Address—C.E. Lunden
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Would you turn with me, please, to the second chapter of Esther, the book of Esther?
If you'll be patient with me, I'm going to read from several chapters just a little bit.
Altogether won't be much more than one chapter so we can get the connections.
Starting with the fifth verse of the second chapter of Esther.
Now in Shushan, the palace, there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai.
The son of Jerry, The son of Shamia, The son of Kish of Benjamin.
Seventh Verse. And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncles daughter, for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful, who Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter. So it came to pass when the King's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan, the palace.
To the custody of Haggai that.
Esther was brought also unto the King's King's house, to the custody of Hegei, keeper of the women.
Verse 17.
And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins.
So that he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Ashti. Verse 21.
In those days, while Mordecai sat in the King's gate, two of the King's chamberlain's big fan and Tyrish of those which kept the door were wroth, and sought to lay hands on the king of Ajueras. And the thing was known to Mordecai, who told it unto Esther the queen.
And Esther certified the king thereof in Mordecai's name.
Chapter 3.
After these things did King Hazueras promote Haman the son of Amadetta the aggregate or a malachite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the Princess that were with him. And all the King's servants that were in the King's gate bowed and reverenced Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him.
But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. Verse 8. And Haman said unto king of Hazueras, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people of all the provinces of thy Kingdom, and their laws are diverse from all people. Neither keep they the King's laws. Therefore it is not for the King's prophet to suffer them.
If it pleased the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed.
Chapter 4. Verse 13.
Then Mordecai.
Commanded to answer Esther.
Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the King's house more than all the Jews.
For thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time. Then shall their enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place. But thou and thy Father's house shall be destroyed. And who knoweth whether thou art come to the Kingdom for such a time as this?
Then Esther Badham returned Mordecai this answer. Go gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink 3 days, night or day.
I also, and my maidens will fast likewise, and so will I go in unto the King, which is not according to the law.
And if I perish, I perish.
So Mordecai went his way and did according to all the Estrad commanded him.
Now it came to pass on the third day that Esther put on her royal apparel and stood in the inner court of the King's house.
Over against the King's house. And the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house. Over against the gate of the house. And it was so, when the king saw us to the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favor in his sight. And the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. So Esther drew near and touched the top of the scepter.
Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, Queen Esther?
And what is thy request? It shall be even given thee to the half of the Kingdom.
00:05:03
And Esther answered, If it seemed good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day under the banquet that I prepared for him. Then the king said, Cause Haman to make haste, that he may do as Esther has said. So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? And it shall be granted thee, And what is thy request? Even to the half of the Kingdom it shall be performed.
Then answered Esther and said, my petition and my request is.
I have found favor in the sight of the King, and if it pleased the king to grant my petition and to perform my request, let the King and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do tomorrow, as the King has said.
Chapter 6 On that night, could not the king sleep?
And he commanded to bring the Book of Records of the chronicles, and they were read before the king.
And it was found written that Mordecai had told a big fan and teraged two of the King's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king of Hazueras. And the king said, What honor and dignity have been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the King's servants administered unto him, There is nothing done for him.
Verse 11.
Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city. He proclaimed before him. Thus shall be done of the man whom the king delighteth to honor. Chapter 7.
So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther.
The queen and the king said unto Esther on the second day of the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, Queen Esther? And it shall be granted thee. And what is thy request? And it shall be performed even to the half of the Kingdom.
Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I found favor in the sight, thy sight, O king.
And if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request. For we are sold, I and my people to be destroyed, be slain, to perish. But if we had been sold for bondsman and bond women, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the King's damage.
Then the king of Hazueras answered, and said unto Esther the queen.
Who is he, and where is he that durst presume in his heart to do so? And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen, Verse 10.
So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the King's wrath pacified.
Now, you may think it's strange to take up a passage like this in the Old Testament at a young people's meeting, but I believe it has a very special message, not only for the dear young people here this afternoon, but for each one of us.
