Esther Series – part 11

Pastor Eric A. Green

Then Haman said to King Ahasueras, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people’s, and they do not keep the king’s laws.   Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed, I will pay then thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.”

So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, enemy of the Jews.  And the king said to Haman, “The money and the people are given to you, to do with as seems good to you.”   Esther 3:8-11

I thank God for the life of worship and freedom He has made available to me through His Son, Jesus Christ.  I also thank Him for the Holy Spirit who sanctifies me, sets me apart, and makes God known to all through me.  But even as the Lord has called me His friend, His presence in my life makes the world and it’s god my enemy, and my life is often filled with the trials that all who love God must endure.

This Esther passage brings up an interesting question.  The Jews worshiped God in such a distinct way that evil, pagan people saw their very existence as a threat.  Haman was able to convince the king to rubberstamp his genocidal plans to destroy the people of God, because he presented their devotion to Jehovah as antagonistic to their allegiance to the king.  Does that sound familiar?  In today's USA, the mere mention of Jesus Christ is considered an offense to the “rights” of others, and any reference to the Word of God in the public arena is sure to be challenged as an attempt to force our beliefs on others.

By all means, we must be wise and discrete in our walk of faith, for we cannot and should not be heavy-handed with others in matters of faith and conscience.  That’s not what Jesus did.  But, if we live boldly and fully for Him, the demons and the people they use will set their hearts on our demise, as Haman did the Jews.  My question to you is this – are you living a life that exalts Christ and makes the devils tremble?  Are they afraid of your prayers and your praises?  Is your life a light to those living in darkness all around you?  Do people see the gentleness and sweetness of Christ when they see you?  Are you a peacemaker, a friend of God and men?  If being a Christian was a crime, would there be enough evidence in your life to convict you?  Are our sufferings the sufferings of Christ or consequences of our own disobedience? 

These are sobering questions we need to consider more often than we do.

Love and peace,

Pastor Eric