Job 12

Job 12:1

Prayer of Nehemiah

Nehemiah turns to God because only He can perfectly value and reward what he has done for His house. He does not ask for reward. He knows himself to be a slave who has only done what he ought to do (Luke 17:10). But he also knows that God is not unjust to forget what has been done for Him (Hebrews 6:10).

Nehemiah is only concerned that he submits his work to God for judgment and that he can say that he has been busy out of love for God’s house. Therefore, he can ask Him not to blot out his work. He knows that he has been busy in agreement with God. Yet he does not boast of this, but humbly asks God to keep what he has done for Him.

In the same way, we too may recommend our works to the Lord and ask Him to confirm the works of our hands (Psalms 90:17). If we cannot go to Him in sincerity with all that we have done, we have not been working for Him. We have to confess that and then we can go back to Him and work with Him and for Him.

Job 12:2

The Sanctification of the Sabbath Restored

If the house of God is neglected, the sabbath is secularized. Instead of being consecrated to the LORD, it is used for satisfying one’s own pleasures, and thus degraded to an ordinary day. The people have forgotten what they promised in Nehemiah 10 (Nehemiah 10:31).

While Nehemiah is in the process of making everything right again for the service in the house of God, he sees the sabbath being profaned. He warns the traders. Then he approaches the nobles and talks to them about these evil practices. There is nothing against trade, as long as it is not on the sabbath. He points out that it is for this very reason that God has brought disaster upon the people (Jeremiah 17:21-27). Then he takes measures to stop this evil work by having his servants posted at the gates.

When he sees that there are traders who spend the sabbath just outside Jerusalem to enter as soon as the gates open, he takes action against them as well. He knows what an impact it has if the evil that has been removed remains near. The traders might indeed not be able to bring the Jews to violate the sabbath commandment, but the Jews would be reminded of it all the time. Their minds would be filled with the things they could do tomorrow, with the profits they would gain. God would be driven out of their minds. To deal with this evil, he has Levites guarding the gates in addition to his servants.

Before the Levites guard the gates, they must first cleanse themselves. In order to guard the gates, there must be nothing with them that would prevent them from doing their duty properly. Similarly, we, too, can only keep imminent evil at a distance if we have removed from our lives what may be a connecting factor to the evil we must stop.

The sabbath commandment is a commandment, that like no other commandment, asks every Israelite for simple obedience. The reasonableness of any other commandment can be seen after contemplation because it governs the relationship between God and people and between people. The sabbath commandment is given because God wants the sabbath to be held. Surely in doing so He has the welfare of man in mind. But fallen man considers especially the sabbath commandment to be something difficult. The sabbath is the clearest test of obedience to man under the law.

The Christian does not live “under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14b). Therefore, he is not under the sabbath commandment. He stands in the freedom of Christ in heaven. Every Christian who truly understands this will not be living a loose life. His life is subject to Christ. The norm of his life is not the law, but Christ. He is interested in everything Christ is interested in. Christ’s interest is particularly in the house of God, the church.

For the church it is not the sabbath, but Sunday is the special day of the week. This does not mean that what applies to the sabbath in Israel applies to Sunday in Christendom. It is a day that in a special way belongs to the Lord. A remarkable connection in the use of words in two biblical texts clearly indicates this. We read of “the Lord’s Supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20) and of “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10). I quote the footnote that the Dutch TELOS translation puts in Revelation 1:10: “In the Gr. there is an adjective derived from ‘Lord’ (i.e. different from e.g. in 1 Thessalonians 5:2), in the sense of belonging to the Lord. The word is further only found in 1 Corinthians 11:20.”

These two Scriptures show how much the Supper belonging to the Lord, celebrated by the church, is connected with the day belonging to the Lord. It is clear that the day of the Lord is no other than the first day of the week, Sunday. There are several indications in Scripture that the first day of the week is the day of the meeting of the church (Mark 16:2; 9; Luke 24:13; 33-49; John 20:19-29; Acts 2:1; Acts 20:7). And if it is a day that belongs especially to the Lord, there is every reason to spend that day as such.

In this spending, the Lord gives us complete freedom – except that He says to us to “not forsaking our own assembling together” (Hebrews 10:25). Any thought of acting under the pressure of some law is foreign to the freedom in which the Christian stands. If, however, the interest in God’s house diminishes, the day of the Lord also becomes more and more a day in which one’s own pleasures are satisfied. We may still visit the church, but for the rest we hang out in front of the TV, surf the Internet endlessly, go out and do all kinds of things, but without dedicating ourselves to the service of our Lord.

Hanging out in front of the TV is not an activity (well, activity …) that is a Christian’s honor. A Christian is expected to live consciously for the Lord every day of his life. But if Scripture itself marks a day especially as ‘His’ day, it is surely a call to dedicate ourselves to His house on that day. On that day we can, for example, concentrate a little more on fellowship with our fellow believers.

It is good to have a day on which we, as far as possible, distance ourselves from things that we, by order of the Lord, have to concern ourselves with on the other days of the week. It is just like the Lord’s Supper. We will, if it is good, be occupied with His death every day. After all, we owe everything to Him. But how good it is to have a special opportunity to think about His death, to remember it, when we come together for that purpose as a church.

After Nehemiah has again given the sabbath its rightful place among the people, consecrated this day anew to God, he again speaks out for God (Nehemiah 13:22b). He does this every time he has done a work. He asks if God will remember him with regard to what he has done for the maintenance of the sabbath. Last time he asked this concerning what he has done for God’s house. He places each work separately before God.

He asks if God will have compassion on him. After his resolute performance there may have been a feeling of exhaustion. It takes a lot of effort to show God’s people the right way and to correct what is wrong. As long as the effort has to be made, there is strength. But when the work is done, you can feel very tired. We may say that to the Lord.

We also feel that our actions, no matter how powerful they may be, are still exercised in great weakness. Then, like Nehemiah, we may call upon God’s great lovingkindness. He knows who we are, He knows us through and through, for He has made us. To remember that gives courage to go on. That’s what Nehemiah does.

Job 12:3

The Sanctification of the Sabbath Restored

If the house of God is neglected, the sabbath is secularized. Instead of being consecrated to the LORD, it is used for satisfying one’s own pleasures, and thus degraded to an ordinary day. The people have forgotten what they promised in Nehemiah 10 (Nehemiah 10:31).

While Nehemiah is in the process of making everything right again for the service in the house of God, he sees the sabbath being profaned. He warns the traders. Then he approaches the nobles and talks to them about these evil practices. There is nothing against trade, as long as it is not on the sabbath. He points out that it is for this very reason that God has brought disaster upon the people (Jeremiah 17:21-27). Then he takes measures to stop this evil work by having his servants posted at the gates.

When he sees that there are traders who spend the sabbath just outside Jerusalem to enter as soon as the gates open, he takes action against them as well. He knows what an impact it has if the evil that has been removed remains near. The traders might indeed not be able to bring the Jews to violate the sabbath commandment, but the Jews would be reminded of it all the time. Their minds would be filled with the things they could do tomorrow, with the profits they would gain. God would be driven out of their minds. To deal with this evil, he has Levites guarding the gates in addition to his servants.

Before the Levites guard the gates, they must first cleanse themselves. In order to guard the gates, there must be nothing with them that would prevent them from doing their duty properly. Similarly, we, too, can only keep imminent evil at a distance if we have removed from our lives what may be a connecting factor to the evil we must stop.

The sabbath commandment is a commandment, that like no other commandment, asks every Israelite for simple obedience. The reasonableness of any other commandment can be seen after contemplation because it governs the relationship between God and people and between people. The sabbath commandment is given because God wants the sabbath to be held. Surely in doing so He has the welfare of man in mind. But fallen man considers especially the sabbath commandment to be something difficult. The sabbath is the clearest test of obedience to man under the law.

The Christian does not live “under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14b). Therefore, he is not under the sabbath commandment. He stands in the freedom of Christ in heaven. Every Christian who truly understands this will not be living a loose life. His life is subject to Christ. The norm of his life is not the law, but Christ. He is interested in everything Christ is interested in. Christ’s interest is particularly in the house of God, the church.

For the church it is not the sabbath, but Sunday is the special day of the week. This does not mean that what applies to the sabbath in Israel applies to Sunday in Christendom. It is a day that in a special way belongs to the Lord. A remarkable connection in the use of words in two biblical texts clearly indicates this. We read of “the Lord’s Supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20) and of “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10). I quote the footnote that the Dutch TELOS translation puts in Revelation 1:10: “In the Gr. there is an adjective derived from ‘Lord’ (i.e. different from e.g. in 1 Thessalonians 5:2), in the sense of belonging to the Lord. The word is further only found in 1 Corinthians 11:20.”

These two Scriptures show how much the Supper belonging to the Lord, celebrated by the church, is connected with the day belonging to the Lord. It is clear that the day of the Lord is no other than the first day of the week, Sunday. There are several indications in Scripture that the first day of the week is the day of the meeting of the church (Mark 16:2; 9; Luke 24:13; 33-49; John 20:19-29; Acts 2:1; Acts 20:7). And if it is a day that belongs especially to the Lord, there is every reason to spend that day as such.

In this spending, the Lord gives us complete freedom – except that He says to us to “not forsaking our own assembling together” (Hebrews 10:25). Any thought of acting under the pressure of some law is foreign to the freedom in which the Christian stands. If, however, the interest in God’s house diminishes, the day of the Lord also becomes more and more a day in which one’s own pleasures are satisfied. We may still visit the church, but for the rest we hang out in front of the TV, surf the Internet endlessly, go out and do all kinds of things, but without dedicating ourselves to the service of our Lord.

Hanging out in front of the TV is not an activity (well, activity …) that is a Christian’s honor. A Christian is expected to live consciously for the Lord every day of his life. But if Scripture itself marks a day especially as ‘His’ day, it is surely a call to dedicate ourselves to His house on that day. On that day we can, for example, concentrate a little more on fellowship with our fellow believers.

It is good to have a day on which we, as far as possible, distance ourselves from things that we, by order of the Lord, have to concern ourselves with on the other days of the week. It is just like the Lord’s Supper. We will, if it is good, be occupied with His death every day. After all, we owe everything to Him. But how good it is to have a special opportunity to think about His death, to remember it, when we come together for that purpose as a church.

After Nehemiah has again given the sabbath its rightful place among the people, consecrated this day anew to God, he again speaks out for God (Nehemiah 13:22b). He does this every time he has done a work. He asks if God will remember him with regard to what he has done for the maintenance of the sabbath. Last time he asked this concerning what he has done for God’s house. He places each work separately before God.

He asks if God will have compassion on him. After his resolute performance there may have been a feeling of exhaustion. It takes a lot of effort to show God’s people the right way and to correct what is wrong. As long as the effort has to be made, there is strength. But when the work is done, you can feel very tired. We may say that to the Lord.

We also feel that our actions, no matter how powerful they may be, are still exercised in great weakness. Then, like Nehemiah, we may call upon God’s great lovingkindness. He knows who we are, He knows us through and through, for He has made us. To remember that gives courage to go on. That’s what Nehemiah does.

Job 12:4

The Sanctification of the Sabbath Restored

If the house of God is neglected, the sabbath is secularized. Instead of being consecrated to the LORD, it is used for satisfying one’s own pleasures, and thus degraded to an ordinary day. The people have forgotten what they promised in Nehemiah 10 (Nehemiah 10:31).

While Nehemiah is in the process of making everything right again for the service in the house of God, he sees the sabbath being profaned. He warns the traders. Then he approaches the nobles and talks to them about these evil practices. There is nothing against trade, as long as it is not on the sabbath. He points out that it is for this very reason that God has brought disaster upon the people (Jeremiah 17:21-27). Then he takes measures to stop this evil work by having his servants posted at the gates.

When he sees that there are traders who spend the sabbath just outside Jerusalem to enter as soon as the gates open, he takes action against them as well. He knows what an impact it has if the evil that has been removed remains near. The traders might indeed not be able to bring the Jews to violate the sabbath commandment, but the Jews would be reminded of it all the time. Their minds would be filled with the things they could do tomorrow, with the profits they would gain. God would be driven out of their minds. To deal with this evil, he has Levites guarding the gates in addition to his servants.

Before the Levites guard the gates, they must first cleanse themselves. In order to guard the gates, there must be nothing with them that would prevent them from doing their duty properly. Similarly, we, too, can only keep imminent evil at a distance if we have removed from our lives what may be a connecting factor to the evil we must stop.

The sabbath commandment is a commandment, that like no other commandment, asks every Israelite for simple obedience. The reasonableness of any other commandment can be seen after contemplation because it governs the relationship between God and people and between people. The sabbath commandment is given because God wants the sabbath to be held. Surely in doing so He has the welfare of man in mind. But fallen man considers especially the sabbath commandment to be something difficult. The sabbath is the clearest test of obedience to man under the law.

The Christian does not live “under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14b). Therefore, he is not under the sabbath commandment. He stands in the freedom of Christ in heaven. Every Christian who truly understands this will not be living a loose life. His life is subject to Christ. The norm of his life is not the law, but Christ. He is interested in everything Christ is interested in. Christ’s interest is particularly in the house of God, the church.

For the church it is not the sabbath, but Sunday is the special day of the week. This does not mean that what applies to the sabbath in Israel applies to Sunday in Christendom. It is a day that in a special way belongs to the Lord. A remarkable connection in the use of words in two biblical texts clearly indicates this. We read of “the Lord’s Supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20) and of “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10). I quote the footnote that the Dutch TELOS translation puts in Revelation 1:10: “In the Gr. there is an adjective derived from ‘Lord’ (i.e. different from e.g. in 1 Thessalonians 5:2), in the sense of belonging to the Lord. The word is further only found in 1 Corinthians 11:20.”

These two Scriptures show how much the Supper belonging to the Lord, celebrated by the church, is connected with the day belonging to the Lord. It is clear that the day of the Lord is no other than the first day of the week, Sunday. There are several indications in Scripture that the first day of the week is the day of the meeting of the church (Mark 16:2; 9; Luke 24:13; 33-49; John 20:19-29; Acts 2:1; Acts 20:7). And if it is a day that belongs especially to the Lord, there is every reason to spend that day as such.

In this spending, the Lord gives us complete freedom – except that He says to us to “not forsaking our own assembling together” (Hebrews 10:25). Any thought of acting under the pressure of some law is foreign to the freedom in which the Christian stands. If, however, the interest in God’s house diminishes, the day of the Lord also becomes more and more a day in which one’s own pleasures are satisfied. We may still visit the church, but for the rest we hang out in front of the TV, surf the Internet endlessly, go out and do all kinds of things, but without dedicating ourselves to the service of our Lord.

Hanging out in front of the TV is not an activity (well, activity …) that is a Christian’s honor. A Christian is expected to live consciously for the Lord every day of his life. But if Scripture itself marks a day especially as ‘His’ day, it is surely a call to dedicate ourselves to His house on that day. On that day we can, for example, concentrate a little more on fellowship with our fellow believers.

