Comfortless Suffering

Job 7:1-21

1 "Is there not a time of hard service for man on earth?
Are not his days also like the days of a hired man?

2 Like a servant who earnestly desires the shade,
And like a hired man who eagerly looks for his wages,
3 So I have been allotted months of futility,
And wearisome nights have been appointed to me.

4 When I lie down, I say, 'When shall I arise,
And the night be ended?'
For I have had my fill of tossing till dawn.
5 My flesh is caked with worms and dust,
My skin is cracked and breaks out afresh.

6 "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle,
And are spent without hope.

7 Oh, remember that my life is a breath!
My eye will never again see good.

8 The eye of him who sees me will see me no more;
While your eyes are upon me, I shall no longer be.

9 As the cloud disappears and vanishes away,
So he who goes down to the grave does not come up.
10 He shall never return to his house,
Nor shall his place know him anymore.

11 "Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

12 Am I a sea, or a sea serpent,
That You set a guard over me?

13 When I say, 'My bed will comfort me,
My couch will ease my complaint,'
14 Then You scare me with dreams
And terrify me with visions,
15 So that my soul chooses strangling
And death rather than my body.

16 I loathe my life;
I would not live forever.
Let me alone,
For my days are but a breath.

17 "What is man, that You should exalt him,
That You should set Your heart on him,
18 That You should visit him every morning,
And test him every moment?

19 How long?
Will You not look away from me,
And let me alone till I swallow my saliva?

20 Have I sinned?
What have I done to You, O watcher of men?
Why have You set me as Your target,
So that I am a burden to myself?

21 Why then do You not pardon my transgression,
And take away my iniquity?
For now I will lie down in the dust,
And You will seek me diligently,
But I will no longer be."

Job saw no comfort in his suffering.  He saw life as a grudging toil, endless hard work as labor as a hired laborer who works long days in the heat of the day but finds no shade to rest in nor satisfaction until the next paycheck.  His affliction made him yearn for the dawning of the next day because each night was sleepless and comfortless.  The days went swiftly past without hope or comfort, and he lost hope in ever seeing good days again.  He saw his life as a passing breath, much like the grasping after unseen and unobtainable wind as Ecclesiastes 1:14 tells us through Solomon’s eyes.  He felt his life as a fleeting cloud passing by, as death with no hope afterwards, as one seen today but gone from view tomorrow.  He felt hopeless in his wretched state and so in verse 11 he feels he can no longer restrain himself in such anguish from bitterly complaining about his condition.  Even sleep gave him no relief; nightmares overwhelmed him, making him desire rather to be strangled to death than endure another night like that.  He gave up on living and just wanted to be left alone until the last breath came.  He cried out to the LORD in questioning the reason to be given life at all and so much wealth and family if it was all going to be taken away again anyway, and how long did he have to suffer.  Why should God care so much for man and exalt Him, if He was only going to test him so severely?  That question haunted Job in his suffering.  He wondered if it was because of some sin he committed to make him God’s target (Job 6:4) and a burdensome life as recompense.  Why did God not then forgive him and cleanse Job from his iniquities?  He gave up, lay down in the dust, and gave up hope that God would find him before he died to forgive him.  We can feel like this as well when the adversary attacks us or even if God allows other adversities to test us.  But we must remember God’s word more fully realized in Christ’s coming and explaining God’s word and will for us; the gospel of pardoning reconciliation and peace with God in grace gives us a certain hope of God’s goodness (Romans 8:28) to comfort us until we have eternal consolation and peace.  There is an absolute hope and we are not abandoned nor do we suffer unjustly.  Knowing the battles in the heavenly place (Ephesians 3:10, 6:12) gives us courage and the peace of mind in His love that we are not living futile lives.  Unlike Job, we know more deeply by His word and Spirit where we stand and why suffering happens.  We understand our sin has consequences, but forgiveness is absolute (1 John 1:9, Psalm 103:12) if we are in Christ and in His righteousness under His atoning blood.  Therefore, we do not have hopeless suffering to complain about (1 Peter 2:20, 4:19), but we have confidence in sovereign grace to endure all things which test and purify us.  We have the hope of eternal life after death in His comforting presence.  This is not the hopelessness of comfortless suffering which Job imagined.  He comforts us in all our afflictions so we can comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:3-4), unlike the friends of Job.  Let us do these things.

Give Godly Counsel to the Afflicted

Job 6:14-30

14 "To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend,
Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.

15 My brothers have dealt deceitfully like a brook,
Like the streams of the brooks that pass away,
16 Which are dark because of the ice,
And into which the snow vanishes.

17 When it is warm, they cease to flow;
When it is hot, they vanish from their place.

18 The paths of their way turn aside,
They go nowhere and perish.

19 The caravans of Tema look,
The travelers of Sheba hope for them.

20 They are disappointed because they were confident;
They come there and are confused.

21 For now you are nothing,
You see terror and are afraid.

22 Did I ever say, 'Bring something to me'?
Or, 'Offer a bribe for me from your wealth'?
23 Or, 'Deliver me from the enemy's hand'?
Or, 'Redeem me from the hand of oppressors'?

24 "Teach me, and I will hold my tongue;
Cause me to understand wherein I have erred.

