- araratchurch
- Mar 10, 2023
- 3 min read
“So Haman took the robes and put them on Mordecai, placed him on the king’s own horse, and led him through the city square, shouting, “This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!” Afterward Mordecai returned to the palace gate, but Haman hurried home dejected and completely humiliated.”
Esther 6:11-12 NLT
I know that I repeatedly touch on the theme of the importance of humility. However, its importance cannot be overstated. Indeed, if we will not humble ourselves, we are opening ourselves up for humiliation.
Do you remember what happened to King Nebuchadnezzar? Even after having been warned through Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, he did not repent and humble himself, a mistake for which he paid a terrible price for seven years.
“As he looked out across the city, he said, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.’ “While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven, ‘O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom. You will be driven from human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will eat grass like a cow. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses.’”
Daniel 4:30-32 NLT
Jesus went to a dinner where He noticed many of the people jockeying for a place of honor at the table. He offered them this advice:
“When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.””
Luke 14:7-11 NLT
Notice that last verse: the best way to be exalted is to humble yourself; but those who exalt themselves, will be forcefully humbled (humiliated).
I want to take a moment to step aside and remind you that the Lord gave us the story of Esther as a paradigm for the things that would occur in this “Year of Realization.” Now, we have already seen some humiliation in the arrogant as truth is revealed; but, we have not seen the last of that. People in high positions will be like a grape plucked from the vine and crushed under foot.
In our opening scripture we see that the worst possible thing that Haman could possibly have imagined has just happened to him: he has had to go throughout the city proclaiming the great glory of the man whom he hates most in the world. If only he knew that it wasn’t going to stop there.
So, for now, let me encourage you to remember that those who lord themselves over you are on borrowed time. But, those who walk humbly before the Lord will be forever exalted.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Mar 5, 2023
- 3 min read
"“Excellent!” the king said to Haman. “Quick! Take the robes and my horse, and do just as you have said for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the gate of the palace. Leave out nothing you have suggested!””
Esther 6:10 NLT
Often it seems that the wicked are riding high. And—for a season—they may. This fact unnecessarily leads to the angst of many righteous people. Indeed, the theme of Psalm 37 addresses this very dilemma. It starts out with this:
“Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.”
Psalms 37:1-2 NLT
Later on in this Psalm we see this:
“Put your hope in the Lord. Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed.”
Psalms 37:34 NLT
Yes, the Lord has promised that the tables will be turned on the wicked and it will be the righteous who will inherit those things the wicked have laid up for themselves.
Moses, instructing the children of Israel concerning their possession of the land, warns them not to forget the Lord. But look what he says just before that admonition:
““The Lord your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land, be careful not to forget the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.”
Deuteronomy 6:10-12 NLT
Wow! The Lord is taking his people into a land that has been being prepared for them by those who did not honor God at all. It was a great shift; now the children of Israel would possess for themselves what had belonged to the heathen.
“Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly.”
Proverbs 13:22 NLT
And please know, whether or not we see this wealth shift in this life, we know without a doubt that soon and very soon as Jesus comes to rule and reign on the Earth, the righteous will be in charge of everything. Indeed, we see references to this fact all through the word of God.
Three times in the book of Daniel alone it is prophesied that the people of God will inherit and rule all things. Here is just one of those references:
“Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him.””
Daniel 7:27 NLT
And speaking of a sudden shift, let’s look back at our opening scripture.
Today we see that all the wonderful things Haman had prescribed for himself, are suddenly being given to Mordecai! No, that won’t be embarrassing for Haman at all…
Dear child of God, we serve a wonderful God and King; and no matter what it may look like at any point in time, make no mistake, our obedience to our Lord is not in vain.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Mar 3, 2023
- 3 min read
“So he replied, “If the king wishes to honor someone, he should bring out one of the king’s own royal robes, as well as a horse that the king himself has ridden—one with a royal emblem on its head. Let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. And let him see that the man whom the king wishes to honor is dressed in the king’s robes and led through the city square on the king’s horse. Have the official shout as they go, ‘This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!’””
Esther 6:7-9 NLT
Back when people used switches to discipline their children there was the practice of letting children being disciplined together, each choose a switch for the other. Then—at the moment of the exacting of the discipline—they found out that they had actually chosen a switch to be used on themselves.
Additionally, you’re probably familiar with the practice of letting one child divide whatever is to be shared and letting the other child choose which portion they want. Yep, that keeps them honest. (As an aside, it’s kind of fun to do this without first telling the children how they would be choosing. Watching as the one who divided the portions, giving themselves noticeably more than the other, see the other child receive the portion they had designated for themselves, is somehow therapeutic.)
Both of the above practices are intended to teach children not to have a double standard in terms of what is right for them and what is right for others. It teaches them to be merciful and generous.
But it’s not just about how children operate, is it?
Let’s face it, most people tend to be a little easier/more generous concerning themselves in terms of punishment and reward.
I once wrote a humorous poem (not a source of great pride) in which the last line reads something close to, “To each man, his own stench is sweet.” Truth be told, I didn’t use the word “stench.” But the point was that we are much quicker to identify “stank” on another person than on ourselves; we don’t measure our doings with the same measure we apply to others’ doings.
This is just the point that Jesus was making when he gave this advice:
““And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”
Matthew 7:3-5 NLT
As a matter of fact, there are several scriptures in the Bible referencing the evil of unjust scales or balances. This is one of those:
“False weights and unequal measures— the Lord detests double standards of every kind.”
Proverbs 20:10 NLT
Indeed, the Levitical law outlined what God expected in terms of our measuring out to others.
““Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight, or volume. Your scales and weights must be accurate. Your containers for measuring dry materials or liquids must be accurate. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”
Leviticus 19:35-36 NLT
In our opening scripture we see that Haman—having assumed that the king is wanting to honor him—has prescribed quite the fanfare for himself. But, just like those children picking out switches for each other, or portioning out some treat for each other, he’s about to find out how quickly the balances can be reset.
Be fair. Be just. Don’t afford yourself a different balance concerning punishment and reward. As we saw earlier, “the Lord detests double standards of every kind.”
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!