The One Year Bible TLB (177 page)
Read The One Year Bible TLB Online
Authors: Tyndale
Sin lurks deep in the hearts of the wicked, forever urging them on to evil deeds. They have no fear of God to hold them back.
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Instead, in their conceit, they think they can hide their evil deeds and not get caught.
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Everything they say is crooked and deceitful; they are no longer wise and good.
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They lie awake at night to hatch their evil plots instead of planning how to keep away from wrong.
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Your steadfast love, O Lord, is as great as all the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
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Your justice is as solid as God’s mountains. Your decisions are as full of wisdom as the oceans are with water. You are concerned
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for men and animals alike.
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How precious is your constant love, O God! All humanity takes refuge in the shadow of your wings.
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You feed them with blessings from your own table and let them drink from your rivers of delight.
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For you are the Fountain of life; our light is from your light.
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Pour out your unfailing love on those who know you! Never stop giving your blessings
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to those who long to do your will.
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Don’t let these proud men trample me. Don’t let their wicked hands push me around.
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Look! They have fallen. They are thrown down and will not rise again.
The man who tries to be good, loving, and kind finds life, righteousness, and honor.
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The wise man conquers the strong man and levels his defenses.
August 20On that same day King Ahasuerus gave the estate of Haman, the Jews’ enemy, to Queen Esther. Then Mordecai was brought before the king, for Esther had told the king that he was her cousin and foster father.
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The king took off his ring—which he had taken back from Haman—and gave it to Mordecai appointing him Prime Minister;
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and Esther appointed Mordecai to be in charge of Haman’s estate.
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And now once more Esther came before the king, falling down at his feet and begging him with tears to stop Haman’s plot against the Jews.
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And again the king held out the golden scepter to Esther. So she arose and stood before him,
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and said, “If it please Your Majesty, and if you love me, send out a decree reversing Haman’s order to destroy the Jews throughout the king’s provinces.
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For how can I endure it, to see my people butchered and destroyed?”
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Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “I have given Esther the palace of Haman, and he has been hanged upon the gallows because he tried to destroy you.
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Now go ahead and send a message to the Jews, telling them whatever you want to in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring so that it can never be reversed.”
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Immediately the king’s secretaries were called in—it was now the 23rd day of the month of July—and they wrote as Mordecai dictated—a decree to the Jews and to the officials, governors, and princes of all the provinces from India to Ethiopia, 127 in all: the decree was translated into the languages and dialects of all the people of the kingdom. Mordecai wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed the message with the king’s ring and sent the letters by swift carriers—riders on camels, mules, and young dromedaries used in the king’s service.
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This decree gave the Jews everywhere permission to unite in the defense of their lives and their families, to destroy all the forces opposed to them, and to take their property.
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The day chosen for this throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus was the 28th day of February!
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It further stated that a copy of this decree, which must be recognized everywhere as law, must be broadcast to all the people so that the Jews would be ready and prepared to overcome their enemies.
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So the mail went out swiftly, carried by the king’s couriers and speeded by the king’s commandment. The same decree was also issued at Shushan Palace.
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Then Mordecai put on the royal robes of blue and white and the great crown of gold, with an outer cloak of fine linen and purple, and went out from the presence of the king through the city streets filled with shouting people.
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And the Jews had joy and gladness and were honored everywhere.
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And in every city and province, as the king’s decree arrived, the Jews were filled with joy and had a great celebration and declared a holiday. And many of the people of the land pretended to be Jews, for they feared what the Jews might do to them.
9:
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So on the 28th day of February, the day the two decrees of the king were to be put into effect—the day the Jews’ enemies had hoped to vanquish them, though it turned out quite to the contrary—the Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the king’s provinces to defend themselves against any who might try to harm them; but no one tried, for they were greatly feared.
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And all the rulers of the provinces—the governors, officials, and aides—helped the Jews for fear of Mordecai;
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for Mordecai was a mighty name in the king’s palace and his fame was known throughout all the provinces, for he had become more and more powerful.
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But the Jews went ahead on that appointed day and slaughtered their enemies.
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They even killed 500 men in Shushan.
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They also killed the ten sons of Haman (son of Hammedatha), the Jews’ enemy—Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha. But they did not try to take Haman’s property.
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Late that evening, when the king was informed of the number of those slain in Shushan,
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he called for Queen Esther. “The Jews have killed 500 men in Shushan alone,” he exclaimed, “and also Haman’s ten sons. If they have done that here, I wonder what has happened in the rest of the provinces! But now, what more do you want? It will be granted to you. Tell me and I will do it.”
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And Esther said, “If it please Your Majesty, let the Jews who are here at Shushan do again tomorrow as they have done today, and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.”
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So the king agreed, and the decree was announced at Shushan, and they hung up the bodies of Haman’s ten sons.
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Then the Jews at Shushan gathered together the next day also and killed 300 more men, though again they took no property.
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Meanwhile the other Jews throughout the king’s provinces had gathered together and stood for their lives and destroyed all their enemies, killing 75,000 of those who hated them; but they did not take their goods.
