Life with Enemies
November 20, 2016
Scripture: Esther 3
I. You should remember that God is in control.
A. As far as King Ahasuerus and Haman were concerned, they were the only ones in control. The king had promoted Haman to his second in command according to vs. 1. And because the Persians were control freaks, King Ahasuerus commanded everyone to bow down and pay homage to Haman (vs. 2). But Mordecai the Jew refused to bow down to Haman. In pride and anger (vs. 5) Haman came up with a plan to not just lay hands on Mordecai alone, but to destroy all of the Jews (vs. 6). It must have looked to the Jews like God had abandoned them.
B. In order to decide the day when the Jews were going to be killed, they cast Pur or lots (vs. 7) before Haman. Lots were basically dice. When you threw the dice and got a certain number, you would make a decision based on the number of the dice. You might think that throwing dice is a rather random way to make decisions. But that is not the way that God viewed it. Proverbs 16:33: “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” God was in control not only of the dice. God was in control of the fate of the Jews.
II. You should rely on God’s protection.
A. Haman said in vs. 8, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not to the king’s profit to tolerate them.” Haman does not even name the Jews by name in his accusation against them. And what’s worse King Ahasuerus doesn’t even ask for the name of these rebellious people! The only conclusion you can reach is that the king doesn’t care about these unnamed people.
B. There is a clue here in the book of Esther that God had not forgotten His people. In Esther 3:12 we read that the edict regarding the genocide of the Jews was sent out on the 13th day of the first month. This day then was the day before the most important Jewish holy day of the year: Passover. Jews remember at Passover how God had saved His people from Egypt – the most powerful nation on earth at the time. Jews must have wondered if God was going to do it again by saving them now from the Persians. Would God protect the Jews again?
III. You should rejoice in your King of love.
A. In Esther 3:11 King Ahasuerus says to Haman, the enemy of the Jews, “The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.” The king thinks that God’s people are in Haman’s hands. Haman can do what he wants with the Jews. But God thinks that His people cannot be given into the hands of their enemies. God’s people are always in God’s hands. That is where you are today. John 10:27-28: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” The hands of Jesus are strong hands. Is there any enemy who can ever snatch you out of Jesus’ hands? No.
Application:
Rejoice in the love of your King for you. Ask Christ for His salvation from death today.
Sources:
The book of Esther
Commentaries on Esther by Iain Duguid, Karen Jobes, and Frederic Bush