Unaware

Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.

Esther 4:5

If you are familiar with the story of Esther, then you know that wicked Haman went to King Xerxes and put a plan in motion to produce an edict that declared that all the Jews in Persia—young and old, women and children were to be destroyed, killed and annihilated and their goods were to be plundered. (Esther 3:13) A literal genocide had been planned against the Jews in Persia.

But apparently, as queen, Esther was insulated from a lot that went on in the kingdom because it does not appear that she knew about this edict. Mordecai had to tell her. Think about that! Esther’s people are in grave danger. They are about to be wiped out… and Esther is completely unaware. She is so insulated that she isn’t aware of the suffering of her own people.

Is that true of you? I would argue that American Christians are pretty insulated from the persecution and danger that Christians face in other parts of the world. It would be pretty easy for us to be unaware of that or even to ignore it. Do you?

When was the last time you prayed for your brothers and sisters in Christ who are persecuted for their faith… who are in danger of being martyred for their faith? How often do you think about the plight of Christians in Iran, in North Korea, in China, or in Nigeria?

Honestly, I don’t think about them nearly enough. I doubt you do either. So, I want to encourage you to make a point to pray for persecuted believers this week. Pray for the Christians who live in these hostile places to be bold in their witness and wise in how they conduct themselves. Pray for the orphans and widows of Christian martyrs. And consider giving to an organization like Voice of the Martyrs that ministers to persecuted believers and their families. Let’s not be unaware.

Submit When You Don't Have To

But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.

Esther 2:20

Esther is now the queen of Persia! She has wealth and power at her disposal. As Esther's adoptive father, Mordecai has no authority over her anymore! But Esther didn’t allow the power and the money and the position to harden her heart or turn her rebellious. Instead, she remembered the man who took her in as his own daughter when she was orphaned. And Esther chose to continue to honor her adoptive father and submit to his advice… even when she didn’t have to anymore.

In this way, Esther sets an example for us to follow. Many of us chafe under authority. I mean who likes having someone tell you what to do? No one! And oftentimes we are far too eager to break free from and get out from under the godly, loving authorities that God has placed in our lives... like our parents.

Let Esther be a reminder to you that even as adults we can honor our parents and submit to their instruction. If you are blessed enough to have godly people like that in your life, then avoid the temptation to be proud and rebellious. Choose to submit yourself to the advice of the godly even when you don't have to. Often, that's the wisest course. Because often… they actually know what they are talking about.

Salvation Day

In the midst of an entire chapter dedicated to the Final Judgment, the prophet Joel makes an important distinction between the wicked and the righteous. Just a few short verses after he has prophesied that the wicked will be trampled in the winepress of God's wrath, Joel says this: 

But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. (Joel 3:16)

This is an important clarification that should affect how Christians feel about the coming judgment. Make no mistake about it, the Day of the Lord will be great and terrible, but the people of God will have a refuge. God’s judgment is for the wicked. It's for the unbeliever… not for Christians. I like the way the CSB Study Bible puts it. It says, “it is judgment day for Israel’s enemies but salvation day for the people of Yahweh.”* 

In other words, the Day of the Lord means something different for the people of God than it does for unbelievers. On that day, the wicked will be crushed but the righteous will prosper. Judgment Day means salvation for us… but it means condemnation for them.

If you are a believer, then that should affect how you think about the Judgment. The wicked ought to fear Judgment Day. But as Christians, we look forward to it! Because we know that even as God pours out His wrath on the sins of man… He will be a refuge for His people. That is what enables us to agree with the prayer that is presented in the next to last verse in all of Scripture. "Come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20) Amen! Come, Lord Jesus, come and rescue us from this wicked world!

*Madden, Shawn C. “Joel.” In CSB Study Bible: Notes, edited by Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax, 1367–75. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017.

God's Response to Repentance

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—

the great locust and the young locust,

the other locusts and the locust swarm—

my great army that I sent among you."

Joel 2:25

In Joel 1, God sent an army of locusts against Judah as judgment for their sin. Along with the locusts, God also sent a prophet named Joel to call His people to repent of their sin and return to Him. And apparently... Judah did just that, because the second half of Joel 2 presents God’s response to the heartfelt return of His people.

Look at how God responds to repentant Judah. In Joel 2:25 God promises, “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.” The locusts had done several years worth of damage to the land. It should have taken years to catch up from that. But God promises to speed up their recovery by blessing their upcoming harvests.

What does this tell us about how God responds when we repent and return to Him? It tells us that if we will repent and return to the Lord, He will not turn us away. God blesses those who return to Him. And His blessing can go a long way to making us whole again, to restoring and rebuilding what sin cost us.

God can repay the years the locusts have eaten in your life. No matter how big a mess you’ve made of your life, no matter how high the cost of your sin has been, God can fix it. Now, I’m not saying that it will all go away overnight or that there will be no lasting effects of your sin. I’m saying that God has a unique way of healing the pain that sin has caused and of redeeming the scars and consequences that are left behind. So, repent and return to the Lord today.