Providence–as Seen in the Book of Esther

A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 1, 1874,

BY C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

"Though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them
that hated them." Esther 9:1.

YOU are probably aware that some persons have denied the Inspiration of
the Book of Esther because the name of God does not occur in it. They
might, with equal justice, deny the Inspiration of a great number of
chapters in the Bible, and of a far greater number of verses. Although
the name of God does not occur in the Book of Esther, the Lord Himself
is there most conspicuously in every incident which it relates. I have
seen portraits bearing the names of persons for whom they were
intended, and they certainly needed them, but we have all seen others
which required no name because they were such striking likenesses that
the moment you looked upon them you knew them.

In the Book of Esther, as much as in any other part of the Word of God,
and I had almost committed myself by saying–more than anywhere
else–the hand of Providence is manifestly to be seen. To condense the
whole of the story of the Book of Esther into one sermon would be
impossible and, therefore, I must rely upon your previous acquaintance
with it. I must also ask your patience if there should be more of
history in the sermon than is usual with me. All Scripture is given by
Inspiration and is profitable, whether it is history or doctrine. God
never meant the Book of Esther to lie dumb–whatever it seemed good to
Him to teach us by it, it ought to be our earnest endeavor to learn.

The Lord intended, by the narrative of Esther's history, to set before
us a wonderful instance of His Providence, so that when we had viewed
it with interest and pleasure, we might praise His name and then go on
to acquire the habit of observing His hand in other histories, and
especially in our own lives. Well does Flavel say that he who observes
Providence will never be long without a Providence to observe. The man
who can walk through the world and see no God is said upon Inspired
authority to be a fool–but the wise man's eyes are in his head–he
sees with an inner sight and discovers God everywhere! It is his joy to
perceive that the Lord is working according to His will in Heaven,
earth and in all deep places.

It has pleased God at different times in history to startle the heathen
world into a conviction of His Presence. He had a chosen people to whom
He committed the true light–and to these He revealed Himself
continually. The rest of the world was left in darkness, but every now
and then the Divine Glory flamed through the gloom as the lightening
pierces the blackness of storms. Some, by that sudden light, were led
to seek after God and found Him. Others were rendered uneasy and
without excuse, though they continued in their blind idolatry. The
wonderful destruction of Pharaoh and his armies at the Red Sea was a
burst of light which startled the midnight of the world by giving proof
to mankind that the Lord lived and could accomplish His purposes by
suspending the laws of Nature and working miracles.

The marvelous drama enacted at Shushan, the capital of Persia, was
intended to be another manifestation of the Being and Glory of God,
working not as formerly, by a miracle, but in the usual methods of His
Providence and yet accomplishing all His designs. It has been well said
that the Book of Esther is a record of wonders without a miracle and,
therefore, though equally revealing the Glory of the Lord, it sets it
forth in another fashion from that which is displayed in the overthrow
of Pharaoh by miraculous power.

Let us come now to the story. There were two races, one of which God
had blessed and promised to preserve, and another of which He had said
that He would utterly put out the remembrance of it from under Heaven.
Israel was to be blessed and made a blessing, but of Amalek the Lord
had sworn that, "The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to
generation." These two peoples were, therefore, in deadly
hostility–like the Seed of the woman and the seed of the
serpent–between whom the Lord, Himself, has put at enmity. Many years
had rolled away. The chosen people were in great distress and at this
time there still existed upon the face of the earth some relics of the
race of Amalek.

Among them was one descended of the royal line of Agag, whose name was
Haman. He was in supreme power at the court of Ahasuerus, the Persian
monarch. Now it was God's intent that a last conflict should take place
between Israel and Amalek–the conflict which began with Joshua in the
desert was to be finished by Mordecai in the king's palace. This last
struggle began with great disadvantage to God's people. Haman was prime
minister of the far-extending empire of Persia, the favorite of a
despotic monarch who was pliant to his will. Mordecai, a Jew in the
employment of the king, sat in the king's gate. When he saw proud Haman
go to and fro, he refused to pay him the homage which others rendered
insincerely.