25 How forceful are right words!
But what does your arguing prove?

26 Do you intend to rebuke my words,
And the speeches of a desperate one, which are as wind?

27 Yes, you overwhelm the fatherless,
And you undermine your friend.

28 Now therefore, be pleased to look at me;
For I would never lie to your face.

29 Yield now, let there be no injustice!
Yes, concede, my righteousness still stands!

30 Is there injustice on my tongue?
Cannot my taste discern the unsavory?

Job had just justified his complaints to the LORD with his friends, and now turns the focus on their attitudes towards him.  He points out that they should be showing more kindness and mercy, even if they believe and blame Job’s circumstances of suffering on his turning away from the fear of God in sin.  Job tells them how deceitful they are in times of adversity, flowing away with their support when the heat is on.  That way is a dead end, Job tells them in parables, and only disappointment and confusion will result when they realize these things.  Fear had brought them to nothing in their turning it on Job with accusations and judgment.  He never asked them for anything, not money or deliverance or redemption.  Therefore, he challenged them to give true understanding of his mistakes for him to stop responding to their speeches.  He let them know that forcefully laid arguments prove nothing, and that desperation in rebuke only tears down their friend.  Job tells them to look him in the eye to see he does not lie.  He reminds them to be fair and concede their arguments against him, that Job possesses his righteousness in God’s eyes.  They did not hear the heavenly conversation in Job chapter 1 where God stated this, but the reputation of Job certainly preceded him.  He not only did rightly and fairly, but also knew the difference between what was palatable to God and what was not.  He knew right and wrong, and had lived to choose the right in God’s sight in all he did (Job 1:5, 8, 2:3).  That was his defense, the life he had lived.  Do we then heed the slander and gossip about ourselves (or others), or do we maintain our steady course to live in the direction of pleasing God in Christ?  And more importantly, do we ever find ourselves like the friends of Job, looking to find fault and accusing others of unrighteousness, knowing that we all are sinners saved by grace, and deserve the same judgment apart from the grace and mercy of our Lord?  May we not do these things, but seek to encourage and uplift our friends and brothers with the truths and counsel according to God’s word, speaking the needed truth in love (Ephesians 4:15-16).  We should give godly counsel to the afflicted with grace on our lips. 

Job’s Justified Complaints

Job 6:1-13

1 Then Job answered and said:

2 "Oh, that my grief were fully weighed,
And my calamity laid with it on the scales!

3 For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea—
Therefore my words have been rash.

4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me;
My spirit drinks in their poison;
The terrors of God are arrayed against me.

5 Does the wild donkey bray when it has grass,
Or does the ox low over its fodder?

6 Can flavorless food be eaten without salt?
Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

7 My soul refuses to touch them;
They are as loathsome food to me.

8 "Oh, that I might have my request,
That God would grant me the thing that I long for!

9 That it would please God to crush me,
That He would loose His hand and cut me off!

10 Then I would still have comfort;
Though in anguish I would exult,
He will not spare;
For I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.

11 "What strength do I have, that I should hope?
And what is my end, that I should prolong my life?

12 Is my strength the strength of stones?
Or is my flesh bronze?

13 Is my help not within me?
And is success driven from me?

Job answers Eliphaz and his other friends gathered around him to offer counsel with their pointed blame of the unrighteousness of their friend being the sole reason for the suffering.  Job then replies with how his suffering has made his words rash and impetuous in his complaints.  But he justifies these by saying that nobody understands how much he suffers in the adversity.  He points to God’s arrows of pain shot into his body, as if poisoned with terror on their sharp tips of anguish.  They all seem to be pointing at him by God to cause all this.  He refuses to desire to eat in his agonizing pain and just wants God to end it all.  Job wants the suffering from the God he desperately holds to just to go away, that He would take his life away.  That is his prayer at this time.  That would be his comfort.  He justifies his end by saying how in ending this anguish he would find great joy in knowing that he has not held back God words from the others.  His hope is the strength of help within himself, yet success to accomplish that has been run out of him as there seems to be no good or immediate end to the suffering he is enduring.  We learn then from the first half of this chapter how Job justifies his words and actions based on his previous standing of counsel and upright living to all around him before he lost it all and began suffering under God’s apparent wrath targeting him for unknown reasons.  He does not see nor understand the adversary who is working in the spiritual realm to prove how Job’s righteousness is all because God is protecting him and giving him health and wealth.  God has allowed this attack of satan’s arrows of suffering, not His, to test and prove Job through the refining fire of adversity’s suffering.  This work of the LORD will prove to be Job’s justification, not what comes out of himself.  We can take this to heart as we suffer, knowing God is using it for our good and His glory as we pass through the fires of adversity by the adversary’s hand as permitted by God’s sovereign will.  There is hope in God, not the circumstances.  We do not need to justify our complaints, but rest in hope because we are in His hands of good and sovereign grace.

Godly Discipline and Wise Counsel

Job 5:1-27 

1 "Call out now;
Is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the holy ones will you turn?

2 For wrath kills a foolish man,
And envy slays a simple one.

3 I have seen the foolish taking root,
But suddenly I cursed his dwelling place.

4 His sons are far from safety,
They are crushed in the gate,
And there is no deliverer.

5 Because the hungry eat up his harvest,
Taking it even from the thorns,
And a snare snatches their substance.

6 For affliction does not come from the dust,
Nor does trouble spring from the ground;

7 Yet man is born to trouble,
As the sparks fly upward.

8 "But as for me, I would seek God,
And to God I would commit my cause—
9 Who does great things, and unsearchable,
Marvelous things without number.

10 He gives rain on the earth,
And sends waters on the fields.

11 He sets on high those who are lowly,
And those who mourn are lifted to safety.

12 He frustrates the devices of the crafty,
So that their hands cannot carry out their plans.

13 He catches the wise in their own craftiness,
And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.

14 They meet with darkness in the daytime,
And grope at noontime as in the night.

15 But He saves the needy from the sword,
From the mouth of the mighty,
And from their hand.

16 So the poor have hope,
And injustice shuts her mouth.

17 "Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects;
Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.

18 For He bruises, but He binds up;
He wounds, but His hands make whole.

19 He shall deliver you in six troubles,
Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.

20 In famine He shall redeem you from death,
And in war from the power of the sword.

21 You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes.

22 You shall laugh at destruction and famine,
And you shall not be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

23 For you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field,
And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.

