Esther 8-10
WE have seen Mordecai set forth as the man whom the king delighted to honor. And mark, that this was the result of certain records that had been made before; so Christ's exaltation and the lifting up of the believer in Him into the place of glory, is peculiarly according to the counsels of God. We, who believe, are immediately associated with Him in these things that were written in the volume of the book, (Psa. 40, Heb. 10) "In the volume of the book, it is written of me; I delight to do Thy will, Oh God! By the which will, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once." Then again, in Ephesians, vie learn that we are quickened with Christ and raised up with Him and seated in heavenly places in Him. What a wonderful thing this is! And who are they that get all this? You, who were dead in trespasses and sins, (Eph. 2:11And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; (Ephesians 2:1)), who were far off, without Christ, having no hope and without God in the world. Yes, as Mordecai, a stranger, a foreigner, was thus elevated, so have we that were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, been brought nigh by the blood of Christ, and made one with Christ Himself.
Oh, wonderful story of God's grace to the lost! Surely, dear friend, you will listen to this, and be happy in God I But now we turn to the question of how this is established in righteousness and permanence; for if Mordecai be thus exalted but for this once; if Esther be taken to the king's bosom, only to be cast down and brought to death at last by the decree of the king; what is their momentary lifting up, but a sad mockery, as cruel as it is short? That which seemed like righteousness in the king, mould he turned to bitterness and but the more pungent misery, because of the power of him who inflicted it. Better to have left them alone; better that they had not tasted of the joy of such a thing.
And, what terrible things are they declaring of God, who speak of one who believes being saved, and afterward being lost! Why did. God give His Son? Why did He subject Him to all the sufferings of the cross, and then take such pains to tell out the whole matter, if, after all, it depends on one's own doing to be saved, and to remain saved? This would seem to make all the awful circumstances of the death of Christ but a cruel means of tantalizing the soul.
It is a blessed answer to all the thoughts that may arise in the heart, that God has raised up Jesus, who took the place of the sinner on the cross, and given Him glory and honor because He laid down His life. Could He do this, and yet leave the salvation of him who believes on Christ doubtful or in hazard?
We have seen how the enemy, who plotted all the mischief against Mordecai and his people, was put to death; and now we learn that the king gave the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, unto Esther; and that he exalted Mordecai into Haman's place. A new condition of things is brought in, not by making Haman better but through death. That is the grand remedy with God; and what an effectual one! And yet what mistakes many make in this matter, in regard to salvation. They look upon it as having no deeper meaning than forgiveness of sins and, in addition, helping the man to reform. So that while" they profess to believe in Christ, they still account themselves “sinners," and their condition as yet uncertain, to be found out at the judgment seat of Christ. This is because they look upon themselves as still living. And, surely, they may, fear in such a case, for the words of the Psalm are, "Enter not into judgment with Thy servant, Oh Lord, for in Thy sight, shall no man living, be justified." If the sinner is still living before God as such, surely there can be no hope, no security, no comfort. For, what will he be but a sinner, and what will he do but sin and incur judgment?
But if death and judgment be already past; what then? What if God, in putting Jesus to death and raising Him up again has, by this, settled forever the case of the one who believes in Christ Jesus? The standing of such an one is in Christ Jesus. And "there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus," (Rom. 8:11There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)). "If any man be in Christ Jesus, there is a new creation; old things are passed away, behold all things are become new; and all things are of God, who hath reconciled us unto Himself by Jesus Christ," (2 Cor. 5:17, 1817Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (2 Corinthians 5:17‑18)). "Of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who is made unto us the wisdom of God, even righteousness, sanctification and redemption," (1 Cor. 1:3030But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: (1 Corinthians 1:30)).
“And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet and besought him with tears, to put away the mischief of Haman, the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews. Then the king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king and said, If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, which he wrote, to destroy the Jews which are in all the king's provinces; for how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? Or, how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred? Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther, the queen, and to Mordecai, the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him have they hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews. Write ye also for the Jews as it liketh you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring; for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse." "And he wrote in king Ahasuerus' name, and sealed it with the king's ring, and sent letters by post on horseback, and riders on mules, camels and young dromedaries; wherein the king granted the Jews, which were in every city, to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and provinces that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey, upon one day, in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.”
In this marvelous account, we have the wisdom of God, not only feeling its way through the love and the will of Ahasuerus, to mark out an honorable method of deliverance for the death-doomed Jews, but also giving its marks away beforehand of that which in the cross of Christ is forever emphasized as such. How good for us it is, that He has gone-infinitely beyond our thought or petition. Esther's request went only so far as the reversing of the decree of 'death, really an impossibility among the Medes and Persians. And literally, the king could not grant it, but he could do more! So the prayer of a sinner in regard to salvation, would fall far short of his case. It is a grand thing that he is not told to pray but to believe; not to act upon his own estimate of the need, but upon what God has already done. It will be seen that Esther did not reach up to the purpose of the king. And who could span the mind of God in the way of meeting our dread condition?
