Esther 5
Esther approaches king verse 1- 2
Now it came to pass on the third day – that Esther put on her royal apparel
and stood in the inner court of the king’s house
over against the king’s house – and the king sat upon his
royal throne in the royal house over against the
gate of the house
And it was so – when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court
that she obtained favor in his sight
and the king held out to Esther
the golden scepter that was in his hand
So Esther drew near – and touched the top of the scepter
King wants to know what she would like verse 3
THEN said the king to her
What will you – queen Esther?
What is your request?
It shall be even given you to the half of the kingdom
Esther invites both Haman and king to banquet verse 4
And Esther answered
IF it seem good to the king
let the king and Haman come this day to the banquet
that I have prepared for him
King calls for Haman verse 5
THEN the king
said
Cause Haman to make haste
that he may do as Esther has said
So the king and Haman came to the banquet
that Esther had prepared
King offers Esther half the kingdom at banquet verse 6
And the king said to Esther at the banquet of wine
What is thy petition? – and it shall be granted you
What is your request? even to the half of the kingdom
it shall be performed
Esther ask both back to second banquet verse 7- 8
THEN answered Esther
and said
My petition and my request is
IF I have found favor in the sight of the king
IF it please the king to grant my petition
and to perform my request
Let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall
prepare for them – and I will do tomorrow
as the king has said
Haman sees Mordecai at gate verse 9
THEN went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart
BUT when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate
that he stood not up – nor moved for him
he was full of indignation against Mordecai
Haman gathers family together verse 10- 11
Nevertheless Haman refrained himself – and when he came home
he sent and called for his friends – and Zeresh his wife
and Haman told them of the glory of his riches
and the multitude of his children
and all the things wherein the king had
promoted him
and how he had advanced him above the
princes and servants of the king
Haman was happy and upset about Mordecai verse 12- 13
Haman said moreover
Yea
Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king
to the banquet that she had prepared by myself
and tomorrow am I invited to her also with the king
Yet all this avail me nothing
so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate
Zeresh his wife suggest setting up a gallows verse 14
THEN said Zeresh his wife and all his friends to him
Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high
and tomorrow speak you to the king that Mordecai
may be hanged thereon
THEN go you in merrily with the king to the banquet
And the thing pleased Haman
and he caused the gallows to be made
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house. (4438 “royal” [malkuwth] means empire, estate, sovereign power, dominion, realm, or royal persons collectively.)
DEVOTION: Remember that Esther asked for three days of fasting. We know that prayer is part of fasting but the book doesn’t list it because of what would happen to the book if it referred to God and prayer.
So the Jewish people in the capital were fasting for Esther to give her the right timing to ask the king for the nation of Israel not to be killed. The life of the nation of Israel was before her. She had to come into the king’s presence and gain his favor in order to live.
The “third day” is mentioned many times throughout the Bible and there are a number of important events that happened on the third day. It is a study in itself for you to do on your on timing.
Here we find that Esther requests the king to come to a banquet. It is only because of prayer that the king on his throne put out the golden scepter. She was his wife but this didn’t mean that he would want to see her. Yet the LORD gave her the courage to take this first step toward her request.
The first step in any new event in our lives is always the hardest. The first day of school for children can be a very hard experience. The first day on the job can be a new experience. The first time we attend a new church can be a challenge for many of us.
God wants us to trust HIM when we are making our first attempts to serve HIM. HE gives us the courage to move forward in our Christian life with new challenges that HE puts before us each day.
Remember that prayer and fasting are a good way to prepare for important events in our life. Major decisions need these times in the presence of the LORD for strength.
What are fasting and praying about in your life? Is HE giving you a new challenge to face that needs HIS strength to get through? I know I am presently going through a time where I need HIS strength to encourage me. I have others in my past that HE has given me the strength to face.
CHALLENGE: Prayer changes our perspective on hard events in our life.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 3 Then said the king to her, What will you queen Esther? And what is your request? It shall be even given you to the half of the kingdom. (1246 “request” [baqqashah] means wish, the verbal act of requesting, entreaty, petition, desire, or supplication.)
DEVOTION: The offer of half the kingdom seems like a lot to give to your wife but that is what we should all be willing to give to them. Here we have a pagan king who loves his wife so much that he is willing to give her up to have of the kingdom.
It seems that he didn’t love his first wife this much when he was willing to send her away for not dancing for his guests. She was disobedient to his request. Here we find that Esther seemed to be one who was willing to serve the king to the best of her ability and it paid a dividend.
He gave her favor and granted her request for him to come to a banquet. She was making him wait. We know that she made him wait even another day for her request. She was patient in the timing of her request.
