A Plead for Mercy

Habakkuk 3:1-19

Habakkuk’s third prayer is more a song to be sung not in the way we would sing, but it worked for them.  But shall we learn from the second verse, “O Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear?  In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.”  Habakkuk is reflecting on what God has shared with him, and more than likely it is how He is going to use evil Babylon to punish Judah.  Habakkuk understands that God holds his people to a standard, and sin brings about judgment, so he pleads for mercy. 

In verses 3-7, Habakkuk has a vision of God marching north in power and wrath, and it is more a vision of how God is going to bring nations to fear his power and anger, not by military ways, but by lightning bolts, plagues, earthquakes, and pestilence.

I have read that the people of Babylon put faith in the goddesses Tiamat and Marduk that controlled the rivers and sea, but Habakkuk sees in his vision God displacing their little gods with His power and might.  For God is going to save His people and keep the lineage of David, that all people could have the promise of the coming Messiah.

Now it is time to get excited, and we also should have the same confidence in God as Habakkuk and be open to express it as he has in verses 16-19.  “I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me.  Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble
to come upon people who invade us.  The prophet is waiting for the judgment of Judah and the destruction of Babylon.  When he talks about his body trembles, he is referring to Babylon’s invasion of Judah.

Now listen to Habakkuk; Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail, and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.  God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places.”

Habakkuk’s victory was his faith in God, and that is the only place you and I will find victory.  If we moved this to 2018, we might say, though the grocery stores have no food, and my savings account is empty and powerful nations are coming against us, our only hope is God.  And we, like Habakkuk should say the righteous must live by faith.  Or what about this faith; “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Let me close with this word from Oswald Chambers; “If you are depending upon anything but Him, you will never know when He is gone.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Woes to the Babylonians

Habakkuk 2:6-20

God gave five woes in conjunction with the insult and wrongs done to his people and their God.  As one reads the verses it is like reading a proverb, this is the first of the Woes. “Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say, “Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own— for how long? — and loads himself with pledges!”  Will not your debtors suddenly arise, and those awake who will make you tremble?  Then you will be spoil for them.  Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them.”

It sure sounds as if the Babylonians are mounting up a debt they will not be able to repay, and yet it is going to be required of them. The second Woe is found in verses 9-11; “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm!  You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited your life.  For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond.”

It is of interest that those who have been in slavery or killed by Babylon do not have a voice to cry out to the Lord, but the stone and the beam they have taken are crying out to the Lord.  The third Woe is much the same, it is about bloodshed and injustice of slave labor, but God will deal with Babylon when the Persians topple them.  “Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity!  Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing? For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

Let’s look at the four Woes in verses 15-17, “Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink— you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness!  You will have your fill of shame instead of glory.  Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision!  The cup in the Lord's right hand will come around to you, and utter shame will come upon your glory!  The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them.

One of the tools Babylon used to make the people submit and offer little or no resistance in breaking their will was they would degrade and humiliate the conquered people.  And the fifth Woe was about the worship of Marduk, their god, but the problem was that it was a piece of wood, a lifeless idol that could not speak and had no power.  Whereas the Jewish people had the living God, Yahweh, and He would have the last word.  The fifth Woe,  “What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies?  For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols! Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise!  Can this teach?  Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it.  But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Allowing God to be God

Habakkuk 2:1-5

Most of us pray, we sometimes plead and even beg God to hear and respond in such a way that it is clear His will is done.  And often I show how little understanding I have of my Creator when I try to offer advice on how He should answer my request.  Often, we must do as Habakkuk and wait for God’s response.  Today as we explore the following verses we can learn from Habakkuk’s willingness to stand at his guard post at the lookout tower, and wait for what God has to say to him and how he should reply about his complaint.

Verse one, “I will take my stand at my watch post and station myself on the tower,
and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint.”

You and I would be wise to follow God’s instruction when He answers our prayer, and keep a record of how He spoke to us.  Look at verses 2-5, “Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.  For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie.  If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.

“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. “Moreover, wine is a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest.  His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death, he has never enough.  He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples.”