He would not bow his head or bend his knee to him, and this exceedingly
galled Haman. It came into his mind that this Mordecai was of the seed
of the Jews–and with the remembrance came the high ambition to avenge
the quarrel of his race. He thought it scorn to touch only one man and
resolved that in himself he would incarnate all the hate of
generations–and at one blow sweep the accursed Jews, as he thought
them–from off the face of the earth! He went to the king, with whom
his word was power, and told him that there was a singular people
scattered up and down the Persian empire, different from all others,
who opposed the king's laws and that it was not for the king's profit
to let them live.

He asked that they might all be destroyed–and he would pay into the
king's treasury an enormous sum of money to compensate for any loss of
revenue by their destruction. He intended that the spoil which would be
taken from the Jews should tempt their neighbors to kill them and that
the part allotted to himself should repay the amount which he advanced,
thus he would make the Jews pay for their own murder! He had no sooner
asked for this horrible grant than the monarch conceded it. Taking his
signet ring from off his finger, he bade Haman do with the Jews as
seemed good to him. Thus the chosen seed were in the hands of the
Agagite who thirsted to annihilate them.

Only one thing stands in the way. The Lord has said, "No weapon that is
formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that rises against
you in judgment you shall condemn." We shall see what happens, and
learn from it.

I. First, we shall learn from the narrative that GOD PLACES HIS AGENTS
IN FIT PLACES FOR DOING HIS WORK. The Lord was not taken by surprise by
this plot of Haman. He had foreseen it and forestalled it. It was
necessary, in order to match this cunning, malicious design of Haman,
that someone of the Jewish race should possess great influence with the
king. How was this to be effected?

Should a Jewess become Queen of Persia, the power she would possess
would be useful in counteracting the enemy's design. This had been all
arranged years before Haman had concocted in his wicked heart the
scheme of murdering the Jews. Esther, whose sweet name signifies
myrtle, had been elevated to the position of Queen of Persia by a
singular course of events. It happened that Ahasuerus, at a certain
drinking bout, was so far gone with wine as to forget all the
proprieties of eastern life. He sent for his queen, Vashti, to exhibit
herself to the people and the princes. No one dreamed, in those days,
of disobeying the tyrant's word and, therefore, all stood aghast when
Vashti, evidently a woman of right royal spirit, refused to degrade
herself by being made a spectacle before that ribald rout of drinking
princes. She refused to come.

For her courage Vashti was divorced and a new queen was sought. We
cannot commend Mordecai for putting his adopted daughter in competition
for the monarch's choice–it was contrary to the Law of God and
dangerous to her soul in the highest degree. It would have been better
for Esther to have been the wife of the poorest man of the house of
Israel than to have gone into the den of the Persian despot. The
Scripture does not excuse, much less commend, the wrong doing of Esther
and Mordecai in thus acting, but simply tells us how Divine Wisdom
brought good out of evil, even as the chemist distils healing drugs
from poisonous plants.

The high position of Esther, though gained contrary to the wisest of
laws, was overruled for the best interests of her people. Esther, in
the king's house, was the means of defeating the malicious adversary.
But Esther alone would not suffice. She is shut up in the harem,
surrounded by her chamberlains and her maids of honor, but quite
secluded from the outside world. A watchman was needed outside the
palace to guard the people of the Lord and to urge Esther to action
when help is needed. Mordecai, her cousin and foster father, obtained
an office which placed him at the palace gate. Where could he be better
posted? He is where much of the royal business will come under his eye
and he is both quick, courageous and unflinching.

