This Royal Redemption
This morning, I got moving early. I'm not normally an early bird, especially not this year, but my alarm went blaring off at 7 AM. To many of you, that's probably not all that early, but for someone who has had almost 365 days of blissful, tranquil mornings undisturbed by everything except the sun, it was loud and it was early. And I was dreaming (which never happens), so it was a very much like a freight train going off instead of my phone. I digress. But I laid awake for a few minutes, my dog totally confused as to why this was happening (she jumped right along with me when said alarm resounded in the dark), thanking God for some good sleep.
Then I got moving. And when I get moving, I get moving. I got ready and got the dog ready to go to the groom. So I took her there, grabbed some coffee at dunkin dounuts, filled up the car with gas, went by the bank which, it turns out, doesn't open until 9, so I left and came back home. I sat down with my coffee, Bible, and Esther workbook. It is a good thing I do not own an smart phone nor have instagram, because we all know what would have happened. *insert tweet with a picture of said coffee and bible study along with a hashtag of #coffee&jesus here* Sometimes I'm grateful for a lack of technology in my life. Again, the ranting I am capable of at times is astounding. Moving on.
So, I dug into today's homework (and some jelly-filled munchin dounuts). I know I rant and rave about this study a lot, but I'm telling you, God's timing in this could not have been more perfect. He's used this study to show me how incredibly He has orchestrated every detail in my life, both past, present, and future. And today was no different. Today's focus was shifted to Mordecai in King Xerxes' presence. He had just been given the signet ring and allowed to sign a new decree into law in the King's name, that allowed the Jews to defend themselves from anyone that might try to attack, kill, and plunder them because of Haman's own evil decree allowing the people of Persia to do just that. Basically, it turned the other law on its head. The previous law could not be revoked, but it certainly was rebutted by the new. It was, as Beth Moore puts it, a reversal of destiny. The Jews were destined for death, but now they are destined for life and stability.
So we focused in on him, perhaps looking out the window with the King, as the royal horses leave a trail of dust in their wake, riding out to deliver this law to all the peoples in this vast kingdom. The he turns and leaves the king's presence, and the author unexpectedly gives us a mental picture of what he is wearing.
"Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a robe of fine linen and purple..." (vs 15a).
He was dressed royally. I think of how he might have looked when he first entered the king's presence at the beginning of chapter 8, when Esther explained to her king & husband how much this man meant to her. Was he still wearing sackcloth and ashes as he had when he first heard the decree of Haman? Surely he remained in that humble and repentant state as he waited and fasted and prayed to see the salvation of the Lord through the queen's actions. But now he had been lifted up, not just out of his mourning, but out of his waiting, for this new decree had been written, he had been the one commanding it, he had sealed it with the king's own signet ring. But I'd like to submit here that it wasn't simply the king who lifted him out of this in royal fashion. No, a higher King was silently behind this rather simple change of clothes. Two passages jump to my mind.
From Isaiah 61:
"[the actions of the Anointed One]...to grant to those who mourn in Zion--to give them a beautiful headdress (crown) instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit, that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified" (vs 3).
And 1st Peter 5:
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the might hand of God, so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you" (vs 6-7).
The major point Beth Moore was getting at in this lesson was that we have a dual identity in Christ. We are a royal priesthood (1 peter 2:9-10). We are both royal subjects under the King of Kings and are to be priests for Him, making His name known to all peoples. She pointed out one of my favorite passages, Isaiah 6, verse 1:
"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up;
and the train of His robe filled the Temple."
Do you see the contrast? He is seated on a throne, as a King should be, yet His throne is not found in a palace; it is found in the temple. The Temple was a place for priests, not kings, and yet, here He is, about to cleanse Isaiah who will in turn accept the position of prophet and be commissioned to go proclaim God's word to His people. John 12:38-40 sums up some of those words Isaiah spoke and their fulfillment in Jesus' day. Verse 41 explains why: "Isaiah said these things because he saw His glory and spoke of Him." We are a royal priesthood, under the King of Kings, Jesus, seeing His glory in the Word and in our lives if we look for it and seek it, who also, like Isaiah, respond by making Him known.
And here's the final, glorious truth. We never have to leave His presence, for as we go into all nations making disciples, baptizing and teaching them to observe (see and obey) everything Jesus commanded, He gives us this promise: "Behold! [Look! See!] that I am with you always, even to the end of the age. We have been royally redeemed, clothed in Jesus' righteousness, and commissioned to go into all the earth and see Him make Himself known to His people, whom He formed for His treasured possession. We weren't meant to just serve Him as dutiful subjects. We belong to Him completely. As priests, we bear His name and proclaim His kingdom. Is that reflected in how we serve? Are we dutiful or desiring more intimacy with Him in all we do?