The appointed time for the vision was future, but that did not change the results the Babylon invasion will come true.  Yes, Habakkuk was correct in his statement that Babylonians were more evil and arrogant than the people of Judah, but God has spoken.  You and I would be wise to ponder on God’s counsel to Habakkuk, but the righteous shall live by his faith.  Habakkuk and all who were righteous must live by faith.  God put the book of Hebrews in the Bible, so we could understand what faith is. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Often, we the created think God needs our counsel, but that’s wrong!  God does not need to explain his actions to His creation, no more than when I in my woodshop choose to use one lumber over another.  When we allow God to be God, and we trust in His goodness, His mercy, and recall the grace He has given to each of us when we find His ways challenging to understand. 

Jesus has some excellent counsel for each of us in Matthew 6:33-34, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A tool of Judgment

Habakkuk 1:12-17

Yesterday we explored Habakkuk’s conversation with God, and today we will continue with Habakkuk’s prayer.  “Are You not from eternity, Yahweh my God?
My Holy One, You will not die.  Lord, You appointed them to execute judgment; my Rock, You destined them to punish us.  Your eyes are too pure to look on evil, and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing.  So why do You tolerate those who are treacherous?  Why are You silent while one who is wicked swallows up
one who is more righteous than himself?” (Habakkuk 1:12-14)

Habakkuk is not reminding God He is from eternity, that He is the Holy One, that He will not die, but is telling himself about these truths.  And though he is not happy about Babylon being used by God to bring about his peoples judgment, he must ask these questions. “So why do You tolerate those who are treacherous?  Why are You silent while one who is wicked swallows up
one who is more righteous than himself?” Have you not ask the same questions of God when it comes to those like the Clintons and others whose only god is money and power, have you not wondered how long Lord before you bring judgment on them and their house?

Now back to verses 15-17, “You have made mankind like the fish of the sea, like marine creatures that have no ruler.  The Chaldeans pull them all up with a hook, catch them in their dragnet and gather them in their fishing net; that is why they are glad and rejoice.  That is why they sacrifice to their dragnet and burn incense to their fishing net, for by these things their portion is rich and their food plentiful.  Will they, therefore, empty their net and continually slaughter nations without mercy?

Habakkuk’s complaint could be made against anyone or any nation that begins to trust in its might or wealth, as a source of worship.   Maybe you have not given thought to the word worship: adoration or devotion comparable to religious homage, shown toward a person or principle.  Worship is anytime you put someone or even a football team or government above God.  We do it with our children, our mates, our jobs, and our golf, fishing, and the list goes on.

Babylon captured so many nations and people it was like the fish in the sea, and they put trust in their nets or better military might, and it became a source of worship.  How foolish of you and me to not see and understand that our God can use the smallest of nations, to bring down the proud and mighty.  Look at Rome or Great Britain, both were great and powerful at one time, and so was Germany, but God!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Where do you put Trust?

Habakkuk 1:1-4

The first words we hear from this prophet is a prayer in verses 2-4; “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?  Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save?  Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong?  Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.  So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth.  For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.”

This prayer was sometime in 600 B.C. by a prophet named Habakkuk, but is it that uncommon to your prayers?  How many times have you prayed and it seemed the heavens were closed to your prayers?  Or you witnessed evil and violence taking place, as was done last year when a wicked man entered a church and mowed down people who had come to worship.  Often we ask the question why, why did my child have to suffer, why did my friend kill himself, why did you allow a godly man to die so young, yes, we have questions?   God seems not to hear, as was the case with Habakkuk.

Then like Habakkuk we get a word from God but it is often not the word we were hoping for.  Shall we listen to how God replied; “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded.  For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.  For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own. They are dreaded and fearsome; their justice and dignity go forth from themselves.
Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves; their horsemen press proudly on.  Their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swift to devour.  They all come for violence, all their faces forward. They gather captives like sand.  At Kings, they scoff, and at rulers, they laugh.  They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it.  Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their god!”

An example from our time and only used as such would be if God told one of us that He was raising up China to march through the earth and seek to kill and destroy and take what they wanted.  Once more, I am only using them as an example of what God told Habakkuk about the Chaldeans.  For like the Chaldeans, the rulers of China believe their might is their god.  If you put yourself in Habakkuk’s shoes, do you want God to rise up an army to come against you?

