WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.840 If you open your Bible to the book of Esther chapter 9, we are going to look at part of this chapter today. 2 00:00:08.840 --> 00:00:23.120 In chapter 9, God’s hand is unmistakably present in the great reversal that takes place and is described in the chapter. 3 00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:36.800 It works its way out by preserving his people, by executing justice, and calling his people and us to remember his faithful providence. 4 00:00:36.800 --> 00:00:41.260 We are going to be looking at the first two of those three things today. 5 00:00:41.260 --> 00:00:49.260 We are going to save reflecting on his saving graces for next week. 6 00:00:49.260 --> 00:00:55.880 Next week we will close out this study of the book of Esther . 7 00:00:55.880 --> 00:01:23.220 Let me begin by reading chapter 9, or part of it at least, and we are reflecting on this aspect of mercy and justice that we see in this book, in this chapter. 8 00:01:23.220 --> 00:01:30.060 This is God’s holy, inerrant word. 9 00:01:30.060 --> 00:01:53.400 Now in the twelfth month, that is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, when the king’s command and edict were about to be executed, on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain mastery over them, it was turned to the contrary, so that the Jews themselves gained the mastery over those who hated them. 10 00:01:53.400 --> 00:02:02.140 The Jews assembled in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. 11 00:02:02.140 --> 00:02:08.480 And no one could stand before them, for the dread of them had fallen on all the peoples. 12 00:02:08.480 --> 00:02:21.440 Even all the princes of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and those who were doing the king’s business, assisted the Jews because the dread of Mordecai had fallen on them. 13 00:02:21.440 --> 00:02:31.800 Indeed, Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for the man Mordecai became greater and greater. 14 00:02:31.800 --> 00:02:40.500 Thus the Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. 15 00:02:40.500 --> 00:03:11.300 At the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed 500 men, and Parsandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha, the ten sons of Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the Jews’ enemy. 16 00:03:11.300 --> 00:03:14.800 But they did not lay hands on the plunder. 17 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:22.560 On that day, the number of those who were killed at the citadel in Susa was reported to the king. 18 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:31.760 The king said to Queen Esther, ‘The Jews have killed and destroyed 500 men and the ten sons of Haman at the citadel of Susa. 19 00:03:31.760 --> 00:03:35.680 What then have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? 20 00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:37.160 Now what is your petition? 21 00:03:37.160 --> 00:03:41.860 It shall even be granted to you, and what is your further request? 22 00:03:41.860 --> 00:03:45.040 It shall also be done.’ 23 00:03:45.040 --> 00:03:54.580 Then said Esther, ‘If it please the king, let tomorrow also be granted to the Jews who are in Susa to do according to the edict of today. 24 00:03:54.580 --> 00:03:58.980 And let Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows.’ 25 00:03:58.980 --> 00:04:02.680 So the king commanded that it should be so. 26 00:04:02.680 --> 00:04:09.120 And an edict was issued in Susa, and Haman’s ten sons were hanged. 27 00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:20.820 The Jews who were in Susa assembled also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, killed 300 men in Susa, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder. 28 00:04:20.820 --> 00:04:36.920 Now the rest of the Jews, who were in the king’s provinces, assembled to defend their lives and rid themselves of their enemies, and killed 75,000 of those who hated them, but they did not lay hands on the plunder. 29 00:04:36.920 --> 00:04:46.900 This was done on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day, they rested and made it a day of feasting and rejoicing. 