Lesson 430 - Junior

Memory Verse

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18).

Notes

Prime Minister

Today we shall learn what happened to a man with a very bad temper. This man thought very well of himself, and it made him angry if anyone else did not think as much of him as he thought of himself.

Haman, for so his name was, had been given a high position in the court of the Persian empire, and the king had commanded that all the servants were to bow down and reverence Haman. The king, Ahasuerus, reigned over 127 provinces from the border of India all the way to Africa. Haman was ruler next to the king. He lived in the capital city of Shushan and often visited the palace in connection with his duties as prime minister.

All the king's servants bowed before Haman as he went in and out of the gate. Well, not quite all. There was one, a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai. He had been taken from Jerusalem to Babylon when Nebuchadnezzar was the world ruler. Now that Ahasuerus was king, Mordecai had been brought to Shushan the palace. Daily, as Haman went in and out of the palace gate, all except Mordecai bowed and honoured Haman.

Mordecai had no doubt heard the Law of God daily in his homeland, and he remembered the commandments, which said, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me. . . . Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them" [EXO:20:3], [EXO:20:5]). He honoured God and did not bow.

Hatred vs. a Quiet Heart

Oh, how that angered Haman! He became full of wrath. He hated Mordecai, and all his waking hours he was thinking, How can I kill Mordecai? Haman's thoughts became bitter indeed. In his heart he said, I will kill all the Jews, and he planned it that way.

That is the way the devil feels about every person who serves God. The devil wants to get rid of every one. But the Christian has a sure weapon. The Bible says: "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" [JAM:4:7]). The devil is a coward, and when a Christian takes a good firm stand for what he knows is right, the devil goes away defeated.

It is true we all see wrong things in the lives of those around about us from time to time, but as Christians we must learn to commit all such things to the Lord so the devil will not be able to take away the rest and quietness we have in our soul.

Revenge Planned

Haman made special efforts to please the king and win his good will so he would grant whatever Haman asked of him. In the meantime Haman's friends decided upon a certain lucky day -- as they believed -- when Haman should mention to the king that there were a certain people in his kingdom who would not obey the king's laws but followed laws of their own. And it would be better if they were destroyed and cleared out of the Persian empire.

The king immediately gave his consent and orders were sent to the rulers of all the provinces of the Persian empire to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, on a certain day, and their homes and riches were to be taken over by the Persians.

Sorrow

Wherever the king's decree was read there was great mourning. It was read in Shushan the palace, too, and Mordecai rent his clothes and put on sackcloth and covered his head with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry.

When Queen Esther sent to inquire of her cousin Mordecai the reason for this great mourning, Mordecai sent her a copy of the decree and told her she should go to the king to ask for mercy for her people, the Jews.

Love and Fear

Esther was afraid to go to the king. The king had not called for her for thirty days and she did not know if he cared for her any more. If he did not hold out the golden sceptre to her, she would be put to death. Mordecai sent again to Esther, saying, "Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

To everyone comes the opportunity for doing God's will. Opportunity is the door, which opens out into everything that is good in life. If it is kept closed, our own life is wasted, and the blessing we could be to others never comes to enrich their lives nor ours.

Prayer and Confidence

First she asked that Mordecai and the Jews who were with him in Shushan should fast and pray for three days and nights, and she and her maids would also fast and pray. After those three days of prayer Esther must have felt confident that God's will would be done whether she lived or died. As she dressed in her royal apparel to go in before the king as he sat upon his throne, her heart must have beaten fast with the hope that he would hold out the golden sceptre, and with the determination that she would die bravely if, in anger, the king condemned her to death.

Queen Esther had hope that the thousands of captive Jews would be released from the sentence of death, and she was willing to give herself that they might live.

Life for Death

There is always great mourning, or sadness, when sin and wickedness are all around. But, oh, we should do more than feel bad about it! We should go before God, the great King and Ruler of all the earth, and pray He will spare sinners and send His Holy Spirit to talk with them about their sins, about Jesus' death upon the Cross for them, and about the judgment that will come upon them if they do not repent.

We should be willing, as Esther was, to give our very lives that other people may be saved. One of our own ministers from our International Headquarters at Portland, Oregon in the United States of America told about the time he felt called to go to Africa to spread the Gospel there. It would have meant leaving his mother and father, his little daughter, his loved ones and friends in America. But he was willing to do it. Perhaps you have read about the missionary Livingston who left his home in England to come to Africa to tell our people about salvation. He won many souls for Jesus and at last laid down his life in Africa.

You may not be called to go to faraway places, but if God puts it upon your heart to speak to a friend or playmate about salvation, to give a church paper, or an invitation to Sunday School, you should not hesitate for fear some will make fun of you or turn you down. Some will not respond to the invitation, it is true. But someone may; and if you win just one person for Jesus, that will be worth all your efforts.

Hatred a Burden

Prayer was answered and the king's heart was moved to receive Esther. But all the while Haman carried in his heart a hatred for Mordecai; so with the encouragement of his friends, he had a big gallows made on which to hang Mordecai. If anyone carries a grudge in his heart, he will find someone who will encourage him to keep that grudge until he will say or do something bitter or hateful.

A grudge is a burden (it weighs a person down) that God does not want anyone to carry. He knows it will finally weigh a person down to hell if he does not repent and get rid of it. So God commands His people to forgive. Every Christian has to forgive, no matter what evil is done against him. He has to forgive or God will not forgive him [MAT:18:23-35]). God is the One who punishes, but it is the duty of a Christian to love his fellow men and serve the Lord with a glad heart [ROM:12:19]).

Sowing and Reaping

So Esther's request for the salvation of her people was granted, but Haman himself was hanged on the gallows he had made for Mordecai. Rather than the Jews being killed and their homes and riches being taken over by Haman and his friends, as they had hoped, Haman was killed and his property was given to the Jews.

If you give your time and effort that others might be saved, you will reap happiness here; and if you are faithful, a reward will await you in Heaven. If you wish evil for others, that very same thing may come upon you. If you carry a grudge you will reap the sinner's condemnation here; and if you do not repent, the damnation of hell will be your portion hereafter.

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" [GAL:6:7]).

Questions

1. What was the name of Ahasuerus' kingdom?

2. Who was his prime minister?

3. Why did Haman become so very angry with Mordecai?

4. What did Haman decide to do to Mordecai and all the Jews in the kingdom of Ahasuerus?

5. What did Mordecai do when the decree was made that all the Jews should be killed?

6. What did Queen Esther want Mordecai and the Jews who were with him to do before she went to the king to ask for mercy?

7. To whom should we go to ask mercy for the sinners in this world?

8. Why should we be willing to spend time and effort to help people to be saved?

9. Why must we as Christians forgive people and never, never carry a grudge in our heart?