24 You shall know that your tent is in peace;
You shall visit your dwelling and find nothing amiss.

25 You shall also know that your descendants shall be many,
And your offspring like the grass of the earth.

26 You shall come to the grave at a full age,
As a sheaf of grain ripens in its season.

27 Behold, this we have searched out;
It is true.
Hear it, and know for yourself."

The friend of Job, Eliphaz, has assumed that Job is being chastened by God for his sin.  He begins to lecture him, saying that he has nowhere to turn for in heaven to excuse him, and lists various sins that people commit which end badly for men.  He talks of wrath, envy, foolishness, hunger, and affliction as common causes and consequences.  The point is made how all are born to trouble as sparks fly upward out of a fire, that trouble doesn’t just come out of nowhere.  He obviously does not see the heavenly battle causing Job’s present circumstances, but assumes it is all Job’s fault like any other man born on earth.  Eliphaz Goes further to advise his friend to commit his cause to God Himself as he would do, for the LORD provides for all and does such marvelous and great things to sustain life.  He exalts the humble and brings the proud low as deserved (Psalm 113:7, 1 Samuel 2:8, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5-6).  It is interesting to see in 1 Peter 5:8 after talking about humility that we are warned of our adversary the devil’s hunting us down, much like Job was here.  Many will give us bad counsel as Job’s friend to blame us for all bad circumstances, when it could be an attack to frustrate our witness and rattle our trust in God’s providential grace.  Yet here in Job, Eliphaz also speaks truths of God’s character, words not to be discounted.  He tells us how He catches the enemies in their crafty working, how He saves the needy and poor, and how He works justice.  Verse 17 even reminds us of joyfully submitting to God’s discipline as quoted in Hebrews 12:5-7, a reminder for us all.  Yet Job’s friend here was using this verse to accuse Job of sin in his character and actions needing correction, when the main cause was the adversary’s attacks.  These were God’s truths out of context being misapplied to Job.  Eliphaz then continues to extol the rewards from the LORD for those God corrects, including healing, deliverance from adversity, safety in battle and in famine, destruction, and even the accusations of others.  That wagging of tongues to slander or defame is actually what Eliphaz is doing with Job, ironically.   Though the friend meant well, he did not have full insight into the situation, and made a bad assessment and assumptions.  He searched out truths of God and His working, so many things here are true and quoted elsewhere, not to be discounted, yet their application was misdirected from an incomplete diagnosis of Job’s cause of suffering.  How easy to assume that sickness or suffering are caused by a person’s sin alone!  We need to pray more in the knowledge of the spiritual battles as Ephesians 6:11-12 and Revelation 12:17 remind us.  Yes, we should seek God when we are chastened with godly discipline, but we should pray for wisdom before judging the cause of the suffering of our fellow believers in Christ, then humbly come alongside to help with godly counsel, considering our own state and the larger picture in the eternal plan of God in His sovereign providence and grace.  May we use godly wisdom in wise counsel.

Assumptions and Accusations of Circumstances

Job 4:1-21 

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

2 "If one attempts a word with you, will you become weary?
But who can withhold himself from speaking?

3 Surely you have instructed many,
And you have strengthened weak hands.

4 Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,
And you have strengthened the feeble knees;

5 But now it comes upon you, and you are weary;
It touches you, and you are troubled.

6 Is not your reverence your confidence?
And the integrity of your ways your hope?

7 "Remember now, who ever perished being innocent?
Or where were the upright ever cut off?

8 Even as I have seen,
Those who plow iniquity
And sow trouble reap the same.

9 By the blast of God they perish,
And by the breath of His anger they are consumed.

10 The roaring of the lion,
The voice of the fierce lion,
And the teeth of the young lions are broken.

11 The old lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

12 "Now a word was secretly brought to me,
And my ear received a whisper of it.

13 In disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on men,

14 Fear came upon me, and trembling,
Which made all my bones shake.

15 Then a spirit passed before my face;
The hair on my body stood up.

16 It stood still,
But I could not discern its appearance.
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence;
Then I heard a voice saying:

17 'Can a mortal be more righteous than God?
Can a man be more pure than his Maker?

18 If He puts no trust in His servants,
If He charges His angels with error,

19 How much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
Whose foundation is in the dust,
Who are crushed before a moth?

20 They are broken in pieces from morning till evening;
They perish forever, with no one regarding.

21 Does not their own excellence go away?
They die, even without wisdom.'

The first friend of Job to speak counsel was Eliphaz.  He began by telling Job that he probably does not want to even listen to him, as if Job knew better and would quickly be bored with an assessment of advice in his adversity.  He reminded Job how he was known for counseling others, strengthening their weak and knocking knees in a sense, reminding us of Isaiah 35:3-4 and Hebrews 12:12 which are examples of God giving strength in such advice through others.  But then his friends points out that Job now is weary and troubled instead of taking his own advice to find strength for his weak hands and knees, not being able to work anything out or stand up in confidence.  He suggested that Job’s confidence was his righteousness, and that his hope was in his integrity.  In other words, he was telling Job that he was relying on being a good person in God’s eyes for hope to rely on.  His friend dug deeper into Job’s character and motivation, saying that he must be reaping what he sowed, that the truly righteous are not so punished by God.  Job had to have sinned or he would not find himself in the present circumstances.  Then Eliphaz claimed that God spoke to him by an angelic messenger of unseen form in a vision at night that raised the hair on the back of the neck, telling him how nobody is more righteous or pure than God, seeming to point to Job as being self-righteous.  Then he went on to say how God trusts nobody, not even angels who erred (presumably in the fall with satan), so how could He trust a man like His servant Job?  Obviously, Job’s friend was in the dark as to what transpired at the beginning of this book, for satan had been attacking Job with the assent of God.  The adversary was trying to show how unrighteous Job truly was in spite of God’s words to the contrary, just as Eliphaz now was doing as if an agent of that one.  Job’s friend claimed he would be broken by God and take away his excellence and wisdom he so held to, but these were true virtues stated by God.  He just never said Job was perfect, just more upright than other men.  The lessons here first of all demonstrate how we cannot look at outward circumstances and judge their source as a person’s sin.  God may be testing them to refine them, or it could be a direct attack of our adversary as a roaring Lion to discredit and sow doubt and fear and disbelief.  The second lesson then is that we dare not trust those who claim angelic dreams or revelations as being from God; most have a demonic source, and are intended to cast doubt on God’s word and providence in grace.  Lastly, we see how our confidence is in the righteousness of Christ alone whom we are in, and not in our own goodness or works as a demonstration of proof.  If we suffer, it is not always a result of sin.  If we hear a supposed word from God reveled by an angel, be certain to check alignment with God’s word first.  Many claim to be special prophets, but speak contrary to God as Job’s frien here did.  And if we continue to serve and strengthen others, we may find our need to be strengthened as well; it is no shame or shortcoming, but simply a necessity (2 Corinthians 1:4, Hebrews 10:24-25) to help each other find encouragement in truth applied to living.  Job was slandered in these subtle accusations, but held to doing right and trusting God even as he blamed himself in self-pity.  May we apply his example to learn our true standing in the grace of God in Christ according to His word.