It is good to have a day on which we, as far as possible, distance ourselves from things that we, by order of the Lord, have to concern ourselves with on the other days of the week. It is just like the Lord’s Supper. We will, if it is good, be occupied with His death every day. After all, we owe everything to Him. But how good it is to have a special opportunity to think about His death, to remember it, when we come together for that purpose as a church.

After Nehemiah has again given the sabbath its rightful place among the people, consecrated this day anew to God, he again speaks out for God (Nehemiah 13:22b). He does this every time he has done a work. He asks if God will remember him with regard to what he has done for the maintenance of the sabbath. Last time he asked this concerning what he has done for God’s house. He places each work separately before God.

He asks if God will have compassion on him. After his resolute performance there may have been a feeling of exhaustion. It takes a lot of effort to show God’s people the right way and to correct what is wrong. As long as the effort has to be made, there is strength. But when the work is done, you can feel very tired. We may say that to the Lord.

We also feel that our actions, no matter how powerful they may be, are still exercised in great weakness. Then, like Nehemiah, we may call upon God’s great lovingkindness. He knows who we are, He knows us through and through, for He has made us. To remember that gives courage to go on. That’s what Nehemiah does.

Job 12:5

The Sanctification of the Sabbath Restored

If the house of God is neglected, the sabbath is secularized. Instead of being consecrated to the LORD, it is used for satisfying one’s own pleasures, and thus degraded to an ordinary day. The people have forgotten what they promised in Nehemiah 10 (Nehemiah 10:31).

While Nehemiah is in the process of making everything right again for the service in the house of God, he sees the sabbath being profaned. He warns the traders. Then he approaches the nobles and talks to them about these evil practices. There is nothing against trade, as long as it is not on the sabbath. He points out that it is for this very reason that God has brought disaster upon the people (Jeremiah 17:21-27). Then he takes measures to stop this evil work by having his servants posted at the gates.

When he sees that there are traders who spend the sabbath just outside Jerusalem to enter as soon as the gates open, he takes action against them as well. He knows what an impact it has if the evil that has been removed remains near. The traders might indeed not be able to bring the Jews to violate the sabbath commandment, but the Jews would be reminded of it all the time. Their minds would be filled with the things they could do tomorrow, with the profits they would gain. God would be driven out of their minds. To deal with this evil, he has Levites guarding the gates in addition to his servants.

Before the Levites guard the gates, they must first cleanse themselves. In order to guard the gates, there must be nothing with them that would prevent them from doing their duty properly. Similarly, we, too, can only keep imminent evil at a distance if we have removed from our lives what may be a connecting factor to the evil we must stop.

The sabbath commandment is a commandment, that like no other commandment, asks every Israelite for simple obedience. The reasonableness of any other commandment can be seen after contemplation because it governs the relationship between God and people and between people. The sabbath commandment is given because God wants the sabbath to be held. Surely in doing so He has the welfare of man in mind. But fallen man considers especially the sabbath commandment to be something difficult. The sabbath is the clearest test of obedience to man under the law.

The Christian does not live “under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14b). Therefore, he is not under the sabbath commandment. He stands in the freedom of Christ in heaven. Every Christian who truly understands this will not be living a loose life. His life is subject to Christ. The norm of his life is not the law, but Christ. He is interested in everything Christ is interested in. Christ’s interest is particularly in the house of God, the church.

For the church it is not the sabbath, but Sunday is the special day of the week. This does not mean that what applies to the sabbath in Israel applies to Sunday in Christendom. It is a day that in a special way belongs to the Lord. A remarkable connection in the use of words in two biblical texts clearly indicates this. We read of “the Lord’s Supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20) and of “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10). I quote the footnote that the Dutch TELOS translation puts in Revelation 1:10: “In the Gr. there is an adjective derived from ‘Lord’ (i.e. different from e.g. in 1 Thessalonians 5:2), in the sense of belonging to the Lord. The word is further only found in 1 Corinthians 11:20.”

These two Scriptures show how much the Supper belonging to the Lord, celebrated by the church, is connected with the day belonging to the Lord. It is clear that the day of the Lord is no other than the first day of the week, Sunday. There are several indications in Scripture that the first day of the week is the day of the meeting of the church (Mark 16:2; 9; Luke 24:13; 33-49; John 20:19-29; Acts 2:1; Acts 20:7). And if it is a day that belongs especially to the Lord, there is every reason to spend that day as such.

In this spending, the Lord gives us complete freedom – except that He says to us to “not forsaking our own assembling together” (Hebrews 10:25). Any thought of acting under the pressure of some law is foreign to the freedom in which the Christian stands. If, however, the interest in God’s house diminishes, the day of the Lord also becomes more and more a day in which one’s own pleasures are satisfied. We may still visit the church, but for the rest we hang out in front of the TV, surf the Internet endlessly, go out and do all kinds of things, but without dedicating ourselves to the service of our Lord.

Hanging out in front of the TV is not an activity (well, activity …) that is a Christian’s honor. A Christian is expected to live consciously for the Lord every day of his life. But if Scripture itself marks a day especially as ‘His’ day, it is surely a call to dedicate ourselves to His house on that day. On that day we can, for example, concentrate a little more on fellowship with our fellow believers.

It is good to have a day on which we, as far as possible, distance ourselves from things that we, by order of the Lord, have to concern ourselves with on the other days of the week. It is just like the Lord’s Supper. We will, if it is good, be occupied with His death every day. After all, we owe everything to Him. But how good it is to have a special opportunity to think about His death, to remember it, when we come together for that purpose as a church.

After Nehemiah has again given the sabbath its rightful place among the people, consecrated this day anew to God, he again speaks out for God (Nehemiah 13:22b). He does this every time he has done a work. He asks if God will remember him with regard to what he has done for the maintenance of the sabbath. Last time he asked this concerning what he has done for God’s house. He places each work separately before God.

He asks if God will have compassion on him. After his resolute performance there may have been a feeling of exhaustion. It takes a lot of effort to show God’s people the right way and to correct what is wrong. As long as the effort has to be made, there is strength. But when the work is done, you can feel very tired. We may say that to the Lord.

We also feel that our actions, no matter how powerful they may be, are still exercised in great weakness. Then, like Nehemiah, we may call upon God’s great lovingkindness. He knows who we are, He knows us through and through, for He has made us. To remember that gives courage to go on. That’s what Nehemiah does.

Job 12:6

The Sanctification of the Sabbath Restored

If the house of God is neglected, the sabbath is secularized. Instead of being consecrated to the LORD, it is used for satisfying one’s own pleasures, and thus degraded to an ordinary day. The people have forgotten what they promised in Nehemiah 10 (Nehemiah 10:31).

While Nehemiah is in the process of making everything right again for the service in the house of God, he sees the sabbath being profaned. He warns the traders. Then he approaches the nobles and talks to them about these evil practices. There is nothing against trade, as long as it is not on the sabbath. He points out that it is for this very reason that God has brought disaster upon the people (Jeremiah 17:21-27). Then he takes measures to stop this evil work by having his servants posted at the gates.

When he sees that there are traders who spend the sabbath just outside Jerusalem to enter as soon as the gates open, he takes action against them as well. He knows what an impact it has if the evil that has been removed remains near. The traders might indeed not be able to bring the Jews to violate the sabbath commandment, but the Jews would be reminded of it all the time. Their minds would be filled with the things they could do tomorrow, with the profits they would gain. God would be driven out of their minds. To deal with this evil, he has Levites guarding the gates in addition to his servants.

Before the Levites guard the gates, they must first cleanse themselves. In order to guard the gates, there must be nothing with them that would prevent them from doing their duty properly. Similarly, we, too, can only keep imminent evil at a distance if we have removed from our lives what may be a connecting factor to the evil we must stop.

The sabbath commandment is a commandment, that like no other commandment, asks every Israelite for simple obedience. The reasonableness of any other commandment can be seen after contemplation because it governs the relationship between God and people and between people. The sabbath commandment is given because God wants the sabbath to be held. Surely in doing so He has the welfare of man in mind. But fallen man considers especially the sabbath commandment to be something difficult. The sabbath is the clearest test of obedience to man under the law.

The Christian does not live “under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14b). Therefore, he is not under the sabbath commandment. He stands in the freedom of Christ in heaven. Every Christian who truly understands this will not be living a loose life. His life is subject to Christ. The norm of his life is not the law, but Christ. He is interested in everything Christ is interested in. Christ’s interest is particularly in the house of God, the church.

For the church it is not the sabbath, but Sunday is the special day of the week. This does not mean that what applies to the sabbath in Israel applies to Sunday in Christendom. It is a day that in a special way belongs to the Lord. A remarkable connection in the use of words in two biblical texts clearly indicates this. We read of “the Lord’s Supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20) and of “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10). I quote the footnote that the Dutch TELOS translation puts in Revelation 1:10: “In the Gr. there is an adjective derived from ‘Lord’ (i.e. different from e.g. in 1 Thessalonians 5:2), in the sense of belonging to the Lord. The word is further only found in 1 Corinthians 11:20.”

These two Scriptures show how much the Supper belonging to the Lord, celebrated by the church, is connected with the day belonging to the Lord. It is clear that the day of the Lord is no other than the first day of the week, Sunday. There are several indications in Scripture that the first day of the week is the day of the meeting of the church (Mark 16:2; 9; Luke 24:13; 33-49; John 20:19-29; Acts 2:1; Acts 20:7). And if it is a day that belongs especially to the Lord, there is every reason to spend that day as such.

In this spending, the Lord gives us complete freedom – except that He says to us to “not forsaking our own assembling together” (Hebrews 10:25). Any thought of acting under the pressure of some law is foreign to the freedom in which the Christian stands. If, however, the interest in God’s house diminishes, the day of the Lord also becomes more and more a day in which one’s own pleasures are satisfied. We may still visit the church, but for the rest we hang out in front of the TV, surf the Internet endlessly, go out and do all kinds of things, but without dedicating ourselves to the service of our Lord.

Hanging out in front of the TV is not an activity (well, activity …) that is a Christian’s honor. A Christian is expected to live consciously for the Lord every day of his life. But if Scripture itself marks a day especially as ‘His’ day, it is surely a call to dedicate ourselves to His house on that day. On that day we can, for example, concentrate a little more on fellowship with our fellow believers.

It is good to have a day on which we, as far as possible, distance ourselves from things that we, by order of the Lord, have to concern ourselves with on the other days of the week. It is just like the Lord’s Supper. We will, if it is good, be occupied with His death every day. After all, we owe everything to Him. But how good it is to have a special opportunity to think about His death, to remember it, when we come together for that purpose as a church.

After Nehemiah has again given the sabbath its rightful place among the people, consecrated this day anew to God, he again speaks out for God (Nehemiah 13:22b). He does this every time he has done a work. He asks if God will remember him with regard to what he has done for the maintenance of the sabbath. Last time he asked this concerning what he has done for God’s house. He places each work separately before God.

He asks if God will have compassion on him. After his resolute performance there may have been a feeling of exhaustion. It takes a lot of effort to show God’s people the right way and to correct what is wrong. As long as the effort has to be made, there is strength. But when the work is done, you can feel very tired. We may say that to the Lord.

We also feel that our actions, no matter how powerful they may be, are still exercised in great weakness. Then, like Nehemiah, we may call upon God’s great lovingkindness. He knows who we are, He knows us through and through, for He has made us. To remember that gives courage to go on. That’s what Nehemiah does.

Job 12:7

The Sanctification of the Sabbath Restored

If the house of God is neglected, the sabbath is secularized. Instead of being consecrated to the LORD, it is used for satisfying one’s own pleasures, and thus degraded to an ordinary day. The people have forgotten what they promised in Nehemiah 10 (Nehemiah 10:31).

While Nehemiah is in the process of making everything right again for the service in the house of God, he sees the sabbath being profaned. He warns the traders. Then he approaches the nobles and talks to them about these evil practices. There is nothing against trade, as long as it is not on the sabbath. He points out that it is for this very reason that God has brought disaster upon the people (Jeremiah 17:21-27). Then he takes measures to stop this evil work by having his servants posted at the gates.

When he sees that there are traders who spend the sabbath just outside Jerusalem to enter as soon as the gates open, he takes action against them as well. He knows what an impact it has if the evil that has been removed remains near. The traders might indeed not be able to bring the Jews to violate the sabbath commandment, but the Jews would be reminded of it all the time. Their minds would be filled with the things they could do tomorrow, with the profits they would gain. God would be driven out of their minds. To deal with this evil, he has Levites guarding the gates in addition to his servants.

Before the Levites guard the gates, they must first cleanse themselves. In order to guard the gates, there must be nothing with them that would prevent them from doing their duty properly. Similarly, we, too, can only keep imminent evil at a distance if we have removed from our lives what may be a connecting factor to the evil we must stop.

The sabbath commandment is a commandment, that like no other commandment, asks every Israelite for simple obedience. The reasonableness of any other commandment can be seen after contemplation because it governs the relationship between God and people and between people. The sabbath commandment is given because God wants the sabbath to be held. Surely in doing so He has the welfare of man in mind. But fallen man considers especially the sabbath commandment to be something difficult. The sabbath is the clearest test of obedience to man under the law.

The Christian does not live “under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14b). Therefore, he is not under the sabbath commandment. He stands in the freedom of Christ in heaven. Every Christian who truly understands this will not be living a loose life. His life is subject to Christ. The norm of his life is not the law, but Christ. He is interested in everything Christ is interested in. Christ’s interest is particularly in the house of God, the church.

For the church it is not the sabbath, but Sunday is the special day of the week. This does not mean that what applies to the sabbath in Israel applies to Sunday in Christendom. It is a day that in a special way belongs to the Lord. A remarkable connection in the use of words in two biblical texts clearly indicates this. We read of “the Lord’s Supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20) and of “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10). I quote the footnote that the Dutch TELOS translation puts in Revelation 1:10: “In the Gr. there is an adjective derived from ‘Lord’ (i.e. different from e.g. in 1 Thessalonians 5:2), in the sense of belonging to the Lord. The word is further only found in 1 Corinthians 11:20.”

These two Scriptures show how much the Supper belonging to the Lord, celebrated by the church, is connected with the day belonging to the Lord. It is clear that the day of the Lord is no other than the first day of the week, Sunday. There are several indications in Scripture that the first day of the week is the day of the meeting of the church (Mark 16:2; 9; Luke 24:13; 33-49; John 20:19-29; Acts 2:1; Acts 20:7). And if it is a day that belongs especially to the Lord, there is every reason to spend that day as such.

