The Message of Revelation (1)

1704-30P 1 GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD from their wicked hearts. They accomplished their (Esther 3:7-15) goal of getting rid of their hated brother. Both SUBJECT: F.C.F: accomplished their wills, but in doing so, these evil PROPOSITION men were actually bringing about God’s greater plan, INTRODUCTION not at all to their credit. A. One of the most helpful biblical principles C. And we see the same dynamics at work in that enables us to understand or at least to accept the book of Esther, which never mentions the name of God’s sometimes inscrutable ways, is the principle of God nor any overtly religious practice such as prayer, “compatibilism.” “What?” you say, “cannibalism?” worship, or sacrifice. Still because of the highlighting No, compatibilism. And by that we simply mean that of several “coincidences” we see what at first glance two can agree on a certain action, yet with different appears to be evil on the throne, having its day, a free motives. For example, my wife and I might agree to hand in attacking and destroying God’s covenant go to the mall, but for her motive is shopping while people, yet even in doing so, God’s will is done, evil my motive is to sit in the middle areas and drink is destroyed, and his people prosper. coffee while I watch people walk by. In the Bible, compatibilism refers to God’s willing and others I. “YOU MEANT IT FOR EVIL...” willing the same thing, yet for different reasons. The same action occurs, and both accomplish their will, A. I want to remind you that Haman is an yet with different purposes in mind. Agagite, a descendant of the king of one of Israel’s B. The classic example of this is in the last ancestral enemies, the Amalekites. And when Haman chapter in the book of Genesis. After the moving story the hate man (now we should call him the “hit man”) of Joseph who was cruelly sold into slavery by his hears that Mordecai the Jew does not obey the king’s brothers but exalted to high position by God, with the command to bow before the exalted personage of result that he saved those same brothers from Haman, he sees his opportunity to re-ignite and finish starvation during an unprecedented famine in the land, an old feud. Scholar David Firth puts it well: “This is Joseph has time to reflect to his sheepishly guilty no longer a conflict between two men. It is an brothers as they come hat in hand asking for mercy. opportunity to reach into the past and settle old scores. And Joseph explains in Genesis 50:20: “As for you, Amalek and Israel are old enemies, and Amalek now you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, seems to have the upper hand.” (63) to bring it about that many people should be kept So the enemy’s design is to finish once and for alive, as they are today.” all the entire Jewish race. The wording of the official So what is he saying here? When his brothers edict says it all from verse 13: “Letters were sent by made him a slave, had God fallen asleep on the job? couriers to all the king’s provinces with instruction to Did God simply sit by passively and bow before his destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and cruel brothers’ free will, helpless to intervene? Did old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth God merely allow this tragedy to happen? No, “God day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, meant it….” God intended, decided, planned that it and to plunder their goods.” That plan, if successful, should happen this way. Well, then, does that excuse would literally have erased the Jews from the face of the brothers? Did God somehow overpower their wills the earth. Ahasuerus controlled all of the known world and force them to do this terrible deed? Were they except for portions of Greece, everywhere that the inwardly screaming to stop even while the Lord God Jews had been scattered. This would have been the controlled their lips and their actions against their end of them. better wills? No, not at all. They themselves hated B. And we see the enemy’s strategy. He knows Joseph. Their first thought was to kill him, then to the king is easily swayed to one position or another. leave him to die in a hole in the ground, and finally to The whole Vashti matter demonstrated how easily his make a little cash out of the deal by selling him to the chief counselors had manipulated him into making Midianite traders, good riddance of this little pest! poor choices that empowered them but left the king That’s compatiblism. God intended this action with egg on his face. on their part, but for good purposes, and accomplished So Haman approaches the king, not from the his good will through it. They also intended this action front, but from the side. He never names the people he ______1704-30P 2 is targeting, but he mixes truth with falsehood and Listen again to Haman’s indictment of the accuses them of being a threat. First, they have a wide Jews: “Their laws are different from those of every influence, they are scattered all over his empire. other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so Second, they have their own laws that are different that it is not to the king’s profit to tolerate them.” from the king’s. And thirdly, and here’s the lie, they Beloved, more and more the biblical Christian is do not obey the king’s laws. Had Haman been honest living in a world where our laws are different, where from the start his lie would have been obvious, for it we may not be able to obey all of the laws of the land, was a Jew, Mordecai, supposedly so rebellious, who and where already many have concluded that it is not had saved the king’s life from an assassination plot. in the emerging culture’s profit to tolerate us. “8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a Yet this is no invitation or encouragement to certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among fear or to withdraw. God’s people have always been the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. different and have been criticized for refusing to Their laws are different from those of every other conform to the culture de jure, the prevailing winds of people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it the spirit of the age. Happily, we have a Foundation, a is not to the king’s profit to tolerate them.” Rock of Ages that weathers every storm. But we For good measure, Haman offers to fund the should admit that many of our forefathers and mothers whole project by contributing an astronomical fortune and many of our brothers and sisters today are to the cause himself. “9 If it please the king, let it be suffering for their non-conformity to the spirit of the decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 age. We may live for a while yet in a fairly safe little talents of silver into the hands of those who have Christian colony, but the cracks are showing and the charge of the king’s business, that they may put it into barbarians are already at the gate. the king’s treasuries.” Ten thousand talents of silver We see also the enemy’s continual tendency was equal to about 80% of the total annual revenues toward overconfidence. Haman the hate man, Haman of the whole empire! Where he thought he could get the hit man has already tasted victory and in his own that much may have been a reflection of Haman’s vast mind, he’s already won. And even