Woes of Self Pity

Job 3:1-26 

    1 After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 And Job spoke, and said:

3 "May the day perish on which I was born,
And the night in which it was said,
'A male child is conceived.'

4 May that day be darkness;
May God above not seek it,
Nor the light shine upon it.

5 May darkness and the shadow of death claim it;
May a cloud settle on it;
May the blackness of the day terrify it.

6 As for that night, may darkness seize it;
May it not rejoice among the days of the year,
May it not come into the number of the months.

7 Oh, may that night be barren!
May no joyful shout come into it!

8 May those curse it who curse the day,
Those who are ready to arouse Leviathan.

9 May the stars of its morning be dark;
May it look for light, but have none,
And not see the dawning of the day;

10 Because it did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb,
Nor hide sorrow from my eyes.

11 "Why did I not die at birth?
Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?

12 Why did the knees receive me?
Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?

13 For now I would have lain still and been quiet,
I would have been asleep;
Then I would have been at rest

14 With kings and counselors of the earth,
Who built ruins for themselves,

15 Or with princes who had gold,
Who filled their houses with silver;

16 Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child,
Like infants who never saw light?

17 There the wicked cease from troubling,
And there the weary are at rest.

18 There the prisoners rest together;
They do not hear the voice of the oppressor.

19 The small and great are there,
And the servant is free from his master.

20 "Why is light given to him who is in misery,
And life to the bitter of soul,

21 Who long for death, but it does not come,
And search for it more than hidden treasures;

22 Who rejoice exceedingly,
And are glad when they can find the grave?

23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden,
And whom God has hedged in?

24 For my sighing comes before I eat,
And my groanings pour out like water.

25 For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me,
And what I dreaded has happened to me.

26 I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
I have no rest, for trouble comes."

Job went from suffering in silence to moaning woes of self pity after his friends arrived, probably moved to complain now that an audience had arrived.  His suffering was great, his losses immense, and yet his absolute trust in God’s providence and sovereign grace seemed to have weakened somewhat.  He began by cursing the day he was born.  He wished that day could have been obliterated or at least covered from sight by darkness, that God Himself would not even look for that day, but that darkness would keep out the  light and death’s cloud settle over the day, not to mention the night, so that the entire day would never have happened!  This was extreme self pity and loathing because of his suffering.  He wished there was no joy on that day, but rather that there were no stars and no dawning of the next morning.  This was all to wish for Job’s mother never to have birthed him so that he never would see such sorrow now.  He seems to have forgotten the words he told his wife when she told him to curse God and just die to get it over with.  Then he had accepted God’s sovereign will and did not curse Him, but now the suffering seemed to have worn down that faith to the depths of pity and giving up on life even.  Now he wished he had died at birth or stillborn as dead when entering this world.  He had just about given up on life due to the extreme adversity.  If he had died at birth, he would have rest instead of turmoil; if he had been stillborn, Job would have been without trouble or oppression, free as a slave from his master or a prisoner from his jail keeper.  He felt enslaved and imprisoned in the sufferings.  He longed now for death which refused to come, and wanted to find the grave because God seemed to hedge him in with no escape.  He sighed in suffering continuously, and groaned in pain each moment, as a running stream of water which does not cease.  His greatest fear had come true, and Job had no rest in the trouble coming his way.  It had only begun, and he wanted it to end already.  This example teaches us to look further as James 5:11 reveals the compassion and mercy of God in the trials and suffering through which he persevered.  We can do likewise if we keep our eyes on the Lord Christ and our Father in heaven, trusting as the prophets who endured so much before us.  Our births were predetermined by God for His glorious purposes and our joy in that grace, albeit though adversity of life and of our adversary’s ill will to those who have faith in the testimony of Jesus Christ our Lord and God’s Son, the one who suffered so much more for those He calls, for He deserved none of what He endured.  In the story of Job, we will see that he did deserve correction, and did need repentance because of his sin, no matter how righteous he appeared at first.  We also are not blameless, and have received mercy in saving grace.  Why then give in to self pity and wish we were never born?  God has made us in His image for His purposes and glory.  May we likewise endure in longsuffering patience, learning how to avoid the loss of entitlement and missteps of Job in the midst of extreme suffering which we feel we don’t deserve.

Empathic Godly Hospitality

Job 2:11-13

    11 Now when Job's three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him. 12 And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. 

