Esther 4
News of decree causes fasting and prayer verse 1- 3
When Mordecai perceived all that was done – Mordecai rent his clothes
and put on sackcloth with ashes – went out into the midst of the city
and cried with a loud and a bitter cry
And came even before the king’s gate
for none might enter into the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth
And in every province – whithersoever the king’s commandment
and his decree came there was great mourning among the Jews
and FASTING – and weeping – and wailing
and many lay in sackcloth and ashes
Esther sends Hatach to get information verse 4- 6
So, Esther’s maids and her chamberlains came and told it her
then was the queen exceedingly grieved
And she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai
and take away his sackcloth from him – BUT he received it not
Then called Esther for Hatach – one of the king’s chamberlains
whom he had appointed to attend on her
and gave him a commandment to Mordecai
to know WHAT it was – and WHY it was
So Hatach went forth to Mordecai to the street of the city
which was before the king’s gate
Mordecai wants Esther to go to king verse 7- 9
And Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him
and of the sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay
to the king’s treasuries for the Jews – to DESTROY them
Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree
that was given at Shushan to DESTROY them
to show it unto Esther – to declare it to her
to charge her that she should go in to the king
to make supplication to him
to make request before him for her people
And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai
Esther has not been called by king verse 10- 12
Again Esther spoke to Hatach
and gave him commandment to Mordecai
All the king’s servants – and the people of the king’s provinces – do know
that whosoever – whether man or woman
shall come to the king into the inner court who is not called
there is one law of his to put him to death
EXCEPT such to whom the king shall hold out
the golden scepter – that he may live
but I have not been called to come in to the king
these thirty days
And they told to Mordecai Esther’s words
Mordecai warns Esther that she will die too verse 13- 14
THEN Mordecai commanded
to answer Esther
Think not with yourself that you shall escape in the king’s house
more than all the Jews
For if you altogether hold your peace at this time
THEN shall there enlargement and deliverance arise
to the Jews from another place
BUT you and your father’s house shall be destroyed
and who knows whether you are come to the kingdom
for such a time as this?
Esther wants all Jews to fast for three days verse 15- 17
Then Esther bade them return Mordecai
this answer
Go – gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan
and FAST you for me – neither eat nor drink three days
night or day
I also and my maidens will FAST likewise
and so will I go in unto the king
which is not according to the law
and IF I perish – I perish
So Mordecai went his way
and did according to all that Esther had commanded him
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry. (3045 “perceived” [yada] means to know, notice, hear of, learn, to realize, to reveal, to learn or find something out by making an inquiry or other efforts, or be aware)
DEVOTION: Once we understand what is happening in our world we can either give up or we can go to the LORD in prayer. Mordecai went into action.
He knew that if what Haman wanted was to happen that he would not rest until all the Jews of the land were killed. He wanted to turn to the LORD and ask HIM to intervene. He also told Esther that she was also going to be killed if she didn’t act at this time.
It is not easy to act and for Esther she knew that if the king didn’t give her permission to come into his presence she would be killed immediately.
So here we have an impasse, Mordecai knew that he had to act and he rent his clothes and put on sackcloth as a sign that he was turning to the LORD for escape for the Jews from Haman. He also knew that someone had to go to the king and ask for the people and if Esther didn’t do it they might be killed.
Prayer is always the answer when things are not going according to what we think the LORD doesn’t want them to happen. We are supposed to turn to the LORD when we have a matter that is important to us and to others.
Calling for a group to pray or a nation to pray is serious business. The Jews had to be serious in their prayer at this time.
If we would face a time when our nation or world would want to kill all the Christians, so that, there were no worshipers of the Triune God of the Bible than would we get more serious in our prayer life?
What do we think of the times we are living and the relationship of all the people around us regarding the God of the Bible? What would we be willing to do if there was an order to kill all the Christians in our nation?
We know that the LORD answers prayer. We know that the Bible informs us to turn to the LORD in prayer if there is a serious need. Are we in that type of situation in places in our world? Should be praying for the LORD to deliver fellow believers from persecution?
