Truth in Love- Esther 4

Statesmen who stand by principle rather than seeking their own comfort and welfare are rare. They are needed and we need to train up our children men women and children Who are who have the moral guts and have the moral character to stand strong even if everybody else is against them.

Community Reactions and the Call to Share the Gospel

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For Jesus Christ and for the glory of God. Yeah, so you doing man good.

Fairly restful Lord's Day. A great time at church tonight, even though it was like 86 degrees and We don't have air conditioning inside the church. So it was pretty warm this evening when we went back.

But it was it was good it was it was a good time. I enjoyed being there with them with the.

Church tonight and you got to preach this evening and you've already posted on the truth and love Network page. Yep, so everybody go out there and check out Dan sermon. Yeah, we'd really appreciate it.

I think you'll thoroughly enjoy it. So go check out Dan sermon From this evening that's already been posted. Let's go ahead and jump in before we get to Esther. We want to open up with a current issue.

Roe v. Wade Overturned and the Fight Against Abortion

That's hitting our day. And of course, there's there's really no option No discussion about what that may be last Friday. Just a couple days ago our Supreme Court made a decision to overturn a Decision that the Supreme Court have made almost 50 years ago which was to overturn Roe vs. Wade and as Christians, I think I think all Christians No matter where you stand on the issue.

Well, I want to take that back all Christian all Christians whether on the side of pro-life or Abolition I want to say We we we celebrate that decision of overturning Roe vs. Wade because I have Christian friends That fall on the other side that that it should remain a Supreme Court decision remain legal.

I don't understand how they get to that point of view, but I do have Christian friends that hold that view but For the most part pro-life abolitionists. We celebrate Roe vs. Wade being overturned Dan I'm gonna give you my point of view and I want to hear your reaction to this.

Um, I feel like consistently. And and I will make the blanket statement of all Most the majority of Christians Have this issue have this problem and and I do as well the the problem of apathy I think about when Major events happen that have happened in our lifetime happened throughout history.

Um, you think about 9 -11 and right after 9 -11 what happened shut churches were flooded with people and Then I don't know how long it took but probably even the next Sunday numbers began to dwindle back down and eventually got back to where it was and we just Got back into our place of apathy and and I know even in my own life, I Look at circumstances and and I feel like it's true for most Christians if it is not personally affecting me then I've I'm really not pulled a whole lot to get involved.

Um, I see Tragedy on the news and I just can I say oh, you know, that's bad. And then I just continue to watch the news or I flip the channel unless it personally affects me and then and then we're you know doing the The memorial services lighting the candles community prayer vigils, you know because we're personally involved but as Christians we need to get off our laurels and.

And.

Repent of this apathy really. Because it's not the way of Christ to remain apathetic toward things that he hates and Things that are evil in this world, and I'm afraid that as We celebrate Roe vs. Wade being overturned that hey, we rejoice and.

And.

We're climbing this this mountaintop. But I think we're gonna peak and I'm afraid we're gonna peak and Then go back down on the other side and go back into this place of apathy. When really. If now's.

There's no better time than now because of this overturning, you know, all of us to a some degree have been apathetic So far, but now it's the time to turn that around because the fight continues. It continues on the state level.

So what do you think about my assessment? There's a lot there.

I.

Share a lot of a lot of what you what you're saying. It's it's wonderful that now there is no federal protection for abortion in America. It's it's federally not protected, but it is not federally abolished either.

So they just kicked it back to the state say y 'all do whatever you want to now. Some of the laws are in place are looking Fairly good. Some of them need to go further if you're looking at my state. Absolutely, nothing has changed.

Yeah, they codified You know abortion like right up to the moment of birth I think in New York. They didn't go as far as Virginia was trying to go to with no like letting them die on the table after they were born.

So.

I don't know. It's gonna be easier for people who are going to see abortion almost completely abolished to Sit back and think that something's been accomplished because it really it has yeah, but people in states like California, Oregon, Washington, New York.

We yeah, yeah, we have absolutely no. We have no delusions that this is saved any child's life in our state. We still very happy that the feds are like no. It's not something we're gonna get involved with wish they would have gone a little bit farther and say yeah.

And this is heinous and you shouldn't be doing it, right? But I I also don't want to.

Pick.