    13 So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.

Job has such adversity after losing all his children and wealth that his three friends came quickly to his side, having first agreeing to all meet together in support.  They came from three different areas to meet together to mourn with their suffering friend Job.  They mourned with him, sharing in his pain and grief.  They also tried to comfort Job, offering their presence and verbal encouragement.  Their grief was exasperated by seeing Job as they approached him, covered in oozing inflamed boils.  Each of them hardly recognized their friend it was so bad, and so they wept aloud and grieved in the middle eastern way, with torn clothes and dust on their heads in despair.  It was so terrible a sight that they literally did not say a word to Job for a full week out of empathy and sympathy.  We learn here the words of Romans 12:15 to weep with those who weep (1 Corinthians 12:26 also).  It is easy to join in rejoicing with another, but not always to really feel their pain of suffering through adversity in oppressive and long-enduring circumstances.  May we follow this part of the example set by the friends of Job to go out of our way to offer comfort and encouraging counsel, especially with one or two other close friends of the one suffering.  This is godly hospitality, an example of empathic godly hospitality by the friends of Job who traveled from different points of the compass to empathize and comfort him in time of need. 

Faith in the Face of Satanic Adversity

Job 2:1-10

   1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?"

    Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it."

    3 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause."

    4 So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"

    6 And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life."

    7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.

    9 Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!"

    10 But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Job had faith in God’s sovereign goodness in the providence even of satanic adversity; though he could not see into heaven where the adversary had tempted God’s grace over His servant, he knew God was not one to only desire great health and wealth.  Both of these were taken from him by satan at God’s consent to test and prove Job’s faith.  We first see satan and the other angelic servants of the LORD coming back in heaven before Him after moving about on the earth.  They were all accountable to God, having to present themselves to Him at certain times.  The LORD then repeated his praise for Job as in Job 1:8, and this time added how he had still held to willing obedience of a holy life in righteous reactions to satan’s assault on Job’s possessions of wealth and children.  Of course, the adversary’s ploy was to increase the assault on Job by making it out that Job had to be physically tested to be tempted to curse God.  He went from wealth to health in the target of his attacks to prove God wrong in his evil thinking, as if such a thing were ever even possible, in order to cause the upright to curse God.  Even the wife of Job told him the same thing, hating God and wanting her husband to curse God and get it over with by dying so she would not have to observe his righteous trust.  It is amazing how the devil will use others close to us to influence our questioning God’s sovereign providence, and to turn away from the right thing to the convenient or self-serving.  The sickness satan hit Job with was extremely painful, covering him completely in burning pus and itch from head to toe.   Yet Job stood firm in faith, calling his wife’s suggestion foolish, and stating clearly that we should accept all circumstances that God allows, good and adverse.  The word here records how he did not sin in his words to question or blame God for all that was happening to him, losing both health and wealth.  He did not name and claim some out of context scripture to justify and demand that God had to make his life prosperous and sickness free again, but waited on God to work through the circumstance.  This is a worthwhile and essential lesson to strengthen our faith to trust our Lord in all things as well (Romans 8:28).  Christ Jesus suffered and died for us; the devil is at war with His children who have His testimony (Revelation 12:17), and we must therefore endure all circumstances with the knowledge which Job lacked.  We now know the wiles of the devil and of his methods of sowing doubt and blame and mistrust of God’s goodness to us (Ephesians 6:10-11, Psalm 22:13, 1 Peter 5:8), the understanding which Job did not have the benefit of.  May we find strength and assurance with faith in facing satanic adversity, knowing it is allowed by God for His glory as we are tested and refined (Job 23:10, 1 Peter 1:7).  Job’s example should encourage us as we suffer loss in health and wealth, for the gospel is none of these, but is trust in God’s grace in Christ alone, knowing His goodness in every trial we endure for His sake and our refinement. 

Temporal Loss and Eternal Gain

Job 1:13-22

    13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house; 14 and a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 when the Sabeans raided them and took them away—indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"

    16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"

    17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"

    18 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 19 and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"

    20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said:

      "Naked I came from my mother's womb,
      And naked shall I return there.
      The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away;
      Blessed be the name of the LORD."

    22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

Job was attacked by the adversary, satan, by taking away the temporal things from him which the devil had said were the real reason for Job’s righteousness and trust in the LORD.  Job, however, had his eyes on the eternal gain according to His faithfulness.  The loss of material property and even his own children and servants did not shake his faith.  First he lost his material wealth of oxen and donkeys, along with some servants.  Then a simultaneous event occurred where fire from heaven (lightning or otherwise) burned up Job’s sheep and most of the servants there; only one lived to bring the bad news.  A third messenger told of raiders stealing the camels and killing all servants but the messenger once more.  Even as that was being reported, a fourth account of a tragic event was given; the children of Job were all killed as they drank wine and ate, for a sudden wind gust had collapsed the dwelling on top of them.  Only one servant messenger lived to bring the bad news once more to heartbroken Job of great possessions, many children, and much wealth of livestock until that moment when all was taken at the hand of the devil.  Job, however, had hope and faith to trust God even among such loss and grief.  He knew all he possessed came from the good grace of God’s hand, and that he could take none of that past the grave anyway, so Job blessed God who both have so much and took it all away in an instant, just as if he had died and left it all behind anyway.  This faith in God’s sovereign grace did not blame God for the losses, nor did it move Job to sin in any other way.  He could easily have ranted against his creator to ask why God did these terrible things to him, he could have blamed himself for being sinful, he might even have walked away from God and turned his back on the trust in His providence and provision as if the possessions and even children were the proof of His love for Job.  He did none of these.  Instead, he acknowledged all he had was God’s who had every right to give or take it all away.  He must have known that such contentment was true godliness as later written in 1 Timothy 6:6-7 to remind us all of this truth.  How difficult it is for us to accept loss of children, let alone the loss of all we own!  How we are tempted by the adversary and tested by God to reveal where our hearts are aimed (Job 23:10, Isaiah 48:10, 1 Peter 1:7)!  It is good to remind ourselves of the initial reaction of Job, as well as his final realizations throughout and at at the end of the trials and afflictions.  May we learn such trust and perspective on God’s providence and sovereign grace in our own lives, knowing we are not judged by what we have or lose, nor is our faith based on our wealth (Luke 12:15) or health (Luke 12:22).  Our faith is in God and through His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord as John 6:29 reminds us by the word from His mouth concerning the work of faith.  This is the difference between temporal loss and eternal gain.  Blessed be the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Health and Wealth, or God-fearing Faith?