This thought is worth pondering; do you trust in God or the might of the United States of America?  I’m fearful that too many who go by the name Christian put faith in the United States military and economic power.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Introduction to the book of Habakkuk

Introduction to the book of Habakkuk

Taken from

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Study Bible

One of the Minor Prophets, the book of Habakkuk is unique in its style.  Rather than speaking to the people on God’s behalf, Habakkuk spoke to God on behalf of the people.  Habakkuk struggled with how to understand God’s actions in history, especially His use of an unrighteous nation as the instrument of His justice.  God’s answer to Habakkuk’s objection was that “the righteous one will live by his faith” (2:4)

I also believe this information will be helpful: These historical events help us to attach a date to the book of Habakkuk.  Habakkuk probably wrote his prophecy during the time of trouble after the death of King Josiah of Judah in 609 B.C. but before the devastations of Judah in 598/597 B.C. by the Chaldeans.  That places the prophecy during the reign of Jehoiakim (609-599 B.C.), probably in the period of Egyptian domination before Babylon invaded Judah (609-605 B.C.).

I’ve been in the Sunday school class with Habakkuk’s, they ignore or are ignorant of these words spoken by our LORD Jesus the Christ; “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

If you find yourself in the company of someone who claims a full understanding of God and His ways, you need to bow to them and call them Lord.  Or maybe better counsel is to remove your self from their association for we are the created and cannot understand why our Creator allows terrible things to happen, by the evil acts of people.

But this we know, God is Love. He demonstrated His love for you and me by asking His Son, His only Son, to step out of heavens glory, where He is worshipped as King of Kings and LORD of Lords, mighty God, and Creator of all that is or will ever be to redeem mankind by the shedding of His blood on a cross.

We also know that God keeps His promises, and yet so many who question His actions have little or no understanding of what has been promised. I hope that if you are one who blames God you will become a follower of Christ.  And by faith in the finished work of the cross, and a Savior who sits at the right hand of the Father, who died but the grave could not hold, will provide you with the faith to have the victory, for Faith is the Victory!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Too busy with the moment.

Esther 9:13-32

I’m going to let you have a small glance into my soul, my mind, will, and emotions.  Now let us be clear, the mind is not the brain, the brain is an organ and an exceptional one, but it is a piece of meat like the liver and heart, but our bodies do not work without any of the three.

I’ve always said if I were a black man living in the United States of America Martin Luther King would be one of my heroes.  But in that I’m not a black person, I can only be thankful that God used him in such a movement to expose the evil of not allowing a man’s color to control where he rides on a bus.

Should there be an MLK day to remember his life and what God did through his life, the answer is yes, have a day of remembering and celebration and being thankful for what God has done?  Then why is it wrong for a white person from the south to honor a man like Robert E. Lee?  I researched this man, and it is clear he was a man of deep moral character, a leader, who walked before both God and man with integrity and had a love for his home state of Virginia.  He was a West Point Man, a general of the Southern troops and after the war, gave allegiance to the USA and became president of Washington College; in that position he supported reconciliation between North and South.  Lee accepted "the extinction of slavery."  He is a man I’ve always admired!

But unlike the Jewish people, we as a people and culture do not reflect on our history; we are too busy with the moment.  I believe this generation is like the man talked about in James 1:8, “He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”  A culture controlled by stuff and not relationships, where more is known about some low moral movie star or football player than how their local government runs, much less state or federal. 

A people who have no understanding of history will always repeat it, never learning, easily led to do wrong.  That’s why the Jewish leader; Mordecai and Queen Esther called for this day of rejoicing a day of remembering what God had done for them.  “They were to be days of feasting, rejoicing, and of sending gifts to one another and the poor.” (Esther 9:22b)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

What happen to Jew haters

Esther 9:5-19

Often before making a judgment on the Jewish peoples actions, in verses 5-10, it would be helpful if we did a little research to see if they were not just doing what God had commanded King Saul to do.  Our real enemy is a thief, a liar, a deceiver, and a murderer, and if you are wise, you will understand he has plans to ruin your life, that his goal is to kill, steal, and destroy you and your family.

The very best commentator of the Scriptures is the Scriptures and with that said, let us look at verses 5-10.  “The Jews put all their enemies to the sword, killing and destroying them. They did what they pleased to those who hated them. In the fortress of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed 500 men, including Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha. They killed these 10 sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. However, they did not seize any plunder.”