CHALLENGE: Are we willing to put on sackcloth and ashes to show that our concern is genuine for what is happening in our world? There are people in many nations that are killed or imprisoned if they are genuine worshipers of the LORD!
\DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 11 All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether king’s provinces, do know that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come to the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden scepter, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days. (3447 “hold out” [yashat] means stretched out, to thrust or extend out, extend, or to stretch out a limb of the body to extend an object)
DEVOTION: Laws of the country we live in have to be known to those who are believers. We are not to be ignorant of what these laws mean in relation to how they affect our Christian beliefs.
Esther knew the laws of the land of Persia. She knew that if she went to the king without being called she could die. It isn’t quite that harsh in most countries today. But in countries that don’t love Jesus Christ this could mean death to those who try to approach the leader of their country. Today other country leader can speak for the people and not face these consequences.
America used to speak out more about those who were being killed because of their belief in Jesus Christ but that time has passed for the most part. There are religious leaders who are still speaking out about what is going on in other countries that don’t love the LORD.
Too often we say too little to encourage those who live outside the protection that is provided in our nation at least to this point. I receive many requests for prayer from people who live in these countries where persecution is real. I don’t share some of them because they want them to be kept private but we need to be praying for those who face death if they say anything about Jesus Christ.
CHALLENGE: Esther faced a real possibility of death but was willing to face it for her nation. Are we going to have the same courage today???
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: 14 For if thou altogether hold your peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but you and your father’s house shall be destroyed: and who know whether you are come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (7305 “enlargement” [revach] means room, deliverance, space, respite or relief)
DEVOTION: WOW!!! Timing is everything. The decree went out that all the Jews were to be killed on a certain day. Esther had not heard about what was going on.
She just heard that Mordecai was in sackcloth and ashes outside the king’s gate. She sent clothes to him but he refused to change. She sent Hatach, as servant, to find out what was going on.
Mordecai told him and asked him to tell the Queen to go into the king and ask for the lives of the Jewish people. He knew that that was the only way for them to be spared.
Esther had not been asked to visit the king for thirty days and knew that she could lose her life if she entered the king’s presence without being asked except if he held out the golden scepter.
Mordecai didn’t accept the answer. He warned her that she would die with the rest of the Jews if she didn’t do something.
Mordecai believed in the providence of God. He thought that Esther was in the place she was in because the LORD knew this was going to happen. He also knew that if Esther didn’t act, the LORD could raise up another deliverer for the Jews.
We are in the position we are in now, to do a work for God. If we chose to not do a work of God, then HE can raise up someone else to do it. Our responsibility is to use our God given gift for HIS service. We can’t bury our gift and walk away without the LORD speaking to us.
Are we using our gift or position or money for the work of the LORD? The LORD’S work moves forward only when the people of the LORD give of their time, talent and treasuries to HIS work. What are we doing with our time, talent and treasuries this week to improve the work of the LORD?
The church is under attack in our country. Being a Christian means that we are free game for those who want to blame our nation’s problems on someone. There are still Hamans, still out there!!!
CHALLENGE: We can be part of the plan of God to save individuals or our nation by our actions. Ask the LORD for wisdom regarding your responsibility now where you are to serve as a witness to those in power.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
:16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast you for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night and day: I also and my maidens, will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. (6 “perish” [’abad] means to cease to exist, die, be exterminated, or not exist.)
DEVOTION: Mordecai gave her a command. She sent a reply, in which, she thought she would die if she tried. So, she wasn’t going to go. Well, this was not the answer her uncle was expecting and so he sent another message. This time it was the challenge in the last verse.
Here is her answer to his second command. She asked that all the Jewish people in the capital fast for three days. It was not to be a normal fast it was one that was to last for three twenty-four hour- periods. The normal fast at that time was only for twelve hours.
Also, her maidens and she would fast for the same time period. It is amazing that the king didn’t hear about them fasting. She knew that this was a life and death occasion in her life and she wanted to be genuine in her trust in the LORD for protection.
She also knew that it might not be the will of the LORD to protect her from death and she accepted it. Her commitment to the LORD was real. Her trust in HIS wisdom was being proven on this occasion in the history of Israel.