though the Pur has personal wealth, or he may have been counting on determined that the day of execution would be eleven appropriating the estates of the Jews he had months in the future, Haman’s already begun to annihilated. celebrate. “15 The couriers went out hurriedly by At any rate, money talks, and the king asks no order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa further questions. He seems completely disinterested the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to and casually grants Haman permission to destroy an drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into entire race of human beings. confusion.” The author intends, I think, a double irony C. There are several applications we could in that statement. The king and Haman are so clueless, make at this point. so out of touch, that they slouch back into their 1. As Christians, we are vulnerable because we customary carousing while even those closest to them, likewise have laws and customs that are different from in the city of Susa, are stunned into bewilderment. But the increasingly pagan people around us. It dawned on the other irony is that the author already knows the me recently that those who are pressing for social end of the story: that Haman’s overconfidence will be change, especially the mainstreaming of every manner the end of him, that he has counted his chickens of sexual deviation and sexual perversion are really before they have hatched, and any other cliché you arguing for a new morality, a morality in which the can think of. His celebration is certainly premature. only law is self-determination and self-identification. 2. Another application we can take from this is The only offense in this new morality is the the reminder that among the evil, human life is unpardonable sin of judgmentalism or bigotry, not exceedingly cheap. The king consigns a whole race to accepting the choices of others, whatever they may be, destruction, including women and children, and his however self-destructive they may be. And the chief only thought is when he can get back to his self- of all sinners are biblical Christians, those who by indulgent revelry. And the new morality today, and I conscience must echo God’s declarations and call use the word “morality” with hesitancy, shows its true greed, deceit, promiscuity, homosexuality, hatred, colors for its stubborn commitment to the destruction blasphemy, and idolatry “sin.” of human life in the womb. There is no question that ______1704-30P 3 the vast majority, something north of 95% of day in the life of the Jews, God’s people. “12 Then abortions today are for convenience. Yet, in the new the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth “morality” the rights of the downtrodden minority day of the first month, and an edict, according to all called women (actually women are in the majority in that Haman commanded, was written to the king’s our land) trump the rights of a developing child in the satraps and to the governors over all the provinces womb, even the right to live. Among the evil, human and to the officials of all the peoples, to every life is exceedingly cheap. province in its own script and every people in its own language. It was written in the name of King II. “…BUT GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD.” Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring.” That day, the thirteenth day of the first month, A. So at this moment and from this vantage which was the month of Nisan, was the day before the point it only looks bad, it only appears to be “ to Jewish festival of the Passover, and the significance of destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and that day was unmistakable. So, on one day, the Jews old, women and children, in one day….” That’s what learned that an evil power, the most powerful nation the king has decreed and the “laws of the Medes and on the planet was intending to destroy them, to wipe Persians” cannot be revoked. No wonder Haman sat them out. And the very next day they gathered down to celebrate. wherever they were by God’s command to celebrate B. Yet we see some clues with respect to a his deliverance from annihilation by the most Sovereign and wise God’s hand in a story where he is powerful nation of that day long ago, the nation of not even named. David Firth points to Proverbs 16:33: Egypt. David Firth writes: “The date gives pause for “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is thought. God had saved his people from a seemingly from the LORD.” Does that include even the impossible situation as an enslaved people trapped in sorcerer’s devices, even the Pur by which Haman a massive Empire. Could he do it again?” opened himself to the powers of evil? My Bible says it does. Verse 7 is a bit confusing: “7 In the first month, CONCLUSION which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) good.” This important, biblical principle of before Haman day after day; and they cast it month compatibilism enables us to endure grave hardships after month till the twelfth month, which is the month and to weather harsh storms with boldness. And this is of Adar.” It’s not that it took them twelve months, not because we blindly imagine that no one intends fifty-two weeks of continually casting the Pur to get evil through such troubling times. We know that we the answer they were looking for. Rather, they were have an enemy. The Bible warns us repeatedly. asking which month would be most favorable for But we also have a Friend, a Friend who is executing Haman’s evil plan. So they cast it for this able to turn these troubles to our advantage, who can month? (No) Next month? (No) Next month? (No), take the enemy’s worst and use it for our best. and so on. And the lot finally said “Yes” to the twelfth The Bible declares the same when it comes to month, almost a year into the future. the very worst wickedness the world has ever What this meant, of course, was that the Lord witnessed: the premeditated murder of the Son of who controls the decision of the lot or the Pur was God. Here is the Apostle Peter’s inspired assessment giving his people almost a year to plot and plan some from Acts 4: “in this city there were gathered means of overturning this decree, which they did. This together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you is compatibilism. Haman (and Satan) meant it for evil. anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with Haman asked the evil gods for a date and they gave the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do him the twelfth month, which is precisely what God whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to wanted as well. No one’s evil will was prevented or take place.” Do you know what we call that? We call overpowered, yet God’s will and purpose for the good that “compatibilism”? And do you know the result of of his people won out. their wicked plan, their evil design to murder Jesus? B. But the dating and the timing points to Our salvation! It was the enemy’s worst, and God God’s sovereign rule and help in another way as well. intended it for our best. The day that the edict was sent out was a significant Be encouraged in your adversity. “Count it all ______1704-30P 4 joy when you encounter various trials.” They meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. 

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