Esther 2:19  And when the virgins were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai sat in the king’s gate.
20  Esther had not yet shewed her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him.
21  In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king’s gate, two of the king’s chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those which kept the door, were wroth, and sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.
22  And the thing was known to Mordecai, who told it unto Esther the queen; and Esther certified the king thereof in Mordecai’s name.
23  And when inquisition was made of the matter, it was found out; therefore they were both hanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king.

We referred to Daniel and his three friends before. God granted them favour with ungodly kings. Those kings did not fear God. They were vicious kings. However, God broke them down because He had some men who chose to walk in the fear of the LORD.
In the book of Esther, we have two Jews mentioned by name but they chose not to walk in the fear of the LORD. They wanted to blend in with the culture of the pagan nation they were living in. They had some differences, but they did not want others to know about them.
As we have noticed Mordecai did not take God seriously when it came to moral issues. He allowed his cousin to be taken and abused by a wicked king. He did nothing to protect her from the abuses that the king intended for all the young virgins that came before him.
In verse 19 we are told that the virgins were gathered together for the second time. We are not given any detail what this second time was all about. We can make assumptions, but God did not give us the details on this. We are further told that Mordecai sat in the king’s gate. This was the place reserved for men who had some authority in the kingdom. Mordecai had hid his background and he had gained the trust of the king and others in authority and thus he was given the opportunity to sit in the king’s gate. He was gaining a position in the place of power. However, he was not using that opportunity to exalt the God he should have been serving.
In verse 20 we are further reminded that Esther was still being secretive about who she really was. Mordecai had kept his lineage secret as well and he commanded Esther to keep hers a secret. She had learned obedience in his house. She kept this important information to herself.
We know from the book of Daniel that when the king made the decree that no one should pray to anyone other than the king for thirty days, Daniel continued to go into his room and he prayed to the true God. The other officials knew this. Daniel did not try to hide his convictions. He was not ashamed or afraid to identify with the true God. His captivity was not because his God was too small to protect him. His captivity was because his people had defied the living God and they earned His judgment.
Mordecai and Esther could have known this same God, but they had other priorities. As we have noted before, this would come back to bite them. God would intervene in spite of their disobedience to Him.
In verse 21 we see that Mordecai was observant as he sat in the king’s gate. He heard of two of the king’s chamberlains who had a grudge against the king. They were wroth and they wanted to lay hands on the king. They were not just a little offended by the king. We do not know what the king might have done to get them so angry. We know they wanted to lay hands on the king. They were not interested in talking to him about their issue. They were ready to act on their anger in a violent manner.
In verse 22 we read that this thing was known to Mordecai. He was not willing to identify himself, but he was not so far gone that he would just allow evil to go unchecked. He heard of this plot and he told it to Esther the queen. Esther took the matter to the king in the name of of Mordecai. She would help him to get his name into the good books of the king even more.
In verse 23 we read that an investigation was initiated and it was found that this accusation was true. Justice was quite a bit swifter then than it is now. It did not take long for them to settle this matter. He took those two men and hung them on a tree. This was a public punishment which no doubt would speak volumes to anyone else that might want to defy the king. The record of this event was written in the chronicles before the king. We will see that the king would go over his records later on and this would again elevate Mordecai in rank with the king.
It is important again to note that God was working in that time and He is working now as well. We can know Him as our Lord and Saviour and be a help to others. We can show others the importance of knowing the true God; or a person can think that they know the Lord but will not tell anyone else about it. Their god is not that great. They really have nothing to tell others.
Some years back I worked with a man who seemed to be well respected with others in that company. I noticed there was something different about him. Other people in that company were very quick to curse and swear. That was quite standard for them. This man swore but not like the others. He would also pitch in and help in different areas, rather than stand back and watch others work. I got to speak with this man and he claimed to be a Christian. He had no problem with drinking and swearing on occasion. He had no problem with working on Sunday. He had no testimony. He had been a member of an IFB church at one point and was even a deacon at that church. He was obviously a fraud. He was a sporadic attender at a liberal religious group at the time that I worked with him. He was unable to help any lost person to come to know the truth, because he rejected the truth himself.
There is so much confusion today regarding Christianity. That confusion is not caused by God and His Word. It is caused by people who take great liberties with God’s Word and reject the warnings given in God’s Word. God warns against claiming He has said something, when He did not say it. He warned of the false prophets who claimed to speak on behalf of God, but He never sent them. That did not stop them. There are far more false teachers today, than there are true teachers.

Isaiah 59:14  And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

The problem is not that truth is hidden. The problem is that the truth is not respected. Lies are accepted, but not truth. God is still looking for individuals who will know Him and let their light so shine before men:

Matthew 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Do you have the light in you? Are you saved? If so, you really cannot remain silent. You know you have a message that others need to hear. You know the blessing that message has been to you. You have been given the love of God in your heart. You cannot keep that to yourself. If you can live a silent “Christian” life, there is something wrong with your brand of Christianity.
If you are saved, I would appreciate prayer today as I will meet with a judge this morning regarding our decision to obey God rather than man regarding our church services of almost three years ago. My defence will be the Word of God. I need clarity of mind and boldness to say what God would want me to say as I stand before that judge. Thank you.
Pastor Bartel