We also need to prove the wisdom and protection of the LORD at times in the history of our nation. It would be great if there was a time period of fasting done by an entire nation for the deliverance of HIS people today. Even if it was only done in the capital of the nation what an impression it would make on the rest of the nation. Are Christians being threatened today? Are their people who would like to kill or put in jail all those who are genuine believers in the LORD? This is small group of believers as many are religious but not genuine believers in many churches across the nation.
CHALLENGE: Facing the truth of the time period we are living in is a real concern for genuine believers.
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: 17 So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him. (6680 “commanded” [tsavah] means to send, to give an order, instruct, order, to charge someone to do something, appoint, or direct)
DEVOTION: There needs to be mutual respect between generations in the homes of those who are believers. Parents need to listen to children and children need to listen to parent even after both are adults.
Esther received the commandment of her uncle and responded the way she felt at the time. He responded back to her that he didn’t agree with her response and told her why. She responded back with a different answer and a command for Mordecai to follow. He listened and did what she said.
As we read about this exchange it is good to realize that honesty in the relationship was real between the two of them. She had never revealed her heritage as he had instructed her until this time period. She was an obedient niece. He had raised her to honor him and the LORD.
Her faith was real because she genuinely believed in prayer and fasting. Prayer is not mentioned because of the historical time period when this book was written but the two go together throughout the history of the lives of believers when there was important decisions to be made.
This again was great because that meant that she was taught Biblical truths at a young age and knew what to do in a crisis. We need to do the same with our children while they are young.
Too often children just get angry with the LORD when things are not going the way they think they should instead of declaring a time of fasting and prayer to find out what the LORD can do to settle a crisis. Many try to work out the crisis on their own without any actions that include fasting and prayer.
CHALLENGE: God wants to see us trust HIM in every crisis. Fasting and prayer is a way to see HIM work miracles of growth in our faith.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Jews in every province were fasting verse 3
Great mourning
Weeping
Wailing
Many lay in sackcloth and ashes
Esther calls for a three day fast verse 16
All the Jews in Shushan
Esther
Esther’s maidens
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Mordecai cried with a loud and a bitter cry verse 1, 2
Rent his clothes
Put on sackcloth with ashes
Went out into the midst of the city
Came before the king’s gate
Broke the law of the land
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Hatach verse 5, 6
One of king’s chamberlains
Went to Mordecai
Told words of Mordecai
Haman verse 7
Promised money to king from killing
of Jews
Shushan verse 8
Copy of writing of the decree to kill
Jews
Ahasuerus (Xerxes) verse 11
Had to hold out golden sceptre
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Destroy the Jews verse 7
Not speaking out to save people of God verse 13, 14
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Crying out to the LORD verse 1
Fasting verse 3, 16
Supplication for Jews verse 8
Providence of God verse 14
Mutual respect between believers verse 17
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Mordecai verse 1- 17
Rent his clothes
Put on sackcloth with ashes
Cried with a loud and a bitter cry
answers her excuse
accepts Esther’s command
would not take off sackcloth
warns Esther that she will not escape
does what Esther asks
Great mourning of the Jews verse 3
Esther verse 4, 5, 8, 10- 17
commandment of Mordecai
given a copy of decree
explains why she doesn’t want to go
going to king
make requests for her people
told Hatach what to say to Mordecai
wants Mordecai to pray for her as she
goes to the king
wants Mordecai to have people pray for
her when she tries to go to the king
states: If I perish, I perish
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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DONATIONS:
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QUOTES regarding passage
Mordecai made it abundantly clear to Esther that she was not indispensable to God, but that God was essentially indispensable to her. (p. 56, If I Perish, I Perish by W. Ian Thomas)
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Probably the main theological question about this root is whether it refers merely to physical death or also to eternal punishment. It is not an easy question. Obviously, the word usually refers to some great loss, in most cases death. Esther’s famous self-dedication, “If I perish, I perish” (4:16), had her self- sacrificing death in view—only that. (Harris, R. L. (1999). 2 אָבַד. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 3). Chicago: Moody Press.)
