So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet, and as they were drinking wine on the second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.” Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.” King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?” Esther said, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. ⁷ The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life. Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?”  As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A pole reaching to a height of fifty cubits stands by Haman’s house. He had it set up for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.” The king said, “Impale him on it!” So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.

–Esther 7 (TNIV)

Today we conclude our look at the book of Esther. Here we see God’s hand in the events, circumstances, and people of Esther’s day come to fruition. The proud and wicked Haman is undone. He has found himself compelled to be at the Queen’s banquet and now faces justice for his unjust act against the Jews. Nowhere is God’s name or hand explicitly mentioned but everywhere we see it in the narrative.

It is proper to grieve Haman’s undoing, not because we should approve of what he did, but because we see the terrible results of sin come to fruition. The chickens have come home to roost and he has paid dearly for his sinful pride. We remember that we too have the same sinful pride dwelling in us, making us capable of committing grievous acts against God and humans. Maybe not the same as Haman’s acts, but grievous nevertheless. We thank God that his Spirit dwells in us and changes us into his very Image.

We also can give thanks that God’s hand is in our daily lives, sometimes overtly and other times more covertly. Whatever the method, we can stop and give thanks that we have a God who is intimately involved in our lives and who is actively at work in his creation to redeem it. How do we know this? By reading stories like Esther and remembering Christ’s mighty Resurrection, the first-fruit of God’s New Creation in which he will finally and fully redeem his fallen creation forever. Thanks be to God!

How can righteousness exceed [that of a Pharisee], unless “compassion rises above judgment”? What is as right or as worthy as a creature, fashioned in the image and likeness of God, imitating the Creator who, by the remission of sins, brought about the reparation and sanctification of believers? This is how Christian righteousness can exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, not by canceling out the law but by rejecting earthly wisdom [to seek human glory and popularity]. For those who love God it is sufficient to please the one they love; and there is no greater recompense to be sought than the loving itself; for love is from God by the very fact that God himself is love. Each person’s treasure is that which the individual desires.

–Leo the Great, Sermon 92.1-3

All who come into this life are compelled by the turning wheel of time to pass on. You must keep walking or you will be dragged along. As we travel on our journey we will be met at a fork in the road by Jesus. And he will say to use, “Don’t go to the left. It looks like an easy and delightful road to pass along, but at the end of that way lies ruin. But there is another way which involves innumerable labors, and hardship. This road is difficult to follow but when you reach its end you will experience the very peak of joy.”

–Augustine, Sermon 346A.1

Lord Jesus Christ, who stretched out your hands on the cross and redeemed us by your blood, forgive me, a sinner, for none of my thoughts are hidden from you. Pardon, I ask, pardon I hope for, pardon I trust to have. You who are pitiful and merciful, spare and forgive me. Amen.

—The Ambrosian Liturgy

Christ became like us that we might become like him. The work of the Spirit seeks to transform us by grace into a perfect copy of his humbling.

–Cyril of Alexandria, Festal Letter 10.4

From Christianity Today.

If you’ve heard the word porn in church recently, in a small group or from the pulpit, chances are you hardly blinked. Thanks to ministries like Promise Keepers and Operation Integrity, the research of sex addiction expert Patrick Carnes and neuroscientist William Struthers, and individuals courageous enough to admit they have a problem, American churches have squarely faced porn’s destructive and tragic effects. We know porn is highly addictive, and we have more tools than ever to break its stranglehold. Praise God.

If you are a man, that is.

A good op-ed piece on the destructive effects of pornography, especially in women. Read it all.

From Christianity Today:

The first time Craig read the Bible was two decades ago, when he was in a county jail. “I’m a voracious reader, and after I had read all the paperbacks in the unit, I finally picked up the Bible and devoured it in four days.”

When the prison chaplain asked Craig if he was willing to accept Christ as his Savior, he answered with a question: “Would Christ accept me?” Craig (who asked that his real name not be used) was serving a sentence for multiple sexual assault and abuse—crimes he committed against his young daughter and another girl.

Anglican theologian N. T. Wright states in Simply Christian that every society has one unforgiveable sin. Many would argue that the unforgiveable sin today is the sexual abuse of children.

Craig accepted God’s pardon for his unforgiveable sin through Christ. He has been living under grace since then, but he still struggles with the consequences of what he did. “No one ever grows up thinking they’re going to become a sex offender,” he says. “One of God’s greatest gifts is a child’s innocence. I live with the knowledge that I destroyed this in these girls’ lives.”

A very good and thought-provoking piece which cuts to the heart of what it means to repent and be forgiven. Yet note carefully that there needs to be accountability in the process. Read it all.

What do you think?