Never had Israel a better sentinel than Mordecai, the son of Kish, a
Benjamite–a very different man from that other son of Kish who had
suffered Amalek to escape in former times! His relationship to the
queen allowed him to communicate with her through Hatach, her
chamberlain. When Haman's evil decree was published, it was not long
before intelligence of it reached her ear and she felt the danger to
which Mordecai and all her people were exposed. By singular Providences
did the Lord place those two most efficient instruments in their
places. Mordecai would have been of little use without Esther–and
Esther could have rendered no aid had it not been for Mordecai.
Meanwhile, there is a conspiracy hatched against the king which
Mordecai discovers and communicates to the highest authority–and so
puts the king under obligation to him–which was a necessary part of
the Lord's plan.

Now, Brothers and Sisters, whatever mischief may be brewing against the
cause of God and Truth, and I dare say there is very much going on at
this moment, for neither the devil, nor the Jesuits, nor the atheists
are long quiet–this we are sure of–the Lord knows all about it and He
has His Esther and His Mordecai ready at their posts to frustrate their
designs! The Lord has His men well placed and His ambushes hidden in
their coverts to surprise His foes. We need never be afraid but what
the Lord has forestalled His enemies and provided against their
mischief. Every child of God is where God has placed Him for some
purpose. The practical use of this first point is to lead you to
inquire for what practical purpose has God placed each one of you where
you now are.

You have been wishing for another position where you could do something
for Jesus–do not wish anything of the kind, but serve Him where you
are! If you are sitting at the King's gate, there is something for you
to do there. And if you were on the queen's throne, there would be
something for you to do there. Do not ask either to be gatekeeper or
queen, but whichever you are, serve God in that position! Brother, are
you rich? God has made you a steward–take care that you are a good
steward. Brother, are you poor? God has thrown you into a position
where you will be the better able to give a word of sympathy to poor
saints. Are you doing your allotted work? Do you live in a godly
family? God has a motive for placing you in so happy a position. Are
you in an ungodly house? You are a lamp hung up in a dark place–mind
you, shine there!

Esther did well because she acted as an Esther should. And Mordecai did
well because he acted as a Mordecai should. I like to think, as I look
over you all, that God has put each one of you in the right place, even
as a good captain well arranges the different parts of his army. And
though we do not know His plan of battle, it will be seen during the
conflict that He has placed each soldier where he should be. Our wisdom
is not to desire another place, nor to judge those who are in another
position, but each one, being redeemed with the precious blood of
Jesus, should consecrate himself fully to the Lord, and say, "Lord,
what would You have me to do, for here I am, and by Your Grace I am
ready to do it." Forget not, then, the fact that God, in His
Providence, places His servants in positions where He can make use of
them!

II. Secondly, the Lord not only arranges His servants, but HE RESTRAINS
HIS ENEMIES. I would call your attention, particularly, to the fact
that Haman, having gained a decree for the destruction of all the Jews
upon a certain day, was very anxious to have his cruel work done
thoroughly and, therefore, being very superstitious and believing in
astrology, he bade his magicians cast lots that he might find a lucky
day for his great undertaking. The lots were cast for the various
months, but not a single fortunate day could be found till hard by the
close of the year–and then the chosen day was the 13th of the 12th
month.

On that day the magicians told their dupe that the heavens would be
propitious and the star of Haman would be in the ascendant! Truly the
lot was cast into the lap, but the disposal of it was of the Lord! See
you not that there were 11 whole months left before the Jews would be
put to death–and that would give Mordecai and Esther time to turn
round–and if anything could be done to reverse the cruel decree they
had space to do it! Suppose that the lot had fallen on the second or
third month–the swift dromedaries and camels and messengers would
scarcely have been able to reach the extremity of the Persian
dominions–certainly a second set of messengers to counteract the
decree could not have done so and, humanly speaking, the Jews could
have been destroyed!

But oh, in that secret council chamber where sit the sorcerers and the
man who asks counsel at the hands of the infernal powers, the Lord
Himself is present, frustrating the tokens of the liars and making
diviners mad! Vain were their enchantments and the multitude of their
sorceries! The astrologers, the star-gazers and the monthly
prognosticators were all fools, together, and led the superstitious
Haman to destruction. "Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob,
nor

divination against Israel." Trust in the Lord, you righteous, and in
patience possess your souls. Leave your adversaries in the hands of
God, for He can make them fall into the snare which they have privately
laid for you!

Notice attentively that Haman selected a mode of destroying the Jews
which was wonderfully overruled for their preservation. They were to be
slain by any of the people among whom they lived who chose to do
so–and their plunder was to reward their slayers. Now, this was a very
cunning device, for greed would naturally incite the baser sort of men
to murder the thrifty Jews and, no doubt, there were debtors who would
also be glad to see their creditors disposed of! But see the loophole
for escape which this afforded! If the decree had enacted that the Jews
should be slain by the soldiers of the Persian empire, it would have
been done, and it is not easy to see how the Jews could have escaped.
But, the matter being left in private hands, the subsequent decree that
they might defend themselves, was a sufficient counteraction of the
first edict. Thus the Lord arranged that the wisdom of Haman should
turn out to be folly, after all!

In another point, also, we mark the restraining hand of God–namely,
that Mordecai, though he had provoked Haman to the utmost, was not put
to death at once. Haman "refrained himself." Why did he do so? Proud
men are usually in a mighty tiff if they consider themselves insulted,
and are ready, at once, to take revenge. But Haman "refrained himself"
until that day in which his anger burned furiously. Then he set up the
gallows. But until then he smothered his passion. I marvel at this! It
shows how God makes the wrath of man to praise Him and the remainder He
does restrain. Mordecai must not die a violent death by Haman's hands.

The enemies of the Church of God and of His people can never do more
than the Lord permits–they cannot go a hair's breadth beyond the
Divine license! And when they are permitted to do their worst, there is
always some weak point about all that they do–some extreme folly which
renders their fury vain. The wicked carry about them the weapons of
their own destruction–and when they rage most against the Most High,
the Lord of All brings out of it good for His people and Glory to
Himself! Judge not Providence in little pieces–it is a grand
mosaic–and must be seen as a whole! Say not of any one hour, "This is
dark"–it may be so, but that darkness will minister to the light, even
as the ebony gloom of midnight makes the stars appear the more bright!

Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah there is everlasting
strength. His wisdom will undermine the mines of cunning. His skill
will overtop the climbings of craft! "He takes the wise in their own
craftiness and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong."

III. Next we will notice that God, IN HIS PROVIDENCE, TRIES HIS PEOPLE.
You must not suppose that those

who are God's servants will be screened from trial–that is no part of
the design of Providence. "If you are without chastisement," says the
Apostle, "then you are bastards and not sons." God's intent is to
educate His people by affliction. We must not, therefore, dream that an
event is not Providential because it is grievous! No, you may count it
to be all the more so, for, "the Lord tries the righteous."

Observe that God tried Mordecai. He was a quiet old man, I have no
doubt, and it must have been a daily trial to him to stand erect, or to
sit in his place when that proud peer of the realm went strutting by.
His fellow servants told him that the King had commanded all men to pay
homage to Haman, but he held his own, not, however, without knowing
what it might cost him to be so sternly independent. Haman was an
Amalekite–and the Jew would not bow before him. But what a trouble it
must have been to the heart of Mordecai, when he saw the proclamation
that all the Jews must die! The good man must have bitterly lamented
his unhappy fate in being the innocent cause of the destruction of his
nation!

"Perhaps," he thought within himself, "I have been too obstinate. Woe
is me! My whole house and my whole people are to be slain because of
what I have done!" He put on sackcloth and cast ashes on his head. And
he was full of sorrow– a sorrow which we can hardly realize–for even
if you know you have done right, yet if you bring down trouble, and
especially destruction, upon the heads of others, it cuts you to the
quick. You could bear martyrdom for yourself, but it is sad to see
others suffer through your firmness.

