Holy Scriptures and Israel

Guest Male: Shalom. Holy Scriptures and Israel is a ministry designed to share with the Jewish people the good news of the Lord Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah, and to instruct Christians on the Jewish roots of their faith. And now, teaching God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective, here is Gideon Levytam.

Gideon Levytam: The study of Esther chapter 4. Esther hears of the decree that Haman have sent. So now in verses 10 to 14, Esther was challenged. What's she going to do about it? Is she going to go to King Ahasuerus? Is she going to let him know that she is Jewish? Is she going to be participating in assisting her Jewish brethren, her Jewish people, or will she not do anything about it?

You and I also going to come to a test in our own lives. We're going to be sometimes having to speak publicly and let people know that we belong to the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, that we belong to the Savior, that we belong to these so-called believing community. Those that believe in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, the Lord will challenge us from time to time in our own life. A time unfortunately to our own shame, we were ashamed to tell others that we belong to Jesus, to Yeshua the Messiah. Perhaps we were afraid.

Perhaps we didn't want people to know that we are believers. We didn't want other people at work, at school, wherever we are, we don't want the time for people to know that you are a believer in Jesus, in Yeshua the Messiah. Why? Because there's consequences. There's consequences to stand for the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. Well, here's Esther being challenged. Will she take a stand and identify with her Jewish brethren in their desperate need of the moment?

So notice she sent now after Mordecai told her to go in and tell it to the king. She's sending to Mordecai and she gives him in verse 10 and 11 and 12 an answer and basically the answer is no, I'm not going to do that. You see up to now, Esther always obeyed him, but now she comes to him with an answer and she know why. Look at this. It says in verse 10, "Esther spake unto Hatach. She gave him a commandment unto Mordecai." Verse 11, she said to him to tell to Mordecai, "All the king's servants and the people of the king's province they do know that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court who is not called, there is only one law to put him to death except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden scepter that he may live."

And then she said to him at the end of verse 11, "But I have not been called to come unto the king these 30 days." Now what kind of husband and wife relationship she must have had. Every 30 days I might call you to come make a visit at my palace. You can see that the king was not right treating his own wife. Secondly you can see that even Esther the queen could not approach him at any time.

And as she is saying to Mordecai, you can just imagine beloved brothers and sisters that should she come and the king will not extend the scepter to her, she will be dead because she was not called by King Ahasuerus to come to his presence. So really what she saying to Mordecai, Mordecai you asking me to make supplication for our Jewish people but I'm sorry I cannot do it. And here's the reason. Anyone who will come to the king's court without permission or without to be called is considered to be a dead person.

And yet she says I was not even called for 30 days to come to the presence of the king. Now the king might extend his scepter and allow me to live but I cannot do this, Mordecai. That what she was really say to Mordecai who was the stepfather, so she really said no. Now remember brothers and sisters that up to now, at all time, Esther never refused to submit to Mordecai's authority. If you just turn back to chapter 2 for a moment, read with me verse 20.

"Esther had not yet showed her kindred nor her people as Mordecai had charged her. For Esther did the commandment of Mordecai like as when she was brought up with him." She always submitted to him. Whatever he told her at all time, before she became the queen, after she became a queen, Esther always submitted to Mordecai. But this time she says no, because she knew very well what would happen to her should she go and approach the king she may lose her life.

What would you do? What would I do in a situation like this? Would we be willing to sacrifice ourself on behalf of the people of our own family, our own people, the body of Messiah, believers everywhere? Would we be willing to do so? You know it's so beautiful when we read in the book of Romans about our blessed Lord Yeshua, when He came from heaven, He didn't came for people who loved Him, who wanted Him, but He came for His own enemies.

While we were without strength, the Messiah came for us. While we were His enemies, He was willing to lay down His life for us. While we were away from Him, yet He was willing to come down to do so for us. So it kind of lead us to see the beauty that is found in Yeshua, Jesus our Messiah. But you see at time the Lord will test us. At time the Lord will challenge us and here Mordecai is pressing her. You go. You tell it because our own Jewish nation is at stake.

