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| Feast of Purim Commanded - H. Melville |
TO CHEW ON: "The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could withstand them because fear of them fell upon all people.
And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and all those doing the king's work, helped the Jews because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them." Esther 9:2,3
Something... Someone supernatural must be at work here for the tide of public opinion to turn so dramatically for Haman one day, against him the next (although my Bible's notes suggest the Jews had some months to prepare for their defence).
The way the Bible describes it: "And no one could withstand them because the fear of them fell upon all people .... the officials etc. helped the Jews because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them," gives one the sense of an irresistible force on the Jews' side causing others to lose their courage and to give up on destroying them.
I am reminded of another time the fear of the Lord became a force in the life of the Jewish nation. Remember Rahab, the woman who hid the Jewish spies, and what she said: "...the terror of you has fallen on us .... all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you ... our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath" - Joshua 2:9,11.
Then there's the early church. After the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and many joining the new believers "... fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles" - Acts 2:43.
It's comforting to know that God works in this way. Lets pray that the fear of God come over our nation where attempts to silence public witness about Jesus are becoming increasingly bold and pervasive. Let's pray that the fear of God come over other countries, especially those where it is illegal to be a Christian and converting is a death sentence.
PRAYER: Dear God, perhaps before the fear of God comes over my nation, it needs to affect me. Help me to have a view of You that begins to understand how worthy You are of my fear, awe, and worship. Amen.
MORE: Fear and wisdom
John Piper in a sermon from the text Proverbs 10:11 ("The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life.") says,
"The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life" (cf. 16:22). So if the "teaching of the wise" is a fountain of life, and "the mouth of the righteous" is a fountain of life, then one element in this righteousness is true wisdom. Righteous people are people who live by true wisdom.
Then I remembered that the most crucial thing Proverbs says about wisdom is that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (9:10). So I assumed that "the fear of the Lord" is right at the heart of the wisdom which is the basis of the way righteous people live (fear of the Lord—wisdom—righteousness). The surprising thing was the way this was confirmed in 14:27, "The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life."
So I conclude that the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life (10:11) because righteousness is a life based on true wisdom which is a fountain of life (13:14), and true wisdom is a fountain of life because it begins with the fear of the Lord, which is a fountain of life (14:27)." - By John Piper. ©2012 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org. Read all of "The Mouth of the Righteous Is a Fountain of Life."
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