November 1, 2015
Scripture:
The Lord says this to us, but we can say it to Him. He found a treasure in us. A treasure is something you want and value. We are His treasure. Yes, He died for us so that we could be His treasure. His whole heart was there. May we respond to the fact that He is our treasure and make sure our whole heart is there.
Hymn 344 - Jesus, my, Saviour, to Bethlehem came.
Prayer
Today we have another chapter in the book of Esther. Last time, though, we saw how Haman’s plan to hang Mordecai failed. He ended up parading him through the streets while he sat on the king’s horse and wore the king’s garments, saying that this was done to the man whom the king delighted to honour. At the end, while he was complaining to his wife and friends, the king’s chamberlains had to come and bring him to the banquet.
Esther 7
It was just King Ahasuerus, Queen Esther, and Haman at this banquet. King Ahasuerus again asked Esther if there was anything she wanted, up to half of his kingdom. He promises to give her whatever it is. Esther pled for the life of her people. She told him that they had been sold to be killed. It was here that Esther showed King Ahasuerus that she was Jewish. She said that if they had been sold as slaves she would have held her tongue, but the purpose was to destroy them.
King Ahasuerus wanted to know who wanted to kill the people of the queen. This was his queen whose life is in danger! You can just imagine how Haman felt when Esther pointed to him and said that he was the one who wanted to destroy her and her people.
The king was so upset that he had to walk away so he could collect his thoughts. Haman saw that his life was in danger. So he fell before Esther and begged for his life. King Ahasuerus was not pleased about this either. The chamberlains covered his face. That meant that he was to be taken away for execution.
The chamberlains told the king about the gallows that Haman had made for Mordecai. He commanded them to hang Haman on it instead. Haman was hung on his own gallows.
This is a great lesson that, “Whatsoever a man [or boy or girl] soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galations 6:7). When you plant tomatoes you hope to get tomatoes, and you will when the plant grows. The same applies in life as well. Haman sowed anger, hatred, and jealousy toward the Jews. He sowed all of these and ended up getting hung because of it.
Proverbs 26:27
Sometimes the fate we prepare for others comes back on us. But we can sow love, kindness, and generosity and they will return to us as well.
In the story of Elijah and the widow at Zarephath, the widow had to give to Elijah before she had the blessing of being completely provided for during the famine. She sowed generosity and reaped it.
You can find stories about sowing and reaping all throughout the Bible. It’s a part of life. We need to sow love and kindness if we expect to reap them.
Ephesians 5:1-21
We saw last week things that we are to put off and put on; the characteristics of the new nature. Chapter 5 then opens with a “therefore”; this putting off and on should have an effect, namely that we should be followers (Darby: imitators) of God. How good are you at imitating God? It’s a high standard: perfection! We must imitate His moral characteristics in our behaviour, and are to do this as “dear children.” We have a relationship with God; we are part of His family.
Three things are brought out in this chapter that we are to walk in: love (verse 2), light (verse 8), and wisdom (verse 15). These should colour our character as we imitate God. He is love, He is our light, and through Him we receive wisdom. These are important things to be walking in. As you think about it, these things couldn’t evolve. Where would light come from? How is wisdom passed down? How would love develop? Impossible!
We are to love others as Christ loved us. His love was stronger than death, and without limit. That love gave caused Him to give Himself for us! “Unto Him that loveth us” is how the verse in Revelation should be translated, for that love is still unchanged today.
Christ’s offering referenced here wouldn’t be a sin offering, because that gave no sweet savour to God. It would have been a burnt offering, completed in such a beautiful way that it did send a sweet savour to God. The horrors of Calvary are something precious to God, for Jesus suffered them through unspeakable affection for us and Him. He gave Himself for us, and to God.
The Philippians were imitators of God, as seen in Philippians 4:18. Their sacrifice was a savour acceptable to God!
Verses 3-4 give us a list of things that God condemns; fornication, uncleaness (under the law some things were unclean, but so much of mainstream life today is unclean), coveteousness, filthiness, foolish talk, and jesting. Some Christians have commited these sins, but God forbid. They are not convenient, but sinful; it is better to give thanks.
In verse 5 we get some classes of lost people. God gives us a clear message: these people don’t have part in His kingdom. They are behaviours we must avoid as we seek to walk in love. May the Lord keep us! We are not to partake with this type of people, or have things in common with them. We can speak a word in season to them, though, for they need salvation.
As Paul said before, we were children of darkness; but now we are light in the Lord. The one that walks in darkness doesn’t know where he is going. As dear children, may we walk as children of the Light!
Hymn 266 — We’ll praise thee glorious Lord
Prayer