VICTORY OVER THE ENEMIES
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
Intro:
As we come to the end of the book of Esther today, there is alot that we have looked at. You remember that this book is a book that does not contain the name of God, it does not speak about prayer, or faith....
and yet as we’ve looked at this book, you can’t help but see God’s finger prints all over the book and just as important, we have seen God’s finger prints all over the lives of the characters in our story.
And that has been one of the main topics that we have looked at time and time again throughout the book of Esther. How God is Sovereign and in control of all things, including our lives.
How God has been working in your life and mine every step of the way including using the bad situations I may encounter to produce something good out it.
And we’ve talked about how these hardships in our lives, the difficulties and even the bad things that happen to us can be used by God to develop something good in us that may not have been able to be produced other wise.
This is the life and Story of Esther.
Transition
Esther did not have the greatest life growing up. You remember her parents died at a young age, she had to be raised by her cousin Mordecai. She was a captive living in a foreign land.
she was taken by King Xertes to parade before him and to see if she would be pleasing to him, more pleasing than the other 400 women.
We have talked about this before, that just from the onset as you hear these things, no one would want to wish this kind of life on themselves. And yet as we have been walking through her life in this book, we have been able to see that all of these hardships in her life produced a Godly character in her life.
it produced things in her that she would never be able to have unless she had gone through these difficulties but also these hardships would prepare her for what God had in store for her in the future.
this is what we have seen in this story . How God has been working both in the lives of the people and in the life of Esther and he has used both difficulties and hardships, he has also used supernatural and natural means to accomplish His plan and purpose both in the lives of the people and of Esther.
and we have made it a point to put you and me in the story and to drive the point home, that just as God worked in the life of Esther and just like He worked in the life of the people, he is still working in us today the same way.
He is working daily things in my life for good, even the difficulties that i don’t understand. God is working to produce Godly character in me in order to use me for His glory.
Transition
Now you remember that Esther would eventually become Queen by the perfect plan of God. He established her Queen because He knew He would be able to use her for the salvation of her people.
as we moved on in the story , we saw a man by the name of Haman who was an evil man. He hated the Jews but specifically he hated Mordecai because much like the men before him like Daniel, he refused to bow down to anyone other than God.
We saw the plan that Haman would have to bring down Mordecai . He convince King Xertes to make a decree or law, that the Jews should be destroyed because they did not keep the laws of the King.
The King thought it was a good idea and so they made this into law.
this sets off our story as we would begin to see God’s great plan in the midst of the difficulties the people found themselves in. It is here that we could see that God placed Esther in a position of influence to the King in order for such a time as this.
eventually we saw that Haman’s plan would backfire against him as he did not know that Esther was a Jew and as Esther would reveal this plan to the King. Haman would die on his own gallows that he built for Mordecai.
Transition
this is where we picked up last week in chapter 8. Haman was now dead and half of the problem for the Jews had been taken care of. But there was still one big problem, the fact that the decree against the Jews was still in effect.
we learned that once the king gives a decree there is no changing of it. it was final law. So then as Esther would ask the King to revoke this decree , the king would give a solution the problem. He give Esther the authority to write a new decree with the scribes and to counter act the law of Haman.
You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, as you please, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s signet ring; for whatever is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring no one can revoke.”
and this is exactly what Esther did. She made a decree that the Jews could basically defend themselves from anyone who would try to kill them the day that Haman’s law came into effect.
understand that from the time that the Haman wrote the law until the time it came into effect, it was some 11 months.
In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, the lot), before Haman to determine the day and the month, until it fell on the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.
so there was a specific day that this law of Haman was going to take effect. You can imagine the nerves and stress it would create on the Jews as the time was counting down to all hell broke loose.
Now Esther has been able to make a law that would allow the Jews to defend themselves when this day comes. Once again you see God’s hand working on behalf of His people .
we will get to see the Victory of the Jews today. And just as we have been trying to bring the point home personally , i want us to look at how God worked in the midst of the battle that these Jews faced.
and to understand that the same way that God worked in these people, He is working in us today as well. And you and I can look at these passages and take these as promises for your life and mine.
I. THE VICTORY OVER THE ENEMY (CHP. 9: 1-17)
A. GOD OVERTURNS THE PLAN OF THE ENEMY (V. 1)
Here we see that the day has come of Haman’s evil decree. It was the 13th day of the 12th month of Adar. This was the day that in Chp. 3 we see Haman basically rolled the dice, or cast lots to see what day he should implement the destruction of the Jews.
This must have been the day that the people were waiting for. We are told that the enemies of the Jews hoped to overpower them.