You go and speak to King Ahasuerus. Again beloved brothers and sisters, no mention of prayer to God. No mention the God of Israel. No mention of Jehovah or Adonai or Elohim. Entirely without the name of God mentioned here in this book. And yet again I would suggest that the providence of God, the hand of God is moving about to protect the erring nation, the Jewish people who have gone astray and remain in Persia.

So in the next verses, you notice verses 13 and 14, Mordecai respond to Esther and he point to three important things that he is reminding Esther. Three things that Esther needed to be reminded in order to take a step to help her people. Number one is found in verse 13. Mordecai commanded to answer Esther and he said to her number one, "Think not within thyself that you shall escape in the king's house more than all the Jewish people."

Esther he is saying to her, don't think for a moment that because you are the queen and because you are in a good position and because you are safe as it were and nobody know that you're Jewish, don't you think for a moment that you will escape in the king's house more than all our Jewish people. In other word, the moment that he will know that you're Jewish, you will have to experience what the rest of us will experience and I tell you why. Because the law of the Medes and Persian never change. And if the king set up a decree it apply to everyone. He cannot even change it himself, even if you are his wife.

So he's telling to her you see Esther, don't think for yourself oh I'm going to escape because I'm in the king's palace, I'm in the king's house. And he doesn't know that I'm Jewish, don't think for a moment he is challenging Esther the queen. Secondly you notice what he tells her in the second thing in verse 14. He said to her something that she and he knew very well from Jewish history. He saying to her and I'm reading this, "For if you altogether hold your peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place."

Look at this, brothers and sisters. Mordecai even though he was wrong in a place that he was, he knew very well that there will arise help for the Jewish people from somewhere. And that even though he was not right you might say living for the Lord in the city of Jerusalem worshipping Him and sacrificing the offering at the temple in Jerusalem, he knew very well from history how somehow in a supernatural way God is going to help the erring nation, the people of Israel.

Again I'm repeating, if you altogether hold your peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place. You know that's where we get the song that we sing in every Pesach, the song that we call "Vehi She'amda." Vehi and it stood, it's a fact. It come from here that word arise. Deliverance shall arise. The Hebrew word is "ya'amod," will stand. Deliverance will stand somewhere for the Jewish people. Somewhere it will stand. God somehow in a supernatural way is going to preserve His own people, the people of Israel.

In Daniel chapter 3, the three Jewish boys, Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael, when they were told to worship this image and they didn't, and they were ready to cast them into the fire, you remember what they say. We know that somehow God is going to preserve us from this and protect us but even if He doesn't, we are not going to bow to your image, they said to the king. Daniel as well in chapter 6, even though the Jewish people were also away from the land and yet they stood for the Lord. I'm not going to worship another God. I'm going to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of heaven and we are going to worship Him even though you're going to cast me into the den of lions.

And you see Mordecai the Jew knew his history. He says even though he was in the wrong spiritual state, in a wrong spiritual place, he knew from history that God somehow will preserve the Jewish people. And even though God is seeing as if He is hidden from the eyes of His people, somehow in the heart of Mordecai and the heart of Esther later on, they knew very well that God is able to preserve His own people, even if the name of God is not mentioned. Let me read you a verse in Deuteronomy chapter 31 beloved brothers and sisters.

Listen to this verse. Long before Israel even enter into the land, God have told through Moshe to Israel those words. He knew very well that He will hide His face from them because of their disobedience but He will never allow Israel totally to be consumed. And so listen to this. It says in Deuteronomy chapter 31 verse 17, the Lord is speaking through Moses to our people of all Israel and He says, "Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day and I will forsake them and I will hide my face from them and they shall be devoured and many evils and troubles shall befall them so that they will say in that day are not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us."

Verse 18, "And I will surely hide my face in that day from all the evils which they shall have wrought in that they are turned unto other gods." In other word, God have predicted this, that He will hide His face from His erring people who have gone astray. The reason that they were in Babel and in Persia is because of their disobedience. That's why He sent Nebuchadnezzar. That's why He have allowed them to be in Babel for 70 years. But He wanted them to be returning back to Himself.