On folks who are engaged in other battles. Yeah so while yeah, we should have some sort of effort going forward for towards the abortion issue. Like for instance in in my state in particular the counties that I live and work in I don't there's there's no abortion clinic around like the closest one is like an hour and a half away I think so it it's not a.

It.

The way that you fight the issue changes. Yeah we don't have a clinic to go out in front of we don't have a place of attack to. To go to now people an hour and a half away from us do but we still have the responsibility.

To you know provide, you know, say a crisis pregnancy center or something like that to provide resources to help mothers. Try to try to make it unnecessary, which it is anyway. No education all that jazz.

I would be a little hesitant to Force. You know say well if you're not doing this then you're not Right. Yeah at the same time. Since it is like the issue of the day. We should be doing something at the very least praying for Folks who are in a position to do something with that said of Albany is only like an hour from here.

It's like, you know, the devil's lair up there. I'm sure they'd say the same about Sacramento or whatever the capital of the other two states are. I'm not in state capital mode right now. But yeah, it's.

We're definitely rejoicing that the federal government at least Took their hands off the situation. It's easier to fight against people that you live and work next to in some respects because now You don't have an excuse for not being able to get to DC.

No, the capital is only an hour from here. We can do something or at least support someone who is doing something right, right. We know where to fight the fight now. Yeah, we can fight it locally. You can fight it with people that we're going to see on a regular basis.

We don't have to feel lost in a sea of federal bureaucrats beer beer. Bureaucracy we don't have to know feel feel well, we get to go to a A smaller local level and where we can actually really affect some change.

We've done. There's been things with Will immigration sanctuary cities? Sanctuary counties stuff like that. There's no reason why we can't do the same thing with the abortion issue. This is a sanctuary County for the unborn.

No here in Delaware and Otsego County. Right, we may not have any clinics, but we're not going to let there be any right? No something like that. No. There's gonna be some fights. We've got several large colleges a lot of left-leaning people even in we're solid red County but well, Delaware County is Otsego County's blue Blue blue because they allow the the colleges to vote there but Yeah, I don't.

I don't know if that actually answered your question or not. But oh, yeah, that's cool. I'm ramblings.

Well, what you were talking about is Describing a ministry that I work with called personhood Alliance. Sure, and that's their that's their primary focus is the local level the city and County. Yeah where they're.

They're and they use that language, you know making it as a safe or sanctuary city or County and. So I would check out.

I.

Would check out personhood Alliance. That's you know a ministry that I work with and endorsed. And I totally agree with what you were saying too. And I and I hope and pray that that I don't I won't be guilty of that.

Something that's pretty popular and I guess people don't realize that they're doing it, but it's I think people have labeled it ministry shaming where. If you're not if you're not doing what I'm doing.

Then you know, you're not you're not as good of a Christian as I am where you're not a Christian at all. Or you know, you need to repent because you're not doing this or you're not doing that. Yeah. We can't ministry shame other people because God has called us all to different different ministries and different parts to play so I totally I totally agree with that and I agree with the fact that.

With this issue and with with other issues. That we should be that we should care about as Christians. There are things that we can do, you know, whether it be pray or be on the street. And all things in between so, you know, there's things that we can do besides ministry shame.

To be involved in this process. So, yeah, we we need to get involved in the in the local level and we need to get involved on the state level because that's that's where the fight is and you said something interesting about the Federal level and the decision that the Supreme Court made you talked about how they they kind of took their hands off.

The issue I said, you know, we're not gonna we we don't have a say in this anymore. We're gonna send it back to the state level. And something just dawned on me when you said that I Feel like and correct me if I'm wrong if you think if you disagree I feel like they could say something on the on the positive side of things because basically and I think I heard this in a newscast that The Supreme Court is basically saying that the Constitution doesn't speak to a person's right.

To an abortion and and of course, that's true, but the Excuse me. The the Constitution does say something about life. And I think that's why the the personhood argument and the the equal protection Argument is so important is because the Constitution does speak to Life.

I mean we we have the What's what's the quote the famous quote? We are endowed by our Creator. With unalienable rights to life liberty in this pursuit of happiness, and and there it is life and so the personhood argument is Tremendously important because who's a person a person is somebody that from conception a person is a person from conception till it till natural death and.

