WEEKEND Edition, 23/24 January “Trapped by Words”

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Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends. It’s the weekend and I hope you have a very good one, wherever in the world you are today! What a week this has been!

Have you ever found yourself ‘stuck between a rock and a hard place’, as they say, by the words you said or wrote, and you wish you could take them back, but the record stands? Presidents, Monarchs, Kings and Queens and other important leaders often find themselves in that place, and so do normal people like you and me. King Xerxes and Queen Esther and all the Jewish people in the entire Persian kingdom faced that dilemma one fateful day… let’s take a closer look to see if we can learn some important lessons for our day.

We’re in the Bible book of Esther, now chapter 8. Justice has been done… at least partially. Mordecai has been rewarded for his long forgotten words which saved King Xerxes from assassination. Haman has been executed for his devious words and plot which caused Queen Esther, and every Jewish person in the entire Persian kingdom, to be marked for death. King Xerxes is in that stuck place and he’s beside himself trying to find a way out of his words. Esther 8:8 explains King Xerxes’ dilemma “..no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.” I wonder how many people in leadership roles all around our world today have felt painted into a corner by the words they have written or spoken which they cannot undo or change? Have you been there?

In the case of King Xerxes, his written edict gave to anyone in the entire Persian kingdom, the right to kill any Jewish person in the kingdom, on one particular day in the near future! Can you imagine that? Lawful genocide. Lawful ethnic cleansing. Mass killing for all Jewish men, women, and children… anywhere in the vast Persian kingdom. And their crime? Simply their identity! They were Jewish by birth, known as the people of Israel, the people of God. Haman and others hated them for that. This anti-Semitic, blind hate has arisen in almost every generation since the days of Abraham. It is deeply rooted in Satan’s hatred for Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, who came to earth, God incarnate, as a Jewish man.

Please notice Queen Esther’s appeal to King Xerxes’ sense of “…the right thing to do…” (Esther 8:5) Have you found that when our words spoken or our choices made are found to be wrong, hurtful, or shameful, still we wrestle with our sense of ‘the right thing to do’ and our pride, looking for some way to avoid admitting our wrong or repenting or confessing, while making changes to undo the mistakes of our past? Watch this carefully my friends… while with people we can try ‘cover up’ or denial or refusal to accept responsibility for our wrong words or actions, with God the words “I was wrong” or “I have sinned” or “I am guilty” are essential to forgiveness and healing! Excuses, attempted negotiations, blaming others, pretending it didn’t happen, ignoring the reality, refusing to take responsibility are all unacceptable with God. Honesty, accountability, truth, confession and repentance are all essential to forgiveness, cleansing, a reconciled relationship with God, a restored relationship, and a fresh start. 1 John 1:9; Prov. 11:3,20,21 are two of many verses which give us that truth.

For King Xerxes, the appeal of Queen Esther touched his heart deeply, but in their pride, past leaders of the Persian kingdom had passed a very unwise law which made it impossible to revoke or change the king’s edict or proclamation once issued. His only option was to issue a second edict which would allow the Jewish people to defend themselves against those seeking to fulfill the first edict of murder. By this action King Xerxes unleashed anarchy all across the Persian empire. One edict of the king permitted and empowered anyone to kill Jews. The second edict of the king permitted all Jews to defend themselves even if it meant killing their attacker! The date set for both these unchangeable edicts of King Xerxes was March 7th, 473bc. Can you imagine the anxiety, confusion, worry, fear, panic, precautions and plans all across the empire as that date approached? Have you ever found yourself caught between what appear to be two unchangeable attitudes or choices or strongly held positions which are in conflict with each other?

As you look around the world today, we see evidence of this everywhere, don’t we? ‘Pro choice’ and ‘Pro life’ are one example with both positions unwilling or unable to change. Of course caught in the middle of this conflict are millions of helpless babies! Many political positions are equally inflexible. But let me ask you my friends, what about the deepest, most important questions in life, such as… what is TRUTH? Who defines truth and what is right and what is wrong? What happens after you die? Or, what guaranteed path is there for reaching heaven and finding acceptance by God? Or what action can achieve forgiveness for sin from God? Or when, where and how will there be ultimate accountability before God for all words, actions and attitudes of every person? Only God has the answers to these questions, and part of our purpose in “Walking with Jesus” is discovering and understanding God’s answers to life’s most important questions.

Chapter 9 of Esther is the account of that fateful day all across the Persian empire, when the Jews were permitted to protect themselves against those who were given license to destroy them. You’ll notice this turn of events was so significant in the history of Israel, that since 473bc, each year, a celebration called PURIM has remembered how God responded to the prayers of His people, touched the heart of a king, unveiled the murderous plot of an evil man Haman, and protected His people from annihilation. I wonder my friends, do you have special days in your calendar when you celebrate what God has done in your life or your family heritage?

As I write this today is the 35th anniversary of the day my wife and I, and our daughter April arrived in Haiti as missionaries. We’ll never forget it, nor what God did over the next several years in our lives there. May I urge us to take time today to remember, and thank God for all HE has done in your life and His faithfulness to His promises and His character? And if you find yourself stuck in a bad place by your past words or attitudes or choices, may I urge you today to take a bold step, come to Jesus and confess it truthfully, repent from it by turning it all over to Jesus and changing your ways, and asking for God’s forgiveness and His guidance as you go forward following HIM on a new path of HOPE! God will never turn away from someone honestly seeking God’s help! That’s the promise of 1 John 1:9.

Remembering is important with God… and here’s a song that I’ve given you before, but I love it’s powerful truth. Sing along if you know it. It will help us remember and if need be, repent… reconcile… and restore our relationship with Jesus! And may I again urge you to listen to the audio, dramatic Bible reading of Esther 8 & 9? You’ll see the link just below…

Today’s Scripture is Esther 8.

Choose below to read or listen.

Esther 9

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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