We need to learn to make sure that we have the favor of those in our household and in our other places of interest, so that, people are willing to help us when we need it. Our purpose is to have an honest relationship with people so they can care about what we need when we need something.
Are we a people who cause people to grant us favor at different times of need? We know that it is the LORD who sends blessings but HE usually uses other people to deliver HIS blessings.
Our goal should be to bring glory to the LORD first and foremost in our lives and then gain the favor of those who love the LORD to be available to help us in times of need. We also need to be those who help those around us in need on a regular basis.
Esther is working with a pagan king. Whether he becomes a believer after his time with Esther is something that only the LORD knows. She however made a good impression on him to be willing to give her so much. This also was the LORD working through the prayer and fasting of the chosen people of God in the Old Testament.
CHALLENGE: HE is working through HIS chosen people today which are the genuine members of HIS church on earth.
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: 6 And the king said to Esther at the banquet of wine, What is your petition? and it shall be granted you: and what is your request? Even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed. (6213 “performed” [‘asah] means to make, manufacture, to do, to have been carried out or performed, to be done, or to be observed.)
DEVOTION: Esther was afraid to go into the king, probably, because of what happened to the previous queen. So she asked for prayer by all the Jews in the capital. She prepared herself in case she was killed and still went into the hall to the king’s presence.
Now she is in front of the king and he makes these statements to her. He apparently loved her more than the previous queen. She had acted more in his behave than others. Of course there was prayer going before her by all the children of Israel in the capital.
Now she has to word her request in a way that is pleasing to the king. She has it all planned out and now she was going to work her plan.
We need to prepare before we face a hard situation with prayer. We should be asking others to pray as well to help us have the strength to face the problem in front of us. This is want it means to have fellowship with one another.
So we need to understand that even when we fear we have nothing to fear. She feared death but she went forward with her plan and the LORD blessed her for moving forward and trusting HIM to help.
Are we trusting the LORD to help us in difficult situations? Sometimes it is very hard, especially if we have not done all the prep work that needed to be done or have trusted others to do the work they should and didn’t.
God can work in any situation if we are willing to go to HIM in prayer and then trust HIM to give us the desires of our heart. Our desires need to be HIS desires as it was in this instance because these were HIS people that HE promised to bless.
HE has promised to bless us if we are willing to work within HIS plan for our lives.
CHALLENGE: Are we working within the plan God has for our lives? Are we willing to step out in faith to believe this fact? Esther was and the LORD blessed her and the nation of Israel.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 8 If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do tomorrow as the king hath said. (2580 “favor” [chen] means grace, acceptance, popularity, good-will, or agreeableness.)
DEVOTION: Why would Esther wait another day? She had the whole nation of Israel in the capital praying for her. She had the king at her banquet yet she waiting another day to give her request to the king for the sparing of the Jews in the nation.
She didn’t want to even go the king in the first place and here she is asking the two men to come back for a second banquet to give her request. Had the LORD told her to do it? Was it all just her own idea? It seems strange to have them wait another day. Yet we know the rest of the story by reading the book as the LORD worked a miracle that night in the sleeplessness of the king. God’s timing is always perfect. We have to be willing to wait on HIM to do HIS work in our world.
We have to go to the LORD in prayer and ask for guidance for every decision we make that would affect other people. She might have wanted another day to pray. We need to understand that waiting on God is not easy but HE needs time to work out the details of our requests as well. We have to be patient with HIM. We have to ask HIM for just the right time to complete a project or ministry.
Too often we are in a hurry. We can have a tendency to run ahead of God very often in our ministries and witness. Timing is everything in our world. God knows this and works with us in this area.
Sometimes HE tells us to sit still and watch HIM work. It seems to be the hardest thing for me to do – how about you? It takes time to have people to treat us with grace. Allow them to get to know you and how the LORD is working in your life. It makes for better decisions.
CHALLENGE: Allow God to work out the proper timing for us to present our needs to others. Don’t be in a hurry!!!
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: 13 Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate. (7737 “availeth” [shavah] means to level, equalize, to resemble, to adjust, behave, compare, or reckon.)
DEVOTION: Have you ever hated someone so much that it caused you pain to see that someone? Did you ever plot something bad against someone you hated? Did you ever wish the LORD would strike someone die?
Haman had a decree on record to kill all the Jews on a certain day because of his hatred for Mordecai. That day was coming soon. However, when he saw Mordecai at the gate after attending a banquet with Esther, he was full of indignation.
He went home and called his friends and family together. Haman gave a long list of blessings to his family but is not happy because Mordecai didn’t honor him. He was comparing riches, family and influence to one man who didn’t honor him. He was bragging about being the only one that Esther invited to a banquet with the king. He told of the fact that she had invited him to a second banquet the next night.