You know this is the last of the historical books of the Old Testament.
In fact, it's sort of like a little postscript at the end.
Sometimes I remember receiving a letter from a brother not long ago, and beside the communication he added little postscript in which he spoke of his affections for my wife and I from his wife and himself. And you know, these things are very touching, very touching, very precious.
You know God at the end of all the history of God's people down here.
He as much as says I want to add a little post script. What is it?
The people of God were going on badly, and the ones to whom this was written.
We're not even with Ezra back in the land.
They had been carried away captive, but the time had come for them to return.
00:10:02
Ezra is back building the temple and walls. Nehemiah.
But they weren't back.
Now we don't know why Esther wasn't back, except that possibly being born in this land, in captivity, she may not have had the opportunity. We don't know.
But Mordecai perhaps could have gone back. But he wasn't back.
And there may be some of you dear young people here this afternoon, I'm sure there are, who've never yet risen to your privileges.
You know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, and he's very precious to you, I'm sure.
And you know too, that you and I are not always doing the things that we should do.
You know too, that you and I make mistakes.
Now what I want to call your attention to, particularly in this portion, is.
That the love of our God will never change. Never.
I don't want for a minute for you to understand that God will condone, will, will smile at evil, Never. Never.
But the affections of his heart are such that he says, I will never leave you, nor forsake you.
Never.
The gifts and callings of God are without repentance, and that's what I'd like to stress.
We don't have the name of God in this book, nor we do we have the faults of his people.
We just see a condition where everything is, as it were, at the very bottom, the last communication, perhaps almost before Christ comes.
And in this passage we find that God is working behind the scenes. And here we have Mordecai in the palace of the king Hasuerus.
In the first chapter, we find this king was over 120 provinces from India to Ethiopia.
And yet his Queen absolutely dared to refuse to come in to a bank that he had prepared.
And so he set his queen aside.
And he chooses another queen who was behind that if it wasn't God.
Yes.
He chooses another queen. Now I'd like to call your attention to the name.
Of Esther, her name was Hadassah, but you know Esther.
I believe means Myrtle.
Now, I'm not an expert on plants, but I understand that Myrtle.
Is a tree perhaps 6 to 20 feet tall?
And it has.
A glossy leaves. It's an Evergreen.
And it in its own season it bears fragrant blossoms, either white or pink, as the case may be.
Have you ever gone out in the country in the winter time and the snow and you've seen an Evergreen standing out by itself?
And all refreshing to see those glossy leaves.
Ah, dear young people, I wonder if there are any esters anymore. Decis here this afternoon.
In the days of darkness.
Even though you're not up to the full privileges that God has given you, perhaps you hadn't realized them yet.
I wonder if you're going to stand firm for Christ in the measure of the light to have.
Here we see Esther, a little babe, shall we say, a child chosen to be queen over 120 provinces. Perhaps a greater glory in the sense that even Solomon knew. But here she was.
What caused all this? God's love for his people.
We see in the later chapters there was an enemy arising, Haman.
And his purpose was to destroy all of God's people, and that would have met Jerusalem too.
It had been the complete destruction of the Jews.
But here were their two cousins, Mordecai and his cousin Esther.
In the palace, God had put them there.
And I'd like to call especially to one verse here.
That.
Has impressed itself on my heart in the 4th chapter that we've read.
00:15:08
In the 14th verse the last part. And who knoweth whether thou art come to the Kingdom?
For such a time as this.
Now, dear young people, were closing the year 1969. We don't know what another year will bring forth, but we know the character of the day.
All such a time as this.
What kind of a time is it? It's a time when the foundations are being destroyed.
The truth is being set aside.
When it calls for individual faithfulness and the part of God's people.
Now you have been placed in the place in the.
Under privilege, Most of you here have been brought up in Christian homes. We're living in a world that doesn't know God.
Had you ever thought why you were where you were?
You know there is a time when God had to say to Elijah, What doest thou hear, Elijah?
