What causes you to
celebrate? I celebrate in Thomond Park
when the Munster Rugby team win a big European Cup match. After the final whistle the crowd erupts into
our anthem of ‘Stand Up and Fight’. The
team comes out and applauds the crowd, and we applaud them. I am tempted to hug people I have never met
before. Then I go home and look up the
match reports and players ratings. I
then can’t wait to dissect the victory with some of my fellow rugby fans in the
next day or two.
However, I suspect it does my
faith more good when the Munster team lose a big game. You see then I am reminded that it is only
sport. Despite all the talk of legendary
players and historic matches, it will be all soon forgotten. It is after all about thirty men running
around an overly manicured pitch chasing an imitation leather ball. I have been known to get into my car and
pray, ‘thank you for reminding me that this doesn’t really matter, it’s not
life and death, and it is of zero eternal significance. Thank you that I have something so much more
significant to live for.’ What makes us
most happy says a lot about us.
This morning we are going to look
at an ancient story in the book of all books.
We are going to see God’s people celebrate a magnificent victory. We are also going to see that the victory
recorded in this chapter points ahead to the greatest victory that has ever
being seen.
1. Celebrate
the fact that your life is not in the hand of blind faith
In the Old Testament period, God
had a special relationship with the Jews.
Many of these Jews were in exile in a city called Susa, which was in
Persia (now modern Iran). The king of
Persia was Xerxes and he had a wicked official called Haman. Haman hated the Jews and deceived the king
into issuing an edict to have them annihilated.
In a delicious irony, Haman ended up being put to death on the very
gallows he had prepared for the godly Mordecai.
The book of Esther is
characterised by a number of reversals of fortune. We see one at the beginning of our
reading. King Xerxes gives the property
of Haman to Queen Esther (the property of criminals was forfeited to the
crown). Then Esther tells King Xerxes
that she is related to Mordecai, and King Xerxes of Persia takes off his signet
ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and gives it to Mordecai, signifying
delegated authority. Esther appoints
Mordecai to be in charge of Haman’s property.
Do you know that God is never
mentioned in this book? But can there be
any doubt that he stands behind these surprising events. The book of Proverbs tells us, that in ‘the
Lord’s hand the king’s heart is like a stream of water that he channels towards
all that please him’ and that ‘we can make our plans, but the Lord determines
our steps.’ So don’t give up hope! Your heavenly Father may seem absent, but your
life is not in the hand of blind fate.
2. Celebrate
the fact that God is greater than your enemy.
However, there is a still a major
problem. What are we to do about the
edict which orchestrated to annihilate the Jews?
For the second time in this book,
Esther takes her life in her hands and approaches King Xerxes. You see to approach the king without a
summons could be punishable by death.
Xerxes informs Esther that under the Persian legal system a royal edict
could not be revoked. Yet, Xerxes comes
up with a plan. Send a message to the
Jews in the king’s name, telling them whatever you want, and seal it with the
king’s signet ring. So Mordecai dictates
a decree granting the Jews in every city throughout the Persian Empire giving
them the right to destroy and kill and armed force of any nationality or
province that might attack them and their women and children, and to plunder
the property of their enemies. The day
appointed by Haman’s edict and Mordecai’s defence was the thirteenth day of the
month of Adar (or March 7th according to the New Living
Translation).
Have you ever wondered how the
Jews were going supposed to be able to defend themselves against the might of
those who opposed them. They were after
all a small and insignificant people. Look
at the last verse of this chapter. The
people feared what the Jews might do to them.
This is one of the themes of the whole of the Old Testament. The battle belongs to the Lord. The Jews weren’t a great military power, but
when they trusted their God he defeated their enemies. Our God is the one who has dealt with our
guilt and defeated our accuser. We
simply act in light of his victory.
I love the words in the book of
Revelation where God’s people are immune to the accusations of our enemy,
Satan, ‘for they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and their
testimony’ (Revelation 12:11). Or what
about the many Christians who are killed even today for their faith. Has God let them down? Listen to Jesus warning his disciples, ‘they
will kill some of you. And everyone will
hate you because you are my followers.
But not a hair of you head will perish’ (Luke 21:17-19). How can you square martyrdom with an
untouched head? We can do so by remembering
that Jesus told us not to fear those who can kill the body but not touch our
soul (Matthew 10:28).
3. Celebrate that there is a gospel wroth
proclaiming.
I find the closing verses of our
chapter fascinating. When Mordecai left the king’s presence, he
was wearing royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a
purple robe of fine linen. Our Saviour
has been clothed in honour and sits at the Father’s side, and like the
messengers Mordecai sent throughout the empire, we have been good news that
should cause God’s chosen people to rejoice.
‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! (Romans 10:15
and Isaiah 52:7).
And
the city of Susa held a joyous celebration. In
every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was
joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebration. And many people of other nationalities became
Jews because fear of the Jews seized them.
The people of that city clearly
didn’t share Haman’s hatred of the Jews.
The city had been bewildered when the edict to annihilate the Jews
(3:15). Perhaps the people of Susa had
also suffered under the tyranny of Haman.
What a blessing to have him replaced by the godly Mordecai. While we can’t deny that many awful things
have been done by people claiming to represent Jesus, the world does not
realise how much it is blessed by those who love the Lord. How many hospitals and schools have been set
up because people love Jesus? When the
evangelical missionaries arrived in Tahiti in the 1800s the murder rate was in
the thirties, but after a few years of their influence the murder rate was down
to single figures. Let’s pray that our
influence changes our homes, families, schools and workplaces for good!
Conclusion:
So what causes you to celebrate? God has been good to all people! The apostle Paul told the people of Lystra
and Derbe, that God sends you rain and good crops and gives you food and joy in
your hearts’ (Acts 14:17). We may
celebrate momentous events like the birth of a child. We may be gladdened by a good exam result or
getting a job. We might get approved for
a mortgage. What about getting an
all-clear on a cancer scare? Of course
you gladness might be petty, like when Manchester United get beaten, or
unrealistic as you hope for the Limerick hurlers to win the All-Ireland.
ut what caused the rejoicing in
this chapter in the book of books? They
rejoiced because the invisible God had come to our rescue. That’s why Christians sing, and atheists
don’t have any hymns. That’s why
Christians are prepared to suffer for their faith, and do so with hope. That’s why we can know comfort even when our
world is falling apart (although I know that many faithful Christians can find
that hope almost impossible to feel).
You see there is a victory that will be celebrated for eternity.
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