In this spending, the Lord gives us complete freedom – except that He says to us to “not forsaking our own assembling together” (Hebrews 10:25). Any thought of acting under the pressure of some law is foreign to the freedom in which the Christian stands. If, however, the interest in God’s house diminishes, the day of the Lord also becomes more and more a day in which one’s own pleasures are satisfied. We may still visit the church, but for the rest we hang out in front of the TV, surf the Internet endlessly, go out and do all kinds of things, but without dedicating ourselves to the service of our Lord.

Hanging out in front of the TV is not an activity (well, activity …) that is a Christian’s honor. A Christian is expected to live consciously for the Lord every day of his life. But if Scripture itself marks a day especially as ‘His’ day, it is surely a call to dedicate ourselves to His house on that day. On that day we can, for example, concentrate a little more on fellowship with our fellow believers.

It is good to have a day on which we, as far as possible, distance ourselves from things that we, by order of the Lord, have to concern ourselves with on the other days of the week. It is just like the Lord’s Supper. We will, if it is good, be occupied with His death every day. After all, we owe everything to Him. But how good it is to have a special opportunity to think about His death, to remember it, when we come together for that purpose as a church.

After Nehemiah has again given the sabbath its rightful place among the people, consecrated this day anew to God, he again speaks out for God (Nehemiah 13:22b). He does this every time he has done a work. He asks if God will remember him with regard to what he has done for the maintenance of the sabbath. Last time he asked this concerning what he has done for God’s house. He places each work separately before God.

He asks if God will have compassion on him. After his resolute performance there may have been a feeling of exhaustion. It takes a lot of effort to show God’s people the right way and to correct what is wrong. As long as the effort has to be made, there is strength. But when the work is done, you can feel very tired. We may say that to the Lord.

We also feel that our actions, no matter how powerful they may be, are still exercised in great weakness. Then, like Nehemiah, we may call upon God’s great lovingkindness. He knows who we are, He knows us through and through, for He has made us. To remember that gives courage to go on. That’s what Nehemiah does.

Job 12:8

The Sanctification of the Sabbath Restored

If the house of God is neglected, the sabbath is secularized. Instead of being consecrated to the LORD, it is used for satisfying one’s own pleasures, and thus degraded to an ordinary day. The people have forgotten what they promised in Nehemiah 10 (Nehemiah 10:31).

While Nehemiah is in the process of making everything right again for the service in the house of God, he sees the sabbath being profaned. He warns the traders. Then he approaches the nobles and talks to them about these evil practices. There is nothing against trade, as long as it is not on the sabbath. He points out that it is for this very reason that God has brought disaster upon the people (Jeremiah 17:21-27). Then he takes measures to stop this evil work by having his servants posted at the gates.

When he sees that there are traders who spend the sabbath just outside Jerusalem to enter as soon as the gates open, he takes action against them as well. He knows what an impact it has if the evil that has been removed remains near. The traders might indeed not be able to bring the Jews to violate the sabbath commandment, but the Jews would be reminded of it all the time. Their minds would be filled with the things they could do tomorrow, with the profits they would gain. God would be driven out of their minds. To deal with this evil, he has Levites guarding the gates in addition to his servants.

Before the Levites guard the gates, they must first cleanse themselves. In order to guard the gates, there must be nothing with them that would prevent them from doing their duty properly. Similarly, we, too, can only keep imminent evil at a distance if we have removed from our lives what may be a connecting factor to the evil we must stop.

The sabbath commandment is a commandment, that like no other commandment, asks every Israelite for simple obedience. The reasonableness of any other commandment can be seen after contemplation because it governs the relationship between God and people and between people. The sabbath commandment is given because God wants the sabbath to be held. Surely in doing so He has the welfare of man in mind. But fallen man considers especially the sabbath commandment to be something difficult. The sabbath is the clearest test of obedience to man under the law.

The Christian does not live “under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14b). Therefore, he is not under the sabbath commandment. He stands in the freedom of Christ in heaven. Every Christian who truly understands this will not be living a loose life. His life is subject to Christ. The norm of his life is not the law, but Christ. He is interested in everything Christ is interested in. Christ’s interest is particularly in the house of God, the church.

For the church it is not the sabbath, but Sunday is the special day of the week. This does not mean that what applies to the sabbath in Israel applies to Sunday in Christendom. It is a day that in a special way belongs to the Lord. A remarkable connection in the use of words in two biblical texts clearly indicates this. We read of “the Lord’s Supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20) and of “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10). I quote the footnote that the Dutch TELOS translation puts in Revelation 1:10: “In the Gr. there is an adjective derived from ‘Lord’ (i.e. different from e.g. in 1 Thessalonians 5:2), in the sense of belonging to the Lord. The word is further only found in 1 Corinthians 11:20.”

These two Scriptures show how much the Supper belonging to the Lord, celebrated by the church, is connected with the day belonging to the Lord. It is clear that the day of the Lord is no other than the first day of the week, Sunday. There are several indications in Scripture that the first day of the week is the day of the meeting of the church (Mark 16:2; 9; Luke 24:13; 33-49; John 20:19-29; Acts 2:1; Acts 20:7). And if it is a day that belongs especially to the Lord, there is every reason to spend that day as such.

In this spending, the Lord gives us complete freedom – except that He says to us to “not forsaking our own assembling together” (Hebrews 10:25). Any thought of acting under the pressure of some law is foreign to the freedom in which the Christian stands. If, however, the interest in God’s house diminishes, the day of the Lord also becomes more and more a day in which one’s own pleasures are satisfied. We may still visit the church, but for the rest we hang out in front of the TV, surf the Internet endlessly, go out and do all kinds of things, but without dedicating ourselves to the service of our Lord.

Hanging out in front of the TV is not an activity (well, activity …) that is a Christian’s honor. A Christian is expected to live consciously for the Lord every day of his life. But if Scripture itself marks a day especially as ‘His’ day, it is surely a call to dedicate ourselves to His house on that day. On that day we can, for example, concentrate a little more on fellowship with our fellow believers.

It is good to have a day on which we, as far as possible, distance ourselves from things that we, by order of the Lord, have to concern ourselves with on the other days of the week. It is just like the Lord’s Supper. We will, if it is good, be occupied with His death every day. After all, we owe everything to Him. But how good it is to have a special opportunity to think about His death, to remember it, when we come together for that purpose as a church.

After Nehemiah has again given the sabbath its rightful place among the people, consecrated this day anew to God, he again speaks out for God (Nehemiah 13:22b). He does this every time he has done a work. He asks if God will remember him with regard to what he has done for the maintenance of the sabbath. Last time he asked this concerning what he has done for God’s house. He places each work separately before God.

He asks if God will have compassion on him. After his resolute performance there may have been a feeling of exhaustion. It takes a lot of effort to show God’s people the right way and to correct what is wrong. As long as the effort has to be made, there is strength. But when the work is done, you can feel very tired. We may say that to the Lord.

We also feel that our actions, no matter how powerful they may be, are still exercised in great weakness. Then, like Nehemiah, we may call upon God’s great lovingkindness. He knows who we are, He knows us through and through, for He has made us. To remember that gives courage to go on. That’s what Nehemiah does.

Job 12:9

The Sanctification of the Sabbath Restored

If the house of God is neglected, the sabbath is secularized. Instead of being consecrated to the LORD, it is used for satisfying one’s own pleasures, and thus degraded to an ordinary day. The people have forgotten what they promised in Nehemiah 10 (Nehemiah 10:31).

While Nehemiah is in the process of making everything right again for the service in the house of God, he sees the sabbath being profaned. He warns the traders. Then he approaches the nobles and talks to them about these evil practices. There is nothing against trade, as long as it is not on the sabbath. He points out that it is for this very reason that God has brought disaster upon the people (Jeremiah 17:21-27). Then he takes measures to stop this evil work by having his servants posted at the gates.

When he sees that there are traders who spend the sabbath just outside Jerusalem to enter as soon as the gates open, he takes action against them as well. He knows what an impact it has if the evil that has been removed remains near. The traders might indeed not be able to bring the Jews to violate the sabbath commandment, but the Jews would be reminded of it all the time. Their minds would be filled with the things they could do tomorrow, with the profits they would gain. God would be driven out of their minds. To deal with this evil, he has Levites guarding the gates in addition to his servants.

Before the Levites guard the gates, they must first cleanse themselves. In order to guard the gates, there must be nothing with them that would prevent them from doing their duty properly. Similarly, we, too, can only keep imminent evil at a distance if we have removed from our lives what may be a connecting factor to the evil we must stop.

The sabbath commandment is a commandment, that like no other commandment, asks every Israelite for simple obedience. The reasonableness of any other commandment can be seen after contemplation because it governs the relationship between God and people and between people. The sabbath commandment is given because God wants the sabbath to be held. Surely in doing so He has the welfare of man in mind. But fallen man considers especially the sabbath commandment to be something difficult. The sabbath is the clearest test of obedience to man under the law.

The Christian does not live “under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14b). Therefore, he is not under the sabbath commandment. He stands in the freedom of Christ in heaven. Every Christian who truly understands this will not be living a loose life. His life is subject to Christ. The norm of his life is not the law, but Christ. He is interested in everything Christ is interested in. Christ’s interest is particularly in the house of God, the church.

For the church it is not the sabbath, but Sunday is the special day of the week. This does not mean that what applies to the sabbath in Israel applies to Sunday in Christendom. It is a day that in a special way belongs to the Lord. A remarkable connection in the use of words in two biblical texts clearly indicates this. We read of “the Lord’s Supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20) and of “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10). I quote the footnote that the Dutch TELOS translation puts in Revelation 1:10: “In the Gr. there is an adjective derived from ‘Lord’ (i.e. different from e.g. in 1 Thessalonians 5:2), in the sense of belonging to the Lord. The word is further only found in 1 Corinthians 11:20.”

These two Scriptures show how much the Supper belonging to the Lord, celebrated by the church, is connected with the day belonging to the Lord. It is clear that the day of the Lord is no other than the first day of the week, Sunday. There are several indications in Scripture that the first day of the week is the day of the meeting of the church (Mark 16:2; 9; Luke 24:13; 33-49; John 20:19-29; Acts 2:1; Acts 20:7). And if it is a day that belongs especially to the Lord, there is every reason to spend that day as such.

In this spending, the Lord gives us complete freedom – except that He says to us to “not forsaking our own assembling together” (Hebrews 10:25). Any thought of acting under the pressure of some law is foreign to the freedom in which the Christian stands. If, however, the interest in God’s house diminishes, the day of the Lord also becomes more and more a day in which one’s own pleasures are satisfied. We may still visit the church, but for the rest we hang out in front of the TV, surf the Internet endlessly, go out and do all kinds of things, but without dedicating ourselves to the service of our Lord.

Hanging out in front of the TV is not an activity (well, activity …) that is a Christian’s honor. A Christian is expected to live consciously for the Lord every day of his life. But if Scripture itself marks a day especially as ‘His’ day, it is surely a call to dedicate ourselves to His house on that day. On that day we can, for example, concentrate a little more on fellowship with our fellow believers.

It is good to have a day on which we, as far as possible, distance ourselves from things that we, by order of the Lord, have to concern ourselves with on the other days of the week. It is just like the Lord’s Supper. We will, if it is good, be occupied with His death every day. After all, we owe everything to Him. But how good it is to have a special opportunity to think about His death, to remember it, when we come together for that purpose as a church.

After Nehemiah has again given the sabbath its rightful place among the people, consecrated this day anew to God, he again speaks out for God (Nehemiah 13:22b). He does this every time he has done a work. He asks if God will remember him with regard to what he has done for the maintenance of the sabbath. Last time he asked this concerning what he has done for God’s house. He places each work separately before God.

He asks if God will have compassion on him. After his resolute performance there may have been a feeling of exhaustion. It takes a lot of effort to show God’s people the right way and to correct what is wrong. As long as the effort has to be made, there is strength. But when the work is done, you can feel very tired. We may say that to the Lord.

We also feel that our actions, no matter how powerful they may be, are still exercised in great weakness. Then, like Nehemiah, we may call upon God’s great lovingkindness. He knows who we are, He knows us through and through, for He has made us. To remember that gives courage to go on. That’s what Nehemiah does.

Job 12:10

The Evil of Mixed Marriages

Nehemiah perceives a new evil. Things don’t go well in the families of the Judeans. He notices that from the speech of the children of those families. He speaks to the Judeans about it and becomes so angry that he curses them, strikes some of them and pulls out their hair and makes them swear by God that they will not continue with this sin. His fierce reaction shows how great this evil is.

Nehemiah points the company to Solomon. With all due respect to King Solomon, but he too has sinned greatly in this (1 Kings 11:1-8). The fact that he is especially privileged by God has not saved him from this great evil. God does not conceal evil, not even from those closest to Him. By quoting Solomon as an example, Nehemiah shows that a privileged position is not a license for sin. It is precisely the evil that privileged people do that God will punish, because they should know better (Amos 3:2).

Nehemiah points to Solomon without regard for persons. Without distinction Nehemiah deals with the family of the high priest Eliashib. What began with the preparing of a large room for Tobiah (Nehemiah 13:4-5) ends in a marriage between the grandson of the high priest and the daughter of the enemy of God’s work (Nehemiah 2:10). And just as Nehemiah has thrown Tobiah out of God’s house with all his household goods (Nehemiah 13:8), so he drives away the man who made this horrible connection.

We are dealing here with a priest. He has violated a clear precept. What applies to the whole populace, that a person may only marry one of his people, definitely applies to a priest (cf. Leviticus 21:7; 14). He is someone with an exemplary function. If such a person goes wrong, he may under no circumstances remain in his position, but must be acted upon according to the example set by Nehemiah.

If the real interest in God’s house diminishes, friendships with the world take its place. We may ask ourselves: Which ‘daughter of Sanballat’ has captured our love and robbed our hearts of our faithfulness to the Lord? Which ‘stranger’ or ‘foreigner’ has drawn us away from the Lord? Which ‘Delilah’ has taken away our spiritual strength (Judges 16:16-21)?

We learn important lessons from the wrong commitments made by the children of families who belong to God’s people. We see a commitment to the world reflected in the language our children speak. The mother’s teaching (Proverbs 1:8) has an important place in the child’s development. A child expresses itself as it learns from its mother. Nehemiah hears a mix of the language of Judea and language of Ashdod, where the language of Ashdod predominates.

The language of Ashdod is the language spoken in Ashdod, a Philistine city under God’s judgment (Jeremiah 25:20). Philistines are a picture of confessors of Christendom, but without having new life. They are those Christians who occasionally produce a biblical sound, but who do not submit their lives to the will of God (2 Timothy 3:5). They live for here and now. Space is only given to God and His Word in so far as they can use it to impress and profit.

The popularity of the (Dutch) New Bible Translation is a topical and disconcerting example of this. This book was launched on the market with a media spectacle that has never been shown before around the presentation of a Bible translation (2010). Everything breathes a worldly way of thinking and doing, while people say they want to promote the Word of God.