It was normal to take the stuff of the ones you had killed in that time, and I believe it was a clear message that it was not about enriching themselves, but only to defend and protect their lives.

The King is asking for a casualty report and told that 500 men were killed in the fortress of Susa, and he wants to know what was the tally in the other royal provinces.  The number does not seem to bother him but he does want to know if Queen Esther has any additional request, and she does?  You may think that she is one mean-spirited woman, because she wants another day to kill more Jew haters, and she wants to hang the 10 dead sons of Haman on the gallows he built.  But she was making sure that the ones who were out to destroy her people were defeated, and would not come back at a later date to attack.  The hanging of the 10 dead sons was a reminder of what would happen to Jew haters.

Verses 16-19, “The rest of the Jews in the royal provinces assembled, defended themselves and got rid of their enemies. They killed 75,000 of those who hated them, but they did not seize any plunder. They fought on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar and rested on the fourteenth, and it became a day of feasting and rejoicing.

But the Jews in Susa had assembled on the thirteenth and the fourteenth days of the month. They rested on the fifteenth day of the month, and it became a day of feasting and rejoicing. This explains why the rural Jews who live in villages observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a time of rejoicing and feasting. It is a holiday when they send gifts to one another.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Watchers not Thinkers

Esther 9:3-4

If you were into Anthropology which is the study of humankind, and in particular the culture, what a study the book of Esther would make, and especially the life of Mordecai.  Shall we take a moment to look at this from heaven’s view?  We see this Jewish man sitting outside the gate, not in the inner circle as Haman is.  We know Queen Vashti, a lady of worth and a real beautiful woman is having a party, and the king who is drunk wants to show her off with all his other possessions. 

We find this young Jewish girl a real beauty, and no one knows she is a Jew being picked to be the Queen.  Her Uncle, who has taken care of her from childhood because of her parent's death, is being used by God to redeem and restore God’s chosen people. 

We also have to see Mordecai and Haman the second most powerful man in the kingdom at odds.  And Haman is hung on the gallows he has had made to hang Mordecai on.  Hollywood should be all over this story, what a movie, what a story of how “the winds of life can change.”

People are fickle; they are like the wind, they change frequently and especially in regards to loyalties, we will see this as we move on in our story today.

Here is the account in verse 3, “All the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and the royal civil administrators aided the Jews because they were afraid of Mordecai. For Mordecai exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful.”

We need to reflect on that verse and not just keep going, and in reflection you should come to an understanding that the officials, the satraps, the governors, and even the royals, were no different than mankind is today.  In my time in Corporate America I realized this and observed leaders and leadership and those who were always looking for a better title and pay.  They are not thinkers, they are watchers, whatever the person in the slot above says, the slot they are looking to take, they agree with, they just want more power, more pay!

That also is very accurate in government, and sad but true in many churches, it’s called the desires of the flesh, and flesh has one god, and it is self.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

“The changing of the Wind”

Esther 8

Have you heard the term, “The changing of the Wind” that the mighty Haman is dead, the Agagite, the hater of the Jews?  Mordecai the Jew is now the one with the King's royal signet ring, and the king has turned over the estate of Haman to Queen Esther and Mordecai.  That is an interesting story worth your time reading and giving thought to.  But who changes the wind?  We find in Scripture this conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

If you and I are using the brainpower God has given us, we should grasp that “the changing of the wind” was the hand of God working to bless His chosen people, the Jewish race.  Then, as now, many of the Jewish people a few days later got busy with life and forgot who redeemed them from sure destruction.

Are you and I much different than them?  Or are we more like a Nicodemus, a teacher of the Law, a brilliant scholar and yet ignorant of whom it is that “Changes the Wind”?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Who can overcome God?

Esther 9: 1-2

If Hollywood were doing a movie of Esther, how different the story would be from the Scriptures.  Esther would have had something going on with Haman, and Uncle Mordecai would have been part of Mossad to overthrow the king.  Nowhere would an unseen God be mentioned, or that He is the one moving the pieces and circumstances to rescue His people from eradication.  So let’s leave Hollywood to fiction and go with facts or truth.

