2006-09-29
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Once again, I'm led to continue reviewing stories from the Bible that concern fasting. Fasts are seen in the Scriptures in response to impending peril. Such was the case when Mordecai and the Jews fasted in response to peril instituted by the evil Prime Minister of Persia, Haman. It's helpful to look at this story closer. ES 3: 2, "The king ordered all the officials in his service to show their respect for Haman by kneeling and bowing to him. They all did so, except for Mordecai, who refused to do it." Mordecai was Esther's cousin, who had adopted her and brought her up as his own daughter [ES 3: 6]. Haman was furious at Mordecai's refusal to kneel and bow to him. When he learned that Mordecai was a Jew, he made plans to kill every Jew in the whole empire. ES 3: 7, "In the 12th year of King Ahasuarus' [Xerxes'] rule, in the first month, the month of Nisan, Haman ordered the lots to be cast ["purim," they were called] to find out the right day and month to carry out his plot. The 13th day of the 12th month, the day of Adar, was decided upon." ES 3: 13-15 describes Haman's plot to kill the Jews. ES 4: 1-17 tells us how Mordecai came to ask Queen Esther for help.
Esther, who had never told the king that she was Jewish, found herself in a crisis of belief. Should she continue to keep this from her husband and allow the Jews to be killed, or should she courageously take a chance and tell the king, risking her own life? In the meanwhile as she wrestled with these questions, she replied to Mordecai, in ES 4: 16, "Go and get all the Jews of Sushan [same as Susa] together; hold a fast and pray for me. Do not eat or drink anything for three days and nights. My servant girls and I will be doing the same. After that, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. If I must die for doing it, I will die." Yes, Esther had made her decision. She had been led by God and was not going to act to save her own life at the expense of her people. Approaching the king was full of laws [customs] that Esther would have to break. In the meanwhile, Haman had ordered the construction of a huge gallows, upon which he planned to see Mordecai hung in front of the people [ES 5: 14].
We have to understand God's hand in the events of this story and why the Jewish people's fasting and praying were an important reveal to Him of their hearts. As always, there must be a collaboration between God and His believing people for social good to happen. God can always be counted on to do His part. Such is not always the same for the people, except for those who put Him first and are willing to humbly obey Him. Esther was one who was, and she bravely went to the king and told him that she would be killed because she was a Jew [ES 7: 3-6]. God's intervention can be seen in ES 6: 1-2, "That same night the king could not get to sleep, so he had the official records of the empire brought and read to him. The part they read included the account of how Mordecai had uncovered a plot to assassinate the king-the plot made by Bigthana and Teresh, the two palace eunuchs who had guarded the king's rooms. The king decided to honor Mordecai. Haman was ordered to dress Mordecai in special robes and lead him on a noble steed through the city. Haman was greatly embarrassed by this. Esther had identified Haman as the originator of the plot against her people [especially Mordecai], and the king responded by ordering Haman to be hung on the same gallows he had prepared for Mordecai [ES 7: 9-10]. Mordecai was honored and put in charge of Haman's property [ES 8: 2].
Fasting, while done in the face of peril, can still give God an indication of a person's heart. With the fasting and prayer that was done by the Jews, God was getting a demonstration of their willingness to put Him and His will first. There is submission to God here, submission that acknowledges God's power and ability to save His people from being wiped away. We can remember the story of this same kind of acknowledgement and submission to God in 2 CH 20: 6-12 when the Jews under threat of attack from a combined army of their enemies were led in prayer by King Jehoshaphat. 2 CH 20: 6, "O Lord God of our ancestors, You rule in heaven over all the nations of the world. You are powerful and mighty, and no one can oppose You." Through this prayer, the people rehearsed the history of God's protection of them, ending in (12) with, "You are our God! Punish them [our enemies], for we are helpless in the face of this large army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but we look to You for help." With both of these stories, how can we forget Christ's words in MT 5: 3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their's is the Kingdom of heaven?" I'm reminded of the words that end David's plea for justice in PS 10: 17-18. "You will listen, O Lord, to the prayers of the lowly; You will give them courage. You will hear the cries of the oppressed and the orphans; You will judge in their favor, so that mortal men may cause terror no more."
PRAYER: O Lord, in the course of our lives there will be many challenges. In this country, we have recently been blessed by peace until the wake-up call of the terrorist attacks on 9-11-01. Many of us watched this atrocity on television, and it forced us to realize that our enemies had the means to come much too near. In addition, our inability to capture Osama bin Laden has reminded us that we are not invincible. As we approach Your mighty throne today, let us not forget that we must appeal first to You for help in times of peril. We must pray and fast at times to focus our attention solely on You and to acknowledge our need for Your help. This should happen both in times of national peril and in times of our own need to face serious challenges to our faith. You are always available to us when we turn to You in genuine acknowledgement of Your power, justice, and compassion. PS 17: 5-7, "My steps have held to Your paths; my feet have not slipped. I call on You, O God, for You will answer me. Give ear to me and hear my prayer, show the wonder of Your great love, You Who save by Your right hand those who take refuge in You from their foes." Dearest Abba, we know You are capable and willing to protect those who love and honor You. PS 31: 1-5, "I came to You, Lord, for protection; never let me be defeated. You are a righteous God; save me, I pray! Hear me! Save me now! Be my Refuge to protect me; my Defense to save me. You are my Refuge and Defense; guide me and lead me as You have promised. Keep me safe from the snare that has been set for me; shelter me from danger. I place myself in Your care. You will save me, Lord; You are a faithful God." We are imperfect sinners, who cannot lead righteous lives without Your intervention. We acknowledge that all good on this earth has come from You. We stand in awe of You and want to honor You for Who You are and what You do for us. Eternal thanks, praise, and adoration belong to You alone. You are our God, and Your Law is written in our hearts. We sometimes fast (when it is appropriate) and always pray to You in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Next week, I'm led to write about the story of Naboth's vineyard from 1 K 21. This is a case of calling a fast for the wrong reasons, and it will be instructive to see God's response as the story unfolds. We can rest assured that God always acts righteously, even if it is to punish His enemies. That is why we can be comforted in knowing that God is eager to bless those who love Him. 2 CH 16: 9, "The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen the faith of those who are fully committed to Him." Even people who would seem unlikely candidates to be given faith by the Holy Spirit and to spend their lives serving Him well can look to Him for forgiveness of sins and the life everlasting. That is because our Lord Jesus was willing to obey His Father, suffer humiliation and scourging, go to suffer three days on the cross, and die for us. His resurrection after three days is that of the "first among many brothers" [RO 8: 29], one that gives us hope that with endurance in our faith, we too can go to heaven for a blissful eternal life with our loving Father. All one must do is to repent of his sins and have faith in Christ. The rest, salvation, eventual resurrection, and the giving of the gift of the Holy Spirit, is done for us by our compassionate God. Our willingness to fast at times and pray often is does not go unnoticed by God. His omnipresence in our lives and love for His human creation assure that. He knows the content of our hearts. When our hearts are faithful and obedient, we can be comforted in knowing He is pleased with us. Praise be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn