Daily Manna 12 May
KEY VERSE: “But the other Jews that were in the king’s provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey.” – Esther 9:16
READ: Esther 9:13-19 (KJV)
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 [a]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.
18 But the Jews who were at [c]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.
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
Among a nationality in West Africa, there is a saying that describes the Almighty as “the King you don’t see, but whose works fill the universe.” They define the Lord in His creation and in the influence of nature on them. In the book of Esther, we do not get to hear God mentioned but He is everywhere. The story of the supernatural deliverance of the Jews in the provinces of the Medo-Persian Empire in the book predates the view of the Africans about the Invisible God who can only be ‘seen’ when He performs preternatural feats.
Although there is no mention of God’s name in the book of Esther, He maintains a commanding presence to prove that He would not look on while the annihilation of the Jews was being planned by the enemies of His people. He would not permit the destruction of the nation which would produce the Saviour of the world. He reversed all the laws promulgated to abort His plan through the promotion of Esther and Mordecai.
Only a God in complete charge of “all power in heaven and on earth” can cause this reversal for a people on the brink of destruction. QIn the euphoria of their victory, the preserved Jews maintained their integrity by refraining from plundering the goods of their adversaries. Their struggle was a matter of life and death beyond a quest for material prosperity. There was no room for carnal considerations.
It was a noble mission to partner the Lord to bring judgment upon a nation acting contrary to a heavenly project. Uncompromising Christians passing through persecution can take solace in the story of the Jews in the book of Esther. The Lord will not spare those maltreating and threatening them. He will move on behalf of His people, and will turn the tide against the foes of the gospel if they refuse to repent.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: God’s sword is dangling over hardened enemies of the Cross.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Corinthians 12-14
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Judgement is on the way – by Pastor Enoch A.
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Daily Manna 12 May 2021