30 00:04:46.900 --> 00:04:48.910 I will end reading here. 31 00:04:48.910 --> 00:04:53.160 We will pick it up next week with the rest of the book. 32 00:04:53.160 --> 00:04:58.480 Let me ask God to bless the reading of his word. 33 00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:11.160 Father, we are so grateful for your kind grace and preserving this beautiful account of your providential care for your people, for us. 34 00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:28.220 We pray, Father, that as we reflect on this today, that you would guide our thoughts, that you would teach us, Father, your will and your way, and the way that you deal with your people, and Father, with those, the enemies of your people. 35 00:05:28.220 --> 00:05:40.500 Guide us, Father, and guide our hearts this morning, and help us to understand your word, and Father, in doing so, help us to know you better. 36 00:05:40.500 --> 00:05:43.180 We ask this in Jesus’ name. 37 00:05:43.180 --> 00:05:52.000 Amen. 38 00:05:52.000 --> 00:06:01.140 Esther chapter 9 explores the mercy and the justice of God, this portion of this chapter that I read this morning. 39 00:06:01.140 --> 00:06:06.720 What we have just read is that incredible reversal as this day finally arrives. 40 00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:28.160 The day that Haman had picked out by rolling dice more than 11 months earlier finally comes, and things go exactly the opposite of the plan of the enemies of the Jews, as verse 1 explains. 41 00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:32.880 We all, if you have lived long enough, you have seen reversals in your life. 42 00:06:32.880 --> 00:06:41.960 Things that started out that seemed pretty bad or negative, and then turned out to be maybe one of the better things that you have experienced. 43 00:06:41.960 --> 00:06:45.840 God does that quite often in lives. 44 00:06:45.840 --> 00:06:50.380 He has done it in my life a number of times. 45 00:06:50.380 --> 00:06:55.280 In fact, I would probably have a long list, and I would not bore you with it. 46 00:06:55.280 --> 00:06:58.740 Let me just mention a couple things briefly. 47 00:06:58.740 --> 00:07:04.880 Early in our marriage, Vicky and I had been married, Jared was two years old. 48 00:07:04.880 --> 00:07:09.700 I got a job a month before we got married. 49 00:07:09.700 --> 00:07:13.620 I lost the job about two years after we got married. 50 00:07:13.620 --> 00:07:15.600 It was not through any fault of my own. 51 00:07:15.600 --> 00:07:20.280 I was doing a good job, but I lost the job. 52 00:07:20.280 --> 00:07:22.320 So we had a difficult year. 53 00:07:22.320 --> 00:07:27.880 But as a result of all of that, we started a business. 54 00:07:27.880 --> 00:07:36.220 It was pretty trying, and yet a year later, we were doing far better than we had ever done before. 55 00:07:36.220 --> 00:07:40.840 In fact, God blessed us through that. 56 00:07:40.840 --> 00:07:46.320 Who knows how long I would have stayed with that company if it had been my choice. 57 00:07:46.320 --> 00:07:51.040 So that was providential care. 58 00:07:51.040 --> 00:07:55.680 Last February, a year ago, I had a stroke. 59 00:07:55.680 --> 00:08:00.180 You guys remember that, most of you. 60 00:08:00.180 --> 00:08:05.500 That is a pretty trying thing to go through. 61 00:08:05.500 --> 00:08:16.600 As a result of that, one of the things that incident, through God’s providence, helped me change was I began to take a little better care of myself. 62 00:08:16.600 --> 00:08:20.720 I do not know where that will lead. 63 00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:23.960 God holds our breath in his hand. 64 00:08:23.960 --> 00:08:34.180 But I do know that since I have been taking a little better care of myself, watching what I eat, getting a little more exercise, I feel better and can do more than I could do before. 65 00:08:34.180 --> 00:08:35.870 So there is a blessing in that. 66 00:08:35.870 --> 00:08:56.320 There are all sorts of experiences like that, but I have to also say, I have had lots of experiences in my life: disappointments, the death of loved ones, betrayal of people that I counted on and trusted and loved. 