Tag: Esther

Esther 9:2 The Victory Belongs to Jesus

Esther 9:2 (KJV)
The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them fell upon all people.

The authority of the king held such a tremendous sway. Whether the enemies of the Jews defeated the Jews or whether the Jews defeated their enemies was not up to fate nor up to the strength of one over the other. The king entirely decided the victor.

For a time, it appeared the enemy would win, and the Jews would be exterminated. God had other plans. Circumstances had already been implemented to counter any advantages the enemy seemed to have had.

  • Esther was the queen

  • Mordecai had saved the king’s life

Though a decree had been signed and the Jews were deeply threatened, what was apparently ordained was countervailed by the further command of the king.

The events of this world are not under the thumb of the greatest power. The victory does not belong to the largest army or the strongest force. The outcome belongs to the decree of the Lord. Many of us have already read it. Though he is seemingly powerful, and with overwhelming forces, Satan hasn’t the authority to win. 

The victory belongs to Jesus. Those who follow Him will partake in and rejoice over that victory.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

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For this and, more than 6000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

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Esther 9:2 The Victory Belongs to Jesus

Esther 8:4 A Second Blessing

Esther 8:4 (KJV)
Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king,

Among the Arminian believers,[1] there is what they call “the doctrine of the second blessing.” They teach that salvation is a first blessing and sanctification, to be perfectly sinless, is a second blessing. When I was in Bible College, my wife worked at a Christian grade school administered by a group that held such a doctrine. I once heard the bishop Conkle, then the leader of this group, teach the doctrine[2] on the radio. His wife was the principal of the school my wife worked at. The bishop’s wife confided in my wife once, “I don’t believe the second blessing is really in the Bible.” She had lived with the bishop long enough to know he was not perfectly sinless!

The doctrine of the second blessing is not biblical, but this second time the king held the golden scepter toward Esther does remind me that our salvation isn’t the only blessing God has for us.

He extended grace before us when He saved us from our sin and made us children of light, not darkness. He has given us victory over sin, over death and made us His own.

He will extend grace before us once again when, in the last day, He raises us with immortal, celestial bodies, seats us together with Christ in heavenly places, and binds Satan eternally in the Lake of Fire.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

[1] Arminianism, a theological movement in Protestant Christianity that arose as a liberal reaction to the Calvinist doctrine of predestination. The movement began early in the 17th century and asserted that God’s sovereignty and human free will are compatible. Apr 11, 2023  https://www.google.com/search?q=Arminian&oq=Arminian&aqs=chrome..69i57.283j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[2] And claim it for himself.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

Donate to our cause of “Reaching a world of souls with the Word of God.”

For this and, more than 6000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
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Esther 8:4 A Second Blessing

Esther 6:3 Hard Work with Little Reward?

Esther 6:3 (KJV)
And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.

Every month, I’ve put some money aside in an account for about forty years now. In practical life, this practice has accomplished nothing for me. There has been no benefit. There is nothing to show for it. I get a slip of paper, or more recently, an electronic notice, that reports the total, but that is of little good. The fact is, that number costs me. I have to pay taxes on it. It is a practice that they say is good to do. But in real-time, it seems good for nothing.

Mordecai had done the right thing. He had reported the betrayal of two of the king’s servants and saved the king’s life. Nothing had been done to reward or recognize him. But it was not as if his service wasn’t worth it. It had been recorded. In time, really, at the right time, the record came to the king, and, at the right time, the king was moved to honor him.

Serving the Lord can sometimes feel like hard work with little reward. But that’s not the case. Serving the Lord is like putting money in the bank. God is keeping a record, and while it might sometimes seem like nothing has been done to repay that service, a day is coming when the account is opened, and the treasures laid up will be more than sufficient.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

Donate to our cause of “Reaching a world of souls with the Word of God.”

For this and, more than 6000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Esther 6:3 Hard Work with Little Reward?

Esther 5:3 We Know the End

Esther 5:3 (KJV)
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.

Years ago, I heard of a preacher who saw in the book of Esther a type of the relationship between God the Father, God the Son, and the church of Jesus Christ. I won’t remember his comparisons exactly, but I can see:

  • Ahasuerus, as God the Father
  • His first wife, Vashti, as Israel
  • Ahasuerus, as God the Son
  • His second wife, Esther, as the church
  • Haman, as Satan

There are a million holes in the picture, and I hate the idea of Ahasuerus as a type of God. But allow me this grace.

God would have loved to have made much of Israel. She is the apple of His eye. She is loved simply because He loves her. But she has spurned His love.

Israel is currently set aside. The Bible says she is divorced from God. In her place, God today, is preparing a bride for His Son, the church of Jesus Christ.

As the bride, Esther appeals to her husband through days of fasting and prayer. She puts on her royal apparel and awaits the grace of His call to bid her to Himself.

In the meantime, she faces a terrible enemy.

Satan, the fallen angels, and those taken captive by him at his will plot to destroy the object of Christ’s love. Satan and those who belong to him boast of their wealth, power, and position. Pride is the primary characteristic of the devil.

As he prepares his victory over the love of God, she prepares her appeal to the king of kings. It may look bad for her now.

But we know the end of the book!

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

Donate to our cause of “Reaching a world of souls with the Word of God.”

For this and, more than 6000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Esther 5:3 We Know the End

Esther 1:13 Study to Know Right

Esther 1:13 (KJV)
Then the king said to the wise men, which knew the times, (for so was the king’s manner toward all that knew law and judgment:

I am reminded of Psalms 1:1-2 (KJV)
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

The king had access to the wisest men of his day. But when he asked them for counsel in the matter of Vashti, all they gave him was:

  • Their concern for cultural norms
  • Their consternation over gossip and
  • Their care for their reputation

No one even considered what would be morally, emotionally, or spiritually right.