His wife and friends suggested that he have an gallows built to hang Mordecai. They suggested that he approach the king before the banquet to hang Mordecai on the gallows. Then he could go to the banquet a happy man. He had the gallows built.
Sometimes we let little things bother us more than they should. Sometimes we let big things bother us. Haman was not a servant of the LORD. We are servants of the LORD.
The LORD for our good allows all the circumstances that happen to us. Can we be blessed with many blessings and think of one person or group of people that bother us and count our entire blessings as nothing? Should we?
That person or group of people will have to answer to the LORD for their actions. We have to answer for our reaction to them. Remember we are blessed beyond our own description. Praise the LORD!
Are we dissatisfied with our present circumstances? Is the LORD in control of our circumstances?
Don’t let the little things bother you. All things are little things compared to the blessing of the LORD on our life. Those who are followers of the LORD have a promise from the LORD of eternity with HIM because of the death of Christ for our sins. Nothing in this world should distract us from this blessing!!!!
CHALLENGE: Haman was distracted because he didn’t know the LORD! Most of the people in this world DON’T know the LORD!! We know the LORD and should take all our request to HIM!!!
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
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)
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)
King to come to banquet verse 1- 9
Haman comes with king to banquet verse 4- 8
Haman left banquet joyful and glad heart verse 9
Haman sees Mordecai at king’s gate verse 9
Wife of Haman gives idea of hanging Mordecai verse 10-14
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Full of indignation verse 9
Dissatisfaction verse 13
Plotting the murder of someone verse 14
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Finding favor in this world verse 2, 8
Giving a banquet to your enemies verse 4, 8, 12
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Third day verse 1
Esther offered half the kingdom by king verse 3
Esther has banquet for king and Haman verse 4
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
14 Haman’s wife and friends suggested a plan that would remove the source of his irritation. She told Haman to have a gallow (ēṣ, “a tree”) erected seventy-five feet (“fifty cubits”) in height and then to ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it. With that business out of the way, Haman could go with the king to Esther’s banquet and be happy. His wife’s suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the gallows built, confident that the king would approve his request. The height of the gallows was exorbitant and is not taken seriously by some commentators, but it is consistent with what we know of Haman’s vanity and obsessive desire for revenge. (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, pp. 820–821). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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With characteristic conceit the vainglorious premier keeps what he considers the choicest morsel to the last. “Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared, but myself; and to-morrow am I invited unto her also with the king.” But he cannot conceal his wounded vanity in connection with the incident at the gate, for he adds bitterly, “Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate” (vers. 12, 13).
In the eyes of his satellites and his equally proud and vindictive wife, this is a matter that can readily be disposed of. Why should he wait the appointed time for the destruction of Mordecai with the rest of the Jews? Has he not just shown that none have such influence with the king as he? Why not, on some trumped-up pretext, despatch the insolent Hebrew at once? “Then said Zeresh his wife, and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high, and to-morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made” (ver. 14).
Fifty cubits would be about eighty feet: rather unduly high, one would think, for one insignificant, undersized Jew to swing from; but Haman will publish his revenge abroad and thus give an object-lesson to any other who would dare defy the man of the hour.
And so our chapter closes, with the last nails being driven in the gallows in Haman’s court, while Mordecai is all unaware of the fate which is purposed to be meted out to him on the morrow; and a score of hours have yet to run ere the queen will prefer her request before the king.
“Hath God forgotten to be gracious?” (Loizeaux, P. J. (1921). Prefatory Note. In Notes on the Book of Esther (2d ed., pp. 64–65). New York: Loizeaux Bros.)
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Haman’s wife, Zeresh, and all his friends were no better than he was. They suggested that Haman have an gallows built that would be 75 feet high and that he have Mordecai hanged on it before the banquet so he would have nothing bothering him when he went to the feast. The gallows probably was an impaling stake, a common method of execution in the ancient world (cf. comments on 2:23). The purpose in suggesting such a tall stake was so it would be a lesson to all who saw it. The person on the stake would be visible from all directions, since he would be higher than all the trees. This spectacle would solemnly emphasize that Haman was in control (cf. 3:1) and that no one should try to stand in his way.
