Episode Transcript
Jesus said in Matthew 28, verse 19, go therefore and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Welcome to go teach all nations, bringing you Christ's teachings through australian and international speakers. And here is today's presenter, Dr.
Barry Wright. I'm going to invite you now just to bow your heads again as we invite the Lord's presence to be here in a special way. Our dear heavenly Father, we take it as a real privilege to come into this house of worship this morning.
We want to thank you for the promise that you give to each and every one of us, that your presence will be here with each and every person with head bowed. And Lord, as we open your word, help us to ingrain and take in the wonderful promises that you've given to each and every one of us. So be with us now as we spend this brief time together.
We ask and pray these things in thy precious name. Amen. You know, this morning, if our eyes are sensitive to it, we would recognise behind all the events of history on this planet, we see the God of heaven silently at work in the protection of his people.
And while at times we may see the enemy triumph, for a short time, we need to understand that it is God who holds the key to ultimate victory. It is God who holds the key to ultimate victory. You know, God's overruling providence and sovereignty could not be better seen than through the life of a young jewish girl born at a time when her people were scattered throughout the ancient world.
About 475 BC, approximately 100 years before her birth, the leading citizens of the jewish nation had been taken captive by the babylonian forces of King Nebuchadnezzar and were forced into exile. History then goes on to record the eventual overthrow of the Babylonian Empire by the powerful persian armies during the time of this jewish captivity. Now, Persia now becomes a major world empire, which at its height extended from the northern boundary of Ethiopia to the northwestern frontier of India, covering 127 separate provinces.
And we are told in Ezra, chapter five and verse 13, that under the rule of Cyrus the Great, an edict was originally issued allowing the captive jews to return to their homeland in 536 BC in order to rebuild their temple. And years later, a second decree given by King Darius during his reign confirmed this original decree and saw the completion of the jewish temple in 515 BC. Now, while these proclamations provided the opportunity for the Jews to return home, only a comparatively small number of less than 50,000 were to eventually take up the offer.
Now, we need to recognise that many of these people had been born in Babylon and had established themselves in profitable businesses and as such, were less inclined to cross the desert and begin all over again. If the jewish people had all gone home at this time, many of the events that followed would never, ever have happened. After the death of king Darius approximately 30 years later, in 486 BC, his son Ahazueris was to take the throne.
And the greek historian Herodus aptly describes him as a cruel, capricious and a very sensual man. This king, also identified as Xerxes I by secular historians, was to continue his father's work in holding the massive persian empire together. However, he was to suffer a major defeat by the Greeks at a place called Salamis in 480 BC.
And historians record that this was one of the most significant battles of that era, allowing the Greeks to maintain their lands and in turn, forcing the Persians to return to Asia. And as such, the persian armies were to leave Europe forever, never, ever to return. Now, just prior to this infamous battle, King Ahasuerus was to make a great feast, bringing all of his political and military personnel together to discuss the planning of this very important campaign.
It is this event that introduces our story in the book of Esther. It's found in chapter one, verses one to three, verses nine to twelve and verse 19. Now, I'm going to read this to you, but I'm going to read from a paraphrase version.
You may wish to follow along and without whatever translation you have in front of you. It's Esther, chapter one. And we're beginning with verses one to three and then nine to twelve and then verse 19.
And this is what it says. When Xerxes, also known as Ahazuerus, became king of Persia, his empire encompassed 127 provinces and stretched from the borders of India to Ethiopia. He ruled his empire from the city of Suza and in the third year of his reign, he gave a huge banquet for all of his officials and his administrators.
He also invited the heads of the armies of Persia and the governors and the nobles from all across this very huge country. Now, let's just stop here for a moment. Sousa, or Shushan, was in the province of Elam, about 85 miles, or 142 kilometres north of the ancient shoreline of the Persian Gulf and a little more than 200 miles, or 330 kilometres east of Babylon.
This capital city, which was the seat of government at that time, was situated at the eastern edge of the Tigris valley, where it rises to meet the iranian hills. The spacious Shushan palace now lies amid the 3 sq mi of ruins that are found in that area today. Among the glories of this former palace were walls that were draped with gold marble pillars and rich material hangings of white and violet cotton, which were the colours of persian royalty.
