From Sorrow to Great Joy

Share

King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]

Date: Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Chapters: Esther Chapters 5-10
Message: From Sorrow to Great Joy

Hello My Friend,

As I was reading the chapters for today, I could not help but notice the contrast between the king of Babylon and Jesus as KING. Unlike the Jewish kings we learned about who only tended to the matters of the Jews, the Babylonian king oversaw one hundred and twenty-seven provinces. However, the Jews were still seen as outcasts of Israel, just like Christ’s people are, [Psalms 147:2-6  The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.  3  He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.  4  He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.  5  Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.  6  The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.]

Those who receive Christ as their Saviour may face a lot of trials and tribulations in their lifetime, but not only is each one known by Him, they are cared for in ways that we may not understand. When the Jews found out that their lives were in danger, it was not just those in Babylon, but all over, including Israel. Now, as we come to the end of the reading of Esther, it had been three days since Esther had told the Jews to fast and pray in hopes that she might be able to approach the king. She put on her royal apparel, and walked into the inner court of the king’s house, but as soon as the king saw his queen, he gladly held out the golden scepter for her.

[Esther 5:1-4  Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.  2  And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.  3  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.  4  And Esther answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him.]

[that she obtained favour in his sight:] Until one comes to the knowledge of the Gospel of Christ, fully knowing that they are sinners headed for hell, they cannot approach God and live to tell about it, but those who understand this and receive Him not only win the favor of God, they are also able to approach Him, [John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.]

[it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom.] Esther, was not like any of other woman to the king, she was his queen, whom he found great delight in, and actually loved her. This is the very same way that Jesus feels about us, we are His bride, He delights in and loves us, and would gladly give us our petitions, within reason of course, [John 14:12-14  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.  13  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  14  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.]

Why did Esther feel as though this was necessary instead of just telling him what Haman did? First of all, this was not an actual luncheon, it was only a sit down with wine, in other words, it was just a meeting. Had Esther come right out and asked him to reverse the decree things would not have ended well. Nevertheless, she wanted one more day to prepare herself on how she would tell the king.

[Esther 5:6-9  And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.  7  Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is;  8  If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to morrow as the king hath said.  9  Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai.]

[Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart:] This was not a heart that was thankful and grateful for all that he had, he was boastful, arrogant, and conceded. And I can imagine that he was quite cunning since he was able to the persuade the king and people. After the meeting he ran home to tell his wife and friends to boast about his wealth and power, and how he was the only one at the banquet.

[Esther 5:11-14  And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.  12  Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and to morrow am I invited unto her also with the king.  13  Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.  14  Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.]

[all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai] Of all the wicked people in the Bible, I believe that Haman is one of the worse, he was full of so much pride and arrogance that he thought himself above the law and untouchable and his friends and family were just as bad as he was. Well, he was about to learn a deadly lesson, first, by being humiliated. Haman, could not even wait until the next day to go to the king to ask him for the permission to have Mordecai executed, but while he was on his way to the palace the king decided to go through the government records. As they were read to him he was reminded of the time that Mordecai had stopped the plot of the two men that were trying to assassinate him.

[Esther 6:1-4  On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.  2  And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.  3  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.  4  And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king’s house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.]

[Haman was come into the outward court of the king’s house,] This man was full of so much pride that he could not imagine anyone more important than him. The thing about pride is that it will take one up so far that the fall will literally break them into pieces, one humiliation at a time. So, here is this man getting ready to ask the king for permission to hang Mordecai when he gets sidetracked with one question.

[Esther 6:6-9  So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?  7  And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour,  8  Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head: 9  And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.]

[whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?] Of course, he wss so arrogant and conceded that he thought that there was no person more honorable than himself and told him exactly how he wanted to be honored. The next morning, Human, literally had to dress Mordecai in the kings apparel and parade him around town on the kings horse.

[Esther 6:11-13  Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.  12  And Mordecai came again to the king’s gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.  13  And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.]

[before whom thou hast begun to fall,] Oh, now they want to warn him that messing with the Jews is going to come back to haunt him. They were basically saying that he better watch his back, since Mordecai is a Jew and since the king honored him, his plan may backfire on him. Well, that warning was about to come true, perhaps, he may have thought that he could redeem his dignity with his meeting with the king and queen, but things only got worse.

[Esther 7:2-4  And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom.  3  Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request:  4  For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage.]

[the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage.] [Countervail; To act against with equal force.] Esther, was trying to convey to the king that their enemy would not profit over the loss of millions of people and that the king would be the one to suffer the repercussions. Well, after hearing that the king demanded to know who this enemy was.