Esther, also, had to be tried. Amid the glitter of the Persian court
she might have grown forgetful of her God. But the sad news comes to
her, "Your cousin and your nation are to be destroyed." Sorrow and
dread filled her heart. There was no hope for her people unless she
would go in unto the king–that despot from whom one angry look would
be death. She must risk all and go unbidden into his presence and plead
for her nation. Do you wonder that she trembled? Do you marvel that she
asked the prayers of the faithful? Are you surprised to see both
herself and her maids of honor fasting and lamenting before God?

Do not think, my prosperous Friend, that the Lord has given you a high
place that you may escape the trials which belong to all His
people–yours is no position of ease, but one of the hottest parts of
the battle! Neither the lowest and most quiet position, nor the most
public and exposed condition will enable you to escape the "much
tribulation" through which the Church Militant must fight its way to
Glory. Why should we wish it? Should not the gold be tested in the
crucible? Should not the strong pillar sustain great weights? When the
Menai bridge was first flung across the straits, the engineer did not
stipulate that his tube should never be tried with great weights! On
the contrary, I can imagine his saying, "Bring up your heaviest trains
and load the bridge as much as ever you will, for it will bear every
strain."

The Lord tries the righteous because He has made them of metal which
will endure the test–and He knows that by the sustaining power of His
Holy Spirit they will be held up and made more than conquerors!
Therefore is it a part of the operation of Providence to try the
saints. Let that comfort those of you who are in trouble at this time.

IV. But we must pass on to note, fourthly, that THE LORD'S WISDOM IS
SEEN IN ARRANGING THE

SMALLEST EVENTS SO AS TO PRODUCE GREAT RESULTS. We frequently hear
persons say of a pleasant or a great event, "What a Providence!" while
they are silent as to anything which appears less important, or has an
unpleasant savor. But, my Brothers and Sisters, the place of the shrub
upon the heath is as fixed as the station of a king! And the dust which
is raised by a chariot wheel is as surely steered by Providence as the
planet in its orbit! There is as much Providence in the creeping of an
aphid upon a rose leaf as in the marching of an army to ravage a
continent. Everything–the most minute as well as the most
magnificent–is ordered by the Lord who has prepared His Throne in the
heavens, whose kingdom rules over all!

The history before us furnishes proof of this. We have reached the
point where Esther is to go in unto the king and plead for her people.
Strengthened by prayer, but doubtless, still trembling, Esther entered
the inner court and the king's affection led him, instantly, to stretch
out the golden scepter. Being told to ask what she pleases, she invites
the king to come to a banquet and bring Haman with him. He comes, and
for the second time invites her to ask what she wills to the half of
his kingdom. Why, when the king was in so kind a spirit, did not Esther
speak? He was charmed with her beauty and his royal word was given to
deny her nothing! Why not speak out?

But no, she merely asks that he and Haman will come to another banquet
of wine tomorrow. O, daughter of Abraham, what an opportunity have you
lost! Why did you not plead for your people? Their very existence hangs
upon your entreaty and the king has said, "What will you?" and yet you
are slow to ask! Was it timidity? It is possible. Did she think that
Haman stood too high in the king's favor for her to prevail? It would
be hard to say. Some of us are very unaccountable, but on that woman's
unaccountable silence far more was hanging than appears at first sight!
Doubtless she longed to bring out her secret, but the words came not.

God was in it! It was not the right time to speak and, therefore, she
was led to put off her disclosure. I dare say she regretted it and
wondered when she should be able to come to the point, but the Lord
knew best. After that banquet Haman went out joyfully at the palace
gate, but being mortified beyond measure by Mordecai's unbending
posture, he called for his wife and his friends and told them that his
riches and honors availed him nothing so long as Mordecai, the Jew, sat
in the king's gate. They might have told him, "You will destroy
Mordecai and all his people in a few months, and the man is already
fretting himself over the decree. Let him live and be content to watch
his miseries and gloat over his despair!"