"Seek the Lord and His strength;
seek His presence continually!"
-Psalm 105:4
Then I got moving. And when I get moving, I get moving. I got ready and got the dog ready to go to the groom. So I took her there, grabbed some coffee at dunkin dounuts, filled up the car with gas, went by the bank which, it turns out, doesn't open until 9, so I left and came back home. I sat down with my coffee, Bible, and Esther workbook. It is a good thing I do not own an smart phone nor have instagram, because we all know what would have happened. *insert tweet with a picture of said coffee and bible study along with a hashtag of #coffee&jesus here* Sometimes I'm grateful for a lack of technology in my life. Again, the ranting I am capable of at times is astounding. Moving on.
So, I dug into today's homework (and some jelly-filled munchin dounuts). I know I rant and rave about this study a lot, but I'm telling you, God's timing in this could not have been more perfect. He's used this study to show me how incredibly He has orchestrated every detail in my life, both past, present, and future. And today was no different. Today's focus was shifted to Mordecai in King Xerxes' presence. He had just been given the signet ring and allowed to sign a new decree into law in the King's name, that allowed the Jews to defend themselves from anyone that might try to attack, kill, and plunder them because of Haman's own evil decree allowing the people of Persia to do just that. Basically, it turned the other law on its head. The previous law could not be revoked, but it certainly was rebutted by the new. It was, as Beth Moore puts it, a reversal of destiny. The Jews were destined for death, but now they are destined for life and stability.
So we focused in on him, perhaps looking out the window with the King, as the royal horses leave a trail of dust in their wake, riding out to deliver this law to all the peoples in this vast kingdom. The he turns and leaves the king's presence, and the author unexpectedly gives us a mental picture of what he is wearing.
"Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a robe of fine linen and purple..." (vs 15a).
He was dressed royally. I think of how he might have looked when he first entered the king's presence at the beginning of chapter 8, when Esther explained to her king & husband how much this man meant to her. Was he still wearing sackcloth and ashes as he had when he first heard the decree of Haman? Surely he remained in that humble and repentant state as he waited and fasted and prayed to see the salvation of the Lord through the queen's actions. But now he had been lifted up, not just out of his mourning, but out of his waiting, for this new decree had been written, he had been the one commanding it, he had sealed it with the king's own signet ring. But I'd like to submit here that it wasn't simply the king who lifted him out of this in royal fashion. No, a higher King was silently behind this rather simple change of clothes. Two passages jump to my mind.
From Isaiah 61:
"[the actions of the Anointed One]...to grant to those who mourn in Zion--to give them a beautiful headdress (crown) instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit, that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified" (vs 3).
And 1st Peter 5:
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the might hand of God, so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you" (vs 6-7).
The major point Beth Moore was getting at in this lesson was that we have a dual identity in Christ. We are a royal priesthood (1 peter 2:9-10). We are both royal subjects under the King of Kings and are to be priests for Him, making His name known to all peoples. She pointed out one of my favorite passages, Isaiah 6, verse 1:
"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up;
and the train of His robe filled the Temple."
Do you see the contrast? He is seated on a throne, as a King should be, yet His throne is not found in a palace; it is found in the temple. The Temple was a place for priests, not kings, and yet, here He is, about to cleanse Isaiah who will in turn accept the position of prophet and be commissioned to go proclaim God's word to His people. John 12:38-40 sums up some of those words Isaiah spoke and their fulfillment in Jesus' day. Verse 41 explains why: "Isaiah said these things because he saw His glory and spoke of Him." We are a royal priesthood, under the King of Kings, Jesus, seeing His glory in the Word and in our lives if we look for it and seek it, who also, like Isaiah, respond by making Him known.
And here's the final, glorious truth. We never have to leave His presence, for as we go into all nations making disciples, baptizing and teaching them to observe (see and obey) everything Jesus commanded, He gives us this promise: "Behold! [Look! See!] that I am with you always, even to the end of the age. We have been royally redeemed, clothed in Jesus' righteousness, and commissioned to go into all the earth and see Him make Himself known to His people, whom He formed for His treasured possession. We weren't meant to just serve Him as dutiful subjects. We belong to Him completely. As priests, we bear His name and proclaim His kingdom. Is that reflected in how we serve? Are we dutiful or desiring more intimacy with Him in all we do?
"Seek the Lord and His strength;
seek His presence continually!"
-Psalm 105:4
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