This was a plan set in motion by an evil man. But you and I must understand that behind this evil man, was Satan influencing and directing him to create this evil plan.
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
We have seen this time and time again specifically for the Jews in the old testament, as they were under constant attack from all sides. They would be enslaved, attacked, persecuted and killed.
you then look to the new testament all the way until today and the same thing is true for God’s people, you and I , the church. Satan is always looking to destroy and to hinder your life and mine. And he will use many different things to accomplish this.
Illustration
i’m reminded of the story of Joseph in the bible. A man who was a good man, who had his fathers love and affection, who was envied and hated by his brothers. They would take him and would come up with a plan to destroy his life. They eventually would sell him into slavery.
and through the decisions of his brothers, Joseph would deal with alot of Hardships. He would be put into prison, he would be falsely accused of rape, he would be forgot about.
this would have made any of us angry and maybe bitter. Yet we see that God was able to come and work in the midst of this evil plan, and He was able to turn this plan around for good. He would eventually use all of these situations to place Joseph in a position of authority second only to Pharaoh, which would allow him to save his people.
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
This is exactly what we see here in our story. That the enemy was waiting for the day to destroy the Jews, yet God came and turned the plan around and what was meant for evil, God turned it for good.
we are told that “the opposite occured”
instead of the enemy overtaking the Jews, the Jews overpowered the enemy. And i want us to look at what God did here in this story. It is important because the reality is that you and I will face battles against the enemy.
there will be battles that come against our character, against our beliefs, against our choices, against our faith, against the truth, against our holiness and purity, against our faithfulness to God ....
and just like these people , victory is possible over these personal attacks of the enemy, but the victory is not by our power, but by God’s power.
Lets look briefly at what God does for the people to give them victory
B. GOD BRINGS VICTORY (V. 2-4)
GOD BRINGS STRENGTH AND FEAR (V.2)
We see that the Jewish people gathered together in their cities to defend themselves throughout the provinces of the King, remember that the kingdom of Xertxes was huge, 127 provinces , going from India all the way to the area of Egypt and up to Asia minor.
so the Jews that were located in this entire land , hundreds of square miles, were gathered together to defend themselves against the enemy.
now we are told that no one could “withstand them”. Now was it because of their numbers or their fighting ability? NO.....
we are told that no one could withstand them because “fear” fell upon them.
within this you can see God working in and through the people. He has enabled them to fight against the enemy. It appears that they are fighting in such a way that is strategic , as we are told that they “gathered together”
So God gave them the courage and strength to fight, He gave them the strategy to fight, He gave them the endurance to fight. And we are also told that He put a fear on the enemy .. He caused the enemy to be fearful to fight.
The bible tells us that God has given us everything we need to live a Godly , victorious life and to stand in the battle
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
Eph. 6 speaks of the armor we have in the Lord to stand in the battle.
2. GOD BRINGS RESOURCES FOR THE BATTLE (V. 3)
Now not only was the battle of the Jews against the enemy, but watch how those who were in the Kings court, the officials of the provinces , the satraps, the governors and all those doing the kings work, came to help the Jews.
we are told that they came to help because they had a fear of Mordecai. As Mordecai has come into authority, now those who are also a part of kings work may feel the need to help this man and his people, lest they be killed.
whatever the reason may be, either way, God brought additional help to the Jews.
i want you to understand this principal. That you are not in the battle alone. God has surrounded you with many resources to be a help in the midst of the battle. You have Godly friends, you have leaders, you have pastors, you have parents, siblings etc.....
God has brought these people into your life , that you would be strengthened and encouraged and built up
As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
Ointment and perfume delight the heart,
And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel.
3. GOD ESTABLISHES US FOR THE BATTLE (V.4)
here we see that Mordecai moved up in authority in the Persian empire. It tells us that “he became great” in the king’s palace . This greatness was not because of himself.
but we must remember that it was God who placed him exactly where He wanted him to be. There was a perfect placement in life when the time of battle would come. This was not a mistake or a surprise to God. But God knew that the battle would come, and had Mordecai exactly where he needed to be in order to have victory.
know that God knows what you are going through and He is not surprised. He has placed you exactly in the church you are in, in the school that you are in , in the grade level that you are in, in the family that you are in..... He knew this would be the best for you during this time.
often there is a temptation to run away or move away from the battles that we face. Sometimes we have to go through battles and we have to grow through battles in order to learn what God wanted us to learn. Running away from the battle will not make it go away.
