The Simple Life

Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's command and edict were about to be carried out, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them. Esther 9:1 (ESV)   What many thought was impossible became a reality. Because of one man's obedience, many were rescued. This seems to be a common occurrence in the Scriptures.   Because of Adam's sin, all have sinned. Because of Jesus' obedience, many are made righteous. Because of Mordecai's obedience, many were able to experience gladness, joy, and honor. Because of Noah's obedience, his family, mankind, and animals were rescued, and we can enjoy a rainbow of promise today.   Joseph did what was right and was able to be in a position to rescue his family, and, ultimately, rescue the whole nation. Daniel and his buddies decided to do what was right, and they...

Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a robe of fine linen and purple, and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor. And in every province and in every city, wherever the king's command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them. Esther  8:15-17  (ESV)   Fidelity is rewarded in the future and often in the here and now. Mordecai went through some tough moments, but was ultimately rewarded in the here and now with a position, and trusted with power and authority.   Power and authority are only valid if they are used for the good of others; it is an abuse to use them for oneself. We were made to love, and love is defined as obedience to God and the constant desire to make those around us success...

Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, "Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he intended to lay hands on the Jews. But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king's ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's ring cannot be revoked."  Esther 8:7-8 (ESV) Fidelity is rare and rewarded. Fidelity to God is rewarded, fidelity to one's spouse yields rewards, and fidelity to one's work is rewarded. A problem arises when we want the rewards apart from the fidelity or faithfulness required to earn them. Rewards are not gifts; they are rewards and require some kind of unusual action to obtain. We often reward people who have worked hard. We reward faithful people. We reward people for extraordinary effort. When we started rewarding people for doing nothing extraordinary, we destroyed the conc...

Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. When the king held out the golden scepter to Esther, Esther rose and stood before the king. And she said, "If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. Esther 8:3-5 (ESV)   Faithfulness in duty brings extreme danger in life. Those faithful to the true King gain enemies they have not asked for nor deserve. Like sheep, they have multiple predators, and the safety and rest they long for are only available at the word and in the presence of the King.   Today, true believers are hated, despised, and rejected because we have identified w...

On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her. And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman. Esther 8:1-2 (ESV)   Doing what is right eventually pays great dividends, while doing what is wrong eventually extracts a great price. One will never be sorry he/she did what was right.   One cannot help but wonder what would have happened if Mordecai had compromised and made a quick appeasing bow to Haman. Our current actions create our future reality. If we want a victorious end, we must live like winners today. Mordecai was in the habit of doing right, and this habit yielded a tremendous benefit, as it always does. If we could see how the importance of simple obedience to God plays out in our future, we would be laser-focused on obeying Him.   Obedience to one who ...

Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, "Moreover, the gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman's house, fifty cubits high." And the king said, "Hang him on that." So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated. Esther 7:9-10 (ESV)   We often get "hung" by our schemes. It's embarrassing to get trapped by your trap. Prideful living, using, and manipulating people will always end in ruin.   "An indestructible connection exists between the violation of Divine law and consequent suffering. A disregard to the conditions of health entails sickness. Poison destroys human life. He who thrusts his hand into the flame invites suffering. A like measure of changelessness marks the operations of moral law. Transgression is followed by suffering." (Biblical Illustrator)   Those who follow God will suffer in the moment...

So Haman came in, and the king said to him, "What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?" And Haman said to himself, "Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?" And Haman said to the king, "For the man whom the king delights to honor, let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown is set. And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king's most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, proclaiming before him: 'Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.'" Then the king said to Haman, "Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king's gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned." Esther 6:6-10 (ESV)   Those who fight humility with ...

On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. And it was found written how Mordecai had told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. And the king said, "What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?" The king's young men who attended him said, "Nothing has been done for him." Esther 6:1-3 (ESV)   What are the chances of the king revisiting Mordecai's kindness to himself and thinking about rewarding him for such? I doubt that Mordecai prayed for the king to remember and reward his behavior.   Today's obedience sets up tomorrow's opportunities. We do what is right because it is right, not because we gain from it. The gain will come as God intervenes. We make nothing good happen.   For many, the moment we are in eclipses the fact that the...

And Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and brought his friends and his wife Zeresh. And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. Then Haman said, "Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king. Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate." Esther 5:9-13 (ESV)   Haman could not enjoy what he had because he continually focused on what he did not have. This focal point will eventually be his undoing.   The Godless have no place to focus other ...

On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace, in front of the king's quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. And the king said to her, "What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom." Esther 5:1-3 (ESV)   Esther approached the one who could help and was ready to ask for his help. She had proven her faithfulness to him, was in good standing, and was willing to be a part of a solution.   Today is no different. Esther's relationship with the king allows her to be with the king. With whom is it that you have influence, and what should be done to unleash God's power through y...

Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, "Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish." Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him. Esther  4:15-17  (ESV)   When Esther heard the problem and realized that she was both part of it and possibly part of the solution, she sought God and led the people to seek God as well.   The first step in confronting a problem should be seeking God. Those who seek God moment by moment are prepared. He would prepare us because He knows what the future is bringing and what we must do to prepare for it.   Mordecai's and Esther's obedience and willingness to be uncomfortable will unleash God's intervention in man's plans and purposes. My obedience and willingness to be uncomfortable could als...

And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Esther  4:12-14  (ESV)   Nobody has been given a position in life to be self-indulgent. Our positions in life come with responsibilities. Queen Esther was elevated to the status of queen over many others for a purpose. Perhaps the purpose was for such a time as this.   Likewise, people today have been elevated to various positions for purposes greater than the temporal. Our positions, favors, and rewards can and should be used to squelch the enemy and encourage the faithful.   Step one in solving problems is the recognition of the problem. Step two i...

When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry. He went up to the entrance of the king's gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king's gate clothed in sackcloth. And in every province, wherever the king's command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes. Esther 4:1-3 (ESV)   Mordecai did not follow the king's rules very well, but he did follow the King's edicts exceptionally well. Following God is a costly decision in an investment kind of way. It is costly today but renders excellent dividends in the future.   Mordecai chose to follow God, and this decision cost him. The only one who could intervene would be God. He understood this, and He demonstrated his sorrow about man, his choices, and his trust in God and His p...

Letters were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province by proclamation to all the peoples to be ready for that day. The couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion. Esther  3:13-15  (ESV)   Evil is often beyond comprehension. For anyone to think, even for a moment, that the destruction of a people is a good thing shows a deprived mind. Often, the Godless are willing to destroy others to gain some personal pleasure in the process.   When God destroyed people, He did so because he loved those whom they might influence. When man destroys people, he does...

Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, "There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king's laws, so that it is not to the king's profit to tolerate them. If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king's business, that they may put it into the king's treasuries." Esther 3:8-9 (ESV)   There is always a plot to destroy the Godly. There is always a plan that is either unfolding, unfolded, or in process of doing so.   The God of all comfort does not necessarily comfort us with physical comfort but provides a comfort that transcends the physical. In fact, God cares more about us accepting and understanding His comfort than about making us comfortable.   God could have struck Haman down with lightning, but instea...

After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him. And all the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage. Esther 3:1-2 (ESV)   God has made some things very clear, and bowing to anyone other than God is one of them. Mordecai was loyal to God first and foremost, and this loyalty affected his daily decisions.   Our intimate relationships shape all other relationships. When one gets married, there is a new union that dictates all the others. When we become members of God's family, we have our first loyalty to God, then to our family, and then to our friends.   In essence, there can be only one relationship that controls our lives. In this case, God controls all the relationships; therefore, all the relationships, at least those that matt...

After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. Esther 2:1(ESV)   We should practice foresight more than hindsight, because foresight protects us. However, the problem with foresight is that sometimes we cannot see that clearly.   To have foresight, we need to spend time developing our foresight skills. Since experience is the best teacher, we can either gain experience ourselves or learn from the experience of others. Learning from our own experiences, as valuable as that is, can also be painful. Learning from others can be equally beneficial and far less painful.   We need to learn from others, whether those whose lives are outlined in the Bible or those we intentionally seek out in our daily lives. Kings had a hard time learning from anyone. Part of their problem was listening to the advice of those who wanted to please the king rather than giving the king good advice. Th...

On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him. Esther  1:10-12  (ESV) When one's heart is merry with wine, all sorts of evil can happen. The prisons are full of those who were under alcohol's influence while committing crimes. Emergency Medical Personnel are busy every day tending to the emergencies caused by the overindulgence in alcohol.   The king was reduced to a powerful animal who wanted to show off the spoils of wealth and power by using rather than loving his wife. Queen Vashti was right to refuse him and was even ...

Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. And drinking was according to this edict: "There is no compulsion." For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired. Esther 1:7-8 (ESV)   Ordering each man to do as he pleases is an order to bring disaster upon all who participate. It is never healthy to tell men to cast off all restraints and "enjoy" themselves, and anyone who is ever involved in "casting off restraint" will be proven a fool.   The king's wealth and power were on display, as was his lack of restraint so that all in his presence could legally and rightfully indulge. This is a formula for disaster. Drunk, wealthy, and influential people who define a good time as overindulging in anything is a formula for disaster.   The Godless cannot enjoy a life about others, and they long for a time when they can eat, drink, and ...

Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the citadel, in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. Esther 1:1-3 (ESV)   Ahasuerus was a Godless king with resources, power, and authority, and who wanted to party. The Godless can have wealth, power, and health, but lack the means of truly enjoying what they have. Usually, when the Godless attempt to have a good time, it becomes so about them that they begin to use others rather than love others. Using people is not loving people.   It is evident that rain falls on both the Godly and the Godless, but the Godly can find purpose and contentment in both, for it is a gift from their Father.   Those who love God and people will use their power, authority, and influence to demonstrate who God is and improve others' lives. Those who don't love God waste a valuable resourc...