Those Jews who remain outside of the land did not come back to the Lord the way He intended it for them. And yet He's going to protect them. And Mordecai somehow knowing his history, he knew very well that God hide Her face from the Jewish people for a season but He ultimately is going to restore them to Himself. And beloved brothers and sisters again, you and I are not different. When we are going astray from the Lord and we say to Yeshua listen, I want You to be my Savior but I don't want You to be my Lord.

I want to have the ticket to go to heaven but I don't want to live for You every day of my life. I'm happy to live away from Your presence. The Lord going to allow us to experience some challenges and He will allow us sometime we will sense as if He is not close to us, as if He hid His face from us. But His love towards His own people never change for a moment. He's ultimately going to woo us back. He's going to speak to us, He's going to convict us and He will preserve His own people even when we are not in a right state at time. He will discipline us but He will preserve His own people.

It came to my mind the story of the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15. He left his father. He left his home. He took that which belonged to him and he went to a far country and there he wasted everything. There he wasted everything and then he was in need. And that's what God is driving His own people to come to a point that they ultimately coming to their wit's end and they needed the mercy and the help of God. And again the providence of God without His name mentioned, without prayer mentioned, without the name of God mentioned, the providence of God is so clearly seen in this chapter.

So number one he says to Esther, don't think for a moment that you are going to escape if you're not going to speak a word. Secondly if you will not speak a word for me in verse 14, he says there will arise deliverance for the Jews from another place. God always preserve His people. God always intend to preserve the Jewish people because He has a plan for them. And God will preserve us believers in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah as well because He has a plan for the body of Messiah.

But now listen to the third thing and I think the third thing is very convicting. The third thing that Mordecai said to Esther is found in the second half of verse 14. After he said to her, "But thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed," because ultimately the King Ahasuerus will find out that she is Jewish. He says you ultimately will be destroyed if you are not going to speak. But then he said to her in verse 14b, "And who knows whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this."

Esther, who know why you are now in the palace. Esther, who know why is it that you are the queen, the wife of King Ahasuerus. Who knows why? There was so many beautiful girls in the whole 127 provinces of Persia but you were chosen. It was you that King Ahasuerus place his love upon, it was you who was chosen to become the wife of King Ahasuerus. And Mordecai said to her, he says who know, maybe the reason that you are here in this place is for such a time as this.

There is a plan of Jewish destruction. You never know what's going to happen in any time and the 13th day of the month of Adar, there is a declaration: Jewish destruction. Esther who know, maybe God place you there for this time, for this reason, for this purpose. And that teach us a great lesson, brothers and sisters. You know sometime the Lord places us in various areas in this world. In our job situation, those of you are younger here at school, in university, in colleges, at work, at homes. Who knows why?

Why did the Lord allow you and I to be in this home or in this family or in this work situation? Why is it that you are there? Who knows? Maybe you are there for a time to speak for the Lord, to share a word of encouragement to a person that have a need, to tell somebody about Yeshua the Messiah, somebody who will never be able to be right with God if he will not turn to the Lord Jesus now. Who knows? Who knows there is a reason why you are placed and I'm placed in certain situation and places in our life. Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this.

In Hebrew it says "umi yodea im-le'et kazot higa'at lamalchut." Who knows the reason that you are here become the queen of King Ahasuerus. And we know very well from the story of Esther that she was there and she was placed there by the divine providence in a place where she could be influential upon the king himself. And so now the last verses and brothers and sisters, we're going to conclude this chapter here. The last verses, verses 15, 16 and 17, Esther makes a decision.

You and I going to be tested at time and we will have to make a decision. What shall we do in a time such as this? I don't know about you, about me, what would you do if you know very well that if the king did not ask you to come you are liable to die. And if you're going to let him know that you're Jewish or that you are believer in Yeshua the Messiah, who knows what's going to happen to you. So there's a danger in this. But one has to trust that God will have His own way.

