Month: May 2024

Job 1:5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, it may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

As an example of Job’s God-fearing character and faithful response to God in his life, the writer tells how Job would rise up early every morning to pray for his children. He prayed that God would forgive them if they sinned. He made offerings for them daily.

A Godly father prays for his children and succeeding generations on a regular basis, early in the morning. Instead of a sacrifice, we plead the blood of Jesus Christ for our family, praying in Jesus’ name, trusting in His once-for-all sacrifice. Parents intercede for their children and grandchildren, asking God’s forgiveness, life, and blessing because of Christ. This is what a God-fearing father or mother does for his or her family and those they love.

We may never see all the good prayer does in our short lifetime, but in eternity we will see what great good things the Lord has done for those for whom we have prayed. Daily morning prayer is a part of our lifestyle.

Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God and eschewed evil.

Job’s response to God in his life was that he lived blamelessly, feared God and shunned evil. But he still suffered terribly at the hands of the devil and with the permission of God. His good life did not guarantee peace, health, and prosperity. His faith was tested when he lost everything but his life. He ultimately learned that he was still a sinner who needed to repent. God was gracious to grant it.

In Job’s experience, we learn that we live in a fallen world. Sin has twisted justice and made our world unpredictable, unfair, and ugly. How will faith respond? How can we learn the lesson that God is God and that there is none good but God alone? We are experientially taught by the Word and the Spirit that we must look to God alone for all good, and nowhere else, especially to ourself. So Jesus comes.

It is hard for us to learn to be good and upright just because God is God, and not because of the reward and blessing we get out of such behavior. Job, and we, too, are good because God is good no matter what. We are not good because we are good, for we are not. We are not good so that we will be abundantly blessed. Experience teaches us that it doesn’t always work out that way. Life is not fair. We, or He in us, are good in response to His goodness and mercy.

As Christians, we do live a good life, not for what we get out of it, but we live a good life, in spite of our sin and self, in response to God’s free gift in the Gospel. Faith and thankfulness produces a blameless and upright life.

Esther 9:28 And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.

The Feast of Purim was instituted as an annual observance to remember God’s salvation of His people and victory over their enemies. This memorial was to be kept as long as the Jews live on earth. God’s people respond to God’s great acts of Deliverance by celebrating and remembering what God has done for them. The yearly Feast was established so that they would never forget God or His mercies, but always remember.

Biblically, to remember is to call to mind and consciousness something from the past and make it active and operative in the present moment. We celebrate the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Jesus and what He did for us. Daily we remember our Baptism by repentance and faith. We make the life, death, and resurrection of Christ active and real in this day. In a real sense, every day is a Festival keeping us mindful of God and His mercies.

Esther 9:19 Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the uncalled towns, made thr fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another.

Ever since the day Esther and Mordecai helped deliver and save the Jews, they have celebrated that day in March, called the Feast of Purim. The people remained alive and their enemies were destroyed. It became a day of gladness and feasting and exchanging gifts.

The response to God’s deliverance was similar to our Feast Days of Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. It is a right and natural response for us to celebrate God’s Salvation on a special holiday with gladness and feasting. In God’s designed rhythm we also celebrate the Gospel weekly on Sundays. Furthermore, in our hearts and minds we remember our Baptism daily and celebrate forgiveness and life. For the believer, all of life, every day, is a day of gladness. When we are reminded daily of the Gospel we are continually glad.

Esther 8:16 The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honor.

After the unrelenting work of Mordecai and Esther, they were able to persuade King Ahasuerus to make a new decree. Instead of a day on which the Jews were to be killed, the tables were turned and the Jews were allowed to defend themselves and ended up destroying and slaying the Persians who attacked them over the period of two days. This became the Feast of Purim, celebrated by the Jews to this day.

Instead of a day of genocide and slaughter of Jews, it became a day of Salvation and Deliverance. The Jews had light, gladness, joy, and honor. The day of slaughter and horror became a day of celebration and joy.

in the same way Christian Feasts and all Sundays become days of light, gladness, joy, and honor when we hear the Gospel. The Gospel turns Friday into Sunday, death into life, suffering into ecstasy, sorrow into joy, evil into good, sin into forgiveness, certain doom into decisive deliverance. Light and gladness is the expected and appropriate response to the Gospel. And we can celebrate this way every day of our life, when we take a moment to remember our Baptism and praise God for life and salvation. Every day for a believer is a day of joy and honor. The Gospel gives us reason to celebrate all the time. This the life of a Christian.

Esther 7:6-7 And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden, and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen, for he saw that was evil determined against him by the king.