Let's continue our reading. We're looking now at verses nine to twelve. Once again, this is still paraphrased.
Meanwhile, inside the palace, Queen Vashti was giving a royal banquet for the women. And on the last day of the king's banquet, when he was in high spirits, or as some would say, merry with wine, he ordered Mahuman, Bisna, Habona, Bigtha, Abaghta, Zitha and Caucas, his several seven personal eunuchs, to bring queen Vashti in before his guests. Now, the king wanted her to wear her royal crown and yet dress so scantily that everyone would see what an exceptionally attractive woman she was.
And when the eunuchs told Queen Vashti the king's request, she refused to go and be put on display. The king became furious. By refusing his request, Vashti was challenging his authority and making him lose face in front of all of his guests.
Now, let's just stop here again for a moment. Now, we need to understand that in wanting to show off Vashti's beauty, the drunken king was to outrage the most sacred rules of oriental etiquette. Most persian women would never permit this to happen.
The seclusion of the harem was about to be violated for the amusement of a dissolute king and his companions. It was no wonder that Vashti refused. However, in order to defend his authority in front of his guests, the king, heeding the advice of his counsellors, deposed the queen.
Now, let's read verse 19 to hear the counsel given to the king. Verse 19. Therefore, if it pleased the king, let his majesty issue a proclamation, according to the laws of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be changed, that Vashti may never again appear in the king's presence.
Then let her royal position be given to someone better than she. Now, this decree now opens the way for God's hand of providence to begin its work. It was to see the rise of an unknown jewish orphan girl to become the queen of the mightiest empire to be found on earth at that time.
The story of this little girl called Hadassah was to illustrate how God could use events and people as select instruments to fulfil his promises to his chosen people. Just as in the story of Ruth, we see the important role that women were to play in God's great plan. For the salvation of his people.
Ruth becomes the ancestors of the deliverer of Israel, while Hadassah saves the people, so the deliverer might come. Ruth becomes the ancestors of the deliverer of Israel, while Hadasses saves the people, so the deliverer might come. You know, God had protected the jewish nation through the centuries for the purpose of blessing the whole world, and he was not about to allow them to be wiped from the face of the earth before the deliverer would come.
And this was done according to his promise to Abraham. You know, although God's name is not mentioned once throughout the writings of the book of Esther, every page is full of a God who we find behind every word and behind every deed. Matthew Henry, the great Bible commentator, confirms this belief by suggesting that if the name of God is not there, his hand surely is.
God is seen to be involved in directing the many minute events, bringing about his people's deliverance from the hand of the enemy. Author Dr. Pearson calls it the romance of Providence, showing that God has a part in all the events of human life.
It shows how God used a courageous young woman of unsurpassing beauty to save her people at a time of crisis when all of them could have been exterminated or wiped from the face of the earth. You know, all through history, God has never let his people go. And this should give us a wonderful assurance of his protection right now and in the future.
God was to follow the jewish people in their captivity into Babylon. And when the prophets were silent and the temple closed, he was still to be found standing guard. When the kings of earth feasted and forgot, God remembered.
And it was with his hand that he was to write their doom, or in many cases, move their hand to work out his glory. The Book of Esther is a major chapter in the struggle of the people of God to survive in a hostile world. Beginning with the book of Genesis, God had made it clear in chapter twelve and verses one and verse three that he would bless his covenant people and bring a curse on those who tried to do them harm.
The historical book of Esther shows how God was able to keep his promise at every stage of history and gives us the faith to trust God, to protect from those who continually oppose us. Hadassah was to be like Joseph and David, whom God had hidden away for his future purposes. When the day was to arrive, he was to bring them to the fore to work out his plan.
David was taken from being a shepherd to become a king. Joseph, sold as a slave, was hidden away in a dungeon in Egypt until God was ready to place him in the position of prime minister of that very great country. We need to recognise that God always has someone in reserve to fulfil his purposes.
