ESTHER & NEHEMIAH

Today is Sunday!  What a great time had yesterday with our Men's Prayer Breakfast, and then two softball games.  We have almost 50 of our men who are in our softball league.  We have four teams and we only play each other.  It is a real blesing.  My team won both games last night and I am the pitcher for the Cardinals.  It is good fun and knits more men into connecting with other men.  This morning, I finished up Esther and read into Nehemiah.  Both books I really enjoy.  Here are a few thoughts: 1) GOD IN AND BEHIND THE SCENES- When I read Esther, it dawns on me how wonderfully God is working in and behind the scenes of life to bring about His purpose.  King Ahasuerus, looks for a new queen and finds it in Esther, a Jew.  Mordecai her uncle gives her guidence and she follows his instructions.  Esther wins the heart of the king and both Esther and Mordecai, turn the evil plot of Haman into a day of redemption and judgment for the Jews and their enemies.  Now, Ahasuerus in mentioned in Ezra.  As Ezra and Zerubbabel build the temple, God is giving the Jews favor in the King by way of a beautiful young lady, Esther.  When the Jews building the temple would have been all wiped out by Haman's decree, God uses Esther and Mordecai to turn it all around and now the enemies of the Jews are wiped out.  (75,811 in all throughout the kingdom)  In Daniel, we we see that Darius, (who loved Daniel) was the son of Ahasuerus, King of the Medes and Persians. Could Darius be the son of Esther and Ahasuerus?  We don't know, but at least Darius would have been influenced by Esther and Mordecai and aware of trick decrees like Haman had contrived.  So, he too was tricked into judgment against Daniel, but God again.... switched it all around!  So, I love the message of Esther.  Here it is:  God is in Control!  and:  God is working IN and BEHIND the SCENES of LIFE! 2) HIS GRIEF WAS VERY GREAT- In Job 2:13, Job's friends gather around him and it says: "... and none spake a word unto him:  for they saw that his grief was very great."  Job had lost his servants, his children, his wealth, and his health.  And when his friends come to comfort him in verse 12, it reads:  "And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voices, and wept;..."   They couldn't even recognize their friend for the boils that so filled his body.  The swelling, the sores, the pain, the sorrow.... his grief was very great.  He had a Hedge of protection about him, 1:10, but now he is hedged in by sorrow.  3:23   God is not through with Job.  His grief will go away, joy will once again fill his days.... the same is true for us as well.  Hang in there! 3) HAPPY IN CORRECTION- Job 5:17,18 says:  "Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth:  therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:  For he maketh sore, and bindeth up:  he woundeth, and his hands make whole."  This is what Eliphaz says in his response to Job's pain in chapters four and five.  The idea is that we are to rejoice in that God loves us enough to correct us.  When we are being corrected it can be very painful, but we should rejoice in it's final outcome for our lives.  The area that Eliphaz was wrong was that Job was not being corrected.  His suffering came from a higher source.  God proving Job's faithfulness to Him.  But the principle is still true.  Let us rejoice when God deals with us.  Well, so much for today.  Have a great day at Church!  Blessing be upon you!  Pastor Mike Mutchler,  Pastor of the great people of Grand View Baptist Church  (sure love them!)