Esther 6:14 And while they were yet talking with him, came the king’s chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.
Things were moving quite quickly now in Shushan. Haman had cooked up a plot that he thought would get rid of someone he assumed needed to be removed from this earth.
Antisemitism is not a new thing. We see it very clearly here in the book of Esther. The reason why too many people hate the Jews is because the Jews are God’s chosen people. If we stop and think for a moment, the Jews are the descendants of Noah. All of humanity comes from Noah, since the flood. Noah had three sons. Those three sons were nothing special. They were no doubt thankful that God found favour with their father. We read that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. We also read that Noah walked with God. The rest of society at that time could have walked with God as well but they chose not to. We do not read that Noah’s sons walked with God, but Noah did. God protected his family as a result of his obedience to God.
After the flood, we see that wickedness again spread. In Genesis chapter 11, God had to confound the language of the people to stop their rebellion against Him. God scattered the people, but that did not stop their rebellion against God. It slowed it down, but did not stop it. Every person must choose whether they will believe in God or not.
Near the end of Genesis 11, God introduced us to a man named Abram. He had a wife named Sarai. Abram was a man who lived in an idol worshipping country. However, Abram did not worship idols. He believed in God. God told Abram to take his wife and leave his family and his homeland and go to a new land that God would show him.
In Genesis 12, God made some very specific promises to Abram.
Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
If you notice Genesis 12:1, God told Abram to get out of his country, and away from his kindred, from his father’s house, and God would lead him to a new land.
We read further on that Abram took his nephew Lot and his father with him to go to the land that God promised to Abram and Sarai. Abram was reluctant to obey God. God had to continue to bring about the separation He wanted for Abram and Sarai. Abram’s father died on the way to the land of Canaan. After a time, Abram and Lot separated because both were doing well, materially and their herdsmen were not getting along. God did not want Abram together with his family.
In Genesis 12 we read that God was going to bless Abram and his descendants in a special way. This blessing was not because Abram was so good. He was one who feared God, but he had many things to learn about obedience and trust. God eventually changed Abram’s name to Abraham and He changed Sarai’s name to Sarah. He demonstrated His authority over Abraham and Sarah. He would bless them so that the entire world could be blessed. That has always been God’s design.
We know that the ultimate blessing of God is salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came from the descendants of Abraham.
Back in our text, Haman was a tool of the devil. He was a willing tool of the devil. All people are born lost sinners, and most choose to remain that way all through their lives. Haman was one of those.
As we have noted already, Mordecai was a secular Jew. He did some things differently than the Gentiles, but he did not walk in the fear of God. He also chose not to raise his cousin to know the fear of God. Esther was a very modest woman who understood the importance of showing respect to men.
Haman did not know that Esther was a Jew at this time. He knew that Mordecai was a Jew. He hated Mordecai because he would not bow before him. Haman was a vain man.
As we have seen thus far, Haman had lost control of the situation now. He had a plan, but it was falling apart. No one was scheming to make his plan fall apart. It was just that the king could not sleep and he had some of his servants stay up with him and search the records for anything the king might have overlooked. They discovered that Mordecai had done a particularly good deed that was not properly addressed.
The king had sought counsel on how to deal with this matter and Haman was willing to stick his foot in his mouth and make a recommendation he was sure would be applied to himself. His pride was his enemy, but he would not acknowledge that.
After his public humiliation, he returned home defeated, and his wife and friends told him things were going in the wrong direction for him.
While they were discussing this matter, the king’s chamberlains came to get him for the next banquet.
King Ahasuerus was anxious to find out what queen Esther wanted of him. He did not want to delay this matter. Thus he sent his chamberlains to summon Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared. Haman did not yet know he was walking into a death trap. The king did not know it either. Esther had a burden on her heart that she needed to share with the king. She had no idea how he would handle it, but she needed to bring it to his attention. She did not understand the importance of bringing this need before God. Of course Mordecai did not know the importance of that either.
Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
In the Old Testament, God established the priesthood as the mediators to bring the needs of the Jewish people to God. Due to the constant rebellion of the nation of Israel, Judah was sent into exile in Babylon for seventy years. However, when the seventy years were up, God raised up king Cyrus, a Persian king, to make a decree that the Jews could go back home. He even funded their return. Many Jews, including Mordecai, chose to remain in Persia. There was no temple to God in Persia. There were no true priests in Persia to teach the people the law of God or to act as mediators between God and the people. Mordecai made a bad choice that affected his cousin as well. However, God had not forgotten about His people. His design for the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, was that they would be the living demonstration of the blessings of the true God. They chose not to be that, but God had not given up on them or on his promise to Abraham.
He was at work here in Shushan, in spite of Mordecai’s bad choice. God would protect the Jews in Persia, because of His promise to Abraham and to show the Persian Empire they needed to turn to the true God.
In Canada we are seeing a rise in antisemitism. Toronto is currently experiencing an increasing number of attacks against the Jewish community there. The police and the government are unable to stop these attacks. They have already chosen to support the terrorist Muslims living in that city and they have an agenda. They hate Jews and true Christians. They have gained enough of a footing in Toronto now that the police and government cannot stop them. This antisemitism is in other parts of Canada and it will continue to spread. That is the sad reality of rejecting the true God.
The Bible tells us that God wants the Jews back in Israel. He is not finished with them, and He is methodically bringing them back home. That does not mean they are all saved or will all be saved. It does mean that God is working toward the next steps in His prophetic timetable.
Today is the Lord’s Day. It is the day God has given us to set aside our busyness and go to a true local church where we can hear sound preaching and teaching from God’s Word. God is at work and many are oblivious to what He is doing. The current situation in the Middle East is not a surprise to God. It is not going the way President Trump hoped it would. It will not go the way he or his cabinet want it to go. Mr. Trump is not in charge. God is. If Mr. Trump would humble himself and seek some godly counsel, and receive that, it would be good for him. His current counsel is of no help to him at all.
He is not alone in that quagmire. There are far too many people who are seeking counsel from ungodly spiritual leaders. It is my prayer that those who are reading these devotionals would listen to God and be sure you are attending a true local church. Putting your head in the sand will not make the Truth go away. Listen to the Truth and accept the Truth. You will be blessed in doing so.
Pastor Bartel