And so I think they could speak positively to that if they wanted to because the Constitution does speak to life.

Yeah, no, I don't know enough about it to speak. I'm not a lawyer constitutional or anything like that. I don't know if if if this particular case gave them a Place to say anything about that or not. I just I don't know.

It may have it may not have. What you would really need. I know. What you would really need is somebody with the Fortitude will just go with that to arrest someone for Performing an abortion and charge them with murder.

Because What that would do it would? You would you would be? You would be charging them on the basis of Something. You would start something in the court system, which could then be escalated to the Supreme Court.

And then you'll be left with with this is what happened here.

Considered.

Murder. Yeah is what is this the ending of a human life and. Then you would have a ruling. You would have a clear-cut case where you could roll on whether or not it is. No, the Constitution does speak to that end.

And Well, there's a responsibility of the people who who that. Say say the Constitution is not explicit. We have Legislators whose job is to make those things explicit. We need to make a amendment to the Constitution.

We need to make another amendment to the Constitution that says that Jesus is Lord anyway. We should go ahead and make one that says that killing little little babies is wrong, too.

Yeah.

And related to what you're talking about. You know one of the one of the main arguments against our position is you know the different circumstances. What about a person in this circumstance to that circumstance?

Well in a murder trial those there within the law there are. What's the right word there labels Different different degrees first degree second degree. I mean, there's there's there's understanding within the law of different circumstances already.

Yep, and so, you know, that's that's really a non-argument because the the law takes care of those different circumstances.

And so.

You know abortion because it's murder needs to be criminalized. But you know, look the law has already set up you know, whether it was. You know, you're. You're not guilty of murder if it if it wasn't your fault if it wasn't intentional, you know, right?

Yeah, yeah, and that that's one of those things that I think people just don't want to hear. They're they're trying to say that people are going to get Arrested and put in jail for life for miscarriages and yeah and ectopic pregnancies and they they just it's so Bizarre because that's not even been on the radar For anyone.

I mean Everyone knows an ectopic pregnancy is not a viable pregnancy. I mean, it doesn't mean that you could have to go in and kill the baby but it does mean that you need to do what is necessary to save the life of the mother you remove the The baby from the fallopian tuber or wherever it is.

It probably will not implant itself in the uterus and will probably die it which case it's a miscarriage. Like there's no need to Call it an abortion in the same level as you know There's a fully formed baby that we're just gonna snap his neck and suck him out with a vacuum cleaner, right?

It's not this main thing. It's a it's a miscarriage. It's something that's sad and tragic that wasn't wanted by anyone. It's not anything that somebody would prosecute and if they do prosecute We on the pro-life side should go and say that is dumb, right?

We're not trying to to To criminalize the birthing process. We're trying to criminalize what should have already been criminalized which is murder, right? Yeah, yeah, I don't I don't understand that. I also don't understand why They're coming at Christians saying that would now y 'all need to take care of these children because Because You're not pro-life you're just pro-birth and then and then you look you look at the different resource centers and Charities and stuff and like 90 of them are run by Christians.

That's right. The adoptions that happen both of them are by Christians. I mean, it's it really shows just the level of the lack of thinking through something the incredible blindness That sin has caused to come over the eyes of these people.

Um. Even even Christians who try to advocate for for safe legal and rare abortion. They just don't see What it is that they are are advocating for just kind of No ridiculous. Yeah.

Yeah.

There was a time to have misinformation squashed. I mean now would be the time to actually do something about it.

Absolutely. Yeah, and and I I wish conversations could be had to the that those things could be squashed. Misinformation and false false statements and yeah. False accusations could just to be squashed and and people would listen on both.

Yeah.

I think right right now at least for the next couple of weeks. Yeah. Emotions are gonna be running so high on either side that you're gonna have You're gonna hurt feelings that normally wouldn't get hurt.

Yeah. Yeah, and Let's face it, you know the cage stage isn't just for Calvinist it's Out there for abortion Abolition advocates as well. Yeah, that's true. Yeah, I just need to remember these real people real issues.

They've obviously come to a crisis moment where they feel like this is the only Option they have. Yeah, or have been lied so much to think that this is just a regular normal option. Um, these are people who have no serious things just to think through.

