Coffeeville First Baptist Church By Craig Baker, Pastor
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Monday was the day we know as Memorial Day, but did you know it was originally called Decoration Day? That name came from the practice of honoring fallen Civil War soldiers by decorating their graves. There are over a dozen cities and towns that claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. Although President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, NY as the official birthplace of Memorial Day in May 1966, it appears the practice of setting aside a time each year to remember and honor our fallen soldiers began in many places around our nation about the same time in the 1860’s. Decoration Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan when he ordered that on May 30 flowers be placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers buried at Arlington National Cemetery. After World War I Decoration Day changed from a remembrance of just those who had died in the Civil War to a remembrance of all Americans who died in any war. At that time the name shifted from Decoration Day to Memorial Day. We need days like Memorial Day because Lord knows we are forgetful people, but we are no different today than people have always been.
In the Old Testament in the days of Moses, after God had freed His people, the Israelites, from Egypt and was providing for them and leading them through the wilderness towards the Promised Land, He warned them to not forget Him (Deut. 8:10-20). Unfortunately, 1 Samuel 12:9 tells us, “But they forgot the Lord their God.” They forgot His laws, His justice, His mercy, His covenant with them, and the Bible says they prostituted themselves out like harlots to the gods of the pagan nations rather than worshiping and honoring the one true God.
God sent His prophets to bring His message of warning to His people, men such as Hosea, Joel, Amos, Micah, and Isaiah. The message was clear, repent or suffer God’s judgment for your sins. For decades and generations, God warned His people, but despite God’s warning, they refused to turn back to Him. That is exactly why we find them in captivity and peril in the Book of Esther. Their captivity was God’s judgment for their rebellion and idolatry, but their time of captivity was nearing an end. God would soon work through the Persian king, Cyrus the Great, and the Persian nation to fulfill His promise of returning His people to their land and rebuilding their nation, but first they had to survive the decree of their death.
Despite his new position, Mordecai could not erase Haman’s decree that had sentenced the Jews to death, so with the king’s approval, Mordecai wrote a new decree that allowed the Jews to defend themselves, retaliate against anyone who attacked them, and take the property of any defeated enemies. Their death had been ordered, but with this new decree came the possibility of life. That brings us to Esther 9. About nine months passed between chapters 8 and 9. Much changed in those nine months. The Jews now had friends in high places, and they knew it so did everyone else. None of the officials in the kingdom were willing to do anything to harm the Jews. What tipped the balances in the favor of the Jews was the officials fear of Mordecai. They were afraid of what the consequences might be if they were found favoring the wrong side. No doubt word had spread of Haman’s death and what happened to those who opposed Mordecai and the Jews. The Jews were now in a position of power. Legally and practically, they had the resources and the opportunity to destroy their enemies. What did they do with such power? Although the decree gave the Jews the right to kill the women and children of their enemies and take the plunder for themselves, they chose not to exercise those rights. Instead, they exercised mercy and self-control and deliberately restrained themselves from going farther than they needed to go to protect themselves and gain victory over their enemies. Both mercy and justice were exercised on this day, and at the end of the day, the enemies of the Jews had been defeated (Esther 9:5-16). What do you do when you have defeated your enemies? You celebrate (Esther 9:17-32). With their enemies defeated, the Jews celebrated with a day of feasting. Chapter 9 closes with the details of their celebration and how it was established as an annual celebration. Jews still celebrate this feast today. On the day of the feast, the Book of Esther is read in their synagogues. As the name of Mordecai and Esther are read, the people in attendance cheer. When the name of Haman is read, they hiss, boo, and stomp their feet proclaiming, “
May his name be blotted out. Let the name of the ungodly perish.” Chapter 10 closes the story of Esther with an account of Mordecai’s rise in prominence and his good work throughout the kingdom of Persia.
As we close our series in Esther, we must acknowledge that the plight of the Jews parallels our own. Throughout much of Esther, we find the Jews constrained by the law to die with no hope of salvation and deliverance. In much the same way our King’s decree has gone throughout the land. The wages, the cost, of our sin is death, but a new decree has also gone out from the King. He has made a way for us to be saved, a way of grace and mercy that sets us free from the law that held us under the captivity of sin. While the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. For God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us, and whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. The question is, “Have you responded to the King’s decree and called upon the Lord for salvation?