Haman undoubtedly felt that with Mordecai gone there would be no organized opposition from the Jewish camp. He would be freed from his enemy forever. Here the tension in the Haman-Mordecai conflict reached its peak. From this point on it was relieved little by little through circumstances that had already been set in motion. As the events unfold, the reader is reminded of seemingly insignificant or forgotten events that the skillful narrator had previously mentioned but had not highlighted. God was sovereignly at work behind even such a hateful act as building an gallows (cf. Acts 2:23; 4:27–28). (Martin, J. A. (1985). Esther. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 708). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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4. Malice (Es. 5:9b, 13–14)
When Haman left the queen’s palace, he was walking on air; but the sight of Mordecai immediately brought him down to earth again. On previous occasions, Mordecai had refused to bow down to Haman (3:4–5), but now the courageous Jew even refused to stand up and acknowledge the presence of the illustrious prime minister. I once attended a press briefing at the White House; and when President Reagan entered the room, we all stood to our feet. When a presiding judge enters a courtroom, everyone rises and remains standing until the judge is seated. Whether we like the President or the judge personally is not the issue. We all show respect to the offices that they hold.
Haman was “filled with rage against Mordecai” (5:9, NIV). His hatred of the Jews in general and Mordecai in particular had so poisoned his system that he couldn’t even enjoy talking about his greatness! “But all this gives me no satisfaction,” he admitted, “as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate” (v. 13, NIV).
Malice is that deep-seated hatred that brings delight if our enemy suffers and pain if our enemy succeeds. Malice can never forgive; it must always take revenge. Malice has a good memory for hurts and a bad memory for kindnesses. In 1 Corinthians 5:8, Paul compared malice to yeast, because, like yeast, malice begins very small but gradually grows and finally permeates the whole of life. Malice in the Christian’s heart grieves the Holy Spirit and must be put out of our lives (Eph. 4:30–32; Col. 3:8).
The insidious thing about malice is that it has to act; eventually it must express itself. But when you shoot at your enemy, beware! For the ammunition usually ricochets off the target and comes back to wound the shooter! If a person wants to self-destruct, the fastest way to do it is to be like Haman and cultivate a malicious spirit.
Haman had infected his wife and friends with his sinful hatred of the Jews, and they suggested that he ask the king for permission to hang Mordecai. A man with Haman’s authority could always trump up some charge, and the king wasn’t about to take time to investigate. Of course, this was before Ahasuerus discovered that Mordecai had saved his life! Now we can better understand Esther’s delay in offering her petition to the king. After the events in chapter 6, it would be impossible for Haman to get permission to execute Mordecai.
Not one to waste time, Haman ordered that the gallows be made. We’re not sure whether the gallows itself was seventy-five feet high or whether it was put in a prominent place that lifted it to that height, such as the city wall or the roof of a building. But Haman’s plan was obvious: He wanted to use Mordecai’s execution to frighten the Jews and convince them that the king meant business when he approved the edict. The execution of a prominent Jew such as Mordecai would paralyze the wills of the Jewish people in the empire, and Haman would have them at his mercy.
There’s another thing about this gallows that we’re not sure of: Was it like the Western gallows, a device for hanging a person by the neck until dead? Or was it a stake on which a human body was impaled? The Persians were known for their cruel punishments, one of which was impaling live prisoners on sharp posts and leaving them there to suffer an agonizing death.
Whatever this gallows was, it turned out to be the instrument of Haman’s own execution. God was standing in the shadows, keeping watch over His own.
“For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all his paths. His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, and he is caught in the cords of his sin. He shall die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray” (Prov. 5:21–23, NKJV). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Be Committed (pp. 124–126). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Ver. 14. Then said Zeresh his wife, and all his friends, unto him, &c.] His wife very probably first moved it, and all his friends present approved of it and united in it: let a gallows be made, of 50 cubits high; that the person hanged thereon might be seen at a distance, and so be a greater reproach to him, and a terror to others, to take care they were not guilty of the same offence: Cartalo was ordered by his father to be fixed to the highest cross in the sight of the city; and it was usual for crosses to be erected very highm, both for that purpose, and for greater infamy and disgrace: and to-morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon; get a grant from him for it; of which they made no doubt, since Haman had such an interest in him, and had already obtained an order to destroy all Jews in his dominions: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet; eased of the burden of his mind, and honoured to be a guest with the royal pair: and the thing pleased Haman, and he caused the gallows to be made; but it was for himself, as it proved in the issue. See ch. 7:10. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, p. 176). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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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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I’m Here for You
Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. GALATIANS 6:2
Barbara and I admit that we’ve never experienced depression in its rawest, deepest form. Yes, we’ve had seasons of intense discouragement. We’ve had our share of valleys, crying out to God in the agony of our souls. We know what it means to suffer. Still, there are ravages and depths of depression we don’t know
about firsthand. But if one of you suffers with depression’s telltale signs—low self-esteem, severe fatigue and sleeplessness, lack of concentration—we know it affects you both. And the strain of it has the potential to steadily increase the distance you may feel from one another. So we encourage you today to love your husband or wife in ways that are intensely real, genuine and sacrificial. Instead of taking all of this personally, realize that the emotional darkness your mate is experiencing likely has little or nothing to do with anything you’ve done or not done. This is simply your chance to listen, to be patient, to go to him or her without accusations or piously offered “overly spiritual” answers. Rather than urging your mate to “snap out of it!” or flip a switch that allows you to get on with life, this may just be a time to crawl up in bed and hold each other. To pray, offer comfort and read the Scriptures. To remind each other of what’s true and eternal and longer lasting than any earthly suffering and hardship.