No, it's a It shouldn't be the way that it is but there's still people who need to be treated with no love and compassion shown the forgiveness of Christ and Steered away from doing something horrible.

Kindness, Compassion, and the Christian Response to Evil

Yeah, yeah.

But let me read two passages before we go on to Esther our pastor he preached a timely. Size, I wasn't prepared. I just felt like I needed to read these verses, but our pastor He he preached a timely sermon this morning on Just just one word kindness this morning and his text was from Colossians chapter 3 verses 12 to 13.

So as those who have been chosen of God Holy and beloved put on a heart of compassion kindness humility Gentleness and patience bearing with one another and forgiving each other. Whoever has complained against anyone just as the Lord forgave you also, so also should you and.

I.

Think that's exactly the point that you were trying to make. Is that We need to remember the gospel and we need to be kind to to everyone. And and he he looked at the verses about You know pray and love Your enemies those who persecute you those who hate you.

And.

Then and then. Titus 3 is the last one that I wanted to read and I think it hit it just.

I.

Don't know how the words that I want to use but spoke to my heart. Just touched my heart this morning to hear these verses. Titus chapter 3 verses 1 and 2 remind them to be subject to the two rulers to authorities and To be obedient to be ready for every good deed To malign no one to be peaceable gentle showing every consideration For all men, and I I think that's the attitude that we're talking about having towards all men Our blood relatives family our family in Christ Our neighbor and even our enemy.

Kindness don't malign be peaceable be gentle with everyone and that should be our attitude as Christians. Yep.

So that way when they accuse you in courts of doing stuff that's wrong. Maligning them badgering them abusing them. They'll be shown to be foolish, right? What's that from Peter? First Peter 3 I.

Can't recall. Maybe right. Well, let's let's jump on in Esther unless you have any last thoughts on reverses way I.

Got tons of them, but we need to get on it. Yeah, we need to get on with Esther.

Esther 4: Haman’s Plot and Mordecai’s Mourning

So we're we're in Esther chapter 4. We're gonna try to hit the whole chapter verses 1 through 17 tonight. Just just to recap the end of chapter 3 or or chapter 3 as a whole to lead us into chapter 4. Haman's.

Haman's got this broad idea that he wants to extinguish to eliminate the the Jewish people as a whole every single one of them man woman and child on because Mordecai shows not to bow down to him and show honor to him.

And we've talked in the past episodes about how.

This.

This lineage hatred has has come up between Mordecai and Haman because the ancestors of Mordecai were supposed to Eliminate but by God's command to eliminate the Amalekites and they did not. They disobeyed the Lord.

The the Amalekites were the sworn enemies that the throne of the Lord scripture says. And so Haman is a descendant of the the Amalekites sworn enemy of Israel Enemy of the throne of the Lord and here Haman is and here Mordecai is sworn enemies of each other.

It's revealed that Mordecai's a Jew he doesn't honor and bow down to Haman and so all this is coming to a head and because of Mordecai's stubbornness Haman wants to go after the entire People group. The entire Jewish people group and he goes to the king he devises this plan and he says that there's this people scattered scattered abroad your kingdom and they have their own law and They they don't honor the king's law and and they're just going to be disruptive and not profitable for your kingdom.

Let me eliminate them. I'll bring you I'll bring you silver to fill up your treasury and the king gives him his signet ring basically saying you're You're the chief prince in charge. You have my authority with my signet ring.

Go get them. So he rolls the dice to decide which day he writes up a decree. He writes it in all the different dialects and languages. He sends it out to all the provinces that the king Hattu Eris is over and on this day.

They plan to take out all of the Jewish people and I looked it up. I don't know if you recall last time that we were together. Then I was trying to remember we were talking about Haman and promising silver to the king and I was trying to recall because we talked about it in a program in the past where It was Cyrus who who released the Jews out of captivity.

And if you if you go to Ezra in the first chapter, he sends with them silver gold and beast and and then you have Ezekiel, I think it's 38 where Ezekiel is prophesying that The the armies that are going to come after the Jews that they're going to Claim silver gold and the the beast that were mentioned and so that that's what I was referring to when when when I looked at Haman, so you have you have in Ezekiel first the prophecy.

And then you have Cyrus releasing the Jews with this. With all these goods gold silver and and beasts to help rebuild the temple to help them establish themselves as they go back to Jerusalem and then You have here in Esther.