But no, they counsel speedy revenge! Let Mordecai be hanged on a
gallows on the top of the house–and let the gallows be set up at
once–and let Haman, early in the morning, ask for the Jew's life and
let his insolence be punished. Go, call the workmen, and let the
gallows be set up at a great height that very night! It seemed a small
matter that Haman should be so enraged at just that hour, but it was a
very important item in the whole transaction, for had he not been so
hasty he would not have gone so early in the morning to the palace. And
he would not have been at hand when the king said, "Who is in the
court?"

But what has happened? Why, that very night, when Haman was devising to
hang Mordecai, the king could not sleep! What caused the monarch's
restlessness? Why did it happen on that night of all others? Ahasuerus
is master of 127 provinces, but not master of 10 minutes' sleep! What
shall he do? Shall he call for soothing instruments of music, or
beguile the hours with a tale that is told, or with a merry ballad of
the minstrel? No, he calls for a book. Who would have thought that this
luxurious prince must listen to a reader in the dead of night? "Bring a
book!" What book? "A volume

perfumed with roses, musical with songs, sweet as the notes of the
nightingale?" "No, bring the chronicles of the empire." Dull reading,
that!

But there are 127 provinces–which volume shall the page bring from the
recorder's shelves? He chose the record of Shushan the royal city. That
is the center of the empire and its record is lengthy. In which section
shall the reader make a beginning? He may begin where he pleases, but
he chooses the section which contains the story of the discovery of a
conspiracy by Mordecai! The reader settles upon that one of all others!
The Jews tell us that he began at another place, but that the book
closed and fell open at the chapter upon Mordecai. Be that as it may,
this is certain–the Lord knew where the record was and guided the
reader to the right page! Speaking after the manner of men, there were
a million chances against one that the king of Persia should, in the
dead of the night, be reading the chronicle of his own kingdom–and
that he should light upon this particular part of it!

But that was not all. The king is interested. He had desired to go to
sleep, but that wish is gone and he is in haste to act. He says, "This
man, Mordecai, has done me good service. Has he been rewarded?" "No."
Then cries the impulsive monarch, "He shall be rewarded at once! Who is
in the court?" It was the most unlikely thing in the world for the
luxurious Ahasuerus to be in haste to do justice, for he had done
injustice thousands of times without remorse–and chiefly on that day
when he wantonly signed the death warrant of that very Mordecai and his
people! For once the king is intent on being just–and at the door
stands Haman–but you know the rest of the story. How he had to lead
Mordecai in state through the streets.

It seems a very small matter whether you or I shall sleep tonight or
toss restlessly on our beds, but God will be in our rest or in our
wakefulness. We know not what His purpose may be, but His hand will be
in it! Neither does any man sleep or wake but according to the decree
of the Lord. Observe well how this matter prepared the way for the
queen at the next banquet. When she unfolded her sorrow and told of the
threatened destruction of the Jews–and pointed to that wicked
Haman–the king must have been the more interested and ready to grant
her request. Especially since the man who had saved his life was a Jew
and that he had already awarded the highest honors to Mordecai, fitted,
in every way, to supersede his worthless favorite!

All was well. The plotter was unmasked, the gallows ready and he who
ordered it was made to try his own arrangements!

V. Our next remark is THE LORD, IN HIS PROVIDENCE, CALLS HIS OWN
SERVANTS TO BE ACTIVE. This

business was done, and well done, by Divine Providence. But those
concerned had to pray about it. Mordecai and all the Jews outside and
in Shushan fasted and cried unto the Lord. Unbelievers inquire, "What
difference could prayer make?" My Brethren, prayer is an essential part
of the Providence of God. It so essential that you will always find
that when God delivers His people, His people have been praying for
that deliverance!

They tell us that prayer does not affect the Most High and cannot altar
His purposes. We never thought it did, but prayer is a part of the
purpose and plan, and a most effective wheel in the machinery of
Providence. The Lord sets His people praying and then He blesses them.
Moreover, Mordecai was quite sure the Lord would deliver His people,
and he expressed that confidence, but he did not, therefore, sit
still–he stirred up Esther. And when she seemed a little slack, he put
it very strongly–"If you altogether hold your peace at this time, then
enlargement and deliverance will arise from another place, but you and
your father's house shall be destroyed." Nerved by this message, Esther
braced herself to the effort. She did not sit still and say, "The Lord
will arrange this business, there is nothing for me to do." No, she
both pleaded with God and ventured her life and all for her people's
sake. And then acted very wisely and discreetly in her interviews with
the king.