Who raises our children? Do we do this ourselves, by means of and subject to God’s Word? Someone wrote: We are dealing with a first generation raised not by a mother and father, but by the media. Shall we allow the media to raise our children? Do you honestly face the following questions: Does your child know the twitter-language, street-language and sports terms better than the language and terms of the Bible? Does your child know the songs of the world better than the songs of God’s children?

If you have to answer (one of) these questions with ‘yes’, it is high time to change this. Don’t you feel able to do this? Ask for help! But don’t let that situation continue. Call with all your strength to God for help. Confess your failure to Him and to your children. Then He will surely show you the way out. Share your need with others. Seek prayer partners to fight with you in the prayers for your children and also those of others.

The alarm bell must be sounded. No more time must be wasted. Every second counts. It’s about the families of God’s children. Parents lose contact with their children. They seem to have to watch powerlessly as their children get stuck in the world wide web. I don’t mean to say that you should know as much about the Internet as your child does. The question is what your contact with God is like. It doesn’t get out of His control.

Put your trust in Him again and be prepared to follow His instructions with all your heart. He says: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you” (Psalms 32:8). We may take an example from Ezra and be encouraged by it: “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. … So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty” (Ezra 8:21; 23).

Let us respond to the call of Jeremiah: “Pour out your heart like water Before the presence of the Lord; Lift up your hands to Him For the life of your little ones” (Lamentations 2:19b).

Job 12:11

The Evil of Mixed Marriages

Nehemiah perceives a new evil. Things don’t go well in the families of the Judeans. He notices that from the speech of the children of those families. He speaks to the Judeans about it and becomes so angry that he curses them, strikes some of them and pulls out their hair and makes them swear by God that they will not continue with this sin. His fierce reaction shows how great this evil is.

Nehemiah points the company to Solomon. With all due respect to King Solomon, but he too has sinned greatly in this (1 Kings 11:1-8). The fact that he is especially privileged by God has not saved him from this great evil. God does not conceal evil, not even from those closest to Him. By quoting Solomon as an example, Nehemiah shows that a privileged position is not a license for sin. It is precisely the evil that privileged people do that God will punish, because they should know better (Amos 3:2).

Nehemiah points to Solomon without regard for persons. Without distinction Nehemiah deals with the family of the high priest Eliashib. What began with the preparing of a large room for Tobiah (Nehemiah 13:4-5) ends in a marriage between the grandson of the high priest and the daughter of the enemy of God’s work (Nehemiah 2:10). And just as Nehemiah has thrown Tobiah out of God’s house with all his household goods (Nehemiah 13:8), so he drives away the man who made this horrible connection.

We are dealing here with a priest. He has violated a clear precept. What applies to the whole populace, that a person may only marry one of his people, definitely applies to a priest (cf. Leviticus 21:7; 14). He is someone with an exemplary function. If such a person goes wrong, he may under no circumstances remain in his position, but must be acted upon according to the example set by Nehemiah.

If the real interest in God’s house diminishes, friendships with the world take its place. We may ask ourselves: Which ‘daughter of Sanballat’ has captured our love and robbed our hearts of our faithfulness to the Lord? Which ‘stranger’ or ‘foreigner’ has drawn us away from the Lord? Which ‘Delilah’ has taken away our spiritual strength (Judges 16:16-21)?

We learn important lessons from the wrong commitments made by the children of families who belong to God’s people. We see a commitment to the world reflected in the language our children speak. The mother’s teaching (Proverbs 1:8) has an important place in the child’s development. A child expresses itself as it learns from its mother. Nehemiah hears a mix of the language of Judea and language of Ashdod, where the language of Ashdod predominates.

The language of Ashdod is the language spoken in Ashdod, a Philistine city under God’s judgment (Jeremiah 25:20). Philistines are a picture of confessors of Christendom, but without having new life. They are those Christians who occasionally produce a biblical sound, but who do not submit their lives to the will of God (2 Timothy 3:5). They live for here and now. Space is only given to God and His Word in so far as they can use it to impress and profit.

The popularity of the (Dutch) New Bible Translation is a topical and disconcerting example of this. This book was launched on the market with a media spectacle that has never been shown before around the presentation of a Bible translation (2010). Everything breathes a worldly way of thinking and doing, while people say they want to promote the Word of God.

Who raises our children? Do we do this ourselves, by means of and subject to God’s Word? Someone wrote: We are dealing with a first generation raised not by a mother and father, but by the media. Shall we allow the media to raise our children? Do you honestly face the following questions: Does your child know the twitter-language, street-language and sports terms better than the language and terms of the Bible? Does your child know the songs of the world better than the songs of God’s children?

If you have to answer (one of) these questions with ‘yes’, it is high time to change this. Don’t you feel able to do this? Ask for help! But don’t let that situation continue. Call with all your strength to God for help. Confess your failure to Him and to your children. Then He will surely show you the way out. Share your need with others. Seek prayer partners to fight with you in the prayers for your children and also those of others.

The alarm bell must be sounded. No more time must be wasted. Every second counts. It’s about the families of God’s children. Parents lose contact with their children. They seem to have to watch powerlessly as their children get stuck in the world wide web. I don’t mean to say that you should know as much about the Internet as your child does. The question is what your contact with God is like. It doesn’t get out of His control.

Put your trust in Him again and be prepared to follow His instructions with all your heart. He says: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you” (Psalms 32:8). We may take an example from Ezra and be encouraged by it: “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. … So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty” (Ezra 8:21; 23).

Let us respond to the call of Jeremiah: “Pour out your heart like water Before the presence of the Lord; Lift up your hands to Him For the life of your little ones” (Lamentations 2:19b).

Job 12:12

The Evil of Mixed Marriages

Nehemiah perceives a new evil. Things don’t go well in the families of the Judeans. He notices that from the speech of the children of those families. He speaks to the Judeans about it and becomes so angry that he curses them, strikes some of them and pulls out their hair and makes them swear by God that they will not continue with this sin. His fierce reaction shows how great this evil is.

Nehemiah points the company to Solomon. With all due respect to King Solomon, but he too has sinned greatly in this (1 Kings 11:1-8). The fact that he is especially privileged by God has not saved him from this great evil. God does not conceal evil, not even from those closest to Him. By quoting Solomon as an example, Nehemiah shows that a privileged position is not a license for sin. It is precisely the evil that privileged people do that God will punish, because they should know better (Amos 3:2).

Nehemiah points to Solomon without regard for persons. Without distinction Nehemiah deals with the family of the high priest Eliashib. What began with the preparing of a large room for Tobiah (Nehemiah 13:4-5) ends in a marriage between the grandson of the high priest and the daughter of the enemy of God’s work (Nehemiah 2:10). And just as Nehemiah has thrown Tobiah out of God’s house with all his household goods (Nehemiah 13:8), so he drives away the man who made this horrible connection.

We are dealing here with a priest. He has violated a clear precept. What applies to the whole populace, that a person may only marry one of his people, definitely applies to a priest (cf. Leviticus 21:7; 14). He is someone with an exemplary function. If such a person goes wrong, he may under no circumstances remain in his position, but must be acted upon according to the example set by Nehemiah.

If the real interest in God’s house diminishes, friendships with the world take its place. We may ask ourselves: Which ‘daughter of Sanballat’ has captured our love and robbed our hearts of our faithfulness to the Lord? Which ‘stranger’ or ‘foreigner’ has drawn us away from the Lord? Which ‘Delilah’ has taken away our spiritual strength (Judges 16:16-21)?

We learn important lessons from the wrong commitments made by the children of families who belong to God’s people. We see a commitment to the world reflected in the language our children speak. The mother’s teaching (Proverbs 1:8) has an important place in the child’s development. A child expresses itself as it learns from its mother. Nehemiah hears a mix of the language of Judea and language of Ashdod, where the language of Ashdod predominates.

The language of Ashdod is the language spoken in Ashdod, a Philistine city under God’s judgment (Jeremiah 25:20). Philistines are a picture of confessors of Christendom, but without having new life. They are those Christians who occasionally produce a biblical sound, but who do not submit their lives to the will of God (2 Timothy 3:5). They live for here and now. Space is only given to God and His Word in so far as they can use it to impress and profit.

The popularity of the (Dutch) New Bible Translation is a topical and disconcerting example of this. This book was launched on the market with a media spectacle that has never been shown before around the presentation of a Bible translation (2010). Everything breathes a worldly way of thinking and doing, while people say they want to promote the Word of God.

Who raises our children? Do we do this ourselves, by means of and subject to God’s Word? Someone wrote: We are dealing with a first generation raised not by a mother and father, but by the media. Shall we allow the media to raise our children? Do you honestly face the following questions: Does your child know the twitter-language, street-language and sports terms better than the language and terms of the Bible? Does your child know the songs of the world better than the songs of God’s children?

If you have to answer (one of) these questions with ‘yes’, it is high time to change this. Don’t you feel able to do this? Ask for help! But don’t let that situation continue. Call with all your strength to God for help. Confess your failure to Him and to your children. Then He will surely show you the way out. Share your need with others. Seek prayer partners to fight with you in the prayers for your children and also those of others.

The alarm bell must be sounded. No more time must be wasted. Every second counts. It’s about the families of God’s children. Parents lose contact with their children. They seem to have to watch powerlessly as their children get stuck in the world wide web. I don’t mean to say that you should know as much about the Internet as your child does. The question is what your contact with God is like. It doesn’t get out of His control.

Put your trust in Him again and be prepared to follow His instructions with all your heart. He says: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you” (Psalms 32:8). We may take an example from Ezra and be encouraged by it: “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. … So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty” (Ezra 8:21; 23).

Let us respond to the call of Jeremiah: “Pour out your heart like water Before the presence of the Lord; Lift up your hands to Him For the life of your little ones” (Lamentations 2:19b).

Job 12:13

The Evil of Mixed Marriages

Nehemiah perceives a new evil. Things don’t go well in the families of the Judeans. He notices that from the speech of the children of those families. He speaks to the Judeans about it and becomes so angry that he curses them, strikes some of them and pulls out their hair and makes them swear by God that they will not continue with this sin. His fierce reaction shows how great this evil is.

Nehemiah points the company to Solomon. With all due respect to King Solomon, but he too has sinned greatly in this (1 Kings 11:1-8). The fact that he is especially privileged by God has not saved him from this great evil. God does not conceal evil, not even from those closest to Him. By quoting Solomon as an example, Nehemiah shows that a privileged position is not a license for sin. It is precisely the evil that privileged people do that God will punish, because they should know better (Amos 3:2).

Nehemiah points to Solomon without regard for persons. Without distinction Nehemiah deals with the family of the high priest Eliashib. What began with the preparing of a large room for Tobiah (Nehemiah 13:4-5) ends in a marriage between the grandson of the high priest and the daughter of the enemy of God’s work (Nehemiah 2:10). And just as Nehemiah has thrown Tobiah out of God’s house with all his household goods (Nehemiah 13:8), so he drives away the man who made this horrible connection.

We are dealing here with a priest. He has violated a clear precept. What applies to the whole populace, that a person may only marry one of his people, definitely applies to a priest (cf. Leviticus 21:7; 14). He is someone with an exemplary function. If such a person goes wrong, he may under no circumstances remain in his position, but must be acted upon according to the example set by Nehemiah.

If the real interest in God’s house diminishes, friendships with the world take its place. We may ask ourselves: Which ‘daughter of Sanballat’ has captured our love and robbed our hearts of our faithfulness to the Lord? Which ‘stranger’ or ‘foreigner’ has drawn us away from the Lord? Which ‘Delilah’ has taken away our spiritual strength (Judges 16:16-21)?

We learn important lessons from the wrong commitments made by the children of families who belong to God’s people. We see a commitment to the world reflected in the language our children speak. The mother’s teaching (Proverbs 1:8) has an important place in the child’s development. A child expresses itself as it learns from its mother. Nehemiah hears a mix of the language of Judea and language of Ashdod, where the language of Ashdod predominates.

The language of Ashdod is the language spoken in Ashdod, a Philistine city under God’s judgment (Jeremiah 25:20). Philistines are a picture of confessors of Christendom, but without having new life. They are those Christians who occasionally produce a biblical sound, but who do not submit their lives to the will of God (2 Timothy 3:5). They live for here and now. Space is only given to God and His Word in so far as they can use it to impress and profit.

The popularity of the (Dutch) New Bible Translation is a topical and disconcerting example of this. This book was launched on the market with a media spectacle that has never been shown before around the presentation of a Bible translation (2010). Everything breathes a worldly way of thinking and doing, while people say they want to promote the Word of God.

Who raises our children? Do we do this ourselves, by means of and subject to God’s Word? Someone wrote: We are dealing with a first generation raised not by a mother and father, but by the media. Shall we allow the media to raise our children? Do you honestly face the following questions: Does your child know the twitter-language, street-language and sports terms better than the language and terms of the Bible? Does your child know the songs of the world better than the songs of God’s children?

If you have to answer (one of) these questions with ‘yes’, it is high time to change this. Don’t you feel able to do this? Ask for help! But don’t let that situation continue. Call with all your strength to God for help. Confess your failure to Him and to your children. Then He will surely show you the way out. Share your need with others. Seek prayer partners to fight with you in the prayers for your children and also those of others.

The alarm bell must be sounded. No more time must be wasted. Every second counts. It’s about the families of God’s children. Parents lose contact with their children. They seem to have to watch powerlessly as their children get stuck in the world wide web. I don’t mean to say that you should know as much about the Internet as your child does. The question is what your contact with God is like. It doesn’t get out of His control.

Put your trust in Him again and be prepared to follow His instructions with all your heart. He says: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you” (Psalms 32:8). We may take an example from Ezra and be encouraged by it: “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. … So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty” (Ezra 8:21; 23).

Let us respond to the call of Jeremiah: “Pour out your heart like water Before the presence of the Lord; Lift up your hands to Him For the life of your little ones” (Lamentations 2:19b).

Job 12:14

The Evil of Mixed Marriages

Nehemiah perceives a new evil. Things don’t go well in the families of the Judeans. He notices that from the speech of the children of those families. He speaks to the Judeans about it and becomes so angry that he curses them, strikes some of them and pulls out their hair and makes them swear by God that they will not continue with this sin. His fierce reaction shows how great this evil is.

Nehemiah points the company to Solomon. With all due respect to King Solomon, but he too has sinned greatly in this (1 Kings 11:1-8). The fact that he is especially privileged by God has not saved him from this great evil. God does not conceal evil, not even from those closest to Him. By quoting Solomon as an example, Nehemiah shows that a privileged position is not a license for sin. It is precisely the evil that privileged people do that God will punish, because they should know better (Amos 3:2).

Nehemiah points to Solomon without regard for persons. Without distinction Nehemiah deals with the family of the high priest Eliashib. What began with the preparing of a large room for Tobiah (Nehemiah 13:4-5) ends in a marriage between the grandson of the high priest and the daughter of the enemy of God’s work (Nehemiah 2:10). And just as Nehemiah has thrown Tobiah out of God’s house with all his household goods (Nehemiah 13:8), so he drives away the man who made this horrible connection.