Do you want to be a hero to your wife? Do you want to be the gleam in your husband’s eye? Then be your mate’s most faithful encourager. Be his or her rock to lean on when everything seems dark and cold and purposeless. Don’t lay blame. Don’t become short-tempered. Don’t come down hard and
make demands. Just carry the burden . . . “and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” (Moments with You Couples Devotional by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)
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CHRIST’S SANCTIFICATION OF HIMSELF
I sanctify myself.
John 17:19
We must engage our attention about the meaning of Christ’s sanctification of Himself. Clearly He cannot mean that He will do anything to increase His own holiness. That is impossible. He was perfect from the beginning, without blemish, without sin and without fault. So when He says He is going to sanctify Himself, He cannot mean He is going to make Himself more holy than He was before. What it means, obviously, is that He is using the term in the primary sense of sanctification: namely, dedication, consecration, a setting apart for the special work of God and for God’s purpose in Him and through Him. It means an entire offering of oneself to God for His glory and for His purpose.
Then, in order to grasp the full meaning of this statement, the next word we must look at is “myself.” “I sanctify myself,” our Lord says. And by that He clearly means Himself as He is in His total personality, everything that He is, as God and man, all His powers, all His knowledge, all His perfection, all His ability: everything. There is no word more inclusive than this word “myself.” It means my total self, all that I am in and of myself, all my relationships, all my privileges, all my abilities, and all my possessions. I sanctify myself in the full totality of my being and my personality.
So what our Lord is really saying at this point is that all He is and has, He is now giving entirely and utterly to God “for their sakes” (John17:19a); “they” being the Christians then in existence “and for our sakes too” those who are going to come into existence: allthose people He has been talking so much about in this prayer, the people who had been given to Him by God, and for whom He has come into the world.
A Thought to Ponder: Jesus: sanctification means an entire offering of Himself to God for God’s glory and for His purpose. (From Sanctified Through the Truth, pp. 34-35, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture
Acts 19:9-20
The test of any ministry is what happens through the people to whom we minister. I often remember watching Billy Graham on television and observe the multitude of people that would walk down the aisle in response to the gospel. God’s powerful Spirit changes people’s lives and leaves no room for doubt that God is at work.
Paul had come to Ephesus and his ministry became one to all the people; to the Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor as well as the religious and the occultist. Paul’s ministry sought to include everyone he encountered, leading them to a decision to accept or reject Christ’s message. After three months of speaking boldly in the temple, the hardness of the Jews led Paul to move nearby from the temple to the school of Tyrannus (v. 9). From that location Paul ministered effectively for a period of two years.
At this time God worked in ways that demonstrated His power to a people that believed and gave great leverage to supernatural powers and acts. God is omnipotent and capable of accomplishing acts that defy nature and unable to be explained through natural means. It does appear that God chooses the times to exhibit these powers in the scriptures. I would say there are four periods of time throughout history and the future that God moves in supernatural and miraculous ways. Each phase is for a short period and had a specific purpose. The periods are 1) Times of Moses 2) Time of Elijah and Elisha 3) Time of Jesus and the Apostles 4) The Tribulation period. Miracles are performed so that God’s word may be proclaimed, to teach a spiritual truth and to demonstrate God’s power as greater than the adversary.
Ephesus was a city of oppression, opulence, and occultic activity in which God allowed Paul special power and position. Jewish exorcists tried to invoke both the names of Jesus and Paul in an expulsion of a demon. They were immediately beaten severely by the demon possessed man (v. 16). This incident became the catalyst for the unsaved in this city to recognize that God was mighty and effective against such powers of darkness.
What a lesson and a reminder for us as we combat the darkness of our world. Today, we have the power of God’s word to stand upon when the culture pummels us with inaccurate information. It may appear that darkness is overwhelming and powerful, but God’s word and work can penetrate and cause it to retreat as it is spoken boldly and lived out righteously. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12). Take courage and stand strong, it is vital to be in God’s word daily.
With an Expectant Hope,
Pastor Miller (Board Member of Small Church Ministries.
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