Even those considered to be the weakest of the weak were given the opportunity to come to the kingdom for such a time as this. We are now to see a little jewish girl become a persian queen. What do we know about her? Well, the scriptures in Esther, chapter two, verse seven, makes clear that Hadassa, which in Hebrew means myrtle, was a strikingly beautiful jewish girl whose family had been carried into captivity and who Loda, chose to remain in Persia rather than return to Jerusalem.
It was to be after the death of her parents that she was to be raised by her cousin Mordecai as his own daughter. And their home was to be in Suza or Shushan, which at the time is already mentioned, was the capital city of Persia during the time of Ahazuerus. Apart from her beauty, the narrative tells us that Hadassah was recognised as a woman of clear judgement, noble self sacrifice and remarkable self control.
And as such, Esther, chapter two, verse 15, says she was respected and admired by all who knew her. Esther, chapter two, verses two to four, tells us that after Queen Vashti was deposed from her royal throne, the king orders that a search be made throughout all the provinces for beautiful young girls and that they be brought into the harem at the citadel. At Sousa, the one who pleased the king, would then be made queen.
You know, Hadassah was one of the girls brought into the harem, and it's believed that before being presented to the king, her jewish name was changed to Esther, a persian word meaning star. And in this way, her jewish origins were kept secret. As part of the instructions given by Mordecai, the minute Ahazueerus saw Esther, he made up his mind that she would be his queen.
This young girl was now to be lifted to the persian throne, often referred to as the peacock throne, at a time when the empire composed over half of the then known world. This special event was to take place two years after Ahajuirus's defeat at Salamis by the Greeks, and she was then to remain his queen for 13 long years. To mark her coronation, the king not only remitted to all the provinces their usual tribute, but also gave her an allowance that was to be made up of one 10th of all the fines collected by the treasury officials.
Let me tell you, she was to become a very wealthy woman. However, it was not long before a dark shadow is cast across this idealistic picture. It comes with the elevation of a man called Haman to become the king's chief minister, his most trusted advisor.
And we are told in Esther, chapter three, right through to chapter five, that he was an egotistical and ambitious man who was to demand that all people bow to him when and wherever he passed. And this was something that no really devout jew could ever do in good conscience. And Mordicai was to be no exception to this rule.
Inflated with pride, Haman could not endure the indifference of even the smallest of his subjects. The fault of Mordecai was suddenly to be magnified into a capital offence and was to include the wholesale massacre of the entire jewish population. This event, if carried out, would be a precursor to the later jewish holocausts of history that reach right down to our modern day.
You know, this ethnic cleansing to rid Persia of the entire jewish race was to eventually receive the king's ascent and was then passed into law. However, while Haman had promised a huge bribe into the royal treasury through the eventual caesar of all the jewish goods and all their lands, it's interesting that the king was to decline this offer, as noted in Esther, chapter three, verses nine to eleven. And I find that of great interest about this man.
Little did the king realise the far reaching results that would have accompanied the complete carrying out of this decree that was designed to take place eleven months from its issue. You know, the persian postal system, which was famous throughout the ancient world, was now to be put into full effect. Horses and riders, similar to the operation of the US pony Express, were dispatched to all the persian provinces stables, providing fresh horses and riders along the coastal route would take the dispatches throughout day and night until they reached their destination.
Devised by Cyrus the Great, this system was to be the most efficient postal service ever used. And within a period of two months, a copy of the decree had been issued to all the persian provinces. However, in God's great scheme of things, Haman's day of triumph was to be short lived and his joy was only to be endured for a moment.
The crisis now facing the jewish people demanded quick, decisive and very earnest action. Both Esther and Mordecai came to realise that unless God was to work mightily in their behalf, their own efforts would be futile. Now, we need to keep in mind that their source of strength was only ever to be found in their communion with God.
Let me repeat that. Their source of strength was only ever to be found in their communion with God. Instructing the Jews in the city of Sousa to fast and pray for three days, she prepares to enter before the king.
Now. This was a course of action that was to place her life in jeopardy for her people. Esther knew this when she uttered those fateful words in Esther 416.