67 00:08:56.320 --> 00:08:59.020 I do not exactly know why. 68 00:08:59.020 --> 00:09:01.480 I do not see the end of it. 69 00:09:01.480 --> 00:09:04.700 I do not know God’s purpose in it for me. 70 00:09:04.700 --> 00:09:07.400 I cannot see that far. 71 00:09:07.400 --> 00:09:32.290 Really, it is for those moments, it is for these experiences that we continually go through, that God has preserved the book of Esther for us, to remind us that he is in control of all the things, the events in life, to remind us that even in those things where we cannot see the end, we can trust him. 72 00:09:32.290 --> 00:09:40.190 There are lots of scriptures that tell us that God’s thoughts are way above ours. 73 00:09:40.190 --> 00:09:51.580 There are a number of passages in the Bible that make it very clear that we cannot comprehend the thoughts of God, and God never calls us to understand him. 74 00:09:51.580 --> 00:09:55.830 God never asks us to come to a complete understanding of him. 75 00:09:55.830 --> 00:09:57.600 It is impossible. 76 00:09:57.600 --> 00:10:03.700 God does ask us to trust him. 77 00:10:03.700 --> 00:10:21.320 God preserves his people, and he preserves the account of that preservation for us, so that we know, if we belong to him, we can count ultimately on his great providential care for us. 78 00:10:21.320 --> 00:10:25.920 God’s providence is his work over history. 79 00:10:25.920 --> 00:10:35.200 His covenant mercy and his care over history is displayed for the people of God. 80 00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:45.260 His faithfulness is shown to his people in this account as the plans of his enemies are overturned. 81 00:10:45.260 --> 00:10:49.100 As I began in verse 1, the day finally comes. 82 00:10:49.100 --> 00:10:59.100 God turned the day of planned defeat into the day of victory for the Jewish people in Esther 9:1. 83 00:10:59.100 --> 00:11:15.740 The very day that had been set aside, chosen so carefully by Haman, that very day set for the destruction of the Jews became the day they triumphed over their enemies. 84 00:11:15.740 --> 00:11:21.460 What was meant for evil was completely overturned by God’s providence. 85 00:11:21.460 --> 00:11:23.980 This chapter explains how it happened. 86 00:11:23.980 --> 00:11:51.120 In the last chapter, you remember where the reversal begins, last week we looked at how when after the death of Haman, after Haman was hanged on the gallows that he had built for Mordecai, Mordecai rose, came into the presence of the king and rose to the very place that Haman had occupied. 87 00:11:51.120 --> 00:12:04.680 As a result of all of that, Mordecai was able to send out a decree in the name of the king, which reflected pretty much perfectly the first decree that had gone out. 88 00:12:04.680 --> 00:12:14.000 This time though, allowing the Jewish people to have the resources and the ability to defend themselves against their attackers. 89 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:15.850 So it was a pretty even thing. 90 00:12:15.850 --> 00:12:22.240 It was pretty evenly matched thing as far as the decrees are determined. 91 00:12:22.240 --> 00:12:31.290 As far as that goes out, Xerxes was involved at that at all, he is saying, ‘Let the best people win.’ 92 00:12:31.290 --> 00:12:34.870 That is what had come out of that. 93 00:12:34.870 --> 00:12:43.340 He is, it is a pretty evenly matched as far as the decrees are concerned. 94 00:12:43.340 --> 00:12:54.900 But chapter 9 explains why it goes so strongly in favor of the Jews and its overwhelming advantage that the Jews ended up with in this reversal. 95 00:12:54.900 --> 00:13:08.960 So that is what we see in the first in these first verses as we explore them in verses 2 to 4. 96 00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:19.680 Verses 2 to 4 explains that the fear of God, or more in particular, the fear of God’s people falls on their enemies. 97 00:13:19.680 --> 00:13:27.160 God caused the enemies to fear them. 98 00:13:27.160 --> 00:13:38.900 He moved the hearts of the rulers, that long list of rulers of the provinces and the satraps and so forth, the governors. 99 00:13:38.900 --> 00:13:40.920 He changed their heart. 100 00:13:40.920 --> 00:13:48.380 God worked on their heart so that they, they would have been hostile at one point. 101 00:13:48.380 --> 00:13:50.950 Now they respect and honor the Jewish people. 102 00:13:50.950 --> 00:13:57.120 It is a change of heart, and it is worked by the providence and the care of God. 103 00:13:57.120 --> 00:14:08.520 God can, the Proverbs says that he can direct the heart of the prince in his hand like a stream of water. 104 00:14:08.520 --> 00:14:14.860 Like when you turn the water faucet on, you pull your hand, you could direct it over to one side or the other. 105 00:14:14.860 --> 00:14:19.080 God can direct the heart of a king that way. 106 00:14:19.080 --> 00:14:23.520 So we are seeing this take place. 107 00:14:23.520 --> 00:14:38.040 The princes, the rulers, they began to respect, have much more respect for the Jewish people, in part because they are intimidated and fearful of Mordecai. 108 00:14:38.040 --> 00:14:52.080 Mordecai has risen in authority and power, and God has placed him at that level, and the people have this strange fear of him. 109 00:14:52.080 --> 00:14:53.920 They began to fear him. 110 00:14:53.920 --> 00:15:02.280 They began to be somewhat intimidated by him, and they certainly began to respect him and the Jewish people. 111 00:15:02.280 --> 00:15:05.530 That is not a new thing in the Bible. 112 00:15:05.530 --> 00:15:09.240 We have seen this kind of thing before. 113 00:15:09.240 --> 00:15:25.800 Remember in the book of Exodus as the people have been delivered through the Red Sea, and they are entering into Canaan, and you have all these tribes of people who want to attack them. 114 00:15:25.800 --> 00:15:30.280 In Exodus 15 it says, ‘The peoples have heard. 115 00:15:30.280 --> 00:15:31.740 They tremble. 116 00:15:31.740 --> 00:15:34.380 The dread and fear fall upon them. 117 00:15:34.380 --> 00:15:39.740 By the greatness of your arm, they are motionless as a stone.’ 118 00:15:39.740 --> 00:15:46.000 The enemies of the Jews were terrified of the Jewish people. 119 00:15:46.000 --> 00:16:00.780 Deuteronomy 2:25, God promised the Jewish people there, ‘This day, I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples everywhere under the heavens.’ 120 00:16:00.780 --> 00:16:04.160 Something to think about, is it not? 121 00:16:04.160 --> 00:16:12.940 If you are involved in a war and all your soldiers are terrified of the enemy, that is not a good thing. 122 00:16:12.940 --> 00:16:22.380 It is not, they are not going to be thrilled to be engaging in the battle to begin with, and they are going to be intimidated. 123 00:16:22.380 --> 00:16:28.860 It is not a good, you are starting out very badly. 124 00:16:28.860 --> 00:16:47.820 When Joshua, when Joshua is going to is actually they are moving into the land, you remember the words of Rahab to the two spies who were there. 125 00:16:47.820 --> 00:16:53.980 She says, ‘All, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. 126 00:16:53.980 --> 00:16:57.700 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea.’ 127 00:16:57.700 --> 00:17:00.530 They are terrified before the Jewish people. 128 00:17:00.530 --> 00:17:01.850 They are all frightened. 129 00:17:01.850 --> 00:17:03.000 They are all afraid. 130 00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:07.000 You remember Gideon and his 300 men? 131 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:13.620 300 men, he leads out against 100,000 Midianites. 132 00:17:13.620 --> 00:17:21.100 They go up around the mountains, and they have no real weapons. 133 00:17:21.100 --> 00:17:21.830 They do not have anything. 134 00:17:21.830 --> 00:17:31.920 They take, they take a torch out of the which is hidden in a little pitcher, and they pull it out so they can see the torch. 135 00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:42.780 They smash all the pitchers, and they hear that sound that wakes all of them up in the camp, and they are terrified, and they start running in great fright. 136 00:17:42.780 --> 00:17:50.000 There are lots of wars, Jewish wars that come about this way. 137 00:17:50.000 --> 00:18:04.340 So God has worked to bring about the fear of his people to alter the outcome of this day when it finally takes place. 