He was in the wrong place.
And where are you this afternoon, dear young people? Are you in the place of privilege?
Do you realize what a privilege it is to stand out like like Esther?
Like a.
A symbol, as it were, a blessing for God's people.
Yes, we see here.
Devotedness on the part of Esther and on the part of Mordecai.
We find, however, that.
When Mordecai finds.
This message of ruin for his people he falls upon his face in sackcloth.
Andrew, Esther, Esther herself with her maidens, they fall on their faces, and they call for all the Jews of the city to fall on their faces. Now, brethren, this is a principle.
If you and I expect blessing, if we expect to be used of God, we'll have to be on our faces. We will.
We see here how simple all these precious things are. God is working behind the scenes. He's ordering everything. He's setting aside a queen, He's setting aside Haman, the chief Prince of the Kingdom, so he can bring in those that will be for the blessing of his people. But this calls for individual exercise and faith and humbling on the part of his people.
I know how precious it is and we have seen it and do see it.
Young people determine that they're going to follow the Lord.
I heard just recently of two young people that were getting up real early to read their Bibles.
Oh, how good to hear that.
But also to be on our faces before God.
That's the only way of blessing. And here we see in all our simplicity these two dear ones in the midst of all the ruin is truly weren't in Jerusalem, where they belonged.
But still there was purpose and heart to serve the Lord where they were.
And so we find them on their faces before God. Now it's in this state of soul that Esther goes in before the king.
I.
You know there was a law in that land.
That no one could come into the presence of the King unless he himself appointed him.
And unless he held out the golden scepter to them.
He had the power of life and death in his hands.
Now Esther had reminded Mordecai of this. She says, How can I go into the king?
If I go in to intercede for my people.
I'll be slain possibly. I have no right there unless he calls.
Well, Mordecai said. You're bound up with the rest of them. Don't think you'll escape. You won't escape. If the decree goes forth to slay all the Jews, you will be one of them.
00:20:13
You know, it's a good thing, dear young people, to discover where we belong.
A member of a young man I heard of a young man who was.
Talking with someone who was an atheist and he himself had not definite convictions as to the truth.
He wasn't saved.
But when the atheist began speaking against Christ, he decided he'd better defend.
And the result was that he was converted converted himself.
Possibly through scriptures he learned as a child. We don't know. And it's a good thing to decide right now where you and I stand. Where do we stand?
Esther had to come to that place. Where do we stand? Do we stand with God's people or do we stand with the enemy?
What a decision for Esther to make. Here she was in the in the very place of prominence in that Kingdom, the queen.
Was she going to take her place with that man who lay in sackcloth at the King's gate, Mordecai?
Make up your mind, dear young people.
It's a day of rejection.
With the day's coming glory blessing.
Today is a day of rejection.
Are you going to identify yourself with the rejected 1?
Or are you going to go on and use that which God has given you outwardly?
Just to adorn yourself and to make it easy for yourself down here are you? Am I?
Estimator choice. She made her choice in the presence of God on her face.
And she goes in and stands before the king, And she says, if I perish, I perish.
You know in the Song of Solomon it says love is as strong as death. How strong is yours?
I'm sure it refers to the Lord Jesus, but how strong is your loving mind? It says jealousy is cruel as the grave.
What does the grave do?
Takes old and young. It doesn't spare any.
Oh dear young people, is Christ first in your life and mine?
What a decision for Esther to make.
She made it.
You know, man, when a man's ways please the Lord, it maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
And we learn here from this book that the heart of the King is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water. He turned with it whithersoever he will. I may not have quoted that quite right.
Yes, he turneth it whithersoever he will.
I have loved thee with an everlasting love, he says to his people.
Is he from my dear son?
What was Ephraim doing? Going after his idols? Yes.
Is he my dear son?
Is he a pleasant child? Oh, brethren, that breaks our hearts.
Breaks our hearts.
God is always true to what He is, never varies one moment.