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4:15–16 Esther felt identified with her people. She now looked to them for spiritual support. “And fast for me” implies prayer and fasting. This suggests that Esther had a genuine faith in God. By her request for fasting (and certainly prayer is assumed), Esther showed that she needed the support of others and recognized the need for God’s intervention. Even she and her maids would fast as well. This meant she would share her faith with these maids. Esther believed God answers prayer. Such prayer changes situations; in fact, it is one of the chief instruments God uses to change history.
“I will go” marks Esther’s momentous decision that risked her own life. At first Esther apparently was more concerned about her own safety. But when she realized the influence, she could have and perhaps God’s purpose in putting her in her position “for such a time as this,” she decided to act, committing herself to God. Many Christians are more concerned about their own security than about the desperate physical and spiritual needs of the world. If they understood that their decision could make a difference, many would make the commitment God is asking of them.
“Do not eat or drink for three days” means until the third day, when Esther planned to appear before the king (5:1). The added words “night or day” mean the fast was to be continuous (not broken by eating at night); fasting usually was practiced only during the day. The emphasis on fasting is worth noting. Throughout the Old Testament fasting seems important, although the Israelites were required to fast on only one day in the year, the Day of Atonement. However, there are many examples of fasting on special occasions or in times of special need. In Isa 58:1–12 true fasting was not just ritual; rather, it was the meeting of the needs of people. Fasting is a means by which one denies one’s own needs and focuses directly on his or her relationship with God and the world.
“And if I perish, I perish.” Both Vashti and Mordecai displayed courage in life-threatening situations, and now so did Esther. Vashti showed courage in her refusal to humiliate herself for the whimsical desire of her husband, and Mordecai did so in refusing to bow down to Haman. Esther proved braver still. She had decided to break the law of her husband and risk her very life for her people (cf. John 15:13). God’s providential care had brought Esther to this point, but Esther accepted the challenge that might cost her life. (Breneman, M. (1993). Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (electronic ed., Vol. 10, pp. 337–338). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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15–16. Esther’s reply is also a confession of faith, though it is not couched in overtly religious language. She implies that she accepts the suggestion of Mordecai as her duty, but that she is full of apprehension at the thought of fulfilling it. By asking that all the Jews in Susa join her in a fast Esther acknowledges that i. she needs the support and fellowship of others and ii. she depends on more than human courage. Though prayer is not mentioned, it was always the accompaniment of fasting in the Old Testament, and the whole point of fasting was to render the prayer experience more effective and prepare oneself for communion with God (Ex. 34:28; Dt. 9:9; Jdg. 20:26; Ezr. 8:21–23). ‘In practice, fasting in the setting of religious rites and as a defence against trouble was common in the whole of the ancient world.’ Persians would therefore have thought it strange if the Jews had not called a fast at such a time. For Esther, Isaac Watts’ hymn would have been appropriate, had it been written in her day:
I’m not ashamed to own my Lord
Or to defend His cause.
The poet implies an admission that the possibility of failure at a time of testing has to be reckoned with. The words are therefore in the nature of a prayer for boldness such as Esther is sure to have prayed during her days of fasting.
Neither eat nor drink for three days. Fasting was usually for one day only. It was obligatory on the Day of Atonement (Lv. 16:29–31), but otherwise fasting was undertaken as a voluntary act for a particular occasion (1 Sa. 14:24; 2 Sa. 1:12). Esther’s three-day fast indicated the seriousness with which she regarded the emergency and her own need of strength. Feasting, and in particular drinking, play a prominent part in this book; here the word ‘drink’ is used in the context of a fast. ‘The auxiliary motif of fasting contrasts and highlights the motif of feasting in Esther.’ Night or day is a reminder that, as in the Islamic fast of Ramadan meals are permitted during the night, the fast could have been confined to certain hours.
Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law (lit. ‘not according to the decree’). These words sum up the problems of conscience that face believers in many situations today, and divide the church. If it were not for the fact that people like Martin Luther King and countless others have lost their lives in opposing powerful majorities, we might think that Esther’s if I perish, I perish was over-dramatic. Certainly Jesus promised that words to say would be given to his followers when they were brought to trial, but not that they would be acquitted (Mk. 13:11–12). (Baldwin, J. G. (1984). Esther: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 12, pp. 80–81). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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15–16 Esther sent a reply to Mordecai, affirming her willingness to risk her life in behalf of her people. She asked him to assemble all the Jews who were in Susa to fast for her for three days and nights. She and her maids would also participate in the fast. Afterward she would go to the king, even though to do so was contrary to the law. In a final expression of courage and willing submission, she said, “If I perish, I perish” (v.16). Her remark has also been interpreted as “a despairing expression of resignation to the inevitable” (Paton, Esther, p. 326; cf. Jacob’s statement in Gen 43:14). Prayer and fasting before God were customary concurrent practices in times of sorrow, anxiety, or penitence (cf. 1 Sam 1:7–10; 2 Sam 12:16–17; Ezra 8:23; Isa 58:2–5; Jer 14:12; Dan 9:3; Zech 7:3–5). The author of Esther is careful, however, to avoid the mention of God or that prayer was made to him. (Huey, F. B., Jr. (1988). Esther. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job (Vol. 4, p. 817). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Most Christians need to re-identify who they are. We still see ourselves as mere human beings, children of the age with the albatross of the world hanging around our necks. That is who we once were, but are no longer. We have been adopted by God and are now His children. We are newly created in Him in holiness and righteousness. We have been given an inheritance in heaven that includes wealth and power. We have been changed; we are no longer what we were. When that truth “sinks in,” we begin to act like who we really are rather than who we were. (Quiet Walk)
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EVANGELISM AND SANCTIFICATION
As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
John 17:18
Our Lord’s disciples are to be sent to evangelize the world. How are they to do it? What is the first thing to consider? You notice what our Lord puts first: It is sanctification: “Sanctify them, for the work needs to be done in them before it can ever be done in the world.”
There is nothing that appalls me so much as the almost incredible way in which Christian people seem to ignore entirely the teaching of the Scriptures with regard to methods of evangelism. In the Scriptures from beginning to end, the emphasis is on the messenger, not his external methods. It is on his character and his being and on his relationship to God.
Take the case of Gideon. A mighty enemy army was facing the children of Israel, and at first Gideon collected an army of thirty-two thousand people. Then God began to reduce them until in the end there were only three hundred. God in effect said to Gideon, “I am not going to do this through the great army of thirty-two thousand, but in My way.” So He sent them out, not with great armaments, but with pitchers with lamps inside them, along with trumpets to blow. And with that ridiculous equipment they conquered the army of the enemy.
That is God’s way. God has always done His greatest works through remnants. If there is one doctrine that runs through the Scriptures more prominently than any other, it is the doctrine of the remnant. How often God has done everything with just one man. Do you remember the story in 1 Samuel 14 of Jonathan and his armor-bearer? They did not spend their time arguing about the condition of the enemy. One man, with his armor-bearer, trusting in the living God, could conquer an entire army!
A Thought to Ponder: God has always done His greatest works through remnants. (From Sanctified Through the Truth, p. 22-23, by Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Daily Hope Today’s Scripture – Act 19:1-10
When I was a young boy, I attended a church that taught Sunday school and had a morning service that followed. I loved to go to Sunday school as my teacher was a man who loved the outdoors and regularly took his students fishing or other outdoor activities but I do not ever remember being told how to become a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul had returned to Ephesus and encounters some disciples of John who taught and understood the need for repentance. These individuals had not heard the entire gospel message of the resurrection of Christ and the person of the Holy Spirit who would reside within the believer. Like Apollos earlier, they had learned a partial gospel and needed further instruction.
Paul then proclaimed the message of Jesus Christ and the promise of the Holy Spirit to those who repented and believed in Christ. The apostle took the people from where they were and advanced them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. They followed this profession of faith with baptism and were recognized as believers in the Lord Jesus.
There are many in our world who have heard a form of the gospel and believe they know the truth but in reality, have only received a partial understanding of Christ and therefore are not true believers of the Lord. When talking with someone about their faith and their answers are vague or uncertain, it is good to gently question the individual about their relationship with Christ.