We are dealing here with a priest. He has violated a clear precept. What applies to the whole populace, that a person may only marry one of his people, definitely applies to a priest (cf. Leviticus 21:7; 14). He is someone with an exemplary function. If such a person goes wrong, he may under no circumstances remain in his position, but must be acted upon according to the example set by Nehemiah.

If the real interest in God’s house diminishes, friendships with the world take its place. We may ask ourselves: Which ‘daughter of Sanballat’ has captured our love and robbed our hearts of our faithfulness to the Lord? Which ‘stranger’ or ‘foreigner’ has drawn us away from the Lord? Which ‘Delilah’ has taken away our spiritual strength (Judges 16:16-21)?

We learn important lessons from the wrong commitments made by the children of families who belong to God’s people. We see a commitment to the world reflected in the language our children speak. The mother’s teaching (Proverbs 1:8) has an important place in the child’s development. A child expresses itself as it learns from its mother. Nehemiah hears a mix of the language of Judea and language of Ashdod, where the language of Ashdod predominates.

The language of Ashdod is the language spoken in Ashdod, a Philistine city under God’s judgment (Jeremiah 25:20). Philistines are a picture of confessors of Christendom, but without having new life. They are those Christians who occasionally produce a biblical sound, but who do not submit their lives to the will of God (2 Timothy 3:5). They live for here and now. Space is only given to God and His Word in so far as they can use it to impress and profit.

The popularity of the (Dutch) New Bible Translation is a topical and disconcerting example of this. This book was launched on the market with a media spectacle that has never been shown before around the presentation of a Bible translation (2010). Everything breathes a worldly way of thinking and doing, while people say they want to promote the Word of God.

Who raises our children? Do we do this ourselves, by means of and subject to God’s Word? Someone wrote: We are dealing with a first generation raised not by a mother and father, but by the media. Shall we allow the media to raise our children? Do you honestly face the following questions: Does your child know the twitter-language, street-language and sports terms better than the language and terms of the Bible? Does your child know the songs of the world better than the songs of God’s children?

If you have to answer (one of) these questions with ‘yes’, it is high time to change this. Don’t you feel able to do this? Ask for help! But don’t let that situation continue. Call with all your strength to God for help. Confess your failure to Him and to your children. Then He will surely show you the way out. Share your need with others. Seek prayer partners to fight with you in the prayers for your children and also those of others.

The alarm bell must be sounded. No more time must be wasted. Every second counts. It’s about the families of God’s children. Parents lose contact with their children. They seem to have to watch powerlessly as their children get stuck in the world wide web. I don’t mean to say that you should know as much about the Internet as your child does. The question is what your contact with God is like. It doesn’t get out of His control.

Put your trust in Him again and be prepared to follow His instructions with all your heart. He says: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you” (Psalms 32:8). We may take an example from Ezra and be encouraged by it: “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. … So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty” (Ezra 8:21; 23).

Let us respond to the call of Jeremiah: “Pour out your heart like water Before the presence of the Lord; Lift up your hands to Him For the life of your little ones” (Lamentations 2:19b).

Job 12:15

The Evil of Mixed Marriages

Nehemiah perceives a new evil. Things don’t go well in the families of the Judeans. He notices that from the speech of the children of those families. He speaks to the Judeans about it and becomes so angry that he curses them, strikes some of them and pulls out their hair and makes them swear by God that they will not continue with this sin. His fierce reaction shows how great this evil is.

Nehemiah points the company to Solomon. With all due respect to King Solomon, but he too has sinned greatly in this (1 Kings 11:1-8). The fact that he is especially privileged by God has not saved him from this great evil. God does not conceal evil, not even from those closest to Him. By quoting Solomon as an example, Nehemiah shows that a privileged position is not a license for sin. It is precisely the evil that privileged people do that God will punish, because they should know better (Amos 3:2).

Nehemiah points to Solomon without regard for persons. Without distinction Nehemiah deals with the family of the high priest Eliashib. What began with the preparing of a large room for Tobiah (Nehemiah 13:4-5) ends in a marriage between the grandson of the high priest and the daughter of the enemy of God’s work (Nehemiah 2:10). And just as Nehemiah has thrown Tobiah out of God’s house with all his household goods (Nehemiah 13:8), so he drives away the man who made this horrible connection.

We are dealing here with a priest. He has violated a clear precept. What applies to the whole populace, that a person may only marry one of his people, definitely applies to a priest (cf. Leviticus 21:7; 14). He is someone with an exemplary function. If such a person goes wrong, he may under no circumstances remain in his position, but must be acted upon according to the example set by Nehemiah.

If the real interest in God’s house diminishes, friendships with the world take its place. We may ask ourselves: Which ‘daughter of Sanballat’ has captured our love and robbed our hearts of our faithfulness to the Lord? Which ‘stranger’ or ‘foreigner’ has drawn us away from the Lord? Which ‘Delilah’ has taken away our spiritual strength (Judges 16:16-21)?

We learn important lessons from the wrong commitments made by the children of families who belong to God’s people. We see a commitment to the world reflected in the language our children speak. The mother’s teaching (Proverbs 1:8) has an important place in the child’s development. A child expresses itself as it learns from its mother. Nehemiah hears a mix of the language of Judea and language of Ashdod, where the language of Ashdod predominates.

The language of Ashdod is the language spoken in Ashdod, a Philistine city under God’s judgment (Jeremiah 25:20). Philistines are a picture of confessors of Christendom, but without having new life. They are those Christians who occasionally produce a biblical sound, but who do not submit their lives to the will of God (2 Timothy 3:5). They live for here and now. Space is only given to God and His Word in so far as they can use it to impress and profit.

The popularity of the (Dutch) New Bible Translation is a topical and disconcerting example of this. This book was launched on the market with a media spectacle that has never been shown before around the presentation of a Bible translation (2010). Everything breathes a worldly way of thinking and doing, while people say they want to promote the Word of God.

Who raises our children? Do we do this ourselves, by means of and subject to God’s Word? Someone wrote: We are dealing with a first generation raised not by a mother and father, but by the media. Shall we allow the media to raise our children? Do you honestly face the following questions: Does your child know the twitter-language, street-language and sports terms better than the language and terms of the Bible? Does your child know the songs of the world better than the songs of God’s children?

If you have to answer (one of) these questions with ‘yes’, it is high time to change this. Don’t you feel able to do this? Ask for help! But don’t let that situation continue. Call with all your strength to God for help. Confess your failure to Him and to your children. Then He will surely show you the way out. Share your need with others. Seek prayer partners to fight with you in the prayers for your children and also those of others.

The alarm bell must be sounded. No more time must be wasted. Every second counts. It’s about the families of God’s children. Parents lose contact with their children. They seem to have to watch powerlessly as their children get stuck in the world wide web. I don’t mean to say that you should know as much about the Internet as your child does. The question is what your contact with God is like. It doesn’t get out of His control.

Put your trust in Him again and be prepared to follow His instructions with all your heart. He says: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you” (Psalms 32:8). We may take an example from Ezra and be encouraged by it: “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. … So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty” (Ezra 8:21; 23).

Let us respond to the call of Jeremiah: “Pour out your heart like water Before the presence of the Lord; Lift up your hands to Him For the life of your little ones” (Lamentations 2:19b).

Job 12:16

Prayer of Nehemiah

After his powerful action against the wrong alliances, Nehemiah addresses God again. He brings the evil especially of the priests before God. He explains to God, as it were, why he was so angry. It is unacceptable to him that God is approached by a priesthood that does not correspond to God’s holiness.

What goes wrong in the families of God’s children has great consequences for the priesthood. And where the priesthood is defiled, God is robbed of what is rightfully His (cf. Joel 1:13). Believers who live in connection with the world cannot properly perform their ministry as priests and Levites. If such people do want to approach God, God is not taken seriously. Does that also give us a feeling of indignation? How do we feel when people do not take us seriously?

Job 12:17

Purification and Restoration and Final Prayer

Nehemiah is not just busy with getting rid of the wrong. Surely this is necessary, but after this it is necessary to fill the vacant space with the good. Nehemiah purifies the Levites. In this he is a picture of the Lord Jesus (Malachi 3:3). He then appoints each one to the task that is to be performed.

Criticism of certain things in the church can be justified and necessary. But it should never happen from the sidelines. Real commitment from the things that are not good will manifest itself in a commitment to follow God’s instructions again.

These last acts we read of Nehemiah have to do with the service in the house of God. He makes sure that priests and Levites can do the work expected of them again. In veiled terms he involves all the people, for he also arranges the supply of wood (Nehemiah 10:34) and the first fruits (Nehemiah 10:35-37). He knows that the result is for the glory of God. As far as the acts of Nehemiah are concerned, this is a beautiful and fitting ending of this book. He has done it all for God’s glory.

We see Nehemiah working to the very end to motivate others to do the work according to their position and competence. Such motivating people are needed today as well. The motive for his service is to serve and please his God. He has set a vivid example of leadership as God desires.

The book ends with a prayer from Nehemiah (Nehemiah 13:31b). The book also begins with a praying Nehemiah. In this fascinating book we have read the memoirs of this active man of God. Now he asks if God wants to remember him. This is not pride, but humility. He commends his work to God. He gives it to Him to judge and trusts in His goodness. Nehemiah is totally dependent on God, on God’s thinking, because God’s thinking is doing.

Nehemiah has shown that his life’s work could only take place under constant prayer. He prayed and built the wall and people’s lives. He has also prayed while building for all kinds of people and things. He prays, while building, and builds, while praying. Therefore the Lord Jesus tell His disciples, and us, that “at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart” (Luke 18:1).

Job 12:18

Purification and Restoration and Final Prayer

Nehemiah is not just busy with getting rid of the wrong. Surely this is necessary, but after this it is necessary to fill the vacant space with the good. Nehemiah purifies the Levites. In this he is a picture of the Lord Jesus (Malachi 3:3). He then appoints each one to the task that is to be performed.

Criticism of certain things in the church can be justified and necessary. But it should never happen from the sidelines. Real commitment from the things that are not good will manifest itself in a commitment to follow God’s instructions again.

These last acts we read of Nehemiah have to do with the service in the house of God. He makes sure that priests and Levites can do the work expected of them again. In veiled terms he involves all the people, for he also arranges the supply of wood (Nehemiah 10:34) and the first fruits (Nehemiah 10:35-37). He knows that the result is for the glory of God. As far as the acts of Nehemiah are concerned, this is a beautiful and fitting ending of this book. He has done it all for God’s glory.

We see Nehemiah working to the very end to motivate others to do the work according to their position and competence. Such motivating people are needed today as well. The motive for his service is to serve and please his God. He has set a vivid example of leadership as God desires.

The book ends with a prayer from Nehemiah (Nehemiah 13:31b). The book also begins with a praying Nehemiah. In this fascinating book we have read the memoirs of this active man of God. Now he asks if God wants to remember him. This is not pride, but humility. He commends his work to God. He gives it to Him to judge and trusts in His goodness. Nehemiah is totally dependent on God, on God’s thinking, because God’s thinking is doing.

Nehemiah has shown that his life’s work could only take place under constant prayer. He prayed and built the wall and people’s lives. He has also prayed while building for all kinds of people and things. He prays, while building, and builds, while praying. Therefore the Lord Jesus tell His disciples, and us, that “at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart” (Luke 18:1).

Job 12:21

Introduction

The story of the book of Esther takes place during the second great world empire, that of the Medes and Persians. Under Cyrus, king of the Medes and Persians, a remnant of Israel returned to the land (Ezra 1:1-5). The events of the book of Esther can be placed between Ezra 6 and Ezra 7, i.e. between the year 483 BC – the third year of Xerxes (Esther 1:3) and 473 BC – the end of the twelfth year of Xerxes (Esther 3:7).

In Daniel 11 there is talk of “three more kings … in Persia” and “a fourth” king (Daniel 11:2). The fourth king is Xerxes I, which is Ahasuerus (Esther 1:1). He succeeds Darius I and reigns from 485-465 BC. He is mentioned in Daniel 9 and Ezra 4 (Daniel 9:1; Ezra 4:6).

The subject of this book is God’s providence, which means that we see God at work in this book, but in a hidden way. The name of the Jews is often mentioned, while God’s Name is not mentioned in this book. The latter has led critics to comment that this book does not belong in the Bible. However, anyone who reads this book with a believing heart will gradually be impressed by what this book has to say and will be strengthened in his conviction that it belongs to the inspired Word of God.

There is a reason why the Name of God does not appear in it. The book is about the fates of the people of God, here called the people of ‘the Jews’. The leading role is played by two members of it: Mordecai and Esther. There is a murderous enemy who wants to exterminate the Jews completely. When the Jews hear of this great threat, we do not read that there is even one prayer to God. Nowhere does it appear that the Jews are aware of being God’s people. There is nothing to indicate that they take into account certain laws or statutes that God has given to His people.

No, these people are separate from God, do not confess Him, do not think of Him. And because these people do not confess God, God cannot openly take sides with them. He cannot associate His Name with them. He hides Himself from His people. That is why the Name of God does not appear in it.

However, the absence of God’s Name does not mean that He stops caring for His people. His Name may not appear in this book, but we do see His hand at work. Behind the events of this book, God is at work as the great Director. He controls the circumstances and also the deeds of the persons of this book, so that His intention is carried out. We will see that the outcome is fully consistent with the purpose He has set Himself. God cannot cease to be God. He is sovereign. He rules. For us it is important to remember that the throne is not on earth, but in heaven (Revelation 4:3; Psalms 11:4). God rules, not people on earth.

In His providence, God protects His people through Ahasuerus, for God wants His Messiah to come forth from this people. Therefore, the attack of Haman does not succeed. God saves His people from extinction, as He did in Egypt. The decisive time period of this book is eleven months. Then, humanly speaking, the history of God’s people hangs by a thread.

God makes sure that the enemies of His people are ashamed (Psalms 37:12-13) and that His people are preserved, even exalted. He will save His earthly people through all the genocides that have marked their history. Across all suffering, the people of God will keep their identity. God also shows here what He is doing with the world. He cannot stop being this God. God controls the fate of the world for the sake of His people.

For God’s people today, the church of the living God, this book has great practical significance. This book contains an enormous consolation for all of the church who believe that God is hiding from them. Certainly, Christians do live in a known relationship to God as children to their Father. They know of a God Who loves and cares for them. But aren’t there even times when they ask themselves: ‘Where is God?

We can apply this to personal life as well as to the life of a local church. Well, the people of the Jews ended up in that position through their own fault. We’ll see about that. In the same way Christians can alienate themselves from God through their own failures. That does not take away the message of this book. That message is that God is fulfilling His plan in the background. This plan is to ultimately bless everyone who belongs to Him through repentance and belief in the truth. He will bless each of His children, not because of their own merits, but because of what His Son Jesus Christ did on the cross of Calvary.