138 00:18:04.340 --> 00:18:12.700 God is God cares for this world that he has created. 139 00:18:12.700 --> 00:18:31.310 The doctrine of providence is that God has not left this world to run on its own , but he lovingly cares for this world, and the history of this world is God’s own story. 140 00:18:31.310 --> 00:18:34.090 It is his story. 141 00:18:34.090 --> 00:18:36.240 So that is what it means. 142 00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:39.080 Providence means that God has not abandoned the world he created . 143 00:18:39.080 --> 00:18:46.080 He directs all things to the final goal that he himself has appointed . 144 00:18:46.080 --> 00:18:49.100 That goal is his own glory . 145 00:18:49.100 --> 00:19:03.600 As we learned in the Bible study this morning, because God’s glory, Christ’s glory, because we are in Christ, Christ’s glory is always for the good of his people. 146 00:19:03.600 --> 00:19:07.460 Christ’s glory, our good. 147 00:19:07.460 --> 00:19:14.920 You can look at all sorts of places in history and see that hand of providence. 148 00:19:14.920 --> 00:19:26.020 So that is part of that lesson, part of what we are looking at is God providentially cares over his over his history, over his people. 149 00:19:26.020 --> 00:19:34.360 I do not know if many of you remember the account about the story of Dunkirk in World War II. 150 00:19:34.360 --> 00:19:37.660 Remember that? 151 00:19:37.660 --> 00:19:49.400 The Allied forces, more than 300,000 soldiers were trapped by Hitler’s forces. 152 00:19:49.400 --> 00:20:04.980 They were on the beaches of Dunkirk, a little French town there, the beaches of Dunkirk. 153 00:20:04.980 --> 00:20:09.520 They were against the sea. 154 00:20:09.520 --> 00:20:12.240 They were visible. 155 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:21.640 The Luftwaffe, which was the German Air Force, was flying over and strafing them, killing thousands of them. 156 00:20:21.640 --> 00:20:24.260 They had no hope. 157 00:20:24.260 --> 00:20:26.680 It was desperate. 158 00:20:26.680 --> 00:20:34.320 The whole Allied force, this is pretty much the main part of the Allied force, was trapped. 159 00:20:34.320 --> 00:20:37.560 They could not get out. 160 00:20:37.560 --> 00:20:55.660 Hitler, all he had to do was come in and push his own forces to close them off and wipe them out, and that would have been it. 161 00:20:55.660 --> 00:21:00.040 From their perspective, it seemed pretty hopeless. 162 00:21:00.040 --> 00:21:10.480 A British officer sent a message, three words, and it said, ‘ But if not .’ 163 00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:18.480 Back in 1940, when this took place in Britain, the British were pretty biblically literate. 164 00:21:18.480 --> 00:21:21.000 They knew what those three words meant. 165 00:21:21.000 --> 00:21:22.640 It was not a code. 166 00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:26.420 They knew that it was a reference in the Bible. 167 00:21:26.420 --> 00:21:45.860 They immediately thought of the account in Daniel chapter 3, when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are asked to, are ordered to bow down in front of that golden statue that Nebuchadnezzar had built, and they had refused to do so. 168 00:21:45.860 --> 00:21:48.020 Nebuchadnezzar says, ‘I will throw you. 169 00:21:48.020 --> 00:21:52.660 I will certainly throw you into this fiery furnace.’ 170 00:21:52.660 --> 00:21:54.360 You remember the response? 171 00:21:54.360 --> 00:22:03.720 They said, ‘If it be so, if you throw us in that fiery furnace, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace. 172 00:22:03.720 --> 00:22:08.260 And he will deliver us out of your hand, O King. 173 00:22:08.260 --> 00:22:22.150 But if not , be it known to you, O King, that we will not serve your gods nor worship the golden image which you have set up.’ 174 00:22:22.150 --> 00:22:23.720 That is what they said. 175 00:22:23.720 --> 00:22:30.950 That is what that officer meant with that three-word message, and that is what the people understood. 176 00:22:30.950 --> 00:22:32.760 We are in a hopeless situation. 