Job 1:1-12

   1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. 2 And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. 3 Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.

    4 And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did regularly.

    6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. 7 And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?"  So Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it."

    8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?"

    9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"

    12 And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person."  So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

Job was a great man who feared God and avoided all evil in order to stand before Him in innocence; he kept himself from sin in order to please the LORD God, knowing His displeasure and judgment on disobedience to His word and will.  Job would regularly offer sacrifices to God after every feast his sons held with his daughters, in case they had willingly sinned against the LORD by cursing Him in their hearts as well as in their deeds by their disobedience or disregard for His commandments.  The account shows that the adversary was among the angelic ones going back and forth from God’s habitation in heaven to men and women on the earth, answering to God for his activities.  He certainly could do nothing apart from God’s consent, and is not an equal opponent of the Almighty as some would portray him.  The LORD God in His sovereignty then stated the state of Job’s heart and life directly to satan that He might test him, but the enemy immediately tried to question and twist God’s word of truth about Job into a lie, as he did in a similar way in Eden’s garden (Genesis 3:1, 4-5).  God asked if the devil considered how holy Job was among the people God created who was serving Him.  God called His servant one who feared Him as the Creator and Ruler of all, one who listened to God’s word and did his best to follow Him by willing obedience.  Of course, the evil one questioned God’s true assessment of Job, the accuser (Revelation 12:10) reviling and slandering Job as He again questioned and denied God’s word.  He blamed God for protecting Job and making it easy for him to live righteously, accusing God of giving him great health and wealth to buy Job’s obedience.  He went further to tell God that if He took those things away that Job would cease to be the loyal servant, and even curse the LORD when he did not get everything he seemed to think he was entitled to.  The LORD allowed satan to take the possessions of Job away to prove his heart, but the limit was set against the enemy harming Job himself.  Satan then ran off to wreak his havoc on God’s creature yet again as in the beginning.  We learn this lesson above all, that our enemy lies about God’s word and will by making our obedience seemingly dependent on our health and wealth.  This is why the false teachings of our day which promise these things as a test of faith moss the mark of God’s word and trust in His daily grace of provision and goodness not associated with what we own or how healthy we are.  True trust relies on God’s providence in spite of adversity, not in lies of the Adversary which frame God’s goodness and our righteousness in the light of how much we are given.  We already possess Him in Christ, and in His word we have everything needed for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).  When we are tested by adversity, do we do as Job and trust while we continue to do good, or do we listen to the lies of the adversary’s slander and demand God make everything right in our eyes, naming and claiming what we imagine we are entitled to?  Job set the example of avoiding evil by fearing God and joyfully following His word by faith, no matter the attacks of the devil or circumstances allowed by the LORD.  We do not know fully the details of why the attacks come, but we do know that they refine us when we respond in trusting God in good and bad circumstances. 

Mordecai's Advancement and Ours

Esther 10:1-3

    1 And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea. 2 Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? 3 For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen.

Mordecai's Advancement is summarized along with the Persian king, Ahasuerus at the end of the book of Esther.  The king did powerful things, yes, but the humble Jew Mordecai is mentioned in the same breath.  His greatness is accounted in part to the king promoting him, yet the reality is God’s lot of providence cast him in the position to move Esther to become an influencer to the king for his and her people.  Together, they were used for such a time as that for deliverance of God’s people from annihilation by their old enemy, Haman.  Together they were cast as extensions of God’s hand of providence and grace, and this ending lets us know how Mordecai was second only to the king by that grace, and how he was great among his fellow Jews as well.  He used his position and influence well, looking out for the Jews and keeping good and peaceful relations with all posterity.  We learn how God’s providence and sovereign grace keep His people from destruction, symbolic of eternal salvation, and how God acts through common people uncommonly to put them in positions to be used to work out His predestined providence.  He shapes history and watches over all who are His, both Jew and Gentile, for His glory and our good.  The spiritual Purim of grace is God’s lot cast from before time for all He calls to Himself through the eternal gospel of Jesus the Christ (Revelation 14:6, 2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 1:2).  He uses each of us for the time given along the way, equipping with spiritual gifts and wisdom from His word such as this to encourage and correct us to that end.  He is in absolute sovereign control and command of all history and each one in it.  Mordecai's advancement is but a prelude to heavenly rewards of grace accompanied by our acts driven by faith in His enabling strength and wisdom according to His word (1 Corinthians 3:8, 14, 1 Corinthians 9:25, Colossians 3:24, Revelation 22:12, 2 Timothy 4:8), Philippians 1:6, 2:12-13). 

God’s Providential Lot of Purim

Esther 9:18-32

   18 But the Jews who were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day, as well as on the fourteenth; and on the fifteenth of the month they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. 19 Therefore the Jews of the villages who dwelt in the unwalled towns celebrated the fourteenth day of the month of Adar with gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and for sending presents to one another.

    20 And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, 21 to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, 22 as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor. 23 So the Jews accepted the custom which they had begun, as Mordecai had written to them, 24 because Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to annihilate them, and had cast Pur (that is, the lot), to consume them and destroy them; 25 but when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letter that this wicked plot which Haman had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

    26 So they called these days Purim, after the name Pur. Therefore, because of all the words of this letter, what they had seen concerning this matter, and what had happened to them, 27 the Jews established and imposed it upon themselves and their descendants and all who would join them, that without fail they should celebrate these two days every year, according to the written instructions and according to the prescribed time, 28 that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city, that these days of Purim should not fail to be observed among the Jews, and that the memory of them should not perish among their descendants.