And if I perish, I perish. If I perish, I perish. To enter unsummond before this very cruel and fickle king required courage, it required tact, and it required resourcefulness.
And it seemed like Esther had all three. The entire fate of the Jews was now to depend upon her. She alone had access to the king.
And Mordikai's words in Esther 414 went out of ring true when he suggested this. And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? You know, this is an important question that we could all readily ask of ourselves in relation to the time in which we live. We need to understand that failure is not sin, but faithlessness is.
Failure is not sin, but faithlessness is. We need to act when God speaks, we need to do what is right and then leave the rest to God. You know, God's providence was now being shown as the king favourably accepts her audience.
By holding out his sceptre, and with tact and with skill, Esther is eventually able to expose Haman's plot and his true character to the king. In the king's initial response, in Esther chapter five and verse three, he asked Esther for her request. And at the time he's prepared to give up even up to half of his kingdom.
Remember, the size of the persian empire, even up to half of his kingdom. For two days, Esther was to keep the king in suspense while preparing him for the real shock. However, before this takes place, the God of heaven now begins his work.
Esther chapter six records that the king is unable to sleep, and so he calls for the book of records to be brought to him. And it's here, written in the court records, that he's reminded that Mordecai the Jew had discovered a plot on his life and had prevented it from taking place. And the king now wants to reward this very faithful servant.
You know, when Satan put it into the heart of Haman to devise Mordecai's death, God put it in the heart of the king to arrange for Mordecai's honour. Let me repeat that. When Satan put it into the heart of Haman to devise Mordecai's death, God put it into the heart of the king to arrange for Morty ki's honour.
From the lips of this timid, retiring young woman came the denunciation of Hamas'fonstrous plan, as she not only pled for her own life, but for the life of her people. And as a result, the king grants Esther's wish. And while the first decree cannot be undone, a second decree is issued to allow the Jews the opportunity to defend themselves and their properties from their enemies.
And this was to bring about their miraculous deliverance, which has been celebrated by the jewish people right down through history to our modern day and what is known today as the feast of Purim. In a dramatic twist of plot, Haman is hung on the gallows that he built for Mordecai's execution, while Mordecai is promoted to what the prime minister of the greatest empire on earth. At that time, Esther stands out as God's chosen one who came to the kingdom for such a time as this.
All through time, God has used men and women to fulfil his purposes. Many have come from very obscure backgrounds, but when the time was right, God was to bring them forward, to change the very course of history. One such man, to be found in more modern times, was born in a log cabin on February 12, 1809, near Hodgkinville, Kentucky, in the United States of America.
His parents, Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln, were members of a baptist congregation that had recently separated from another church due to their opposition of slavery. The historical records show that Abraham Lincoln was to grow up in a poor dirt farming family in the upper south and lower midwest, without privilege, without position, and without much formal education. Overall, his formal schooling amounted to less than twelve months.
Throughout his entire life. It would seem that the world of his upbringing was closer to puritanism than anything else, and as such, he liked the common people, was deeply religious, believing without question in a God and in an unseen world. And as with many families, his home had very few books, but it did have a Bible, and Lincoln evidently read this with very great care.
Throughout the early period of his life, he was also constantly borrowing books from his neighbours, preferring to take the time to read rather than to work in the fields. It was also during his growing up years that he found the harsh infighting between the various denominations and with the village atheists, to be nothing short of repulsive. And as such, Lincoln never belonged to a particular church organisation for very long.
One of his greatest instructors throughout his life was to be found in the reality of death, often referred to as the coldest of all masters. The death of his mother when he was nine, the death of his beloved sister shortly after her marriage, the death of two of his own sons and many of his close friends in the early days of the civil war gave him no escape from the mysteries of God and of the universe. The importance of mothers, let me tell you this morning can never be underestimated.
Lincoln remembered little of his biological mother. But years later, in reference to his stepmother, he made the following statement. He says, God bless my mother.
All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to her. It was from his mother that he learnt the many important lessons of patience, of honesty and of kindness. Lincoln reached his full height of 193 centimetres, or six foot four, long before he was 20.
