ESTHER MOMENT – (31MAY19) Haman plotted to kill Mordecai on a
pole that he had raised next to his house. But the night prior to him wanting
to tell the king of his plans, God allowed for King Xerxes to have a case of
insomnia. Therefore, because the king could not sleep, he decided to have his
official to read the king’s chronicles to him. As the official was reading,
Xerxes became aware the Mordecai had once disrupted a plot by two of his officials
who wanted to assassinate him. When King Xerxes found out that Mordecai had not
been rewarded, he wanted to know what he could do to reward such loyalty. Haman
came in at the right moment. When the king told him about his plans to reward
someone without naming who it was, Haman thought for sure that it was he who
would be honored, so he gave the king a suggestion of how to reward the person
for his loyalty. King Xerxes agreed with what Haman suggested, but Haman was
later grieved that the person to be honored was Mordecai, whom he hated, and he
had to be the one to ensure that all he had suggested was carried out.
This story is a reminder of how faithful God is and how He
will make your enemies your footstool. Haman was wrapped up in narcissism and
thought for sure that the king was speaking of honoring him. You can probably
imagine how sick he became to know that the very person he despised was the one
he had to parade through the streets and honor. Yet, God will do this to those
who are enemies of His. When people come up against you for doing the will of
God, they are not just fighting against you, but they are fighting against the
One who sent you. This is why the Bible lets us know that we are not wrestling
against flesh and blood… The person who aims to do you harm actually has a
hatred for Christ. We see this hatred displayed when Islamists blow up
buildings full of Christians, beat them, rape the women, and hate those who
have done them no harm. Jesus said that if they hated Him, they would also hate
us.
Mordecai’s only crime was refusing to bow down to
wickedness. We as Christians must refuse to bow down to the evils of this world
as well. One day, we will get to see the devil trampled under our feet
permanently where he will get the reward of being thrown into the Lake of Fire
that is due him. Until that day, we must know that the battle is not ours to
fight, but it is the Lord’s. Let us remain ever so faithful in doing the will
of God because in the end, if we endure, we will receive the greatest reward
that we could ever imagine. Something to ponder…
QUESTION OF THE DAY – (31MAY19) At the second banquet that
Queen Esther held for King Xerxes and Haman, she finally told him about Haman’s
plans for her people’s demise. King Xerxes was angry that he had been tricked
into annihilating Esther’s people as well as herself. Haman was taken away and
hung on the very pole that he had erected for Mordecai. Xerxes also gifted the
property that Haman owned to Esther.
There are times when God will allow the very trap that your
enemies set for you to backfire against them. We are to never take pleasure in
plotting the demise of others or enjoying seeing them fall. We are not to
return evil for evil, but allow the Lord to deal with our enemies in the manner
that He so chooses.
ESTHER MOMENT – (31MAY19) Purim is celebrated by the Jews
every year on the Hebrew calendar month of Adar to commemorate God’s
deliverance of the Jews from Haman’s hands. This is a time of celebration through
the giving of gifts to the poor, reading the Purim story (Megillah aka the Book
of Esther), having a festive meal called Seudah, giving food gifts call
Mishloah Manot to friends, and eating triangle-shaped cookies called Hamantaschen,
which is so named for Haman.
Although many of us may not celebrate Purim, but we can
celebrate how Christ delivered us from sin. We too would have been condemned to
death if it had not been for Jesus making the ultimate sacrifice. Just like
Haman, the devil aimed to destroy us because the wages of sin is death. But we
know that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. One day, we
will be done with this world, and all its evil. We will be able to celebrate at
the banquet of the Lamb that Jesus will host for all who became His bride and
was washed in His blood. The enemy of our soul will be no more. Just as the
Jews were able to defend themselves against their enemies, and was victorious,
we too will celebrate a major victory. Jesus
was victorious over death and hell, for He is the resurrection and the life. We
can take great comfort in knowing that we can be victorious because of Him.
Something to ponder…
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