Taking up the account in chapter nine verses 1-2, “The king’s command and law went into effect on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar. On the day when the Jews’ enemies had hoped to overpower them, just the opposite happened. The Jews overpowered those who hated them. In each of King Ahasuerus’s provinces, the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those who intended to harm them. Not a single person could withstand them; terror of them fell on every nationality.”

It is crucial to remember Mordecai is rebelling against the King’s directive not bowing to Haman and Haman does not have the authority to kill Mordecai, or he would have done so.  But God used Mordecai as He has used many of you to change the life of one or many people.  The Jewish had no hope it seemed, “But God,” and that was all they needed and all we need.  What does this statement do to your faith; “On the day when the Jews’ enemies had hoped to overpower them, just the opposite happened. The Jews overpowered those who hated them. In each of King Ahasuerus’s provinces, the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those who intended to harm them. Not a single person could withstand them; terror of them fell on every nationality.”

With God doing it all for me, who can overcome my God?  Maybe we need to be reminded of Romans 8:37, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

He is always faithful.

Esther 7

A turn of events, I mean the mother of all turns is going on in the mind of Haman, two days ago he is on top of the world building a 75-foot tall gallows to hang his enemy, Mordecai.  He wants to walk in the king’s chambers and ask what should I do for the man the king wants to honor?  Haman is so full of self that he is sure it is him the king wishes to honor so this is what he said.  “And Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown is set. And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king's most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, proclaiming before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.’”

Have you been there, sure that you got the job, only to find out you were not in the running and even worse than that is to find the person you had disdain for is the one that will be your new boss?  If so, you’re not even close to the emotion Haman is experiencing.  And when things go wrong, and you share it with family and friend, they tell you that you are toast and that is not helpful and that counsel Haman received from both wife and friends, after his going all over the city proclaiming what a great man Mordecai was.

One might wonder, are the gallows going to be used at all, and if you keep reading in chapter 7, you will find the answer.  So let us move into chapter 7, and how a eunuch of the king showed up at Haman’s home and rushed him to the king’s banquet Esther had prepared.  We have the king and Haman coming to the feast, and it is the second day of good wine and food, and the king is so happy with his queen, and ask again what can I do for you, up to half of the kingdom.  Now as stated before, that’s not going to happen but what did catch the king by surprise?

“Queen Esther answered, “If I have obtained your approval, my king, and if the king is pleased, spare my life—this is my request; and spare my people—this is my desire. For my people and I have been sold out to destruction, death, and extermination. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept silent. Indeed, the trouble wouldn’t be worth burdening the king.”  Not what the king was expecting, this was a well thought out request, and it caught both the king and Haman by surprise.  With one exception, the light came on for Haman, and I am sure his first thought was I am toast, she a Jew.

But the king has a question: “King Ahasuerus spoke up and asked Queen Esther, “Who is this, and where is the one who would devise such a scheme?”

Esther answered, “The adversary and enemy is this evil Haman.”

Haman stood terrified before the king and queen. Angered by this, the king arose from where they were drinking wine and went to the palace garden. Haman remained to beg Queen Esther for his life because he realized the king was planning something terrible for him. Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the house of wine drinking, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Would he actually violate the queen while I am in the palace?” As soon as the statement left the king’s mouth, Haman’s face was covered.”

The party is over and as that great scholar “Dandy Don” Meredith said, when a game seemed lost, “and the fat lady had sung.”  That is where Haman finds himself on that day, and things go from bad to it does not get worse than this.

“Harbona, one of the royal eunuchs, said: “There is a gallows 75 feet tall at Haman’s house that he made for Mordecai, who gave the report that saved the king.”

The king commanded, “Hang him on it.”

They hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s anger subsided.”

The lesson should be clear, do not set your heart on evil, do not oppose what God calls his own, and forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Mordecai and Esther waited on the LORD to give instruction, and He is always faithful.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

But God

Esther 5

The Church of 2018 has not modeled or learned from either Mordecai or Esther.  She was not willing to do anything without the prayers of her people, and she asked them to fast and pray for three nights and days.  Mordecai, her guardian, was willing to submit to her authority and do what she said.  Maybe the reason the 2018 Church has no power is that its faith is in trying to do God’s work with programs and not prayer and fasting!