You and I do. God doesn't change. If He took you up for blessing, He's going to see you blessed.
Come what night?
Oh, we're not speaking this afternoon of his government. It's bitter sometimes, you know, but that's not the subject.
Because you know, dear brethren, as we were singing that little hymn, if you and I could only get a glimpse of that love of our God for us, how different it would be in our ways.
No, brethren, the answer is not the whip, it's the heart. It's affections drawn to Christ.
The heart's affection is drawn to Christ to know that love of God for you and for me.
That never varies one moment.
00:25:08
What wilt thou, Queen Esther? What is thy petition?
That's the answer.
Why? Because the King's heart is in the hand of the Lord. Can't be otherwise. You know, there's nothing like faith that pleases God. Without faith, that's impossible to please him. You want to please him? Well, that's the way.
And if there was ever a day when there was that simple childlike faith needed that's just simply trusted and clung to God, it's today.
A day like this.
Well, Esther says I want you to come to a banquet tomorrow. Why didn't she give her petition? No. Oh, I think there's a lovely type here, and I'm not going to say much about it, but just a little.
More decay. I has to be exalted first.
And who is he? He's a type of Christ.
He is the man that God delights to honor. And there is only one it is Jesus.
Oh, how precious, Esther hesitates. She will not make her petition yet. There's never going to be any blessing for Israel till Christ is exalted.
Now let's apply it. There never be any blessing in your life spiritually until Christ is exalted.
Never.
Christ must have, shall I say, the first place someone corrected me and they said he has to have it all.
Has to have it all.
Oh how good this is.
That we might get broken down, dear young people, to where we belong. Discover our position. Discover that state of soul that brings us into God's presence, where we have that confidence that Esther received here.
You know he that believeth shall not make haste.
I love to remember what our dear brother Jackson has said. If in doubt, don't. Don't just wait upon God.
We have that in the 27th Psalm. I wait, I say on the Lord, wait.
How many times we've made mistakes to be in a hurry, especially in serious matters like this? And so Esther waits.
Oh, how good it is. She waits. How beautiful the picture here. And the king can't sleep that night.
Something is bothering him. What is it?
Why? Way back, Mordechai, who sat in the gate, had discovered that there were two who were seeking the life of the king.
And they were found out and they were hanging.
And the king had it inscribed in the Chronicles of the Kings of Media in Persia.
And this night he couldn't sleep. There was something wrong. Something bothered him. God was working in his secret ways in the heart of that king.
And he calls for the chronicles, the records to be brought out. And he discovers more decay. I have saved his life.
He says, has any dignity and honor been done? And say this is the man whom the King delights to honor. Oh what a lovely picture of Jesus.
Of the one that God delights to honor and will honor publicly in the coming day. And there will be no blessing for man.
On earth, in the Kingdom of Israel, until the Lord Jesus Himself is publicly honored.
Yes.
This is the man whom the King delights to honor.
And now we find the banquet is called a second banquet that Esther requested.
Oh, how solemn occasion this was.
Here was a little girl, shall we say?
Just a little girl, she's queen, and she's going to stand face to face with the enemy of God's people.
Oh how this speaks of days of weakness and it touches my heart, dear young people.
00:30:03
That in days of weakness God picks up and uses what he pleases. A left-handed man if you please, as we have in the book of Judges.
Don't be discouraged if you don't have the abilities that you see others might have.
Don't be discouraged, it's a day of weakness. And here's Dear Esther without anything except what God would supply.
Faith, Faith that rests upon God. And there she stands, face to face and accuses that wicked Haman.
Mordecai wouldn't bow to him because he was an Amalekite. God had told the Jews that they were to have war with Hamlet from generation to generation.
Mordecai wouldn't bow to him. He didn't have to. God had already provided that he was in the King's favor. God had provided this.
Oh, how thankful we should be for God's order in our ways.
How we should appreciate this?
He does. He orders at every step for us. If we only knew it. We do well to wait up on him.