And so the final verses, verses 15, 16 and 17, Esther now returning with an answer to Mordecai. She bade them to return to Mordecai with an answer verse 15 and notice what she said to him. Verse 16 is also a very precious verse. She says you go, gather all the Jews that are present in Shushan. Fast ye for me, neither eat nor drink for three days, night and day. And I will also and my maidens will fast likewise. And so will I go into the king which is not according to the law. And notice the last remark, "And if I perish, I perish. Vechaasher avadeti, avadeti."

She's really laying down you might say her life on behalf of her people. This is a beautiful picture here. I know again, we are not commending Mordecai, we're not commending Esther for being away from the land. But we do commend them for the fact that they stood on behalf of their people. And that God in a supernatural way used them to be those that will be vessels to sustain, to preserve the Jewish people from Jewish destruction. So she says five things. You gather all the Jewish people in Shushan the palace together.

Number two, you fast for certain days, notice for three days night and day. It's interesting that in the Bible you don't read day and night but always night and day, evening and morning. The biblical Hebrew days began in the evening, not in a morning. Erev boker, layla boker. It's always evening and morning. Thirdly she said in the same verse, we ourself also will fast with our own maidens, I will do it with them as well. Fourthly she says Esther will go to the king. And here she make a confession, I'm going to go.

Notice she said at the end, I will go in unto the king. I'm going to do this, Mordecai. I'm going to take a bold step and I'm going to go forward and I'm going to let him know who I am and what is the situation with respect to her own people, to the Jewish people. And finally she said if I perish I perish. I mean this is really moving the heart to see that she was willing on behalf of her people to go into the king's palace and to approach him on behalf of the people of Israel, on behalf of the Jewish people. And whatever going to happen, going to happen.

She in a sense, brothers and sisters, if we will adhere some words which we shouldn't add, but I'm just say we'll put the thought of the Lord being there governing her somehow, whatever the Lord allow I would accept it from His hand. And if I perish I perish, vechaasher avadeti avadeti. And so she made a decision here to go to take a stand in order to help her people to be preserved from this sentence that Haman gave. And so Mordecai went his way and he did according to all that Esther had commanded him.

Notice this time Esther commanded him. Up to now he commanding her, but now when she took that step of decision-making, he's now obeying what she said. She told him you go, you have the Jewish community fast, the people of Israel gathered together and whatever going to happen I'm accepting it, if I perish I perish. And so the lesson it is from the fourth chapter is that Esther had to make a decision. You and I are going to have to make a decision in our life. If you are here first of all, boys, girls, men and women, friend, if you are here without Christ, without the Messiah, you got to make a decision.

If you don't make a decision to accept Yeshua the Messiah, you're going to be lost for time and for eternity because He died for us on the tree, on the cross. Secondly as believers we need to make a decision. Many time in our life we have to make decisions. Are we going to stay close to the Lord? Are we going to make a decision for the Lord? Are we going to speak for Him when we can speak gently, graciously? Are we going to learn from Him and seek to be a blessing to the people of God?

It is commendable to seek the welfare of the people of God. You and I are responsible to seek the welfare of the people of God. We are to pray for Israel, to seek the welfare of the Jewish people, but also to seek the welfare of the whole body of Messiah. All believers wherever they are, we are to be a blessing to the people of God. And that demand decision-making, decision-making. And may the Lord help us to make those decision for the glory of God and for the blessing of the people of God.

Guest Male: You've been listening to the Holy Scriptures and Israel with Gideon Levytam. Gideon teaches God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective. For more information about this ministry, write the Holy Scriptures and Israel, Box 1411, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, L0S 1J0. Or visit our website at HolyScripturesandIsrael.com. You are also invited to Gideon's weekly Bible teaching on Fridays at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. and Saturdays at 1 p.m. at Willowdale Christian Assembly Hall, 28 Martin Ross Avenue in Toronto. Holy Scriptures and Israel is made possible by your prayers and financial support. If you would like to support the program, visit HolyScripturesandIsrael.com. God bless you. Shalom, shalom.