When God is being sought and followed, we will act as Esther, she took off her clothes of bereavement after three days of prayer and fasting and got dressed in her Royal garb.  When she entered the king’s presence her hope was in the Lord not in the King, and she experienced a “but God moment.”  Picking up the account in verse 2, “As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, she won his approval. The king extended the gold scepter in his hand toward Esther, and she approached and touched the tip of the scepter.”  We have this promise and so did Esther, found in Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For it is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will not leave you or forsake you.”  Could it be that she took the promise of God to His bank and cashed it in, while most of the Church depends on some man to do it all for them?  You know the deacons, or the preacher, or someone who has the ear of God, but that is foolish, for if you pass the test in 2 Corinthians 13:5, Christ lives in you.  Could it be we have a habit of running to other sources and not to our LORD?

Verse 3, “What is it, Queen Esther?” the king asked her. “Whatever you want, even to half the kingdom will be given to you.”  Now that was not a real offer, but I bet the old boy was saying to himself, what is wrong with me I have been messing around with my concubines and this Queen of mine needs my attention?  You have to realize it's, king first, and all others including the Queen come in second, we have a lot of dad’s like that today in the Church.

But the Queen’s reply was much different then, and now she did not come wanting stuff, she wanted to do something special for her King and his right-hand man Haman.  Haman is so full of Haman until he gets to the King’s gate and Mordecai does not move, all others do, but Mordecai sits as if he has no fear of this man or what he can do to him.  And now what was a great day is ruined and he goes home and tells the wife and friends how great, how rich, how he was the only guest outside of the king invited to the Queen's party.  But then the downer, yes, he and the king are asked back for another party by the Queen but that sorry, no good Mordecai is ruining it all for him.

So then Haman’s wife comes up with a plan, build a gallows 75 feet high and ask the King to hang Mordecai from it the next morning.  That sounds like a plan, so he had the gallows built and was looking forward to the next day to see his enemy hanging, and him going to a lovely party.  “But God”! 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

If I Perish, I perish

Esther 4:1-17

Have you noticed that bad news gets more media time, more print than good news, and it seems to keep getting reported for extended periods?  Mordecai has received the sad news of what Haman has offered the king and that the king has allowed him to use his signet ring to seal the law.  It is now the law of the land that in eleven months every Jew in the 127 provinces would be killed.

Mordecai, it is believed was an officer of some kind in the king’s court, but one who was in great distress and wept openly and tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and this act would keep him from entering the King’s gate, but it did not prevent Esther from being aware.

Now Esther is like many of us she does not have the facts, but she wants to fix Mordecai’s problem, so she sends him new clothes.  When that does not work, she sends one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to her by the name of Hathach to talk with Mordecai, and he gets the real story, and a copy of the written decree, issued in Susa.  It ordered the Jewish destruction and was sent by Mordecai.

Next, we have Mordecai’s command to Esther to plead with the King for her people, and this was Esther’s reply to Mordecai found in verses 10-12.  “Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to tell Mordecai, “All the royal officials and the people of the royal provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman who approaches the king in the inner courtyard and who has not been summoned—the death penalty. Only if the king extends the gold scepter will that person live. I have not been summoned to appear before the king for the last 30 days.” Esther’s response was reported to Mordecai.”

I’m almost sure that policy will not bring the same outcome in 2018, but Esther has a clear understanding that to enter the king’s throne room without invitation has a high-risk factor, and depends on his mood at that moment.  I can see it playing out, hi honey how is your day going, it has not been good for me, but much better than yours is going to be?   

Now you have to like Mordecai, because he does not mince words; one always understands what he is saying.  Let’s continue the account in verses 13-14, “Mordecai told the messenger to reply to Esther, “Don’t think that you will escape the fate of all the Jews because you are in the king’s palace. If you keep silent at this time, liberation and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father’s house will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.”

Please do not miss the message, God did not need Esther to beg for the lives of his people, but if she were open to hearing from the Lord, he would guide her on how to do so.  The same thing holds true for you and me, but first we have to be open to the Lord’s leading.