He was thin and awkward, big boned and strong, had a homely face, dark skin and black, coarse hair that stood up on end. Much of his strength was to come from splitting logs for fence rails and ploughing fields, not only for his dad, but also for neighbours. When his father could spare him, however, his greatest asset was to be his ability as a speaker.
Even as a boy, Lincoln amused himself and others by imitating well known preachers and politicians who had recently spoken in the area. And it was this gift that God was later to use in his rise to eventually become the 16th republican president of the United States of America. At the age of 33, he married a girl called Mary Todd and became a successful attorney at law.
One of his greatest sources of strength was to be seen in his very iron will. And this characteristic was to be well honed by his strong determination to overcome the many failures that had taken place in his life. Following on his failure in business and farming, to his many failed attempts to obtain political office over a period of 38 years, Lincoln placed his trust in God and was not prepared to give up.
His final success was to be seen in 1861, when he was finally elected the president of the United States of America. There's no question that the hand of God's providence had been at work. And there's no doubt that Lincoln, like Esther, had been called by God to the kingdom for such a time as this.
You know, at the time of his appointment, the american people knew very little about him. There was nothing that they could see in his past history that was to show any form of preparation for the greatest crisis ever to be faced in that nation's history. With less than 40% of the popular vote and seen as a careless and inefficient administrator, Lincoln was to be faced with the greatest test of his life.
Dominating his presidency was the American Civil War and the issue of slavery. The war itself was a tragic conflict that was to result in more casualties than in any other in us history. More than 525,000 men died during that four year conflict.
And interestingly enough, this was mainly from disease. The total cost to both sides was in the order of 15 billion american dollars. Lincoln's two great assets were, firstly, his ability to express his convictions clearly and forcefully, so that millions of Americans were to take his beliefs as their own.
And secondly was his insight. Lincoln realised at the beginning of the war that the Union must be saved. He determined that America, as the only important democracy in the world at that time, could not be proved a failure in the eyes of the world, and as such, it must not be destroyed.
If the Union had been lost, the United States would have become two nations, neither of which would have attained the prosperity and the importance that it has today. It could be said that Lincoln influenced the course of world history through his leadership of the north during the American Civil War. You know, when we understand the role of the United States in Bible prophecy, as shown the book of Revelation, chapter 13, there could be no question about God's providential leading through the life of this great man of history.
The dawn of truth came to Lincoln as he himself realised that the God of heaven was not at the nation's beckon call, but the nation was at his. He also believed it was because of the issue of slavery that both north and South had brought this terrible war upon themselves. This concept is also supported by author Ellen White and Testament, volume one, page 254, where she was shown in vision that the accursed system of slavery laid at the very foundation of the nation's ills.
Lincoln's beliefs eventually led to the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862, proclaiming the freedom of all those slaves who were to be found in those states that were in rebellion. Three years later, on the evening of April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's theatre by an out of work actor by the name of John Wilkes Booth. A racist and southern sympathiser, Booth was believed to be mentally unbalanced and hated everything that the president stood for.
At the time, Lincoln was only 56 years of age. And while buried in Springfield, Illinois, Lincoln is remembered today by a beautiful monument in Washington, DC, commemorating his vital role in preserving the union and beginning about the process that led to the end of slavery in the United States. You know, God always has someone in reserve to fulfil his purposes and his hand of providence has always been at work.
Joseph, Esther and David of old. God is preparing men and women to take their place in his great plan, and he will have them ready at a time known only to him. Now we need to remember that the trying experiences that have come to God's people in the past were not to be peculiar to that age alone.
Today, their enemies will still see them as a morty chai at the gate who refuse to bow and give allegiance to them. And on this battlefield will be fought the last great conflict in the controversy between truth and error. God's hand of providence will use those remaining faithful to him to vindicate his truth and to vindicate his people.
You know, there's always one thing we can do. Do what is right and leave the rest to God. Do what is right and leave the rest to God.
Who knows that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this. Well, God bless you all. This programme has been brought to you by 3abn Australia radio.