177 00:22:32.760 --> 00:22:35.820 It is like being thrown, it is doom. 178 00:22:35.820 --> 00:22:39.860 There is no way out of this as far as we can see. 179 00:22:39.860 --> 00:22:43.760 But our trust is in God. 180 00:22:43.760 --> 00:23:01.970 Winston Churchill, when faced that problem, he sent a message to everyone, everyone eventually got this, that anyone who owned a boat, any kind of a boat, if you owned a boat, ‘We are commissioning your boat. 181 00:23:01.970 --> 00:23:12.920 You, you get in your boat, sail across the English Channel to Dunkirk and see if you can pick up a soldier or two and bring them back.’ 182 00:23:12.920 --> 00:23:25.820 His hope was out of the 350,000 people, maybe 20,000, maybe as many as 20,000 might be brought back. 183 00:23:25.820 --> 00:23:35.100 The King of England, George VI, called for a day of prayer. 184 00:23:35.100 --> 00:23:39.340 If you do not know this story, I encourage you to look it up. 185 00:23:39.340 --> 00:23:45.540 He called for a day of prayer on May the 26th, 1940. 186 00:23:45.540 --> 00:23:53.940 He instructed the people to turn back to God in repentance, plead for God’s help. 187 00:23:53.940 --> 00:24:00.240 Millions of people across the British Isles flocked into their churches. 188 00:24:00.240 --> 00:24:01.990 They filled up their churches. 189 00:24:01.990 --> 00:24:19.840 There are photographs from, there are photographs of outside the churches, not only they filled up the churches, but there are long lines going for blocks for people waiting to get into the church so they can pray in the churches. 190 00:24:19.840 --> 00:24:22.960 Two things happened. 191 00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:29.900 First of all, a violent storm rose over Dunkirk. 192 00:24:29.900 --> 00:24:34.330 That storm shut down the German Air Force. 193 00:24:34.330 --> 00:24:37.380 The Luftwaffe had to stay grounded. 194 00:24:37.380 --> 00:24:48.080 That meant that the soldiers were getting strafed and slaughtered by the by the planes. 195 00:24:48.080 --> 00:25:11.860 The second thing that happened is that an incredible calm settled over the English Channel, the like of which had not been seen for more than 30 years, which allowed hundreds of tiny boats to sail across and rescue 335,000 soldiers. 196 00:25:11.860 --> 00:25:15.440 Almost all of them were brought back. 197 00:25:15.440 --> 00:25:20.020 They called that the Dunkirk miracle . 198 00:25:20.020 --> 00:25:22.040 You think about that. 199 00:25:22.040 --> 00:25:30.060 World War II is decided by the way the wind blew on a particular day. 200 00:25:30.060 --> 00:25:32.580 Think about that. 201 00:25:32.580 --> 00:25:38.760 It would have been a different ending on that war. 202 00:25:38.760 --> 00:25:41.080 Providence. 203 00:25:41.080 --> 00:25:57.240 The doctrine of providence means that these things that may appear as mere coincidences are in reality the unfolding of God’s continuing care for his people. 204 00:25:57.240 --> 00:26:04.240 God cares, and he oversees the history of this world . 205 00:26:04.240 --> 00:26:08.240 He shows incredible mercy. 206 00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:19.860 The mercy that God shows the Jewish people here is not because they are especially perfect or good people. 207 00:26:19.860 --> 00:26:24.050 It is not because of their merit that he shows them this. 208 00:26:24.050 --> 00:26:30.540 That is not the reason that we see this unfolding of his grace here. 209 00:26:30.540 --> 00:26:38.200 Because the reason they are in Persia is because their forefathers had been idolatrous. 210 00:26:38.200 --> 00:26:47.040 So they are here, and God has used this to bring them to a place of repentance. 211 00:26:47.040 --> 00:26:52.540 He shows them mercy because of his promise to the people of Israel. 212 00:26:52.540 --> 00:27:07.820 He had told Abraham that he would bless Abraham and his descendants, that he would bless those who bless them, and he would curse those who curse them. 213 00:27:07.820 --> 00:27:10.400 God remembers his covenant with Abraham . 214 00:27:10.400 --> 00:27:15.260 He remembers the covenant promise that he has with his people. 