[Esther 7:5-7  Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so?  6  And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.  7  And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.]

[Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther] Now, here is this man once boasting of all his riches and power in the nation begging for his life to be spared, in fact, he dropped to his knees and threw himself over the lounger chair she was sitting on.

[Esther 7:8-10  Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.  9  And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon.  10  So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified.]

[they covered Haman’s face.] Oh, it was over for him at this point, the king could not even stand to look at him. Not only was he angry with him over that decree, he was also angry at him for deceiving him. You know, the wicked are strong until they get exposed for who they truly are, they never prosper, and those who do, only do for a season until God sees His plan through. The wicked will always suffer in their sin, but God’s people will always prevail in their faith, [Romans 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.]

Now, after Haman was hung by the very gallows that he had made for Mordecai, the king asked Esther what else he could do to make things right. She asked him to allow the Jews to defend themselves of the decree that Haman had forged concerning that all Jews be executed.

[Esther 8:1-4  On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews’ enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was unto her.  2  And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.  3  And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.  4  Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king,]

[Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.] The king gave Haman’s house, all the goods in it, and the estate belonging to it, which being confiscated to the king to Esther, who then appointed Mordecai as the steward. It was not enough that Mordecai’s life was spared, the decree was still out to kill all the Jews, but the king wasted no time in making a new decree that allowed them to defend themselves should anyone attempt to come after them. In fact, he had Mordecai write up the decree and gave him his ring to certify it.

[Esther 8:5-8  And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king’s provinces:  6  For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred? 7  Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.  8  Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.]

[and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.] The law stated that when the king signs a decree, it was certified with the stamp of his ring and cannot be broken under any circumstances, even if someone forged his signature. So, the death sentence was still in affect, but the king did allow a new decree to be written which allowed the Jews to defend themselves.

[Esther 8:11,13,16-17  Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey, 13  The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. 16  The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.  17  And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.]

[And many of the people of the land became Jews;] At this point, being a Jew was no longer a matter of inheritance, it became a matter of faith and many converted to the Jews faith in God. Perhaps they realized also that there is only one God and the Jews had His favor. It is that fear that we all need to realize that unless we are converted to Christ we too will die. And guess what? The second we accept Christ as our Saviour, He will protect us for eternity, [Romans 6:22-23  But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.  (23)  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.]

Now, after all this, the king made Mordecai the Prime Minister and allowed him to put the knew decree into action on the day that the execution was set, [Esther 9:1-4  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;)  2  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. 3  And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the deputies, and officers of the king, helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.  4  For Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater.]

[all the rulers of the provinces…helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai] In other words, they now respected Mordecai. On this day, five hundred people in Babylon were killed, but just to make sure his queen was appeased, the king asked her if there was anything else she would like.

[Esther 9:12-13,15,17  And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: or what is thy request further? and it shall be done.  13  Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews which are in Shushan to do to morrow also according unto this day’s decree, and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged upon the gallows. 15  For the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shushan; but on the prey they laid not their hand. 17  On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.]

[the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting] Seventy-five thousand people who were set out to destroy the Jews were slain within three days time. After the third day Jews from all over the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces rested and held a special holiday to commemorate what took place, and became a yearly observance that is still held today.

[Esther 9:22,26-27  As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor. 26  Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them, 27  The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year;]

[the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy,] We can learn a valuable lesson in all this, God is on His throne, Jesus, stands before God, pleading with Him to save the souls of the ones who comes to Him through there faith in Him, and one day, Satan will meet his doom and every saint will be turned from sorrow to joy, [Revelation 21:7-8  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.  8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.]

Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Esther 8:8  Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.]

Today’s Prayer: God, As I look back on my life I can see all the difficulties that You have allowed and just how much Your hand played a part in my enduring them, even when I was not always faithful to Your will for my life. I thank You for the cross that You took that I should have bore, and how You saved my soul. I also thank You for the life that You have given me. Lord, lead me and guide me, let me be a witness to the amazing life that You provide when I put my faith and trust solely upon You. Let me be as faithful as Esther, willing to always give my life as a living sacrifice to be used for Your glory, and let me not become boastful or proud, and think of myself anything other than a sinner saved by grace through my faith in Your Son alone. I love You and ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

Do You Know Jesus?: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/ready-to-follow-jesus/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Read Previous Devotions: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Read The Bible: http://kingjamesbible.imfollowingjesus.com/
Visit I’m Following Jesus: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/welcome/
Like I’m Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2024 I’m Following Jesus, All rights reserved.