10/18/2011 8:14:02 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Vindication: the fear of the Jews
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ester 9:1-16
Message of the verses: “1 ¶ Now in the twelfth month (that is, the month Adar), on the thirteenth day when the king’s command and edict were about to be executed, on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, it was turned to the contrary so that the Jews themselves gained the mastery over those who hated them. 2 The Jews assembled in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm; and no one could stand before them, for the dread of them had fallen on all the peoples. 3 Even all the princes of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and those who were doing the king’s business assisted the Jews, because the dread of Mordecai had fallen on them. 4 Indeed, Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces; for the man Mordecai became greater and greater. 5 Thus the Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying; and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. 6 At the citadel in Susa the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men, 7 and Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha, 10 the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Jews’ enemy; but they did not lay their hands on the plunder. 11 On that day the number of those who were killed at the citadel in Susa was reported to the king. 12 The king said to Queen Esther, "The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman at the citadel in Susa. What then have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces! Now what is your petition? It shall even be granted you. And what is your further request? It shall also be done." 13 Then said Esther, "If it pleases the king, let tomorrow also be granted to the Jews who are in Susa to do according to the edict of today; and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows." 14 So the king commanded that it should be done so; and an edict was issued in Susa, and Haman’s ten sons were hanged. 15 The Jews who were in Susa assembled also on the fourteenth day of the month Adar and killed three hundred men in Susa, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder. 16 Now the rest of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces assembled, to defend their lives and rid themselves of their enemies, and kill 75,000 of those who hated them; but they did not lay their hands on the plunder.”
We now begin the last chapter in “Be Determined” and the last two chapters in the book of Ester. This also ends the historical part of the Scriptures, as we will then move into the pottery portion of the Scriptures beginning with the book of Job.
Dr. Wiersbe entitles this chapter “God Keeps His Promises,” and writes this at the beginning of this last chapter “In which the tables are turned, and then the tables are spread,” There are three main points in this last chapter with the last main point covering the short tenth chapter of Ester.
I want to point out some interesting things that I have found out concerning this section of Scripture and then take a look at how this section applies to the Church today. Some think that what happened was vindictive, but it must be remembered that the Jews were only defending themselves from the people who hated them. The Jews had nine months to ready themselves for these attacks, and the text even points out that there were leaders in the providences that were Persian who were adding the Jews in their effort to defend themselves.
People in the empire feared the Jews and also feared Mordecai and this is something that has been seen in different parts of the Scriptures. This fear of the Gentiles comes about when the children of Israel are obeying the Lord. The twenty-eight chapter of Deuteronomy speaks of this in a section that some entitle “The Palestinian Covenant.” When Joshua was leading the people into the Promised Land the report was given to him from the spies who has spoken to Rahab, and she told them about the fear that all of the people had on the children of Israel, in fact it speaks of them being paralyzed with fear.
Now we come to the part when after the first day of these battles that the king tells Ester that the ten sons of Haman had been killed and he ask what she wanted to do next. Her answer seems to puzzle some people because she asks the king to extend it for one more day and also to hang the ten sons of Haman on a gallows. Since Ester was the queen it is possible that she may have gotten some intelligence reports that there would be more attacks the next day, at any rate there was nothing wrong with her doing this because the Jews were only defending themselves from the attacks of the people who hated them without a cause.
Dr. Wiersbe points out that in the Hebrew text when the ten sons of Haman are named that their names in the text look like gallows, and that on the celebration of Purim their names are said in one breath.
One more interesting fact to remember and that is to remember that Haman was an Amalekite and so those who were fighting against the Jews were acting like the Amalekites who were enemies of God. Now when King Saul was given orders to kill all of the Amalekites he failed to do this and because of this he lost his throne. He was told not to take any plunder, yet he did. I like what Samuel said to Saul when he came to talk to him about not fulfilling the command that the Lord had given to him. We pick up the story in 1Samuel 15: 13 “Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed are you of the LORD! I have carried out the command of the LORD." 14 But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" 15 Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed." The point here is that it seems to me that this story is continued in the book of Ester for in Ester the Jews were allowed to take the plunder, but did not and Saul was not suppose to take the plunder but did.
In Dr. Wiersbe commentary he points out the weakness of the Church in the world today, now I do not believe that all the churches are weak, but that the majority of them are weak. There are many scholars who believe that the list of churches that are found in the book of Revelations, in chapters two and three are prophetic in the order that they are listed. In other words in the history of the Church the dominance is seen in these listings from Revelations. In his book “There is a New World Coming” Hal Lindsey gives the dates of when these churches were dominant in the world. He dates the last church, Laodicea as beginning in 1900 and ending at the tribulation. Dr. Wiersbe quotes Revelations 3:17 in his commentary on this section of Ester to point out the weakness of the Church in today’s society: “’Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”
When we honestly look at the Church in the world today we can see that it is weak, not all but the majority is weak. The Church is also rich too, but in reality is poor. I do believe that the book of the Bible that perhaps is the most prophetic book of the Bible, does prophecy the history of the Church through the listing of the seven churches in chapters two and three. I also believe that we are living in the age of the church of Laodicea.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I must continue to battle in the way that the Bible tells me to battle. There are two sections of Scripture that come to my mind concerning “battle plans” for the believers. The first is in Ephesians 6:10-18, and the second that comes to mind is in 2Cor. 10:3-4 “3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.” Believers do not fight like the Jews did in the OT, but make no mistake we still need to fight.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. Put on the whole armor of God; the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
2. Remember that I am in a battle and need to fight the way that the Scriptures command me to fight.
3. Continue to learn contentment.
10/18/2011 9:33:19 AM
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