Christ the Son alone could know that mind, and declare it. He could say, "Sacrifice and offerings for sin Thou didst not desire Lo I come to do Thy will; in the volume of the book it is written of me." God's will went beyond the immediate need of the moment, to the permanent establishment in peace and righteousness of His own grace, and the putting down forever of that which brought us into our lost condition. Thus grace should reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ.
And now we see this new thing introduced that death should meet death! A second decree goes forth, not withdrawing the former one, but thoroughly measuring and covering it; not dishonoring the king's name and seal by saying the former was wrong, but magnifying it; giving it full exercise, only meeting it. As death had been proclaimed for a certain day, death should characterize that day, and yet the doomed be delivered.
Oh, beloved reader! has God ever reversed His decree, that the wages of sin is death? What would that be but leaving us as we are, in our sin and guilt? No; but He has reaffirmed the decree in the cross Death is my doom as a sinner. How do I meet it? I answer, that I have already died in Christ. His death has met him who had the power of death; that is, the devil, and delivered me, who all my lifetime was in bondage through fear of death. The believer in Christ is beyond death, because he has been crucified with Christ. God has thus answered His own demand for death as the judgment of sin, and thus, too, "the law," which pronounced death upon the transgressor, is established.
To have only forgiveness of sins, would be to be left in the old man that did the sinning and that will keep on sinning forever; but in the cross of Christ we are crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed, (Rom. 6) Do you think, then, anything can be brought against a man that is dead? "There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus; for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made them free from the law of sin and death." If these Jews, consenting to the decree of death and the royal provision to meet it, slew those who would put them to death, who would then be left to rise up against them? Death would then do its work, and free them forever from fear.
To be a Jew, then, was, to be a conqueror. And so are we more than conquerors through Him that loves us. Death is behind us, and we shall reign in life—Christ's own life.
What a difference between the results of these two proclamations! The one plunged into remediless sorrow; the other lifted them above all around them, and gave them a triumphant life—another life; indeed, a life beyond death. Even so, the life of. Christ is ours who believe, resurrection life—life beyond the fear of death or judgment. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my words and believeth Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life;" '(John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)), just what these had done physically. "As it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment; so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for Him, shall He appeal the second time without sin unto salvation," (Heb. 9:27, 2827And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:27‑28)).
To have reversed the decree of death would have declared the king unrighteous in making it; to put forth the second, establishes the righteousness of the former. II becomes, indeed, the manifestation of the righteousness of the king while it manifests his kindness. Even so, the apostle declares "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed," (Rom. 1:16, 1716For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:16‑17)); an further on, after showing the entire helplessness of mat morally, so that no flesh should glory, he says, "But tune the righteousness of God is manifested, the righteousness which is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all, and upon all them that believe,"(Rom. 3:21, 2221But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: (Romans 3:21‑22)).
The Jews in all the provinces were to gather themselves together on one day, to stand for their lives, to kill and destroy. And our deliverance through death is accomplished in the one offering of Christ, once for all offered, to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
So the posts rode, and delivered the message, spreading joy everywhere, "and in every province and in every city whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast, and a good day.”
Have you had this good day? Have you entered into this joy? God has meant that you should, that you should have His joy. If you get His message and believe it, you must have joy. As He gave it, it came "with power and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance," producing peace and joy at once.
Go, look at the finished work of Christ. He has died; He has risen; He is on high now, as having passed through death. Can there be any death for you to fear if you rest on Him? That death has met the whole case, and God has raised Him up to declare His joy that all is over, and death and judgment passed for His own. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you are His own, forever. God is haying His good day now. Enter on it with Him. Rejoice in the Lord!
The Jews instituted the feast of Purim, to commemorate this deliverance, "as the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy and from mourning into a good day, that they should make these days of feasting and joy." Thus, the book which began with the feast of Ahasuerus, and declares his desire for a companion to his feast, bringing in the feast of his bride, ends with a perpetual feast for a redeemed nation. And wonderfully does this tell out God's glory and joy. He must have companions. His love might bring them in, as in Esther's case, but His kowtow established the perpetual feast. And all this for the lost, guilty, vile sinner! Oh, taste and see how good He is! He has settled everything; you have but to enter in and be Christ's forever.
Esther could have no question now in regard to the permanence of her position, nor could Mordecai. He, himself, was next unto King Ahasuerus and great among the Jews and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed. Beautiful picture of the glory that is to come when Christ shall reign as Head over all things! You are invited to that place, and to partake of all that glory.
By weakness and defeat
He won the weed and crown;
Trod all our foes beneath His feet,
By being trodden down.
He, hell in hell, laid low, Made sin,
He sin o'erthrew;
Bowed to the grave, destroyed it so,
And death, by dying, slew.