    29 Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter about Purim. 30 And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews, to the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth, 31 to confirm these days of Purim at their appointed time, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had prescribed for them, and as they had decreed for themselves and their descendants concerning matters of their fasting and lamenting. 32 So the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim, and it was written in the book.

The Feast of Purim was the lot cast by God to put Esther in such a place and time as to deliver her people, God’s people, from destruction.  It was the providence of the LORD, not a random throw of dice in our present day equivalent of casting lots.  The Jews cast lots to take their own hand out of a decision so that God would move the lot to align with His will of sovereign providence.  The deliverance by the LORD using Esther to be made queen, to leverage the uncovered plot which Mordecai brought to her attention to the king, and the turn of retribution on the adversary’s own head - these things are the lot God cast for each player in the unfolding story of sovereign grace.  The people were saved from annihilation at the evil enemy’s actions and intents, nullifying a murderous law born out of hatred and slander by a providential counter action law to defense and deliverance for God’s and Esther’s    people, the remnant of Judah called Jews.  Their deliverance turned to jubilation in a celebration of life and giving of gifts to remember God’s greatest gift of life in the face of a certain death.  The enemy of God’s people, Haman, the enemy of all Jews, had plotted to annihilate them, and had cast Pur (that is, the lot), to consume them and destroy them, but God’s lot was cast from the beginning of time to keep their times in His hand (Psalm 31:15).  The festival is aptly named to remember the lot of man is no match for God’s providential lot which falls to us all for His glory and our good (Romans 8:28).  The decree therefore to perpetually keep these days of remembrance as Purim went out by Queen Esther and Mordecai to all the Jews, to be passed down to their descendants as a memorial to fast and lament, as well as to celebrate life given by God’s hand of providential grace and mercy to His chosen people.  We who are in Christ are also His people, kept in Him providentially in sovereign grace as well, and celebrate our deliverance from the Adversary and Enemy (1 Peter 5:8) of our souls because we have the testimony of Jesus the Christ (Revelation 12:17).  We rejoice not only that examples like Purim are recorded for our encouragement and understanding of grace, but also for our understanding of our deliverance from a certain death and suffering in the lake of fire at the Adversary’s hand since the garden when we fell from grace as a people.  We celebrate the deliverance, our salvation, with the lot God cast for us from the beginning of time (Ephesians 1:4-5, 2 Timothy 1:9, 1 Peter 1:2).  Our destinies do not lie in governments or laws, but in His mighty omnipotent hand of sovereign and providential grace.  Our lot is cast by the Lord Jesus Christ.  Perfect love casts out fear of punishment along with fear of man (Psalm 118:6, 1 John 4:18), because we know our times have always been in His hands.  The account of Purim reflects this grace of God in Christ. 

Retribution Without Profit

Esther 9:1-17

    1 Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, the time came for the king's command and his decree to be executed. On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them. 2 The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could withstand them, because fear of them fell upon all people. 3 And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and all those doing the king's work, helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the king's palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces; for this man Mordecai became increasingly prominent. 5 Thus the Jews defeated all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction, and did what they pleased with those who hated them.

    6 And in Shushan the citadel the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. 7 Also Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vajezatha— 10 the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews—they killed; but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

    11 On that day the number of those who were killed in Shushan the citadel was brought to the king. 12 And the king said to Queen Esther, "The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the citadel, and the ten sons of Haman. What have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? Now what is your petition? It shall be granted to you. Or what is your further request? It shall be done."

    13 Then Esther said, "If it pleases the king, let it be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to do again tomorrow according to today's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged on the gallows."  14 So the king commanded this to be done; the decree was issued in Shushan, and they hanged Haman's ten sons.

    15 And the Jews who were in Shushan gathered together again on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and killed three hundred men at Shushan; but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

    16 The remainder of the Jews in the king's provinces gathered together and protected their lives, had rest from their enemies, and killed seventy-five thousand of their enemies; but they did not lay a hand on the plunder. 17 This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. And on the fourteenth of the month they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness.

Retribution without profit.  That is how God’s people enacted vengeance and offensive self-protection against their enemies who were set on annihilating genocide of the Jews.  They killed their enemies before they could be killed, taking the offensive as provided by the law of the king for their self-preservation.  But they did not lay a hand on the plunder; they refused to be like their adversaries who had a decree in writing to kill and profit by stealing all their possessions, just as the Nazis of the Second World War had done.  The legal decree used to stop this genocide also included the provision to plunder their possessions after killing and destroying their attackers, but they stopped short.  This demonstrated that they were not so much out for revenge as they were protecting themselves from annihilation by annihilating their adversaries first.  It was a preemptive response, but it was also a legal response; they would presumably not done so without the edict of the king behind them, otherwise why would it have been needed?  This is a good lesson for today’s world that we do not go outside the laws of the land to stop our enemies and adversaries from attacking us; all should be done decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40), both spiritually and secularly.  God gave laws and rulers for us to obey and to act within the constraints He has allowed to be put in their hands (Romans 13:1-2, 4-5).  Also noteworthy is that the adversary’s ideals which were most likely or at least possibly shared by Haman’s ten sons were stopped by their execution as well.  The hatred behind the adversary’s actions was stopped from recurring in this manner.  This allowed the fear of the enemy to abate and real rest and rejoicing took place with gladness of heart in knowing the people of God would not have to wonder if there would be a tomorrow as they lived according to the laws of the foreign country which they had been taken captive to long before.  We also are sojourners in a country not ours in eternity with Christ, and long for that unending habitation with Christ and the Father.  Our eternal protection from annihilation is guaranteed, and our hope and rejoicing therefore are in the victory we possess in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57), not in the uncertainty of physical peace and protection or prosperity in this temporary country (Hebrews 11:14-16, 13:14).  In the end, the Lord will enact retribution on our adversary the devil and those angels who followed (Jude 1:6), and the profit to Him will be us us, and we will find His presence our gain (Philippians 3:14).  We do not seek our own retribution nor profit.  He has done it all. 

