9/28/2011 10:34:13 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: His Subtlety
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ester 3:7-15a
Message of the verses: Today’s SD is the fourth main point under Dr. Wiersbe’s outline and this chapter explains to the readers how Haman was such a dangerous man. There are three sub-points under this forth main point and he entitles the first sup-point “He selected the day,” and it covers verse seven: “7 ¶ In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, Pur, that is the lot, was cast before Haman from day to day and from month to month, until the twelfth month, that is the month Adar (NASB).” “7 ¶ So in the month of April, during the twelfth year of King Xerxes’ reign, lots were cast in Haman’s presence (the lots were called purim) to determine the best day and month to take action. And the day selected was March 7, nearly a year later (NLT).”
This is the first step that wicked Haman took in his plan to destroy the Jews, which is selecting the day, something he and the court astrologers did. Haman did this before he went to the king and this is the process that the Eastern people would follow before making a decision. They were consulting with their gods and as we look at other OT books such as Daniel and Ezekiel we can see this process taking place. Ezekiel 21:21 give an example of how Nebuchadnezzar used this process of looking to his god (and idol) before making a decision: “21 The king of Babylon now stands at the fork, uncertain whether to attack Jerusalem or Rabbah. He calls his magicians to look for omens. They cast lots by shaking arrows from the quiver. They inspect the livers of animal sacrifices (NLT).” The NLT helps explain what the king did so that it is easier to understand.
The astrologers came up with the month of Adar (March) to attack the Jews, however the lot was cast in the month of Nisan (April), and this is a year later, so this gave time for Mordecai and Ester to make their plans to stop the plans of Haman. Proverbs 16:33 reads “The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD NKJV).”
We do not know if Haman was disappointed over when the lot was cast, but he may have been, then again he may have wanted to use this time to watch the Jews panic and also make sure his plans were in order.
The next sup-point is entitled “He requested the king’s permission,) and that covers verses 8-11: “8 Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So it is not in the king’s interest to let them live. 9 If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 10,000 large sacks of silver to the government administrators to be deposited in the royal treasury.’’ 10 The king agreed, confirming his decision by removing his signet ring from his finger and giving it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 The king said, “The money and the people are both yours to do with as you see fit.’”
In this section of Scripture we see lies given to the king by Haman, but we also see the usual way this king acted, and that is to accept something before he even knew what he was accepting. Proverbs 18:13 describes his action, “He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him.”
When the people of Judah and Jerusalem were being defeated by the Babylonians Jeremiah told them , in effect, to behave themselves and the Lord would be with them: “4 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, 5 ’Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 ’Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. 7 ’Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare’ (Jer. 29:4-7).”
Why would this king just give Haman his ring and tell him to do whatever he wanted to do and it would be okay with him? Why did the king not take up the offer of taking this great amount of money from Haman, after all he had just spent a lot of money fighting the Greeks. Perhaps he figured that Haman would argue with him and give the money anyway.
The last sub-point is entitled “He immediately spread the word” and covers verses 12-15a : “12 So on April 17 the king’s secretaries were summoned, and a decree was written exactly as Haman dictated. It was sent to the king’s highest officers, the governors of the respective provinces, and the nobles of each province in their own scripts and languages. The decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring. 13 Dispatches were sent by swift messengers into all the provinces of the empire, giving the order that all Jews-young and old, including women and children-must be killed, slaughtered, and annihilated on a single day. This was scheduled to happen on March 7 of the next year. The property of the Jews would be given to those who killed them. 14 A copy of this decree was to be issued as law in every province and proclaimed to all peoples, so that they would be ready to do their duty on the appointed day. 15 At the king’s command, the decree went out by swift messengers (NLT).”
This law was written very quickly and it traveled to all parts of the empire very quickly too. Perhaps Haman wanted this to get done that fast because he did not want the king to change his mind.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I would like to pick up on a point that Dr. Wiersbe made in his commentary and that is that if all of this bad news can get to all parts of this empire when the communication is not nearly as good as we have today, why can’t the Church take the good news of the Gospel to people just as fast today, a day when communications is as good as it has ever been.
My prayer is that the Lord would allow me to have many “Divine Appointments” with the lost as I can take care of.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. Pray that the Lord will lead me to the lost that he desires me to speak to about Christ.
2. Continue to learn contentment in my life.
9/28/2011 11:38:15 AM
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