Possibly the the fulfillment of what Ezekiel is talking about. Wanting to capture those goods back that they were given and give that silver back to the king. So that's kind of what I was referring to last time and I could remember that the context or the the textual reference.

So let's jump into chapter 4. Mordecai has he's gotten one of these two decrees. He has caught wind of this plan. That that Haman has introduced to the king. So let me read these first first Three verses when Mordecai learned all that had been done.

He tore his clothes put on sackcloth and ashes and went out into the midst The midst of the city and wailed loudly and bitterly. He went as far as the king's gate where no one was to enter the king's gate clothed in sackcloth in each and every province where the command and decree of the king came there was great mourning among the Jews and Fasting and weeping and wailing and many lay on sackcloth and ashes.

Yeah, it's like they knew what was coming. We knew what they thought was coming. Yeah. Sackcloth and ashes. Is there is a traditional way of showing mourning of Wailing a lot of times though. They would fast and put on sackcloth and ashes when something bad is gonna happen.

Or they feel like something's out of control they or if they were repentant of something. The was it David when he knew of the the child that may not live. Sackcloth and ashes. Here something bad is going to happen we're all going to be destroyed.

Sackcloth and ashes. And they weren't quiet about it either. So I they just know. Play dress-up with a little bit of dust and some potato sacks. They were Wailing, I mean you you heard it like all over the the countryside.

Every town you went in there was Jews screaming saying something. I don't know what they had going on. But yeah, they were not pleased and they were not quiet about it and that's it's okay. Yeah, that's all right.

Well like you said this is.

This is traditional for them. I mean, this is something that has been practiced for a long time. Yeah, it's a cultural thing. Yeah, and even though Esther doesn't mention God I think this is probably one of the places that's it closes it gets because We we know what's going on there.

We know what sackcloth and ashes means. They're they're mourning and they're they're crying out and Culturally traditionally they'd be crying out to God. So even even though it doesn't mention his name this is probably the closest that it gets to a Reference to him because we know what they're doing.

Mm-hmm crying out to God. Yeah here and.

Was it. Verse 14. 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 basically saying Hey, if you don't stand up and do something about it God's gonna preserve us anyway, he just won't use you to do it.

Yeah, you know those two places would be about the two most Pointed points where you like it he may not be. You may not be named, but you can see his shadow. You know type of thing.

And whenever we get to verse 14, I posted An hour or so before the program started the night. Making reference to Mordecai's attitude that I wanted to have the with this Roe versus Wade situation. And moving forward I want to have the same attitude as Mordecai and that's where I get it from verse 14.

And I want to talk about that when we get there, but before we move on in the next few verses. If you ever get a chance. You can go to sermon audio. Check out Philip Kaiser or Kaiser K-A-Y-S-E-R to anybody that's listening.

He goes through and explains these texts really well. He has a great great sermon series on Revelation but in Esther and. And this is one of the main reasons that while we wanted to tackle Esther is to show its relevance in the Old Testament.

It's relevance for us reading it and learning about what's going on in Esther because it's it's lumped in with Ezra and Nehemiah as part of the the Leaving the exile. Daniel prophesied that or Jeremiah prophesied that it'd be 70 years.

Daniel saw that it was the end was coming up and And then Ezra Nehemiah Esther. This is the time period of them returning from exile where Cyrus had let them go. There's there's tons of relevance there and then not only that but Another relevant point in Esther that that I keep bringing up that I want, you know, everybody to understand that I think has been left out for so many years and so many of our churches is this connection between Esther and Prophetic history that people people look in Ezekiel and they want to throw all of Ezekiel into the future but if you if you study it a good place to study it is going to sermon audio Philip Kazer and Listen to how he explains the situation.

He makes the a strong connection between Ezekiel 38 39 and Esther and just some of the points that he makes is.

How.

You you'll see the words slightly different like Gog Magog or Haman Gog and and that's he points out that in I think it's an Esther they use probably the the Persian Pronunciation or spelling and then in Ezekiel will be the Hebrew, but it's the same and then when you in a gag Is where the Amalekites come from which we talked about earlier.