B. FOLLOWING AN EVIL LEGACY (V. 5-17)
So as the story continues we see that the Jews have victory over their enemies. We are told that the Jews are basically able to do whatever they want with them , they destroyed them.
we are told that the Jews throughout the province killed 75,000 of their enemies (v. 16) . We are told that in the area of Shushan , the Jews killed 500 men, the King is informed of this news and he tells Esther of this number an d asks her what is her request.
now the decree to be able to defend themselves was for one day, so Esther is asking for one more day in order to destroy those who come against them. This is neat because you see here Esther and Mordecai wanting to destroy their enemy completely , not leaving any behind.
Transition
this is a very important point . there is an old testament story that has great application to dealing with the enemy. In 1 Sam. 15, we see king Saul. He was to go to war against the enemy, the amalakites and was to utterly destroy all of the people. They were not to leave any of the enemy alive.
as the story goes on, you see that Saul disobeys God and actually takes the King of the Amalakites with him as a prisoner. God is angry over Saul’s disobedience and as a result, Saul would lose the kingdom. David would end up being the next king.
now in the bible, the Amalakites are a symbol of the flesh, of the enemy, our old man. And the spiritual picture we get here is the same as Saul, that God calls us to utterly destroy the flesh in our lives. to complete kill or cut out the flesh , the sin in our lives. God does not want us to leave any bit lying around in our hearts.
Yet we too can often be like Saul and we can refuse to obey God, we can remove most of the flesh from our lives, yet still leave certain areas alive. Areas we don’t want to get rid off, sinful things even.
and without a complete and utter commitment to remove the flesh, will lead us to a live haunted and entangled , in bondage to the flesh. Unable to be used by God.
now follow with me......
Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. We are told that Mordecai was a from the tribe of Benjamin ( Esther 2:5)
We are told that Haman was the “Agagite” in Esther 3:1, or was a descendant from the Almalakites.
what we see here is Mordecai doing what his descendant was unable to do, what Saul was unable to do, to completely cut off the enemy from his life .
Transition
This is important to follow. Because we have a man who was willing to be who his descendants were not willing to be. He was willing to obey God even if his family before him were not willing.
the contrast you have is the 10 sons of Haman. These men were filled with the same hatred as their father. They followed in their father’s footsteps and it lead to the same consequences ...... they hung on the gallows.
i want you to understand this picture. We all have a legacy that we are leaving behind us, and that legacy will be determined by whose steps we are following.
in other words we will each have a choice to make as to who we will become. We cannot use the excuse of our fathers, our family members, our upbringing , our situation......
we will all have the same equal choice to make to follow the Lord and those Godly examples that He has given us.... sometimes it may not be family, it may be a mentor , a may be a friend, a pastor, a grandfather.
We all have Godly examples set before us that we are to follow.
Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
there are good examples to follow. And then there are bad examples to follow. There are bad habits we learn from our fathers or mothers, from our family, from our friends, things that are not right.
the bad thing about these habits is that they will create in us a certain type of character, that will lead to a certain type of life......that will eventually leave behind a certain type of legacy......
this is what Haman did. He left a bad legacy..... But worst off were his ten sons who had a choice, yet they willfully followed the bad examples in their lives...
QUESTION “ WHOSE EXAMPLE ARE YOU FOLLOWING AND WHAT LEGACY WILL YOU LEAVE BEHIND”?”
II. REMEMBERING THE VICTORY (V. 18-32)
READ
we see now that because of the victory over the enemies, these letters are sent out to the people in order to have them take these days and remember them. To remember the great things that God did.
They were to take the days after and to celebrate with a feast , to give gifts to each other, to rejoice over the fact that God turned their morning into joy. And there is so much that we can draw out this but because of time we won’t.
but the call was to remember what God had done in the lives of the people. And this turned into the feast of Purim. We are told that this name came from the word pur which is ( to cast lot) or like rolling the dice because this is what Haman did.
this feast is still celebrated to this day by the Jews , specifically in Israel, where it is a three day celebration. Where they go into the syagouge and read the story of Esther. Where they booo the name of Haman. Here kids dress up in customs.
this is a day of remembering what God did for them.
There is an importance of remembering what God has done in our lives.
in the book of Joshua we saw that God would call the people to set up memorial stones. These were meant to do the same thing as we see here. To bring remembrance to me because i can forget, but also to be used to teach the younger generation that may not have experienced what God did.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SETTING MEMORIAL STONES
BRINGS REMEMBRANCE TO ME
2. BRINGS REMEMBRANCE TO YOUNGER GENERATION
III. MORDECAI’S LEGACY (CHAPTER 10)