215 00:27:15.260 --> 00:27:16.580 God does that. 216 00:27:16.580 --> 00:27:22.900 He remembers his promises, and he remembers his covenant. 217 00:27:22.900 --> 00:27:33.420 The next thing that takes place is that God executes justice over the enemies of his people. 218 00:27:33.420 --> 00:27:37.940 The enemies of God’s people are God’s enemies. 219 00:27:37.940 --> 00:27:48.240 Put it the other way, the enemies of God are also the enemies of his people. 220 00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:57.280 Verses 5 to 7 in particular, probably sounds a little harsh, does it not? 221 00:27:57.280 --> 00:28:04.540 The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. 222 00:28:04.540 --> 00:28:09.870 That sounds a little extreme, maybe something like vengeance perhaps. 223 00:28:09.870 --> 00:28:12.020 It is not vengeance. 224 00:28:12.020 --> 00:28:16.320 What we see here is justice. 225 00:28:16.320 --> 00:28:23.800 God’s justice operates through means. 226 00:28:23.800 --> 00:28:28.520 We can see that this is justice and not vengeance. 227 00:28:28.520 --> 00:28:48.340 If you even going back to verse 2, when it is explaining what happens in this overall summary, it says that the Jews laid hands on those who sought to harm them. 228 00:28:48.340 --> 00:28:56.220 The enemies of the Jews were the ones who initiated this, and they are the ones who were to bring about the harm. 229 00:28:56.220 --> 00:29:02.280 So one of the things, one of the ways that you see that this is not extreme, this is justice. 230 00:29:02.280 --> 00:29:11.420 God is using the Jewish people to bring justice to these people who have attacked them and who are their enemies. 231 00:29:11.420 --> 00:29:21.350 The enemies of the Jews deserve justice, and God brings justice through this conflict that they had themselves appointed. 232 00:29:21.350 --> 00:29:29.000 It is perfect because it is just like the gallows that Haman hangs on. 233 00:29:29.000 --> 00:29:41.380 Because this is these wicked people planned the destruction of the Jewish people, and when that day came around, it proved to be their destruction instead. 234 00:29:41.380 --> 00:29:52.380 God working a perfect justice where the one who digs the pit falls into it, as the Proverbs says, or he who rolls the stone, it comes back on him. 235 00:29:52.380 --> 00:29:55.460 That is exactly what happens to these people. 236 00:29:55.460 --> 00:30:10.300 If you want to see the measure of that, why this is not extreme or why it is not a vengeful thing on the Jews’ part, it is measured. 237 00:30:10.300 --> 00:30:23.540 All the way through here, for example, they are there is they take action, they carry it out, but there is a restraint that takes place. 238 00:30:23.540 --> 00:30:33.340 One of the places that you see that is that three times, in verse 10, in verse 15, and in verse 16, it says that they do not take the plunder. 239 00:30:33.340 --> 00:30:38.740 According to the decree, you can destroy the people, you take all their stuff. 240 00:30:38.740 --> 00:30:41.400 But the Jews do not take the stuff. 241 00:30:41.400 --> 00:30:43.060 They do not take the plunder. 242 00:30:43.060 --> 00:30:45.820 They do not take it in Susa. 243 00:30:45.820 --> 00:30:48.980 They do not take it through any of the provinces. 244 00:30:48.980 --> 00:30:52.780 So it shows a measure of restraint. 245 00:30:52.780 --> 00:30:59.850 So the enemies of the Jews deserve justice because of their wicked deeds. 246 00:30:59.850 --> 00:31:08.460 That is true for us all. 247 00:31:08.460 --> 00:31:09.920 We deserve justice. 248 00:31:09.920 --> 00:31:24.020 If we get the justice of God, we would get all that the Bible says: the wages of sin is death , the second death is the lake of fire. 249 00:31:24.020 --> 00:31:29.900 All those things is what justice would mean to us. 250 00:31:29.900 --> 00:31:33.780 But we are shown mercy, the mercy of God. 251 00:31:33.780 --> 00:31:36.700 Do you know where you see that perfectly in the Bible? 252 00:31:36.700 --> 00:31:39.960 The mercy of God and the justice of God? 253 00:31:39.960 --> 00:31:43.250 You see that at the cross of Jesus Christ. 254 00:31:43.250 --> 00:31:45.950 That is when it all comes together. 255 00:31:45.950 --> 00:31:50.940 That is where it all comes together. 