PREDICTION FOR HAMAN

“When Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him, his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, if Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him but will surely fall before him?" (Esther 6:13 NKJV).

Wicked Haman had devised a plan to kill the Jews. But things were turning against Haman. Earlier, he had boasted of his greatness, now he had to confess he had been humiliated. At this point, his wife and counselors made a prediction of his downfall. Thus we want to note the wisdom in the prediction and the warning in the prediction.

Wisdom in the prediction - This prediction of Haman’s downfall is a wise prediction. It is supported by both Scripture and history. Firstly, Scripture predicts that those who mistreat the Jews will be cursed. “I . . . will curse him that curses you [the Jews]” (Gen. 12:3). Secondly, it was history that caused Haman’s people to make their prediction. The revival of the Jewish people since the time of Cyrus was sufficient to call attention that this nation enjoyed divine protection. The world can learn from history, as well as the Scriptures, that the Jews are going to survive and have victory over their enemies. But unfortunately the world does not pay much attention to either history or the Scriptures.

Warning in the prediction - “You will not prevail against him but will surely fall before him.” This prediction about Haman’s downfall is a warning to every persecutor of the Jews. The prediction says that if you persecute the Jews, you will bring judgment upon yourself. No people or nation will escape the prediction of condemnation for those who mistreat the Jews. God’s decree in Gen. 12:3 is an irrevocable decree that one ignores to their own peril.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“For the Christian, dark clouds of trouble are but the shadow of God’s wing!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Devour

In Luke 8:15 we read, “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it” (NKJV).

Devour is the Greek word katesthiō (κατεσθίω = kat-es-thee'-o). It is made up of two words: “katá” which means down, and “esthio” which means to eat. Thus, the word means to eat up, consume, devour, and destroy. Literally, the word means to eat down, or eat up. Figuratively katesthiō means to destroy by fire i.e. consume, burn up (Rev. 11.5).In Classical Greek katesthiō means to eat, partake, to take nourishment. It is used both literally of food and figuratively of persons and property.

In the Septuagint katesthiō means to consume, to devour and to destroy. In the New Testament katesthiō carries the same meaning as the Septuagint and Classical Greek literature. In Jesus’ Parable of the Sower the birds “eat up” or “devour” the seeds in the path. Further, the prodigal son is denounced by the older brother for “spending” or “squandering” the father’s property.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – No bones of the Messiah will be broken (Psalm 34:20, Num. 9:12)

New Testament Fulfillment – John 19:33-36

Bible Facts

Man is “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). We are only beginning to probe the complexity of the DNA molecule, the eye, the brain, and all the intricate components of life. No human invention compares to the marvelous wonders of God’s creation.

Bible Quiz

What was the name of the blind man who “sat by the road begging,” and who cried out to Jesus for mercy?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: Who said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ?” Paul (Rom. 1:16)

That’s in the Bible

"Let the dead bury their dead”

“But Jesus said to him, follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead” (Matt. 8:22 NKJV).

“Let the dead bury their dead” - The expression “let the dead bury their dead” carries the idea of letting others do their own business. Jesus’ response is a radical call discipleship. Basically, He is saying let those who are spiritually dead bury those who are physically dead. The spiritually dead are those who have not listened to or obeyed the words of Jesus and who have no part in the Kingdom. This radical response implies that obedience to the Lord Jesus supersedes even the most significant earthly duties. This passage further suggests that the work of the Kingdom, preaching the gospel, takes precedence over any human endeavor. It is better to preach the Gospel and give life to the spiritually dead than to wait for your father to die and bury him.

Did You Know - Christian History

Joseph Henry Gilmore was born April 29, 1834 in Boston, MA. He was an American pastor and professor at the University of Rochester. After graduating from Brown University and Newton Theological Institution, Henry became Pastor of a church in Fisherville, NH.

In 1862 Henry was invited to preach at the historic First Baptist Church of Philadelphia. ‘I set out to give the people an exposition of the Twenty-third Psalm. I had given this exposition on three or four other occasions; but this time I did not get beyond the words “He leads me.” So greatly impressed was I with the blessedness of divine guidance that I made this my theme.’ At the close of the meeting, Henry and some others went to the home of a deacon. “There,” he wrote, “we continued our discussion of divine guidance. While I was still talking and listening, I wrote on a piece of my exposition manuscript the words to this hymn. I handed the paper to my wife and more or less forgot the incident.”

The words that Henry had written began with this famous stanza:

He leadeth me! O blessed tho’t! O words with heav’nly comfort fraught!

What-e’er I do, wher-e’er I be, Still ‘tis God’s hand that leadeth me!

Three years later, Henry was invited to preach a trial sermon at the Second Baptist Church in Rochester. “I picked up a church hymnal to see what songs they sang and was surprised to have the book fall open to the very song I had written three years earlier.”

The famous hymn composer William Bradbury had seen the lines and added music and the last two lines of the chorus. Henry took this incident as divine leadership that he should accept a situation at the Rochester church. That put him in position two years later to accept an offer to teach Hebrew at Rochester Theological Seminary. The following year, he was offered a professorship of logic and English literature at the University of Rochester, which he held until his retirement in 1908. An English chair at the school is named after him.

Henry taught for many years and authored several books on literature. He is remembered in educational circles for these contributions and others. But in Christian circles he is remembered for a single hymn written over half a century before his death. Joseph Henry Gilmore died on July 23, 1918.

A Little Humor

One day the boss asked one of the workers: “Bill, do you believe in life after death?” Bill replied: “Sure do, boss. Why do you ask?” “Well,” answered the boss, “the other morning you asked for time off for your grandmother’s funeral. That same afternoon she came in looking for you.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“It is dangerous and fatal presumption to say “tomorrow” when God says “today!”