Like Paul, begin where the person’s knowledge of Christ presently is and move the conversation forward. If a person is uncertain about their ongoing relationship with Christ, it can be an opportunity to solidify that relationship by walking through the plan of salvation and then spend time addressing the assurance of Christ’s presence in their lives each day. Passages that can be useful for assurance are John 10:27-30; Ephesians 1:7-14; Hebrews 13:5b; 1 John 5:11-13.
Like Paul experienced, if we are talking and living out our faith, conversations will naturally occur that will allow us to assist and strengthen others in their relationship with Christ. Be prepared by looking over and being familiar with some of these passages of scripture that can be used as an encouragement in ordinary conversation today!
With an Expectant Hope, Pastor Miller (Board Member)
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Daniel 4
Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream.
INSIGHT
What a towering figure is Nebuchadnezzar! Sovereign over the greatest nation on earth at the time, wealthy beyond description, subject to fits of rage, and yet somehow vulnerable and teachable. Nebuchadnezzar rages in fury at the three Jews who refuse to worship his image–yet proclaims their God the only God when He saves them from the furnace. Then, warned by Daniel that unless he repents he will be stripped of his kingdom, Nebuchadnezzar lapses into convenient forgetfulness and self-adulation. True to Daniel’s word, the king becomes an animal and roams the forest. Yet, when his senses are restored, the king again worships God and proclaims His praise to the ends of the earth. (Quiet Walk)
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GOD’S FAITHFULNESS
God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9
Another moral attribute of God is God’s faithfulness. What does it mean? When you say that God is faithful, you mean that He is one upon whom you can safely lean. It means one on whom you can absolutely rely, one upon whom you can depend, one upon whom you can secure yourself, without ever being in doubt that He will suddenly let you go.
The Bible has some glorious statements about this. It tells us about the faithfulness of God who always keeps His promises and never breaks His covenants. It tells us that God will always fulfill every word that has ever gone out of His mouth (Isaiah 55:11). It tells us that God will always faithfully and certainly defend and deliver His servants at all times of trial, testing, and conflict. It tells us that God can be relied upon to confirm and to establish all whom He has called, guarding them from the evil one and keeping them and guiding them until His purposes are fulfilled in them.
Listen to one great statement of all that: “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9). Whatever else may happen, whatever may be going wrong, Paul tells those people to be sure of this–God is faithful. Again, he says, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”(1 Thessalonians 5:23). Then notice, “Faithful is he that called you, who also will do it” (verse 24). This is absolutely certain: Nothing can frustrate His plans; nothing can make Him forego what He has promised; nothing can cause Him to change what He has purposed with respect to you.
A Thought to Ponder: God is one upon whom you can safely lean.
(From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 76-77, by Dr, Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Long Enough
“And the LORD spoke unto me, saying, Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.” (Deuteronomy 2:2-3)
This was the second time God rebuked Israel for staying too long in one place. Here they were camped adjacent to the region controlled by the descendants of Esau and thus kinsmen of the Israelites, but God told them to go on north toward Canaan.
Long before, they had wanted to stay too long at Mount Sinai (same as Horeb) where God had given the law to Moses. Finally, “the LORD our God spoke unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:…Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers” (Deuteronomy 1:6, 8).
It is possible for a Christian to become too satisfied with his level of attainment, when the Lord may well have something more for him to do. Possibly, like Israel at Sinai, we may be content to stay in a situation where we have seen God work in the past. Or, like Israel at Edom’s Mount Seir, we want to stay in what we think may be friendly surroundings, rather than venture into overtly enemy territory. Perhaps we have stayed long enough at a certain stage in our Christian growth or service, and God wants us to go further.
Paul wanted to continue preaching near his home in Asia, but God said for him to go on into Europe (Acts 16:6-10). Peter asked Jesus what John was going to do, but Jesus said, “What is that to thee? follow thou me” (John 21:22).
God may, indeed, want us to continue all of our lives right where He has placed us now, as far as location and position are concerned, but He does want us to go on further with Him. The last words written by Peter are profoundly important. “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).
(HMM, by The Institute for Creation Research)
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