There is another aspect that makes this book so valuable. That is its prophetic meaning. God’s people come in great distress, are saved from it and are exalted to great heights in Mordecai. This is how it will be in the end times. God’s people will go through the great tribulation, will be saved from it by the Lord Jesus and will be made head of the nations.

This is at the same time an example of another aspect of this book. We can see pictures of spiritual realities in the various persons it contains. This is called a typological approach. In that approach we see in Mordecai a picture of the Lord Jesus, in Ahasuerus a picture of God, in Haman a picture of the devil and in Esther, originally called Hadassah (Esther 2:7), a picture of the faithful remnant of Israel. We will have to be careful with this approach, but in general we will certainly recognize certain similarities in this history.

We will pay attention to all the aspects mentioned. It is clear that the message of this book is multifaceted. All in all, there are plenty of reasons to listen to it carefully with the desire to let it teach us.

In summary, this book can be viewed in four ways: historical, practical, prophetic and typological:

1. Historical means that we look at history as it has evolved. We then discover how God controls history behind the scenes.

2. This automatically leads to the practical application. Just as God governed the history of His people then, so He also controls the history of His people now and that of each of His people individually. Here are many encouraging lessons for the life of faith.

3. The prophetic view of this book of the Bible is also obvious. Just as God in this book of the Bible cares for His people and frees them from their enemies, so in the end time He will care for His people and free them from their enemies.

4. Although the typological view is not so obvious, it is present in this book of the Bible. A typological view means that we try to discover the spiritual meaning of this history, but without letting our imagination run wild. With this viewpoint we recognize, as already mentioned, for example in Ahasuerus a picture of God and in Mordecai a picture of the Lord Jesus.

Another peculiarity of this book is that it is named after a woman, just like the book of Ruth. We also see that these two women marry a man who does not belong to their own people. Esther connects with a pagan who remains an idolater. This is due to the fact that she does not reveal her true identity until she is forced to do so. That is why God also remains hidden. He does not make His relationship to the people known until the people are forced to do so (cf. Deuteronomy 32:20).

The books of Ruth and of Song of Songs as well as the book of Esther place a woman in the center. Esther, like the women in the other two books, is a picture of the faithful remnant going through deep trials. In all three books there is also an image of the Lord Jesus: in Ruth it’s Boaz, in Song of Songs it’s Solomon and in Esther it’s Mordecai.

The book can be divided into two parts: 1. the first part describes the threat to the Jews (Esther 1-4); 2. the second part describes the triumph of the Jews (Esther 5-10).

In the first part everything is written down that is necessary to come to the deliverance in the second part. In distress God lays down the seed of salvation. During the distress God already makes preparations for the deliverance. God is never embarrassed, because He determines the outcome long before it is seen by man.

Esther 1:1-8 are the introduction to the book. Historically and practically, these verses show the world in its generosity and attractiveness, causing God’s people to forget their true King. With all that glory, their land of Israel falls into oblivion. So, it can also happen to us as Christians.

In prophetic and typological respect, we see in Ahasuerus a picture of God as the sovereign Ruler Who rules the whole world. As Ruler over the world, God still blesses all people with earthly blessings, without forcing them to make use of them (Acts 14:16-17).

It is about the essential question of authority. Authority comes from God. He grants authority to man in various fields. Subjugation to it means the acknowledgment of God’s authority. Behind the authority of the ruler of a country, the head of state, the husband, father, mother, employer, teacher at school is the authority of God, for He has established these authority relationships.

The rest of Esther 1 is dedicated to the actions of Ahasuerus with Vashti. From a historical and practical point of view we see that God uses the king’s counselors to erect a dam against evil through legislation, so that evil is curbed. This is what the government serves for today (Romans 13:1-5).

Prophetically and typologically, the casting out of Vashti represents the setting aside by God of Israel as His wife. Israel has failed to bear the testimony of Who God is, just as Vashti refuses to show her beauty which she has thanks to her connection with Ahasuerus. For the same reason, Christianity will be cast out just as any Christian who lives in contradiction to His confession. The deposing of Vashti paves the way for the introduction of Esther. It is a picture of the faithful remnant of Israel with which God resumes the history of His people in the future.

A Banquet for Princes and Attendants

The history of this book takes place “in the days of Ahasuerus” (Esther 1:1), the king of the world empire of “Persia and Media” (Esther 1:3). Ahasuerus rules “over 127 provinces”. One of them is the land of Israel. Israel is under foreign rule. We can see that in the dating. We read in Esther 1:3 about “the third year of his reign” – that is the year 483 BC. This means that God no longer dates history to the kings of Judah and Israel, but to the kings of the nations.

After reference to Ahasuerus in Esther 1:1 in connection with the extent of the area over which he reigns, reference is made to him in Esther 1:2 in connection with his position. Here he is emphatically called “King Ahasuerus” and it is emphasized that he sits on “his royal throne”. He is the ruler and commander of an immense empire.

This throne, which in reality is the throne of God, is here “at the citadel in Susa” and not in Jerusalem. This situation is not the way God wants it to be. God originally established His throne in Jerusalem. He is their King, whereby He has had His kingship over His people exercised by people He has appointed for that purpose. We see that in David and the kings that came forth from his lineage. But this kingship, entrusted to men, has failed.

After much patience, God had to take away the kingship of His people and put it into the hands of the nations. The first king to whom God gives this authority is Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Since he, too, is unfaithful to his mandate, his power is taken away from him. God has used the people of the Medes and Persians for this.

The first king of the Medes and Persians, Cyrus, authorizes all the Jews throughout his kingdom to return to Jerusalem to rebuild God’s house, the temple (Ezra 1:1-2). Unfortunately, only a handful of Jews took advantage of this opportunity. Many remained where they ended up after their deportation. In the course of time they have built up their existence in the foreign land and have come to feel at home there. They have begun to miss their homeland less and less and the longing for it has eventually disappeared. This situation applies to the Jews living in Susa.

We also come across the citadel of Susa in Daniel 8. Daniel is there when he gets a vision (Daniel 8:2). In this vision he is shown the judgment of the Medo-Persian world empire. He gets this vision when the empire is far from that size. God shows him the downfall of that empire, in the very citadel of Susa, the residence of the kings of Persia. Daniel is shown the rise of the empire and also how it is judged.

This is how God shows us what happens to a world that impresses us so much. The world passes by and its lusts (1 John 2:17a). The Jews in Susa don’t think about that and many Christians don’t think about that either. The splendor of Susa and the brilliance of the world is in stark contrast to the ruins of Jerusalem. But we allow ourselves to be deceived when we hang on to the world with our hearts.

Ahasuerus is in his third year of government (Esther 1:3) when history begins here. As said, the era is according to the reign of pagan princes and not to that of the kings of Israel and Judah (Esther 2:16; Esther 3:7). Jerusalem is no longer central, but a pagan kingdom. The history of salvation has changed. Jerusalem is supposed to be the head, but has become unfaithful and set aside and has become the tail instead (Deuteronomy 28:44b). The time of Israel being the center of God’s actions is over. “The times of the Gentiles “ (Luke 21:24b) began when God in Nebuchadnezzar made the nations the head and gave them power of government (Daniel 2:38).

In the third year of his reign, Ahasuerus gives “a banquet for all his princes and attendants”, which are the leaders of his armies and of his provinces. They are with him for 180 days (Esther 1:4). During those days he shows them “the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty”. The occasion of this feast was to get his staff on his hand to carry out his plan to start a war against Greece.

We read the following about that intention in the book of Daniel: “Behold, three more kings are going to arise in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all [of them]; as soon as he becomes strong through his riches, he will arouse the whole [empire] against the realm of Greece“ (Daniel 11:2). This is explained in more detail here in the first chapter of the book of Esther.

The third year of his reign is the year in which the unsuccessful campaign against Greece is decreed. In order to win them over to his battle plans, Ahasuerus invites all the leaders of the 127 provinces to visit him and demonstrates his extraordinary richness and splendor. That is why the feast lasts so long: six months. We don’t read anything about the battle here. God is concerned about His people in the midst of the nations and how they are doing.

Job 12:22

Introduction

The story of the book of Esther takes place during the second great world empire, that of the Medes and Persians. Under Cyrus, king of the Medes and Persians, a remnant of Israel returned to the land (Ezra 1:1-5). The events of the book of Esther can be placed between Ezra 6 and Ezra 7, i.e. between the year 483 BC – the third year of Xerxes (Esther 1:3) and 473 BC – the end of the twelfth year of Xerxes (Esther 3:7).

In Daniel 11 there is talk of “three more kings … in Persia” and “a fourth” king (Daniel 11:2). The fourth king is Xerxes I, which is Ahasuerus (Esther 1:1). He succeeds Darius I and reigns from 485-465 BC. He is mentioned in Daniel 9 and Ezra 4 (Daniel 9:1; Ezra 4:6).

The subject of this book is God’s providence, which means that we see God at work in this book, but in a hidden way. The name of the Jews is often mentioned, while God’s Name is not mentioned in this book. The latter has led critics to comment that this book does not belong in the Bible. However, anyone who reads this book with a believing heart will gradually be impressed by what this book has to say and will be strengthened in his conviction that it belongs to the inspired Word of God.

There is a reason why the Name of God does not appear in it. The book is about the fates of the people of God, here called the people of ‘the Jews’. The leading role is played by two members of it: Mordecai and Esther. There is a murderous enemy who wants to exterminate the Jews completely. When the Jews hear of this great threat, we do not read that there is even one prayer to God. Nowhere does it appear that the Jews are aware of being God’s people. There is nothing to indicate that they take into account certain laws or statutes that God has given to His people.

No, these people are separate from God, do not confess Him, do not think of Him. And because these people do not confess God, God cannot openly take sides with them. He cannot associate His Name with them. He hides Himself from His people. That is why the Name of God does not appear in it.

However, the absence of God’s Name does not mean that He stops caring for His people. His Name may not appear in this book, but we do see His hand at work. Behind the events of this book, God is at work as the great Director. He controls the circumstances and also the deeds of the persons of this book, so that His intention is carried out. We will see that the outcome is fully consistent with the purpose He has set Himself. God cannot cease to be God. He is sovereign. He rules. For us it is important to remember that the throne is not on earth, but in heaven (Revelation 4:3; Psalms 11:4). God rules, not people on earth.

In His providence, God protects His people through Ahasuerus, for God wants His Messiah to come forth from this people. Therefore, the attack of Haman does not succeed. God saves His people from extinction, as He did in Egypt. The decisive time period of this book is eleven months. Then, humanly speaking, the history of God’s people hangs by a thread.

God makes sure that the enemies of His people are ashamed (Psalms 37:12-13) and that His people are preserved, even exalted. He will save His earthly people through all the genocides that have marked their history. Across all suffering, the people of God will keep their identity. God also shows here what He is doing with the world. He cannot stop being this God. God controls the fate of the world for the sake of His people.

For God’s people today, the church of the living God, this book has great practical significance. This book contains an enormous consolation for all of the church who believe that God is hiding from them. Certainly, Christians do live in a known relationship to God as children to their Father. They know of a God Who loves and cares for them. But aren’t there even times when they ask themselves: ‘Where is God?

We can apply this to personal life as well as to the life of a local church. Well, the people of the Jews ended up in that position through their own fault. We’ll see about that. In the same way Christians can alienate themselves from God through their own failures. That does not take away the message of this book. That message is that God is fulfilling His plan in the background. This plan is to ultimately bless everyone who belongs to Him through repentance and belief in the truth. He will bless each of His children, not because of their own merits, but because of what His Son Jesus Christ did on the cross of Calvary.

There is another aspect that makes this book so valuable. That is its prophetic meaning. God’s people come in great distress, are saved from it and are exalted to great heights in Mordecai. This is how it will be in the end times. God’s people will go through the great tribulation, will be saved from it by the Lord Jesus and will be made head of the nations.

This is at the same time an example of another aspect of this book. We can see pictures of spiritual realities in the various persons it contains. This is called a typological approach. In that approach we see in Mordecai a picture of the Lord Jesus, in Ahasuerus a picture of God, in Haman a picture of the devil and in Esther, originally called Hadassah (Esther 2:7), a picture of the faithful remnant of Israel. We will have to be careful with this approach, but in general we will certainly recognize certain similarities in this history.

We will pay attention to all the aspects mentioned. It is clear that the message of this book is multifaceted. All in all, there are plenty of reasons to listen to it carefully with the desire to let it teach us.

In summary, this book can be viewed in four ways: historical, practical, prophetic and typological:

1. Historical means that we look at history as it has evolved. We then discover how God controls history behind the scenes.

2. This automatically leads to the practical application. Just as God governed the history of His people then, so He also controls the history of His people now and that of each of His people individually. Here are many encouraging lessons for the life of faith.

3. The prophetic view of this book of the Bible is also obvious. Just as God in this book of the Bible cares for His people and frees them from their enemies, so in the end time He will care for His people and free them from their enemies.

4. Although the typological view is not so obvious, it is present in this book of the Bible. A typological view means that we try to discover the spiritual meaning of this history, but without letting our imagination run wild. With this viewpoint we recognize, as already mentioned, for example in Ahasuerus a picture of God and in Mordecai a picture of the Lord Jesus.

Another peculiarity of this book is that it is named after a woman, just like the book of Ruth. We also see that these two women marry a man who does not belong to their own people. Esther connects with a pagan who remains an idolater. This is due to the fact that she does not reveal her true identity until she is forced to do so. That is why God also remains hidden. He does not make His relationship to the people known until the people are forced to do so (cf. Deuteronomy 32:20).

The books of Ruth and of Song of Songs as well as the book of Esther place a woman in the center. Esther, like the women in the other two books, is a picture of the faithful remnant going through deep trials. In all three books there is also an image of the Lord Jesus: in Ruth it’s Boaz, in Song of Songs it’s Solomon and in Esther it’s Mordecai.

The book can be divided into two parts: 1. the first part describes the threat to the Jews (Esther 1-4); 2. the second part describes the triumph of the Jews (Esther 5-10).

In the first part everything is written down that is necessary to come to the deliverance in the second part. In distress God lays down the seed of salvation. During the distress God already makes preparations for the deliverance. God is never embarrassed, because He determines the outcome long before it is seen by man.

Esther 1:1-8 are the introduction to the book. Historically and practically, these verses show the world in its generosity and attractiveness, causing God’s people to forget their true King. With all that glory, their land of Israel falls into oblivion. So, it can also happen to us as Christians.

In prophetic and typological respect, we see in Ahasuerus a picture of God as the sovereign Ruler Who rules the whole world. As Ruler over the world, God still blesses all people with earthly blessings, without forcing them to make use of them (Acts 14:16-17).