Retribution Against and Protection from the Adversary

Esther 8:1-17 

    1 On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. 2 So the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman.

    3 Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews. 4 And the king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king, 5 and said, "If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight and the thing seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to annihilate the Jews who are in all the king's provinces. 6 For how can I endure to see the evil that will come to my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my countrymen?"

    7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, "Indeed, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he tried to lay his hand on the Jews. 8 You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, as you please, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's signet ring; for whatever is written in the king's name and sealed with the king's signet ring no one can revoke."

    9 So the king's scribes were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day; and it was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, the satraps, the governors, and the princes of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces in all, to every province in its own script, to every people in their own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language. 10 And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, sealed it with the king's signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on horseback, riding on royal horses bred from swift steeds.

    11 By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives—to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions, 12 on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. 13 A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province and published for all people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. 14 The couriers who rode on royal horses went out, hastened and pressed on by the king's command. And the decree was issued in Shushan the citadel.

    15 So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. 16 The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor. 17 And in every province and city, wherever the king's command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them.

All that the adversary Haman possessed was given to Esther by King Ahasuerus, and the signet ring of a prince once given to Haman was now on the hand of Mordecai, along with authority over all Haman had which now belonged to Esther.  Restitution would soon be followed by retribution for the evil plotting of the enemy of God’s people, the adversary, as well.  Esther pleaded for the Jews, her people, asking for an annulment of the adversary’s law made by cunning and sealed with the king’s own seal.  She could not bear to witness the evil and destruction of her fellow Jews.  The seal was the word of the king, an unbreakable law, and so Ahasuerus could not cancel it.  He could, however, write a new law for retribution on any who followed the first one of Haman’s design to eradicate the Jews in genocide, and to steal all they owned.  This new law allowed the people of God to do the same in defense and in retaliation to all who attacked them under the old law.  They were permitted to “destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces” who attacked them and to plunder the goods of the attackers as was planned against them.  The letter of the law was distributed in a single day throughout the empire, preparing the Jews against their enemies who meant their destruction.  It was legalized defense and retribution.  Mordecai was arrayed in royal robes, the inhabitants of the royal city were glad, and the joy of God’s people influenced many to convert to Judaism, to become protected under God’s control and grace, out of fear of judgment and punishment.  We see a parallel with unbelievers today who see their sin exposed by God and the plotting of the Adversary to destroy them with unbelief and the coming consequences of continued disobedience.  They see the destruction of His vengeance coming, fear Him, and repent from their insurrection (John 16:8-11) by desiring to be under the new law of the blood of the covenant of Christ (Hebrews 8:10), not under the old covenant which pronounces doom in certain destruction and eternal loss.  Though the name of the LORD is not written in this book of Esther it is seen by mention of His people the Jews, for His people’s names are written in His Book, and now in Christ the seal of His Spirit (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30) is in we His people (the church) which counters the seal of sin and death by Adam’s disobedience into which all are born.  There is much for us all to learn from the short book of Esther in the larger context of all of scripture.  Take heart in persecution, for we will see the retribution of God’s final judgment against our adversary and enemy, the devil, in the end for the evil plotting against God’s creation in Eden and the continued warring to destroy God’s people (Revelation 12:9-10, 12:12, 20:10). 

Hang Him on it!

Esther 7:1-10 

    1 So the king and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther. 

2 And on the second day, at the banquet of wine, the king again said to Esther, "What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!"

    3 Then Queen Esther answered and said, "If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request. 4 For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had we been sold as male and female slaves, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king's loss."

    5 So King Ahasuerus answered and said to Queen Esther, "Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?"  6 And Esther said, "The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!"  So Haman was terrified before the king and queen.

    7 Then the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden; but Haman stood before Queen Esther, pleading for his life, for he saw that evil was determined against him by the king. 8 When the king returned from the palace garden to the place of the banquet of wine, Haman had fallen across the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, "Will he also assault the queen while I am in the house?"

    As the word left the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face. 9 Now Harbonah, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, "Look! The gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke good on the king's behalf, is standing at the house of Haman."

    Then the king said, "Hang him on it!"

    10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king's wrath subsided.

Haman had plotted and falsely accused the entire Jewish population in Persia, just to enact the vengeance of an old feud.  He had elevated himself in pride to gain power and suppress God’s people, yet in the end justice met him head on.  His judgment transpired at the banquet with the king and queen which he was invited to yet again.  There Queen Esther petitioned king Ahasuerus for her people as she unwound the plot of Haman in all its slanderous details.  She told the king that she would have remained silent if her people were just enslaved, but that the planned annihilation of all the Jews was just too much.  She pointed out the wicked enemy who had presumed to do such an evil thing, and the king left the room in great anger.  He returned to find the traitor draped across the Queen as If assaulting her.  The rage turned on Haman and he quickly took the advice of a eunuch there to leverage the gallows which stood at Haman’s house.  The fate meant by the adversary Haman was used to hang him on it instead for his great wickedness and arrogance.  This satiated the wrath of the king for all the deceitful plotting and prideful evil of Haman.  This is similar to the Lord’s wrath in the final judgment, where heads will roll as evil is punished forever and God’s people in Christ will be free of their adversary the devil, for that cunning one who means us woe will be trampled underfoot by the seed of Adam, the second Adam who is Christ our Lord (1 Peter 5:8, Genesis 3:15).  That one who has continually plotted against us and slandered us like Job (Job 1:9-11, 2:4-5) will meet his end in the lake of fire, while God’s people are brought to Himself by Christ’s suffering and death in our place.  We will not hang in the adversary’s noose, but find our substitute has ensured the adversary will take our place in judgment as Christ did for us.  As for satan, hang him on it!  God’s providence and sovereign grace has done all these things.