256 00:31:50.940 --> 00:32:06.000 You might remember or have heard before that explanation or have seen it that is sometimes used to teach children about grace and the cross. 257 00:32:06.000 --> 00:32:08.720 They picture three crosses. 258 00:32:08.720 --> 00:32:18.560 The center cross is the cross of the Lord Jesus, and the two other crosses reflect the cross of the two thieves. 259 00:32:18.560 --> 00:32:32.800 They draw three crosses on a piece of paper, and over the middle cross, they write the words ‘ on not in .’ 260 00:32:32.800 --> 00:32:41.220 On the first thief’s cross, they write the words ‘ in not on .’ 261 00:32:41.220 --> 00:32:48.760 On the other thief’s cross, they write the words ‘ on and in .’ 262 00:32:48.760 --> 00:32:50.150 What does all that mean? 263 00:32:50.150 --> 00:32:53.940 It is talking about their sin. 264 00:32:53.940 --> 00:32:58.640 Jesus Christ was absolutely sinless. 265 00:32:58.640 --> 00:33:01.960 There was no sin at all in him. 266 00:33:01.960 --> 00:33:06.640 Yet the sins of mankind was placed upon him. 267 00:33:06.640 --> 00:33:12.960 One of the thieves, the first thief, is sinful. 268 00:33:12.960 --> 00:33:15.040 Sin is in him. 269 00:33:15.040 --> 00:33:19.180 Yet he puts his trust in Christ for salvation. 270 00:33:19.180 --> 00:33:24.980 He says to him, ‘Lord, remember me when you enter your paradise.’ 271 00:33:24.980 --> 00:33:29.880 Jesus promises him that today he would be with him in paradise. 272 00:33:29.880 --> 00:33:38.420 He had sin in him, but the guilt of sin was placed on Jesus. 273 00:33:38.420 --> 00:33:52.720 The other thief had sin in him, and that guilt of that sin remained on him, and he bore the ultimate price of all that sin. 274 00:33:52.720 --> 00:34:14.420 Jesus Christ on the cross brings perfect justice, so that all sin, the debt of all sin is satisfied completely through the cross and through the judgment that falls on all those who enter into hell. 275 00:34:14.420 --> 00:34:31.060 Jesus bore that hell for those who put their trust in him, those people whom become the children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. 276 00:34:31.060 --> 00:34:56.780 Everyone else, like Haman, like Haman’s ten sons, who plotted the death of Mordecai, the sin and the weight of sin abides on them, so they suffer this consequence and the eternal consequence as well. 277 00:34:56.780 --> 00:35:01.940 God deals with us with amazing love. 278 00:35:01.940 --> 00:35:25.410 As we studied this morning in the study, God loves us with a mighty love that is incomprehensible, that while we were guilty before him and deserved the judgment that we are talking about, he set his love on us, and he saves us by taking that debt upon himself and paying that debt that we owe. 279 00:35:25.410 --> 00:35:27.590 That is the gospel . 280 00:35:27.590 --> 00:35:31.780 That is what we enjoy in Jesus Christ. 281 00:35:31.780 --> 00:35:35.960 We become his people, part of his covenant. 282 00:35:35.960 --> 00:35:48.640 Just as God promised Abraham and keeps his word, God promises us in Christ, and we are secure in him forever . 283 00:35:48.640 --> 00:35:51.000 Let me close with that and pray. 284 00:35:51.000 --> 00:35:54.940 Father, we thank you for the richness of your mercies in Christ Jesus. 285 00:35:54.940 --> 00:35:58.240 We thank you for your love for us. 286 00:35:58.240 --> 00:36:06.220 We ask, Lord, that you help us as we consider these things to reflect on the wonder of your grace. 287 00:36:06.220 --> 00:36:18.900 How we deserve justice, and yet by your mercy, we have received kindness and love for all of eternity. 288 00:36:18.900 --> 00:36:22.400 We ask, Father, that you grow our hearts in appreciation. 289 00:36:22.400 --> 00:36:27.040 You help us to love you, Father, with a mighty love. 290 00:36:27.040 --> 00:36:39.720 Father, I pray that you help us to be obedient servants, that we might, we might bring glory to the name of Christ as you work in us to perfect us into the image of our Savior. 291 00:36:39.720 --> 00:36:44.220 We ask this in the name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus, for his sake, for his glory. 292 00:36:44.220 --> 00:36:46.220 Amen.