And a gag and Gog are basically If you look at the language basically the same. Or a gag and Magog. I can't remember which one but one of those two is basically the the same word. And then you have the in Ezekiel you have That all these provinces are going to be coming against Israel.

And then you have that in Esther and that's that's the plan of Haman is he sends out this decree to all the promises that. Are that are under? Has where's.

A.

Gag is. In numbers 24 first Samuel 24 a gag can be used as any any leader of the Amalekites. So when it's when it references a gag Definitely could be speaking about him.

Prince In.

Ezekiel 38, I know we talked about this before. Rosh Is not Russia, but it's chief prince and then Esther chapter 3 Haman becomes the chief prince of all the princes. So you have that connection.

Yeah, you'll even see that word used on for modern diplomats of Israel. You see Rosh on there. It just means head of or top of right. Exactly. Yep.

Let's see here. So you have you have the Jews returning. Which like I said before Ezekiel was about 70 75 years, but before all this happened. And and he's probably saying that the Jews will return they return this.

This battle has to take place while Jerusalem is unwalled because that's what Ezekiel prophesied. Well at this time Jerusalem is unwalled until about eight years later when Nehemiah Rebuilds the walls and then from the time of Nehemiah It has walls.

So, you know instead of looking for a future event 2 ,000 years later or whatever Here's the time period where they were unwalled and that's what Ezekiel calls for in its prophecy.

The.

Ezekiel prophesies of plunder. That's what you know, Haman is going after. Let's see here. It just goes on and on.

I.

Thought this was I thought this was very interesting. So Ezekiel and this will be the last one last connection Ezekiel calls for a seven month wait, so They're gonna bury the dead in the valley of Haman Gok.

And there has and there's gonna be a seven-year waiting period he says. The reason there's a seven-year waiting period is because from the the time of Purim which is the celebration that comes from Esther there's a seven-month waiting period between Purim and the Feast of Tabernacles and.

So, why do they need to wait those seven months? I hope I said seven months before. About seven years, but seven months. Why does there need to be a similar waiting period? It's because For cleansing purposes they needed this waters of cleansing and and these waters of cleansing come out of this Feast of Tabernacles where they took the ashes of the the red heifer and Mixed it with water and that become the water of cleansing and so they they would use that to go cleanse.

But they couldn't get it until the time of the the Feast of the Tabernacles, which was seven months later and so it fits perfectly with Ezekiel and he just Continues to make points like that points of connection from Ezekiel to Esther to point out.

How they're connected. So you're saying that the red heifer has nothing to do with the end of time. Yes, you're about to smash a sacred cow. Oh.

They had a red heifer they burned it and used the ashes to make their cleansing water.

Yeah, I remember growing up hearing that uh. There could only be like three hairs of a different color and they would. They found the tenth red heifer and they were. Yeah, yeah, they found it, but then it died.

So we got six. I couldn't use it. So I'm looking for another one. Had a priest rabbi. Something so world's gonna end within ten years. And I mean, I'm like 37 now. I must have been Ten then so I don't know.

They're a little off on that. Yeah, exactly.

And when you study scripture in context and let the scripture scripture speak for itself. You don't have to pull these things out and try to make them say something. They don't say. Is Ezekiel and Esther harmonized in tremendous ways.

And there's so many other more other connections that we could go over but there was just a few of them. So let's let's go on to our next set of verses. Verse verse number four. Then then Esther. Well, I wanted to say this to who I the reason I emphasize this because I found it so fascinating.

Haman is calling for the death of Jews and here. Hey here Mordecai is he's going out in the streets. He's not hiding. He's he's screaming and crying with a loud voice with sackcloth and ashes. I mean, he yeah, he's not going in a closet.

He's not hiding.

He's like here. I am. Yeah, he had the hide-and-plain-sight mentality. That's right. Well, maybe but you know, I was at the old Briar-rabbit approach. No, no, don't throw me in the briar patch. Because I hold on say let me get loud somebody hear me and come rescue me.

All right, verse four. Then Esther's maidens and her eunuchs came and told her and the Queen Writhed in great English and she sent garments to clothe Mordecai that he might remove his sackcloth from him.

But he did not accept him. Then Esther summoned hat-hatch from the king's eunuchs whom the king had appointed to attend her and Ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was. So hat-hatch went to Mordecai to the city square in front of the king's gate.