So, my Brothers and Sisters, we rest confidently in Providence, but we
are not idle! We believe that God has an elect people and therefore we
preach in the hope that we may be the means, in the hands of His
Spirit, of bringing this elect people to Christ. We believe that God
has appointed for His people both holiness here and Heaven hereafter.
Therefore we strive against sin and press forward to the rest which
remains for the people of God. Faith in God's Providence, instead of
repressing our energies, excites us to diligence! We labor as if all
depended upon us and then fall back upon the Lord with the calm faith
which knows that all depends upon Him.

VI. Now we must close our historical review with the remark that in the
end THE LORD ACHIEVES THE TOTAL

DEFEAT OF HIS FOES AND THE SAFETY OF HIS PEOPLE. Never was a man so
utterly defeated as Haman! Never

was a project so altogether turned aside. He was taken in his own trap
and he and his sons were hanged up on the gallows set up for Mordecai!
As for the Jews, they were in this special danger, that they were to be
destroyed on a certain day, and though Esther pleaded with the king for
their lives, he was not able to alter his decree! Though willing to do
so, it was a rule of the constitution that the law of the Medes and
Persians could not be altered.

The king might determine what he pleased, but when he had once decreed
it, he could not change it–the people feeling it better to submit to
the worst established law than to be left utterly to every capricious
whim of their master. Now, what was to be done? The decree was given
that the Jews might be slain–and it could not be reversed. Here was
the door of escape–another decree was issued giving the Jews
permission to defend themselves and take the property of any who dared
to attack them! Thus one decree effectually neutralized the other.

With great haste this mandate was sent all over the kingdom and on the
appointed day the Jews stood up for themselves and slew their foes.
According to their tradition nobody attempted to attack them except the
Amalekites– and consequently, only Amalekites were slain–and the race
of Amalek was, on that day, swept from off the face of the earth! God
thus gave to the Jews a high position in the empire and we are told
that many became Jews, or were proselytes to the God of Abraham because
they saw what God had done.

As I commenced by saying that God sometimes darted flashes of light
through the thick darkness, you will now see what a flash this must
have been. All the people were perplexed when they found that the
Hebrews might be put to death, but they must have been far more
astonished when the decree came that they might defend themselves! All
the world enquired, "Why is this?" And the answer was, "The living God
whom the Jews worship has displayed His wisdom and rescued His people."
All nations were compelled to feel that there was a God in Israel and
thus the Divine purpose was fully accomplished–His people were secured
and His name was glorified to the world's end!

From the whole we learn the following lessons. First, it is clear that
the Divine will is accomplished, and yet men are perfectly free agents.
Haman acted according to his own will. Ahasuerus did whatever he
pleased. Mordecai behaved as his heart moved him. And so did Esther. We
see no interference with them, no force or coercion. Therefore the
entire sin and responsibility rest with each guilty one, yet, acting
with perfect freedom, none of them acts otherwise than Divine
Providence had foreseen. "I cannot understand it," says one. My dear
Friend, I am compelled to say the same–I do not understand it, either!
I have known many who think they comprehend all things, but I fancy
they had a higher opinion of themselves than truth would endorse.

Certain of my brethren deny free agency and so get out of the
difficulty. Others assert that there is no predestination, and so cut
the knot. As I do not wish to get out of the difficulty and have no
wish to shut my eyes to any part of the Truth of God, I believe both
free agency and predestination to be facts. How they can be made to
agree, I do not know, or care to know! I am satisfied to know anything
which God chooses to reveal to me–and equally content not to know what
He does not reveal. There it is. Man is a free agent in what he does,
responsible for his actions, and verily guilty when he does wrong. And
he will be justly punished, too! And if he is lost, the blame will rest
with only himself. But yet there is One who rules over all, who,
without complicity in their sin, makes even the actions of wicked men
to subserve His holy and righteous purposes. Believe these two Truths
of God and you will see them in practical agreement in daily life,
though you will not be able to devise a theory for harmonizing them on
paper.