It is about the essential question of authority. Authority comes from God. He grants authority to man in various fields. Subjugation to it means the acknowledgment of God’s authority. Behind the authority of the ruler of a country, the head of state, the husband, father, mother, employer, teacher at school is the authority of God, for He has established these authority relationships.

The rest of Esther 1 is dedicated to the actions of Ahasuerus with Vashti. From a historical and practical point of view we see that God uses the king’s counselors to erect a dam against evil through legislation, so that evil is curbed. This is what the government serves for today (Romans 13:1-5).

Prophetically and typologically, the casting out of Vashti represents the setting aside by God of Israel as His wife. Israel has failed to bear the testimony of Who God is, just as Vashti refuses to show her beauty which she has thanks to her connection with Ahasuerus. For the same reason, Christianity will be cast out just as any Christian who lives in contradiction to His confession. The deposing of Vashti paves the way for the introduction of Esther. It is a picture of the faithful remnant of Israel with which God resumes the history of His people in the future.

A Banquet for Princes and Attendants

The history of this book takes place “in the days of Ahasuerus” (Esther 1:1), the king of the world empire of “Persia and Media” (Esther 1:3). Ahasuerus rules “over 127 provinces”. One of them is the land of Israel. Israel is under foreign rule. We can see that in the dating. We read in Esther 1:3 about “the third year of his reign” – that is the year 483 BC. This means that God no longer dates history to the kings of Judah and Israel, but to the kings of the nations.

After reference to Ahasuerus in Esther 1:1 in connection with the extent of the area over which he reigns, reference is made to him in Esther 1:2 in connection with his position. Here he is emphatically called “King Ahasuerus” and it is emphasized that he sits on “his royal throne”. He is the ruler and commander of an immense empire.

This throne, which in reality is the throne of God, is here “at the citadel in Susa” and not in Jerusalem. This situation is not the way God wants it to be. God originally established His throne in Jerusalem. He is their King, whereby He has had His kingship over His people exercised by people He has appointed for that purpose. We see that in David and the kings that came forth from his lineage. But this kingship, entrusted to men, has failed.

After much patience, God had to take away the kingship of His people and put it into the hands of the nations. The first king to whom God gives this authority is Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Since he, too, is unfaithful to his mandate, his power is taken away from him. God has used the people of the Medes and Persians for this.

The first king of the Medes and Persians, Cyrus, authorizes all the Jews throughout his kingdom to return to Jerusalem to rebuild God’s house, the temple (Ezra 1:1-2). Unfortunately, only a handful of Jews took advantage of this opportunity. Many remained where they ended up after their deportation. In the course of time they have built up their existence in the foreign land and have come to feel at home there. They have begun to miss their homeland less and less and the longing for it has eventually disappeared. This situation applies to the Jews living in Susa.

We also come across the citadel of Susa in Daniel 8. Daniel is there when he gets a vision (Daniel 8:2). In this vision he is shown the judgment of the Medo-Persian world empire. He gets this vision when the empire is far from that size. God shows him the downfall of that empire, in the very citadel of Susa, the residence of the kings of Persia. Daniel is shown the rise of the empire and also how it is judged.

This is how God shows us what happens to a world that impresses us so much. The world passes by and its lusts (1 John 2:17a). The Jews in Susa don’t think about that and many Christians don’t think about that either. The splendor of Susa and the brilliance of the world is in stark contrast to the ruins of Jerusalem. But we allow ourselves to be deceived when we hang on to the world with our hearts.

Ahasuerus is in his third year of government (Esther 1:3) when history begins here. As said, the era is according to the reign of pagan princes and not to that of the kings of Israel and Judah (Esther 2:16; Esther 3:7). Jerusalem is no longer central, but a pagan kingdom. The history of salvation has changed. Jerusalem is supposed to be the head, but has become unfaithful and set aside and has become the tail instead (Deuteronomy 28:44b). The time of Israel being the center of God’s actions is over. “The times of the Gentiles “ (Luke 21:24b) began when God in Nebuchadnezzar made the nations the head and gave them power of government (Daniel 2:38).

In the third year of his reign, Ahasuerus gives “a banquet for all his princes and attendants”, which are the leaders of his armies and of his provinces. They are with him for 180 days (Esther 1:4). During those days he shows them “the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty”. The occasion of this feast was to get his staff on his hand to carry out his plan to start a war against Greece.

We read the following about that intention in the book of Daniel: “Behold, three more kings are going to arise in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all [of them]; as soon as he becomes strong through his riches, he will arouse the whole [empire] against the realm of Greece“ (Daniel 11:2). This is explained in more detail here in the first chapter of the book of Esther.

The third year of his reign is the year in which the unsuccessful campaign against Greece is decreed. In order to win them over to his battle plans, Ahasuerus invites all the leaders of the 127 provinces to visit him and demonstrates his extraordinary richness and splendor. That is why the feast lasts so long: six months. We don’t read anything about the battle here. God is concerned about His people in the midst of the nations and how they are doing.

Job 12:23

Introduction

The story of the book of Esther takes place during the second great world empire, that of the Medes and Persians. Under Cyrus, king of the Medes and Persians, a remnant of Israel returned to the land (Ezra 1:1-5). The events of the book of Esther can be placed between Ezra 6 and Ezra 7, i.e. between the year 483 BC – the third year of Xerxes (Esther 1:3) and 473 BC – the end of the twelfth year of Xerxes (Esther 3:7).

In Daniel 11 there is talk of “three more kings … in Persia” and “a fourth” king (Daniel 11:2). The fourth king is Xerxes I, which is Ahasuerus (Esther 1:1). He succeeds Darius I and reigns from 485-465 BC. He is mentioned in Daniel 9 and Ezra 4 (Daniel 9:1; Ezra 4:6).

The subject of this book is God’s providence, which means that we see God at work in this book, but in a hidden way. The name of the Jews is often mentioned, while God’s Name is not mentioned in this book. The latter has led critics to comment that this book does not belong in the Bible. However, anyone who reads this book with a believing heart will gradually be impressed by what this book has to say and will be strengthened in his conviction that it belongs to the inspired Word of God.

There is a reason why the Name of God does not appear in it. The book is about the fates of the people of God, here called the people of ‘the Jews’. The leading role is played by two members of it: Mordecai and Esther. There is a murderous enemy who wants to exterminate the Jews completely. When the Jews hear of this great threat, we do not read that there is even one prayer to God. Nowhere does it appear that the Jews are aware of being God’s people. There is nothing to indicate that they take into account certain laws or statutes that God has given to His people.

No, these people are separate from God, do not confess Him, do not think of Him. And because these people do not confess God, God cannot openly take sides with them. He cannot associate His Name with them. He hides Himself from His people. That is why the Name of God does not appear in it.

However, the absence of God’s Name does not mean that He stops caring for His people. His Name may not appear in this book, but we do see His hand at work. Behind the events of this book, God is at work as the great Director. He controls the circumstances and also the deeds of the persons of this book, so that His intention is carried out. We will see that the outcome is fully consistent with the purpose He has set Himself. God cannot cease to be God. He is sovereign. He rules. For us it is important to remember that the throne is not on earth, but in heaven (Revelation 4:3; Psalms 11:4). God rules, not people on earth.

In His providence, God protects His people through Ahasuerus, for God wants His Messiah to come forth from this people. Therefore, the attack of Haman does not succeed. God saves His people from extinction, as He did in Egypt. The decisive time period of this book is eleven months. Then, humanly speaking, the history of God’s people hangs by a thread.

God makes sure that the enemies of His people are ashamed (Psalms 37:12-13) and that His people are preserved, even exalted. He will save His earthly people through all the genocides that have marked their history. Across all suffering, the people of God will keep their identity. God also shows here what He is doing with the world. He cannot stop being this God. God controls the fate of the world for the sake of His people.

For God’s people today, the church of the living God, this book has great practical significance. This book contains an enormous consolation for all of the church who believe that God is hiding from them. Certainly, Christians do live in a known relationship to God as children to their Father. They know of a God Who loves and cares for them. But aren’t there even times when they ask themselves: ‘Where is God?

We can apply this to personal life as well as to the life of a local church. Well, the people of the Jews ended up in that position through their own fault. We’ll see about that. In the same way Christians can alienate themselves from God through their own failures. That does not take away the message of this book. That message is that God is fulfilling His plan in the background. This plan is to ultimately bless everyone who belongs to Him through repentance and belief in the truth. He will bless each of His children, not because of their own merits, but because of what His Son Jesus Christ did on the cross of Calvary.

There is another aspect that makes this book so valuable. That is its prophetic meaning. God’s people come in great distress, are saved from it and are exalted to great heights in Mordecai. This is how it will be in the end times. God’s people will go through the great tribulation, will be saved from it by the Lord Jesus and will be made head of the nations.

This is at the same time an example of another aspect of this book. We can see pictures of spiritual realities in the various persons it contains. This is called a typological approach. In that approach we see in Mordecai a picture of the Lord Jesus, in Ahasuerus a picture of God, in Haman a picture of the devil and in Esther, originally called Hadassah (Esther 2:7), a picture of the faithful remnant of Israel. We will have to be careful with this approach, but in general we will certainly recognize certain similarities in this history.

We will pay attention to all the aspects mentioned. It is clear that the message of this book is multifaceted. All in all, there are plenty of reasons to listen to it carefully with the desire to let it teach us.

In summary, this book can be viewed in four ways: historical, practical, prophetic and typological:

1. Historical means that we look at history as it has evolved. We then discover how God controls history behind the scenes.

2. This automatically leads to the practical application. Just as God governed the history of His people then, so He also controls the history of His people now and that of each of His people individually. Here are many encouraging lessons for the life of faith.

3. The prophetic view of this book of the Bible is also obvious. Just as God in this book of the Bible cares for His people and frees them from their enemies, so in the end time He will care for His people and free them from their enemies.

4. Although the typological view is not so obvious, it is present in this book of the Bible. A typological view means that we try to discover the spiritual meaning of this history, but without letting our imagination run wild. With this viewpoint we recognize, as already mentioned, for example in Ahasuerus a picture of God and in Mordecai a picture of the Lord Jesus.

Another peculiarity of this book is that it is named after a woman, just like the book of Ruth. We also see that these two women marry a man who does not belong to their own people. Esther connects with a pagan who remains an idolater. This is due to the fact that she does not reveal her true identity until she is forced to do so. That is why God also remains hidden. He does not make His relationship to the people known until the people are forced to do so (cf. Deuteronomy 32:20).

The books of Ruth and of Song of Songs as well as the book of Esther place a woman in the center. Esther, like the women in the other two books, is a picture of the faithful remnant going through deep trials. In all three books there is also an image of the Lord Jesus: in Ruth it’s Boaz, in Song of Songs it’s Solomon and in Esther it’s Mordecai.

The book can be divided into two parts: 1. the first part describes the threat to the Jews (Esther 1-4); 2. the second part describes the triumph of the Jews (Esther 5-10).

In the first part everything is written down that is necessary to come to the deliverance in the second part. In distress God lays down the seed of salvation. During the distress God already makes preparations for the deliverance. God is never embarrassed, because He determines the outcome long before it is seen by man.

Esther 1:1-8 are the introduction to the book. Historically and practically, these verses show the world in its generosity and attractiveness, causing God’s people to forget their true King. With all that glory, their land of Israel falls into oblivion. So, it can also happen to us as Christians.

In prophetic and typological respect, we see in Ahasuerus a picture of God as the sovereign Ruler Who rules the whole world. As Ruler over the world, God still blesses all people with earthly blessings, without forcing them to make use of them (Acts 14:16-17).

It is about the essential question of authority. Authority comes from God. He grants authority to man in various fields. Subjugation to it means the acknowledgment of God’s authority. Behind the authority of the ruler of a country, the head of state, the husband, father, mother, employer, teacher at school is the authority of God, for He has established these authority relationships.

The rest of Esther 1 is dedicated to the actions of Ahasuerus with Vashti. From a historical and practical point of view we see that God uses the king’s counselors to erect a dam against evil through legislation, so that evil is curbed. This is what the government serves for today (Romans 13:1-5).

Prophetically and typologically, the casting out of Vashti represents the setting aside by God of Israel as His wife. Israel has failed to bear the testimony of Who God is, just as Vashti refuses to show her beauty which she has thanks to her connection with Ahasuerus. For the same reason, Christianity will be cast out just as any Christian who lives in contradiction to His confession. The deposing of Vashti paves the way for the introduction of Esther. It is a picture of the faithful remnant of Israel with which God resumes the history of His people in the future.

A Banquet for Princes and Attendants

The history of this book takes place “in the days of Ahasuerus” (Esther 1:1), the king of the world empire of “Persia and Media” (Esther 1:3). Ahasuerus rules “over 127 provinces”. One of them is the land of Israel. Israel is under foreign rule. We can see that in the dating. We read in Esther 1:3 about “the third year of his reign” – that is the year 483 BC. This means that God no longer dates history to the kings of Judah and Israel, but to the kings of the nations.

After reference to Ahasuerus in Esther 1:1 in connection with the extent of the area over which he reigns, reference is made to him in Esther 1:2 in connection with his position. Here he is emphatically called “King Ahasuerus” and it is emphasized that he sits on “his royal throne”. He is the ruler and commander of an immense empire.

This throne, which in reality is the throne of God, is here “at the citadel in Susa” and not in Jerusalem. This situation is not the way God wants it to be. God originally established His throne in Jerusalem. He is their King, whereby He has had His kingship over His people exercised by people He has appointed for that purpose. We see that in David and the kings that came forth from his lineage. But this kingship, entrusted to men, has failed.

After much patience, God had to take away the kingship of His people and put it into the hands of the nations. The first king to whom God gives this authority is Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Since he, too, is unfaithful to his mandate, his power is taken away from him. God has used the people of the Medes and Persians for this.

The first king of the Medes and Persians, Cyrus, authorizes all the Jews throughout his kingdom to return to Jerusalem to rebuild God’s house, the temple (Ezra 1:1-2). Unfortunately, only a handful of Jews took advantage of this opportunity. Many remained where they ended up after their deportation. In the course of time they have built up their existence in the foreign land and have come to feel at home there. They have begun to miss their homeland less and less and the longing for it has eventually disappeared. This situation applies to the Jews living in Susa.

We also come across the citadel of Susa in Daniel 8. Daniel is there when he gets a vision (Daniel 8:2). In this vision he is shown the judgment of the Medo-Persian world empire. He gets this vision when the empire is far from that size. God shows him the downfall of that empire, in the very citadel of Susa, the residence of the kings of Persia. Daniel is shown the rise of the empire and also how it is judged.

This is how God shows us what happens to a world that impresses us so much. The world passes by and its lusts (1 John 2:17a). The Jews in Susa don’t think about that and many Christians don’t think about that either. The splendor of Susa and the brilliance of the world is in stark contrast to the ruins of Jerusalem. But we allow ourselves to be deceived when we hang on to the world with our hearts.

