“Great and Small” (Esther 1:20-22)

 “And when the king’s decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honor, both to great and small. And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan: For he sent letters into all the king’s provinces, into every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language, that every man should bear rule in his own house, and that it should be published according to the language of every people.” (vs20-22)

We must glorify God in honoring the small and the great: we cannot obey people if they are good (in our eyes), but we must obey if they have authority given unto them.  God respects no man’s person, and neither must we; we mustn’t yield honor to some, and then be so proud as to hold it back from others, because of what they do, “Likewise, you wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conduct of the wives” (1 Pet 3:1).  Every PASTOR is honored of God that preaches the gospel of God’s grace, every church is holy, no matter her outreach and power, and every boss and husband is to be honored, whether they obey God or not. We are unselective in obeying God, not saying, “I’ll love, but not him”, “I’ll be subject, but not here”, or “I’ll do your will, until I think better”. Instead, we are bowing to God in Jesus Christ, and authority demands we bow and love all people.  We cannot live as we see fit, lest GOD’S power is attacked by our rebellion.

Jesus died so that God would be honored by FAITH, rather than legal obedience. Jesus answered God’s law, so that we honor God by believing His love and promises. He justifies God to bring fruit in us that is pleasing, to produce a Vashti’s destruction and to produce the crown rights of Esther.

“Fair to Look On” (Esther 1:10-11)

 “On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king, To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to show the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on.  But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king‘s commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.” (vs10-12)

God’s commands are not grievous. He intends only our best, as He COMMANDS us what to do.  He is the source of peace, and in obedience to His goodness, our joy will be full (John 14:27). He is more pleasurable than Satan and the pleasures of sin, which are short lived - “The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. So that a man shall say, Truly there is a reward for the righteous; truly he is a God that judges in the earth” (Ps 58:10-11). He is pure, exalting, and love.  He teaches us the good way, then He fills us with gladness in obedience. He does for us by the Spirit, so that we don’t use human power to glorify God, but He gives us what we need.

Do not be foolish and rebel. Do not say, “The pleasure of sin is better than Christ”, because it isn’t.

You will lose your soul and your life down here, squandering it on sin - “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul” (Matt 16:26). If you will be happy, pursue God’s commands with zeal, leaning on His strength, trusting His obedience to earn your obedience, and doing His will to the gladness of your heart and the glory of God in helping others. This is the high-life, as God commands us to live BETTER than the squalor of the earth. We’ve wasted time in sin, and now we must shine.

God gives us FEAR and trembling so that we come, and then He blesses our coming.  God DAMNS everyone else.