Haman’s hatred and evil plotting turned against him when the king discovered his true intentions. He did end up impaled on the gallows meant for Mordecai. Proverbs 26:27: “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.”

When his sin was exposed and he was convicted, Haman was afraid before the king. His response of fear was brought about by the Word of Law finding out his guilt. He saw and felt the wrath of the king. The king saw him fallen on the bed of the queen, and hanged him on the gallows (signifying the cross of Christ, where Satan was defeated).

The only response we can make to the convicting power of the Law of God when it exposes our sin is one of stark terror. We are rightly afraid of God’s just wrath and the evil that is determined against us. We may then weep and repent like Peter or regret and hang ourself like Judas. The choice we make is determined by whether or not we believe the Gospel. Can we believe that my sin was crucified on the Cross?

Esther 6:6 So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?

Although the name of God is not mentioned in the book of Esther, God is clearly in sovereign control of the circumstances and coincidences that take place for the defeat of the devil and the salvation of His people and His Promise. It coincidentally happened that on a sleepless night the king had the annals read to him, mentioning what Mordecai had done to prevent an assassination attempt. Then immediately the king asked Haman what should be done to honor Mordecai.

In his pride, he assumed the king was talking about himself. So he said the man should be honored with royal clothes, the royal horse, and a royal crown. This advice was followed, but Mordecai was the man so honored, the very enemy of Haman. His own pride brought about his own downfall. Mordecai received honor and glory, and Haman ended up being hanged on the gallows he prepared for Mordecai.

It is easy to see the allegory of Satan’s defeat on the cross and Christ’s entering into glory. “Pride goeth before a fall, but God lifts up the humble.” We confess our own sinful pride and identify with the humble Jesus, that we might be saved and glorified in the end.

Esther 5:9 Then went Haman forth joyful and with a glad heart, but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai.

Haman had just come joyfully from a banquet with the king and queen Esther, so he was in a good mood. But then he saw Mordecai, who did not show him respect. His response to the perceived slight was indignation. This root of bitterness grew and took over his soul that he had a gallows built for Mordecai. Hatred leads to murder unless it is weeded out.

Hatred and bitterness are like weeds with long roots that grow in the heart and corrupt all of life. Hebrews 12:15 warns us to watch out “that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.” We don’t let bitterness build in the heart, or it will end up backfiring against you, as it did for Haman, who ended up hanged on the gallows prepared for Mordecai.

Our Christian response to hatred and bitterness is to pray the Lord’s Prayer, “forgiving those who trespass against us.” In the rough and tumble of daily relationships, bitterness may easily spring up. We weed it out quickly by forgiving one another.

Esther 4:14 For if thou altogether holiest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

The day was approaching when all the Jews in the realm were to be killed. Esther was asked to go to the king and ask for a decree to stop the killing. Anyone who comes before the king uninvited could be immediately put to death, unless he holds out the scepter to him.

Esther risked her life by coming before the king. Her response was to do the following: 1) Calculate the cost. Her life was at stake; 2) Set priorities. The safety of the Jewish people more important than her own; 3) Prepare. She gathered support, prayed and fasted; 4) Determine a course of action. She contacted Mordecai and sought advice; 5) Move ahead boldly. She didn’t hesitate or second-guess what she needed to do. She went to the king uninvited.

Esther was called to this task for this purpose at this time. By her boldness to act in faith God was able to use her to prevent a disaster for God’s people. When we have the faith to know what to do and the courage to do it, God can use us to accomplish wonderful acts of salvation. With God, we can follow Esther’s example when we face a difficult situation by taking action with confidence.

Esther 4:1, 3 When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and bitter cry….And in every province, whithersoever the king’s commandment came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

Haman had talked the king into determining by lot a particular day in which all the Jews were to be killed. The king made a decree and sent it out everywhere. When Mordecai heard of it, he prayed, clothing himself with sackcloth and ashes, symbolizing penitence and faith, and cried aloud. When the decree went out, all the Jews mourned, fasted, and wept. Mordecai expected divine deliverance. Mordecai and Esther believed in God’s care, and God used them to save His people.

The outward symbols of sincere penitence and faith do not move God, but faith in a God who hears moves us to pray with faith. The people prayed the same way. In His providence, and in His way, God saved His people from extinction, so that seed would remain that would bring the Son of God, Savior, into the world. They did not know what God would do or how He would do it, but they knew He would do something.

When threats are looming in front of us, God gives us the faith to respond by turning to Him in prayer, penitence, and faith. Then the Lord works salvation and answers prayer.