Esther shows some excellent understanding of the need for God to do it all for her, and she makes this request of Mordecai and the Jewish people.  “Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa and fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, day or night.  My female servants and I will also fast in the same way. After that, I will go to the king even if it is against the law. If I perish, I perish.”  So Mordecai went and did everything Esther had ordered him.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Cross me and your Toast

Esther 3:12-15

In the way this degree was written to each of the ethnic groups, it seems Haman was letting one and all know that if you cross me your toast.  Now he was smart to send it out under the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the royal signet ring, and this is the account given in verses 12-15.

“The royal scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and the order was written exactly as Haman commanded. It was intended for the royal satraps, the governors of each of the provinces, and the officials of each ethnic group and written for each province in its own script and to each ethnic group in its own language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the royal signet ring. Letters were sent by couriers to each of the royal provinces telling the officials to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jewish people—young and old, women and children—and plunder their possessions on a single day, the thirteenth day of Adar, the twelfth month.
A copy of the text, issued as law throughout every province, was distributed to all the peoples so that they might get ready for that day. The couriers left, spurred on by royal command, and the law was issued in the fortress of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, while the city of Susa was in confusion.”

Did you notice that this was not a popular decree?  At this point all the people were asking, who was safe has the King lost all his marbles?  And also, it was not to be carried out for 11 months.  That is like being on death row with no appeals.  For it was known that once the king had made a decree it could not be changed.  One may wonder why the Jewish people did not just pack up and head for the hills, first, they were dependent on the king, and any such move would be like a violation of the king’s command and the annihilation would have begun earlier.

It looks like the people of God are going to be removed and Haman a hater of the Jews is going to have his cake and eat it.  But God, how I am learning to look for the “But God” moment and get ready your going to see more than one.

From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice

The hand of God working behind the curtain

Esther 2:21-23 – 3:1-11

What do you think would happen if it were reported that two Secret Service men assigned to protect the President of the United States of America were plotting to kill him?  This is the conversation Mordecai heard between two eunuchs who guarded the king’s entrance and planned to kill him.  I’m not sure what would have happened to the Secret Service guys, but after letting Esther know, she told the king it was the gallows for the two eunuchs.  It is essential for us to remember that not only did this put the Queen in good standing with the King, but it also was recorded in the Historical Record in the king’s presence.  Once more we see the hand of God moving, but no one has any understanding of this fact at the time.  How often have you seen this take place in your life only to understand it at a later date?

Once more look for the hand of God working behind the curtain, it makes no sense that Mordecai would not honor the king’s orders, but it does show the insecurity of Haman.  It is clear that Mordecai would bow to a person in authority such as the king, and Jewish law and the Scriptures are about submitting to authority.

Have you ever worked for a Haman; you understand the question a man who got evaluated way past his abilities and knew it, and sees anyone with any skills as a threat?  I have, and his name was not Haman, but they had the same problem, they need people to bow to them, and this guy brought out the Mordecai in me.

My Haman, the one I worked for did not like my sharing truth with him.  You're really not that good but leave the team alone, and we will make you look good.  Mordecai faced a Haman who hated all Jews, and once he found out Mordecai was a Jew he came up with a plan to sell the king on killing all of them.  You see not only was he a fool, but he also was an Agagite, the people God had commanded King Saul to kill one and all, and yet he did not do as instructed and it cost him his kingship.  Now Haman has come up with a plan to kill all the Jewish people including Mordecai, but it is what we do not know that will always come back to bite us.

Picking up the account in verses 8-11, “Then Haman informed King Ahasuerus, “There is one ethnic group, scattered throughout the peoples in every province of your kingdom, yet living in isolation. Their laws are different from everyone else’s, and they do not obey the king’s laws. It is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. If the king approves, let an order be drawn up authorizing their destruction, and I will pay 375 tons of silver to the accountants for deposit in the royal treasury.”
The king removed his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jewish people. Then the king told Haman, “The money and people are given to you to do with as you see fit.”

I bet you picked up on how Haman began with the truth, but the fact would not have upset the king, so he adds they do not obey the king’s laws.  Now 375 tons of silver was a lot of money, and yet it seems the king did not take it, but Haman got all he was wanting and more with the signet ring of the king.  He now could do as he pleased and it seems this weak king did not even ask the identity of the ethnic group Haman wanted to kill.

From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice