Esther 6:1
“That night the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.”
We don’t always get to see what God is doing on the other side of our trials. This is one of those rare cases and should provide us with a great deal of comfort. Esther had been encouraged by her uncle to use her position as Queen to make a request on behalf of the Jewish people who were being targeted for extermination. She knew this was a dangerous move since it would require her accessing the king without permission as well as exposing that she too was Jewish. None the less she boldly requested the king and Haman to attend a banquet where she would expose Haman as a fiend and plead for the salvation of her people. What Esther did not know is that God was working behind the scenes in an extraordinary way.
That night the king was unable to sleep and decided to review the official book of records. It seems that even then the cure for insomnia was a good old fashion history text book. While examining these records he came across a section that described a murderous plot against the king that had been thwarted by a Jewish man named Mordecai, yet there was no record of him being rewarded for his service. The very man who wanted to destroy the Jews found himself having to honor one of the Jews.
When Esther arrives at the banquet to make request on behalf of her people the Lord has already prepared the heart of the king. The same thing is true in our lives. The Lord is faithfully working behind the scenes to prepare the way for what He has called us to accomplish.
Jim
The evolution of love is seen in the relationship between children and parents. An infant child cannot survive on his own and is completely dependent upon the mercy, grace and love of the parents. In a proper relationship the parents give time, energy, even sleep for the benefit of the child. As the relationship develops so does the love, it is not long before the parents begin to see the return in their investment. I can remember being so excited when my children began to smile and laugh, or when they would crawl across the room only to get up on my lap and snuggle. What a joy! Just this week I received messages from each of my boys expressing Father’s Day wishes in their own humorous ways. Our relationship has become one of an exchange of love. This Psalm is an illustration of that kind of love relationship with God. The Psalmist cries out with thankful praise as a response to what God has done for them. Paul used an interesting word for thanks when writing to Timothy, he said “Thanks be to God…” and the word he used was “karis” which is the word used to speak of God’s giving nature. Because of the grace we have received from the Lord, we give grace back to Him.
Israel stood on the brink of entering the promised land. For almost five hundred years the people had heard stories of the land of their fathers. They referred to it as the land of milk and honey, and longed to settle down and enjoy its fruits. Before entering in, Moses reminded them of how vast the land was; He spoke of its borders from the far northern hills to the southern dessert and from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea. The land represented the abundant life God desired for His people to walk in, but before they could enjoy any of it, they had to be willing to do battle. The land was given as a promise, but received through continuous warfare.
Without a doubt, the Bible is the most extraordinary book you will ever read. It is filled with fascinating stories designed not only to encourage moral behavior, but to reveal the character of God. Beyond that, the Bible actually paints a picture of what will unfold in the future. This type of writing is called prophecy, and its purpose is to prove the inspiration of the Bible, as well as to make us ready to face the Lord. One of the most intriguing areas of Biblical prophecy has to do with the nation of Israel.
It is very common for tragedy to become an excuse to misbehave. We complain, doubt, or even sin, believing we are justified in doing so because of the difficulties we are enduring. Perhaps it would do us good to examine the actions of Ezekiel, when he faced the greatest trial of his life.
n a very poetic fashion, Jesus describes Himself walking through and observing the goings on, in the church of Ephesus. It is both encouraging and frightening to know that Jesus is so involved with His church. He knows, and intimately describes, the affairs of the church, both good and bad. While He has much that is positive to share, the indictment He brings overshadows their successes. He declares they have left their first love.
ude warns of those who turn grace into lewdness. The word lewd is somewhat outdated, but refers to something vulgar or obscene, especially that which is sexually immoral. Jude is referring to those who think the grace of God allows for behavior which is clearly forbidden in the Word of God. It is important to remember, grace does not excuse sin, but provides forgiveness when we fail.
Rebellion is an interesting thing. Most people, who are in rebellion, don’t see themselves as rebels, but have justification for their behavior. Children do it with their parents, adults do it with their superiors, and all of us do it with God. I think it might be helpful to note that Ezekiel gives us a Biblical definition of rebellion, so we can recognize whether or not we are currently rebelling against God. He says, a rebel is one who has eyes but does not see and ears but does not hear. In other words, if we know what we are doing is unacceptable to God and we are doing it anyway, then we are in rebellion against God.
The children of Israel were facing the darkest time in their history. They had endured great hardships in the past when enslaved in Egypt or wandering in the wilderness, but nothing compared to the darkness of being taken captive by Babylon, and knowing the city and Temple would soon be burned to the ground. If anything ever seemed to point to the end of relationship with God, that did. I am once again amazed at the mercy and grace of God, as He promises through Ezekiel, that in their darkest hour, He will be a little sanctuary to them.
Jim Gallagher 