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Throughout the provinces this was done on the 28th day of February, and the next day they rested, celebrating their victory with feasting and gladness.
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But the Jews at Shushan went on killing their enemies the second day also and rested the next day, with feasting and gladness.
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And so it is that the Jews in the unwalled villages throughout Israel to this day have an annual celebration on the second day when they rejoice and send gifts to each other.
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Mordecai wrote a history of all these events and sent letters to the Jews near and far, throughout all the king’s provinces,
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encouraging them to declare an annual holiday on the last two days of the month,
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to celebrate with feasting, gladness, and the giving of gifts these historic days when the Jews were saved from their enemies, when their sorrow was turned to gladness and their mourning into happiness.
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So the Jews adopted Mordecai’s suggestion and began this annual custom
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as a reminder of the time when Haman (son of Hammedatha the Agagite), the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted to destroy them at the time determined by a throw of the dice; and to remind them that when the matter came before the king, he issued a decree causing Haman’s plot to boomerang, and he and his sons were hanged on the gallows.
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That is why this celebration is called “Purim” because the word for “throwing dice” in Persian is
pur.
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All the Jews throughout the realm agreed to inaugurate this tradition and to pass it on to their descendants and to all who became Jews; they declared they would never fail to celebrate these two days at the appointed time each year.
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It would be an annual event from generation to generation, celebrated by every family throughout the countryside and cities of the empire, so that the memory of what had happened would never perish from the Jewish race.
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Meanwhile Queen Esther (daughter of Abihail and later adopted by Mordecai the Jew) had written a letter throwing her full support behind Mordecai’s letter inaugurating his annual Feast of Purim. In addition, letters were sent to all the Jews throughout the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus with messages of good will and encouragement to confirm these two days annually as the Feast of Purim, decreed by both Mordecai the Jew and by Queen Esther; indeed, the Jews themselves had decided upon this tradition as a remembrance of the time of their national fasting and prayer.
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So the commandment of Esther confirmed these dates, and it was recorded as law.
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King Ahasuerus not only laid tribute upon the mainland but even on the islands of the sea.
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His great deeds, and also the full account of the greatness of Mordecai and the honors given him by the king, are written in
The Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia.
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Mordecai the Jew was the Prime Minister, with authority next to that of King Ahasuerus himself. He was, of course, very great among the Jews and respected by all his countrymen because he did his best for his people and was a friend at court for all of them.
Now here is what I am trying to say: All of you together are the one body of Christ, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.
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Here is a list of some of the parts he has placed in his Church, which is his body:
Apostles,
Prophets—those who preach God’s Word,
Teachers,
Those who do miracles,
Those who have the gift of healing;
Those who can help others,
Those who can get others to work together,
Those who speak in languages they have never learned.
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Is everyone an apostle? Of course not. Is everyone a preacher? No. Are all teachers? Does everyone have the power to do miracles?
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Can everyone heal the sick? Of course not. Does God give all of us the ability to speak in languages we’ve never learned? Can just anyone understand and translate what those are saying who have that gift of foreign speech?
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No, but try your best to have the more important of these gifts.
First, however, let me tell you about something else that is better than any of them!
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If I had the gift of being able to speak in other languages without learning them and could speak in every language there is in all of heaven and earth, but didn’t love others, I would only be making noise.
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If I had the gift of prophecy and knew all about what is going to happen in the future, knew everything about
everything,
but didn’t love others, what good would it do? Even if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, I would still be worth nothing at all without love.
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If I gave everything I have to poor people, and if I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn’t love others, it would be of no value whatever.
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Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud,
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never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong.
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It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out.
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If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.
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All the special gifts and powers from God will someday come to an end, but love goes on forever. Someday prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge—these gifts will disappear.
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Now we know so little, even with our special gifts, and the preaching of those most gifted is still so poor.
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But when we have been made perfect and complete, then the need for these inadequate special gifts will come to an end, and they will disappear.
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It’s like this: when I was a child I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I became a man my thoughts grew far beyond those of my childhood, and now I have put away the childish things.
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In the same way, we can see and understand only a little about God now, as if we were peering at his reflection in a poor mirror; but someday we are going to see him in his completeness, face-to-face. Now all that I know is hazy and blurred, but then I will see everything clearly, just as clearly as God sees into my heart right now.
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There are three things that remain—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
Never envy the wicked!
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Soon they fade away like grass and disappear.
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Trust in the Lord instead. Be kind and good to others; then you will live safely here in the land and prosper, feeding in safety.
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Be delighted with the Lord. Then he will give you all your heart’s desires.
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Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him to help you do it, and he will.
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Your innocence will be clear to everyone. He will vindicate you with the blazing light of justice shining down as from the noonday sun.
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Rest in the Lord; wait patiently for him to act. Don’t be envious of evil men who prosper.
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Stop your anger! Turn off your wrath. Don’t fret and worry—it only leads to harm.
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For the wicked shall be destroyed, but those who trust the Lord shall be given every blessing.
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Only a little while and the wicked shall disappear. You will look for them in vain.
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But all who humble themselves before the Lord shall be given every blessing and shall have wonderful peace.