And now Esther turns, says this wicked Haman to his face. Isn't that the boldness of faith?
She accuses the chief Prince in the Kingdom to the king.
Is in doubt a pretty serious matter?
These are the ways of God's deliverance for His people.
Now I know this is an outstanding account.
But it gives us the principles of the workings of God in the last days, when everything is in ruins.
And when you and I, dear young people, may not be exactly in the right position that we should be, we may be unintelligent as to all of God's ways, but there's one thing sure, we have a precious Savior.
Our God loves us, and He has power over all of our circumstances.
And if you and I just trust Him, and we do, like Esther and Mordecai, get on our faces before him.
We will discover what they discovered that you'll never forsake you nor leave you.
And you know.
There's no temptation beset you but what is common to man.
And God has provided a way of escape that you might be able to bear it.
You never put you in a position.
But what you'll be able to meet it. Isn't that precious? Isn't that a comfort, dear young people in the last days?
Don't go away and get discouraged. Don't say well everything is is in ruins.
No it isn't.
God is working.
He has his hand underneath it all. Outwardly it's in ruins, but you know God's time clock is right on time.
He is ordering his ways for the glory of the Lord Jesus and for the blessing.
Of God's people.
Oh, you see how he's working for the deliverance of all of these, his people that he loves. He's going to move kingdoms, but he's going to use an Esther.
And a Mordecai. I take them to be both young people. They were cousins, one perhaps older than the other, but perhaps young people. Esther surely was.
Who God was using them?
Yes, it's a day when God uses young people today. Are you one of them?
Are you going to say, well I'm going to wait till I get older and I know a lot, then maybe God can use me. Be too late.
Be too late so in this.
7th chapter then.
Third verse Then as to the queen answered, and said, If I found favor in thy sight.
O King and replace the King, let my life be given me in my petition and my people at my request.
For we are sold. Notice that we we.
Are sold.
I and my people.
00:35:02
I and my people, oh how good this is.
How Esther could have been different. How she could have said, well, I'm going to shy away from this. I'm going to take my place in the palace and let come what may. I'm safe.
Oh no, she wasn't. I and my people.
To be destroyed, and to be slain, and to perish.
But if we had been sold for Bond men and Bond women, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail.
The King's damage.
Then the king as you whereas answered Esther the queen. Who is he? Where is he that does for zoom in his heart to do so?
And Esther said the adversarial enemy is this wicked Haman.
In the 10 verses hanged.
Now what happens following this?
In the following chapters we see the full deliverance of God's people by the decree of the King.
And we see at the very last chapter Mordecai.
The one who lay in sackcloth at the King's gate.
The one who?
In his devotedness to the interests of God's people and to God.
Would defy that wicked Haman.
And would direct Esther as to what she should do on behalf of God's people.
In the last chapter, notice it in the last chapter. These there are 10 chapters in this book.
And the king has whereas laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the Isles of the sea, and all the acts of his power and of his might, and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, where under the king advanced him, Are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia?
For Mordecai the Jew was next unto the king Hazueras, 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.
If there any of you dear young people this afternoon?
That do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. Remember that you cannot start with God without having your sins forgiven.
You must at the start know the Lord Jesus as your own personal Savior.
But then once you have, remember God loves you and you're going to begin discovering what's in your own heart a little bit.
As the people of God did.
And you're going to discover two as you do so, the marvelous love of God that will meet you.
And where there is this state of Mordecai and Esther to be on our faces before God? Oh, what a blessing. And then to think that God would take up any of us, and He will.
To use us in blessing to others. It might be in the gospel, it might be in blessing for his people, might be for the deliverance of his people. But I say the pattern we have here.
To be on our faces before God, to recognize His secret ways in days like this, and to wait upon Him. To not be in haste, but to wait upon Him for His blessing, and then to stand out in simple faith, in boldness.
Having the consciousness of having been in His presence to act for Him in a day and such a time as this.