Next, we learn what wonders can be worked without miracles. When God
does a wonderful thing by suspending the laws of Nature, men are
greatly astonished, and say, "This is the finger of God." But nowadays
they say to us, "Where is your God? He never suspends His laws, now!" I
see God in the history of Pharaoh, but I must confess I see Him quite
as clearly in the history of Haman. And I think I see Him in even a
grander light, for, (I say it with reverence to His holy name), it is a
somewhat rough method of accomplishing a purpose to stop the wheels of
Nature and reverse wise and admirable laws. Certainly it reveals His
power, but it does not so clearly display His Immutability.

When, however, the Lord allows everything to go on in the usual way,
and gives mind and thought, ambition and passion their full
liberty–and yet achieves His purpose–it is doubly wonderful! In the
miracles of Pharaoh we see the finger of God, but in the wonders of
Providence, without miracles, we see the hand of God. Today, whatever
the event may be, whether it is the war between the Germans and the
French, or the march into Coomassie, or the change of our own
government, the attentive eye will as clearly see the Lord as if by
miraculous power the hills had leaped from their places, or the floods
had stood upright in a heap! I am sure that God is in the world, yes,
and is at my own fireside and in

my chamber. And I am sure He manages my affairs and orders all things
for me, and for each one of His children. We need no miracles to
convince us of His working. The wonders of His Providence are as great
marvels as miracles themselves.

Next we learn how safe the Church of God is. At one time the people of
God seemed to be altogether in Haman's power. Nero once said that he
wished his enemies had but one neck that he might destroy them all at a
blow. Haman seemed to have realized just such power. Yet the chosen
nation was delivered, the Jewish people lived on until the Messiah
came, and does exist, and will exist till they shall enjoy the bright
future which is decreed for them. So is it with the Church of God
today. The foes of the Truth of God can never put out the candle which
God has lit. They can never crush the living seed which the Lord Jesus
has sown in His own blood-bought people. Brethren, be not afraid, but
establish your hearts in God!

Again, we see that the wicked will surely come to an ill end. They may
be very powerful, but God will bring them down. They may be very crafty
and may plot and plan, and may think that even God, Himself, is their
accomplice because everything goes as they desire. But they may be sure
their sin will find them out. They may dig deep as Hell, but God will
undermine them. They may climb as high as the stars, but God will be
above them to hurl them down. Wicked man, I charge you, if you are
wise, to turn from your career of opposition to the Most High! You
cannot stand against Him– neither can you outwit Him. Cease, I beseech
you, from this idle opposition, and hear the voice of His Gospel which
says, "Confess your sin and forsake it. Believe in Jesus, the Son of
God, the great atoning Sacrifice, and even you shall yet be saved." If
you do not so, upon your own head shall your iniquities fall!

Last of all, let each child of God rejoice that we have a guardian so
near the Throne. Every Jew in Shushan must have felt hope when he
remembered that the queen was a Jewess. Today let us be glad that Jesus
is exalted–

"He is at the Father's side, The Man of Love, the Crucified.'" How safe
are all His people, for, "if any man sins, we have an Advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous." There is one that lies in the
bosom of God who will plead for all those who put their trust in Him!
Therefore be you not dismayed, but let your souls rest in God and wait
patiently for Him–for sooner shall Heaven and earth pass away than
those who trust the Lord perish! "They shall not be ashamed nor
confounded, world without end." Amen.

PORTION OF SCRIPTURE READ BEFORE SERMON–Esther 5:9-14; 6, 7. HYMNS
FROM "OUR OWN HYMN BOOK"–251, 210, 207.
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