Ahasuerus is in his third year of government (Esther 1:3) when history begins here. As said, the era is according to the reign of pagan princes and not to that of the kings of Israel and Judah (Esther 2:16; Esther 3:7). Jerusalem is no longer central, but a pagan kingdom. The history of salvation has changed. Jerusalem is supposed to be the head, but has become unfaithful and set aside and has become the tail instead (Deuteronomy 28:44b). The time of Israel being the center of God’s actions is over. “The times of the Gentiles “ (Luke 21:24b) began when God in Nebuchadnezzar made the nations the head and gave them power of government (Daniel 2:38).

In the third year of his reign, Ahasuerus gives “a banquet for all his princes and attendants”, which are the leaders of his armies and of his provinces. They are with him for 180 days (Esther 1:4). During those days he shows them “the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty”. The occasion of this feast was to get his staff on his hand to carry out his plan to start a war against Greece.

We read the following about that intention in the book of Daniel: “Behold, three more kings are going to arise in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all [of them]; as soon as he becomes strong through his riches, he will arouse the whole [empire] against the realm of Greece“ (Daniel 11:2). This is explained in more detail here in the first chapter of the book of Esther.

The third year of his reign is the year in which the unsuccessful campaign against Greece is decreed. In order to win them over to his battle plans, Ahasuerus invites all the leaders of the 127 provinces to visit him and demonstrates his extraordinary richness and splendor. That is why the feast lasts so long: six months. We don’t read anything about the battle here. God is concerned about His people in the midst of the nations and how they are doing.

Job 12:24

Introduction

The story of the book of Esther takes place during the second great world empire, that of the Medes and Persians. Under Cyrus, king of the Medes and Persians, a remnant of Israel returned to the land (Ezra 1:1-5). The events of the book of Esther can be placed between Ezra 6 and Ezra 7, i.e. between the year 483 BC – the third year of Xerxes (Esther 1:3) and 473 BC – the end of the twelfth year of Xerxes (Esther 3:7).

In Daniel 11 there is talk of “three more kings … in Persia” and “a fourth” king (Daniel 11:2). The fourth king is Xerxes I, which is Ahasuerus (Esther 1:1). He succeeds Darius I and reigns from 485-465 BC. He is mentioned in Daniel 9 and Ezra 4 (Daniel 9:1; Ezra 4:6).

The subject of this book is God’s providence, which means that we see God at work in this book, but in a hidden way. The name of the Jews is often mentioned, while God’s Name is not mentioned in this book. The latter has led critics to comment that this book does not belong in the Bible. However, anyone who reads this book with a believing heart will gradually be impressed by what this book has to say and will be strengthened in his conviction that it belongs to the inspired Word of God.

There is a reason why the Name of God does not appear in it. The book is about the fates of the people of God, here called the people of ‘the Jews’. The leading role is played by two members of it: Mordecai and Esther. There is a murderous enemy who wants to exterminate the Jews completely. When the Jews hear of this great threat, we do not read that there is even one prayer to God. Nowhere does it appear that the Jews are aware of being God’s people. There is nothing to indicate that they take into account certain laws or statutes that God has given to His people.

No, these people are separate from God, do not confess Him, do not think of Him. And because these people do not confess God, God cannot openly take sides with them. He cannot associate His Name with them. He hides Himself from His people. That is why the Name of God does not appear in it.

However, the absence of God’s Name does not mean that He stops caring for His people. His Name may not appear in this book, but we do see His hand at work. Behind the events of this book, God is at work as the great Director. He controls the circumstances and also the deeds of the persons of this book, so that His intention is carried out. We will see that the outcome is fully consistent with the purpose He has set Himself. God cannot cease to be God. He is sovereign. He rules. For us it is important to remember that the throne is not on earth, but in heaven (Revelation 4:3; Psalms 11:4). God rules, not people on earth.

In His providence, God protects His people through Ahasuerus, for God wants His Messiah to come forth from this people. Therefore, the attack of Haman does not succeed. God saves His people from extinction, as He did in Egypt. The decisive time period of this book is eleven months. Then, humanly speaking, the history of God’s people hangs by a thread.

God makes sure that the enemies of His people are ashamed (Psalms 37:12-13) and that His people are preserved, even exalted. He will save His earthly people through all the genocides that have marked their history. Across all suffering, the people of God will keep their identity. God also shows here what He is doing with the world. He cannot stop being this God. God controls the fate of the world for the sake of His people.

For God’s people today, the church of the living God, this book has great practical significance. This book contains an enormous consolation for all of the church who believe that God is hiding from them. Certainly, Christians do live in a known relationship to God as children to their Father. They know of a God Who loves and cares for them. But aren’t there even times when they ask themselves: ‘Where is God?

We can apply this to personal life as well as to the life of a local church. Well, the people of the Jews ended up in that position through their own fault. We’ll see about that. In the same way Christians can alienate themselves from God through their own failures. That does not take away the message of this book. That message is that God is fulfilling His plan in the background. This plan is to ultimately bless everyone who belongs to Him through repentance and belief in the truth. He will bless each of His children, not because of their own merits, but because of what His Son Jesus Christ did on the cross of Calvary.

There is another aspect that makes this book so valuable. That is its prophetic meaning. God’s people come in great distress, are saved from it and are exalted to great heights in Mordecai. This is how it will be in the end times. God’s people will go through the great tribulation, will be saved from it by the Lord Jesus and will be made head of the nations.

This is at the same time an example of another aspect of this book. We can see pictures of spiritual realities in the various persons it contains. This is called a typological approach. In that approach we see in Mordecai a picture of the Lord Jesus, in Ahasuerus a picture of God, in Haman a picture of the devil and in Esther, originally called Hadassah (Esther 2:7), a picture of the faithful remnant of Israel. We will have to be careful with this approach, but in general we will certainly recognize certain similarities in this history.

We will pay attention to all the aspects mentioned. It is clear that the message of this book is multifaceted. All in all, there are plenty of reasons to listen to it carefully with the desire to let it teach us.

In summary, this book can be viewed in four ways: historical, practical, prophetic and typological:

1. Historical means that we look at history as it has evolved. We then discover how God controls history behind the scenes.

2. This automatically leads to the practical application. Just as God governed the history of His people then, so He also controls the history of His people now and that of each of His people individually. Here are many encouraging lessons for the life of faith.

3. The prophetic view of this book of the Bible is also obvious. Just as God in this book of the Bible cares for His people and frees them from their enemies, so in the end time He will care for His people and free them from their enemies.

4. Although the typological view is not so obvious, it is present in this book of the Bible. A typological view means that we try to discover the spiritual meaning of this history, but without letting our imagination run wild. With this viewpoint we recognize, as already mentioned, for example in Ahasuerus a picture of God and in Mordecai a picture of the Lord Jesus.

Another peculiarity of this book is that it is named after a woman, just like the book of Ruth. We also see that these two women marry a man who does not belong to their own people. Esther connects with a pagan who remains an idolater. This is due to the fact that she does not reveal her true identity until she is forced to do so. That is why God also remains hidden. He does not make His relationship to the people known until the people are forced to do so (cf. Deuteronomy 32:20).

The books of Ruth and of Song of Songs as well as the book of Esther place a woman in the center. Esther, like the women in the other two books, is a picture of the faithful remnant going through deep trials. In all three books there is also an image of the Lord Jesus: in Ruth it’s Boaz, in Song of Songs it’s Solomon and in Esther it’s Mordecai.

The book can be divided into two parts: 1. the first part describes the threat to the Jews (Esther 1-4); 2. the second part describes the triumph of the Jews (Esther 5-10).

In the first part everything is written down that is necessary to come to the deliverance in the second part. In distress God lays down the seed of salvation. During the distress God already makes preparations for the deliverance. God is never embarrassed, because He determines the outcome long before it is seen by man.

Esther 1:1-8 are the introduction to the book. Historically and practically, these verses show the world in its generosity and attractiveness, causing God’s people to forget their true King. With all that glory, their land of Israel falls into oblivion. So, it can also happen to us as Christians.

In prophetic and typological respect, we see in Ahasuerus a picture of God as the sovereign Ruler Who rules the whole world. As Ruler over the world, God still blesses all people with earthly blessings, without forcing them to make use of them (Acts 14:16-17).

It is about the essential question of authority. Authority comes from God. He grants authority to man in various fields. Subjugation to it means the acknowledgment of God’s authority. Behind the authority of the ruler of a country, the head of state, the husband, father, mother, employer, teacher at school is the authority of God, for He has established these authority relationships.

The rest of Esther 1 is dedicated to the actions of Ahasuerus with Vashti. From a historical and practical point of view we see that God uses the king’s counselors to erect a dam against evil through legislation, so that evil is curbed. This is what the government serves for today (Romans 13:1-5).

Prophetically and typologically, the casting out of Vashti represents the setting aside by God of Israel as His wife. Israel has failed to bear the testimony of Who God is, just as Vashti refuses to show her beauty which she has thanks to her connection with Ahasuerus. For the same reason, Christianity will be cast out just as any Christian who lives in contradiction to His confession. The deposing of Vashti paves the way for the introduction of Esther. It is a picture of the faithful remnant of Israel with which God resumes the history of His people in the future.

A Banquet for Princes and Attendants

The history of this book takes place “in the days of Ahasuerus” (Esther 1:1), the king of the world empire of “Persia and Media” (Esther 1:3). Ahasuerus rules “over 127 provinces”. One of them is the land of Israel. Israel is under foreign rule. We can see that in the dating. We read in Esther 1:3 about “the third year of his reign” – that is the year 483 BC. This means that God no longer dates history to the kings of Judah and Israel, but to the kings of the nations.

After reference to Ahasuerus in Esther 1:1 in connection with the extent of the area over which he reigns, reference is made to him in Esther 1:2 in connection with his position. Here he is emphatically called “King Ahasuerus” and it is emphasized that he sits on “his royal throne”. He is the ruler and commander of an immense empire.

This throne, which in reality is the throne of God, is here “at the citadel in Susa” and not in Jerusalem. This situation is not the way God wants it to be. God originally established His throne in Jerusalem. He is their King, whereby He has had His kingship over His people exercised by people He has appointed for that purpose. We see that in David and the kings that came forth from his lineage. But this kingship, entrusted to men, has failed.

After much patience, God had to take away the kingship of His people and put it into the hands of the nations. The first king to whom God gives this authority is Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Since he, too, is unfaithful to his mandate, his power is taken away from him. God has used the people of the Medes and Persians for this.

The first king of the Medes and Persians, Cyrus, authorizes all the Jews throughout his kingdom to return to Jerusalem to rebuild God’s house, the temple (Ezra 1:1-2). Unfortunately, only a handful of Jews took advantage of this opportunity. Many remained where they ended up after their deportation. In the course of time they have built up their existence in the foreign land and have come to feel at home there. They have begun to miss their homeland less and less and the longing for it has eventually disappeared. This situation applies to the Jews living in Susa.

We also come across the citadel of Susa in Daniel 8. Daniel is there when he gets a vision (Daniel 8:2). In this vision he is shown the judgment of the Medo-Persian world empire. He gets this vision when the empire is far from that size. God shows him the downfall of that empire, in the very citadel of Susa, the residence of the kings of Persia. Daniel is shown the rise of the empire and also how it is judged.

This is how God shows us what happens to a world that impresses us so much. The world passes by and its lusts (1 John 2:17a). The Jews in Susa don’t think about that and many Christians don’t think about that either. The splendor of Susa and the brilliance of the world is in stark contrast to the ruins of Jerusalem. But we allow ourselves to be deceived when we hang on to the world with our hearts.

Ahasuerus is in his third year of government (Esther 1:3) when history begins here. As said, the era is according to the reign of pagan princes and not to that of the kings of Israel and Judah (Esther 2:16; Esther 3:7). Jerusalem is no longer central, but a pagan kingdom. The history of salvation has changed. Jerusalem is supposed to be the head, but has become unfaithful and set aside and has become the tail instead (Deuteronomy 28:44b). The time of Israel being the center of God’s actions is over. “The times of the Gentiles “ (Luke 21:24b) began when God in Nebuchadnezzar made the nations the head and gave them power of government (Daniel 2:38).

In the third year of his reign, Ahasuerus gives “a banquet for all his princes and attendants”, which are the leaders of his armies and of his provinces. They are with him for 180 days (Esther 1:4). During those days he shows them “the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty”. The occasion of this feast was to get his staff on his hand to carry out his plan to start a war against Greece.

We read the following about that intention in the book of Daniel: “Behold, three more kings are going to arise in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all [of them]; as soon as he becomes strong through his riches, he will arouse the whole [empire] against the realm of Greece“ (Daniel 11:2). This is explained in more detail here in the first chapter of the book of Esther.

The third year of his reign is the year in which the unsuccessful campaign against Greece is decreed. In order to win them over to his battle plans, Ahasuerus invites all the leaders of the 127 provinces to visit him and demonstrates his extraordinary richness and splendor. That is why the feast lasts so long: six months. We don’t read anything about the battle here. God is concerned about His people in the midst of the nations and how they are doing.

Job 12:25

A Banquet for the People

When the feast for the commanders of his army and the rulers of his provinces is over, the king arranges a new banquet (Esther 1:5). This time the guests are “all the people who were present at the citadel in Susa, from the greatest to the least”. The feast lasts seven days and is held “in the court of the garden of the king’s palace”. It is believed that Ahasuerus gives this feast to all the people of Susa as an expression of his joy over the permission to go to war.

The feast is decorated with the most precious rugs and fabrics “linen held by cords of fine purple linen on silver rings and marble columns” (Esther 1:6). Furthermore, there are “couches” which reminds one of coming to rest in the presence of the great ruler. The floor on which the resting beds stand consists of the most precious stones. It indicates that the rest enjoyed is attractive and steady or stable.

There is also plentiful “royal wine according to the king’s bounty”. The fact that it is “royal wine” perhaps means, apart from the fact that the king gives it, that it is wine that the king himself drinks and that he now also gives his subjects to drink. That it is wine “according to the king’s bounty” indicates the rich supply of wine. There need be no fear of lack.

The wine to be drunk is given “in golden vessels” which are all different from each other (Esther 1:7). This is reminiscent of another aspect of a feast organized by the king. Wine is a picture of joy (Psalms 104:15; Judges 9:13) that is experienced by each person in a different, unique way, which is represented by ‘vessels of various kinds’.

We can see Ahasuerus in this scene as a picture of God on His throne, surrounded by all the glory of the first creation. He gives His blessings generously to all, such as sun and rain and fruitful times, food and joy (Matthew 5:45b; Acts 14:17). Whoever acknowledges Him as the source of that blessing will find complete rest and true joy.

Nor has God ever forced people to make use of these blessings, for it is all according to the law “no compulsion” (Esther 1:8). However, God, Who can be known from creation, is not honored as God or given thanks by man (Romans 1:20-21). All the goodness that God grants man puts man to the test. Then it turns out that man abuses everything God has given.