked them with writing out in the “script of each province and in the language of each people all Haman’s orders to the king’s satraps, the governors of the various provinces and the nobles of the various peoples”. The orders were “written in the name of King Xerxes himself and sealed with his own ring”. Then “dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews —young and old, women and children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods”. We read where a “copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so they would be ready for that day” and indeed this was carried out by the couriers who “issued the edict in the citadel of Susa.”

When word of the edict reached Mordecai, scripture tells us that “he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly.” He wasn’t alone in his reaction for “there was great mourning among (all) the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.”

Well, word of Mordecai’s state of mind reached Esther by way of her “eunuchs and female attendants” placing Esther in “great distress”. And so she “sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but (Mordecai) would not accept them. Unsure what was wrong with Mordecai (Esther had no knowledge of the edict), she then “summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai.” Scripture tells us “Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate” and “Mordecai told (Hathak) everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews.” Mordecai also gave Hathak “a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.”

Armed with all the information, Hathak returned to Esther and reported all Mordecai had told him, including the need for Esther to go before the king and petition for the Jew’s salvation. I’m sure Mordecai thought this would be easy. Surely Esther could go to the king and win pardon for her own people. After all, the king had chosen her to be his queen.

I’m sure Mordecai was more than surprised…and even more so upset…when Hathak returned to Mordecai with news that Esther was reluctant to go to the king because it would run counter to the rules of the throne and could result in her death. She was additionally concerned because the king hadn’t summoned her for 30 days and she was afraid she might have fallen out of favor with the king. Note that Esther never seems concerned about herself being in danger from the edict. The feeling at first is that she is more concerned with her own self preservation than the preservation of her native people.

Well, when Mordecai received the message from the woman he had raised, he does what any wise elder would do…he counsels her to try and get her to see the wrong of her ways. Note these three key elements of what Mordecai had to say:

1. Pay now or pay later. Mordecai makes a very important point to Esther…she wasn’t going to be the only Jew to survive this edict. In other words, if she didn’t act on behalf of God’s chosen people and instead remained silent, she would face death at the hands of an angry God instead while the Jews found their deliverance in some other way. She should go forward and trust God in the matter even though the outcome was unknown.

Sometimes you and I need to take a step of faith when we’re faced with a dilemma. It would never be wrong to stand by and not try to intercede for innocent people who were going to be slaughtered, even if it meant that you would place your own life in danger. We may never be faced with life or death decisions but many decisions of right and wrong are likewise critical in the lives of those we are associated with. We need to always be willing to step out in faith and trust God in the midst of all circumstances.

2. Relief and deliverance were going to come one way or another. Note Mordecai’s words again…”For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place…” Mordecai knew that God was going to rescue His chosen, beloved people one way or another. If it wasn’t through Esther, then it would be from some other source.

When we’re in the midst of hardships, it’s important for us to adopt the faith attitude of Mordecai. We simply must trust and believe that God will deliver us through our circumstances…that one way or another, He is going to intervene and help us out because He longs for the best for us. That’s the nature of the God we serve.

3. Never underestimate what God is doing in and around you. Mordecai makes an important point to finish his words to Esther. He asks her to consider whether everything that had happened up to this point had been for the very purpose of helping save her people from this act of genocide. In other words, Esther becoming queen was all a part of His master plan of salvation for the Jews.

It’s important to know that we too may be in the midst of an awesome plan God is working out and our present circumstances might be as such for such a time as this. God is always doing amazing, extraordinary works and often times He is doing them through very ordinary people like you and me. We need only stay open to His will and way, knowing they will always be perfect…whether He is helping us directly or involving us to help others.

Mordecai’s wisdom had a drastic impact on Esther who told him to: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law.” And then she added, “And if I perish, I perish.” Or in other words, God’s will be done…and if it’s His will for me to die trying to save the Jews, then so be it.

Indeed, this is to be our attitude as well. For remember the words of our Savior Jesus, the One who we vow to follow when we adopt the title Christian: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).

Friends, we need to ever remember that God never promised us that life would be easy. He only promised us that He would always be with us in life, no matter the circumstances. He would never give us a burden we couldn’t bear…and He would never leave us nor forsake us.

One thing is sure. God is always at work. He’s at work in us. He’s at work around us. And He’s at work well ahead of you and me…and our limited wisdom. We need to never underestimate what God is doing at any given time…for He may have been preparing us and the circumstances we’re in for such a time as this.

Will we be prepared to respond as Esther did…that if we need to die, then so be it for the cause of God?

I pray so…for it’s what God expects…that we trust Him and believe He will be using us for His ultimate good in any and all circumstances.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com