Herein is the challenge with the wise men of the world. They study to know how to get along or to be successful. They do not study to know what is right.

Better to be an expert in right and at a loss in the world than the other way around.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

Donate to our cause of “Reaching a world of souls with the Word of God.”

For this and, more than 6000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Esther 1:13 Study to Know Right

Esther 6:3 Reward and Recognition

Esther 6:3 (KJV)
And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.

It had been some time since Mordecai had uncovered the plot against the king. Yet, he had been acknowledged for it. Suddenly it appears that Mordecai, and the Jews as a people, would be exterminated. It seems his good deed was forgotten. Evil was going to come upon him and his nation for nothing else but their convictions concerning worship. 

But God had not forgotten. Mordecai’s good deed had been recorded, and, at the right moment, God brought it to the king’s attention. Had he been acknowledged immediately, who knows what would have become of Haman’s threat? God stored that recognition in a bank, ready to be redeemed when it was most needed. 

Listen, you may feel underappreciated and forgotten. That feeling is inaccurate. As we live for God, He stores up our life’s record. He will review it all at the judgment seat of Christ. Hang tight on God. Your reward and recognition are coming. 

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Esther 6:3 Reward and Recognition

Esther 4:2 A Terrible Strait

Esther 4:2 (KJV)
And came even before the king’s gate: for none might enter into the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.

Mordecai was in a terrible strait. The order was for his death. But it was far more than that. If he were to die on the gallows Haman built, all the Jews in the kingdom, would also die, savagely. 

He had reason to fast, to mourn, and to put on sackcloth and ashes. But he kept about him a degree of sense and sensibility. 

  • He came before the king’s gate, but he did not enter. 
  • He maintained appropriate allegiance to the laws of the land. 

Facing such peril for not only himself but for all his people, he responded, but he did not overreact. He did not make the situation worse by growing angry and rebellious. He knew he had a resource in Esther, and he was willing to use that resource. But he did not respond in an aggressive or arrogant manner.  Truly, he waited upon the Lord. 

I see few believers willing to mourn, fast, and afflict themselves these days. But I see plenty of them who are eager to disregard the laws. We have reason to be concerned today. Perhaps there will come a time when we might rally to reverse things. Today is not that time. It is time today to fast, pray, humble ourselves, and wait upon the Lord. 

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
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Esther 4:2 A Terrible Strait

Esther 3:1 Until He Was Promoted

Esther 3:1 (KJV)
After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.

We do not hear of Haman until the king chooses to promote him. 

Isn’t it interesting that, in chapters one and two, we have the names of the princes and leaders under Ahasuerus and Haman is not mentioned? How he rose to such heights in such a short time is a mystery. One wonders, given the revealed nature of Haman, if it wasn’t through some sort of evil. 

Here’s my thought; Haman didn’t get into trouble until he was promoted. I am reminded that one must be careful whenever one is advanced. 

Pride can set in
Isn’t that what happened to Haman? He may have been a proud man previously, but this promotion certainly amplified and exposed it.

Testing may come
God chooses to test us and see what our mettle is. For Haman, that test was in the form of Mordecai. 

Haman did not pass the test 
It’s not evil to be promoted. But those who advance must be aware of the dangers of such promotions. It would be better to remain unknown and unnoticed than to be promoted and destroyed through it. 

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
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Esther 3:1 Until He Was Promoted

Esther 1:1 Only God

Esther 1:1 (KJV)
Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:)

It seems to me that God goes out of His way to tell us of the greatness of Ahasuerus. His kingdom was huge. He ruled from deep into Africa, all the way into India. One hundred twenty-seven provinces in all. His kingdom was so great that it took him one hundred eighty days to review it before his dignitaries. He had wealth, fame, popularity, and power. 

But the purpose of God’s revelation is not to impress us with the man’s greatness. Rather, the book of Esther is all about the greatness of God. One can hardly read the account of Ahasuerus without noting how genuinely pathetic this man was. 

  • He got drunk – he had no power over alcohol
  • His wife refused to come when he called – he had no real power over her
  • She did not come because his reason was immoral- he had no power over his flesh
  • He got advice from his counselors – he had no control of decision
  • He eventually missed her – he had no power over his emotions
  • He had enemies attempt to assassin him- he had no authority over the happiness of all his citizens 

And yet God, whose name is not even mentioned in this book, saved His people, the Jews, through events unseen to the human eye but evident to the spiritually discerning. 

It is never wise to envy men. Only God is worthy of our attention. 

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
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Esther 1:1 Only God

Esther 9:1 In Difficult Times

Esther 9:1 (KJV)
Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)

The time was different then and the applications we make need to be explained. The only real enemy of the Christian is the devil (and his angels). A genuine Christian, with any understanding of the Bible, would never seek the destruction of another human being, even those who hate us. We are taught to love them, bless them, pray for them and do good to them.[1]

At the same time, there is a hopeful promise in this passage. The enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over the Jews, God’s people. The plan was not merely to rule them but to destroy them, exterminate them. 

But it turned to the contrary. What the enemy had hoped to do to the Jews, God overturned so that the Jews would do the same to the enemy. 

In difficult times when it seems like the world will rule over, dominate and overpower the believer, don’t lose hope. Bow before God in prayer and fasting. 

God may very well turn your circumstances to the contrary. 

[1] Matthew 5:44 (KJV)
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 4800 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

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Esther 9:1 In Difficult Times

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