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God turns the tables!

Scripture reading for May 16: Esther 5-7

“If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it; if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him.” Proverbs 26:27

“An evil man is snared by his own sin, but a righteous one can sing and be glad.” Proverbs 29:6

We must be careful when we plot revenge.  All judgment and vengeance is the Lord’s.  (Romans 12:19)  The Lord has a way of turning the tables on those who seek revenge and plot evil.  He has ways of protecting those who are innocent and especially those who are serving Him.  In today’s reading from Esther, we find God turning the tables on Haman as he plots to destroy the Jews and hang an innocent man.

Haman was thrilled with his position and his influence!  He boasted to his wife and friends of his good fortune and how he was the only one invited to meet with Queen Esther for a banquet.  (Nehemiah 6:1-12)  He was happy, except for one fly in the ointment: Mordecai the Jew would not show him honor by bowing before him!  He complained to his wife and friends who proposed a plan to hang Mordecai on a gallows 75 feet high!  This would have been high enough to display the execution above the walls of the city!  He had the gallows built and was ready for the next day.

God was moving silently behind the scenes.  The king could not sleep, so he had the chronicles of his reign read to him.  He heard the story of the plot to assassinate him–a plot Mordecai had exposed thus saving his life.  He asked what had been done for this man and found out it had been overlooked.  He asked who might be in the court to honor Mordecai, and providentially, Haman had just walked in with his plans in place.  The king asked him what he would do to honor someone special to the king.  Haman thought he himself was to be honored,  so he proposed a grand public honor and was shocked when the king told him to honor Mordecai!  How ironic that God turned the tables so deftly and quickly!

The end of the story finds Haman hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai after being exposed as the one seeking to kill off all Jews, including the Queen!  God worked His plan out for good and turned the tables!  This is exactly what will happen for all of His people who serve Him faithfully.  It looks like death has the final answer, but not with God!  It looks as if the wicked get by with their schemes, but not at the final judgment!  Check your heart today and come clean of any thoughts or plans for revenge.  Forgive and turn the table back toward God’s mercy before He turns the tables on you!

Civil disobedience!

Scripture reading for May 15th: Esther 3-4

As God’s people, we try to be the best citizens we can be.  We should be known as people who obey the law and serve and pray for those in authority.  We should promote respect for those in authority and aid their proper rule.  However, when a civil authority gives orders to disobey the law of God, we must respectfully decline and obey God!  This can bring trouble and wrath from authority!

In today’s reading, we have a man who is exalted by King Xerxes to a place of honor above all others.  All officials in the king’s palace knelt down and paid honor to Haman.  (Esther 3:2)  One man would not.  Mordecai, Queen Esther’s Jewish uncle, would not bow his knee before a man because of his faith in God and God’s word. (Esther 3:4)   This infuriated Haman and he devised a plot to eliminate all Jews from Persia.  He offered the king 375 tons of silver to allow him to eliminate these disrespectful people.  (Esther 3:8-9)  Do you notice the common thread of insecurity with the disobedience of Queen Vashti?  For those in authority to feel secure, any threat must be removed!

How did Mordecai react to the decree to kill all Jews?  He immediately began to fast and pray.  (Ester 4:1-3)  He called on other Jews to join with him.  He even asked his niece, Queen Esther, to help.  This was not going to be easy.  She would have to exercise some wise “civil disobedience” herself if she were to approach the king.  She asked for prayer covering as she prepared for this potentially life-threatening task of asking the king for help.  (Ester 4:15-17)  Her attitude was one of faith and of willingness to die to protect her people!

Queen Esther, as I see it today, is a type of the church.  The Church has been placed by God in places of influence to be a witness for God and His people.  The Church is to be submissive to the authorities of the world in all things except where that compromises faithfulness to God.  The Church is to be willing to die for what is right, rather than compromise the truth for the passing pleasures of sin for a season.  The Church must speak up or loose its place of influence for God!  Ask God what other lessons might be here for you today as you read this story of God working through ordinary people to accomplish His purposes!

Public example!

Scripture reading for May 14th: Esther1-2

Esther is an interesting book of the Bible.  It takes place in Persia during the days of Ezra and Nehemiah when the 50,000 Jews were rebuilding the temple and walls in Jerusalem.  It never mentions the name of God, but God’s presence is implied and felt throughout the story.  It is the story of ordinary Jewish people who are trying to be faithful to their God while they live in a foreign land.  As they live out their lives, God is moving and turning all circumstances to work out for the good of those who love Him.  (Romans 8:28)  Even things that look like they are evil!

The first two chapters deal with how God puts Esther, a beautiful virgin and Jew, in the palace of the king of Persia.  This story tells of a partying king who liked to drink and boast of his wealth and possessions, and evidently of his women, too!  He called for his beautiful queen, Vasti, to come and display herself before the nobles who were drinking with her husband.  Queen Vasti refused to do what he asked.  The king was furious and sought counsel as to what to do about this offense.  It was decided that she must be made a public example so that other women would not get the idea that they could disobey their husbands and show them disrespect.  Queen Vasti was removed from her royal position and was never to come into the king’s presence again!  As a result of this, a search was made for the most beautiful and suitable woman to take the queen’s place.  God then exalts Esther, a Jew, to this place of honor!

Let’s talk about this example.  In today’s culture, what Vasti did would have been totally acceptable!  She probably felt disrespected herself by her husband’s desire to display her before a group of drunken men.  She did not want to be eye candy for this group that were already inflamed by wine.  She had her principles and stuck by them.  She would have her rights as well as the king.  She would have been commended by all today, especially Christians!

How is it that the king was so upset?  In that culture, women were expected to be totally obedient to their husbands.  This disrespect by disobedience was not tolerated!  In the pagan culture, no conviction of right or wrong could stop the king from having what he wanted!  All the men in power agreed about that and felt threatened by the queen’s action!  They felt that they needed to take action to protect themselves and their way of life. (Esther 1:18-20)

God used the culture of that day to accomplish his purposes.  He removed the one queen, probably protecting her for her stand of faith.  He placed Esther, a godly Jew, in the place of influence and gave her favor in order to bring about the deliverance of all his people!  (Esther 2:17)  As a godly Jew, Esther knew how to obey the king and still remain loyal to her God.  By faith she became to all an example  of a woman true to her people and to God!