My great aunt Ruth, who passed away today. “Great aunt” doesn’t really capture what she was. In many ways, she felt like another grandmother. I know that no one is perfect, and that all of us are fallen, but growing up, I never saw anything but goodness in Aunt Ruth. She lived her life to serve others. She worked for the Salvation Army for over 40 years.
She never married nor had kids. Growing up, she’d travel home to Columbus a couple times a year. She was a staple of the first several Christmas mornings that I remember. When I think back to the magical Christmases as a kid, she’s never far from my thoughts. In some ways, it feels both fitting and bittersweet that she depart from this world at a time of year she loved so much.
She always went overboard on presents for my sister and I. There were adventures on her trips. She always slept in my room, and so I was demoted to sleeping on the floor in my parent’s room (my sister would camp out too). That’s where I’d spent Christmas Eve. She’d always take my sister and I to Northland Mall (“the Blue Mall” as I used to call it). We’d get cherry icees (in a day when that was the only place in the world that I knew of that sold them).
As she got older, I don’t recall the first year where she didn’t make the trip for Christmas, but I’m sure that the holiday felt a little less Christmasy without her.
We visited her in New York every 2-3 years and those trips are some of my greatest childhood memories.
To this day, she’s still the only person I’ve even known who’s preferred soda is caffeine free Diet Coke. She let me try my first sip of coffee, but told me I wouldn’t like it (I didn’t).
Like me, she was left handed. Even though she lived most of her life in New York and New Jersey, she always called Ohio “home.” Whenever we’d talk on the phone growing up, she always said “I love you and I’m praying for you.” For nearly 20 years, she suffered from dementia. I know she has gone to a better place today. But it’s still sad today knowing that we no longer have her light non this world.
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
In the Gospel of Matthew, Mary and Joseph are engaged to be married. They’ve never consummated the relationship but then Mary finds out that she’s pregnant. Joseph did not want to bring shame upon Mary and so he prepared to divorce her quietly.
An angel appeared to Joseph. And the angel tells him to stay with Mary because the child she’s carrying has been conceived by the Holy Spirit.
The angel says: She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).
The Gospel of Matthew summarizes this exchange by quoting a prophecy from the Book of Isaiah: All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
While Isaiah’s quote in the Gospel of Matthew is familiar in its connection to Jesus, the original prophecy was given more than seven centuries before at perhaps the most tumultuous time in the history of Israel.
The original context for the Immanuel prophecy is often overlooked because it’s a complicated story. But while it’s complicated, it’s also a fascinating story that involves conquering empires, civil war, judgment and betrayal.
At the outset, I should also say that while these are passage which deal with war and conquest, and while those aren’t what we think of as Christmasy themes, these are also passages of hope and which point us to God’s grace and faithfulness.
Historical background
It’s important to start with some historical background of Isaiah 7.
This passage can get very confusing if you don’t know what’s going on or who the players are, so I think some introductory information is essential to understanding this passage.
First thing: timeline. These events happen around the year 735 B.C.
There are four nations which are mentioned in this passage: Judah, Israel, Syria and Assyria.
Israel is not the good guy in this story.
Israel and Judah
Something about the history of Israel that we can sometimes miss in the Bible is that for much of Israel’s history, Israel is a divided kingdom.
Think of it like this. We live in the United States of America. In the 1860s, we had a Civil War where 11 states seceded from the union. We had the union and the confederacy.
Similarly to how we have the United States, Israel was a collection of territories divided among tribes. Each tribe had their own land. The tribes were descendants of a man named Jacob.
And something that you have to know to understand this passage is that the Israelite territories were not always united. The Great King of Israel was David. His story is pretty familiar. He wrote many of the Psalms. He was the man after God’s own heart.
His son was Solomon. Solomon’s son was a man named Rehoboam and that’s where things really start to get bad in Israel. Rehoboam is eventually overthrown by a man named Jeroboam and it is at that point that Israel is no longer a united kingdom.
The northern tribes and the southern tribes split. They will never again reunite.
If this helps, I’ll call it a divided states of Israel. Here’s part of why it can get confusing.
You have two kingdoms. North and south. The northern kingdom is called Israel. The southern kingdom is called Judah. The Southern Kingdom, Judah, is home to Jerusalem. The royal line which leads to Christ in the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew is the kings who reigned in Judah.
The Southern Kingdom, called Judah is also home to the tribe of Judah, which is the specific tribe from which Jesus was born.
None of this is saying the southern kingdom of Judah is perfect or righteous. The grace bestowed upon them was the same grace that is bestowed upon every believer in the gospel. It’s the undeserved gift of God which he freely gives.
To the north, you have Israel, but in the south, while it’s called Judah, the southern kingdom is actually the true Israel. It’s the true chosen people of God who have the promises of God.
Another point of clarity. While Judah is called Judah because of the Tribe of Judah. Well the northern kingdom of Israel is often called Ephraim because its largest tribe was Ephraim. And I point that out because the northern kingdom of Israel will be referred to as Ephraim in this passage.
Think of it like how the United Kingdom and Great Britain refer to the same place, or now Holland and the Netherlands refers to the same place.
The northern kingdom of Israel is the same place as Ephraim.
So that’s two of the players in our story. Judah and Israel. And just to reiterate, Israel is not on the good side in this passage.
Judah is sinful too, as we will see in this passage but the divine wrath is first placed upon Israel.
Two more kingdoms in this story. Syria and Assyria. And obviously that can add confusion to the story because it sounds like it’s the same place. They’re different.
Assyria was the regional superpower. They posed a threat to the territories in the region. Syria and Israel were in an alliance against Assyria.
They had attempted to get Judah to join their alliance to fight against Assyria. At one point, Israel and Syria actually wanted to stage a coup to overthrow the king of Judah and install a puppet king who would do what they wanted.
Serious geopolitical issues.
Three Kings
In Isaiah 7, the prophet begins by introducing Judah, Syria, and Israel.
Verse 1: In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it.
Often times in the Old Testament, people are introduced in conjunction with who their father is. This passage is no different. With Ahaz, it tells us that he’s the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah. All these kings are direct descendants in the line of Christ.
So we have Ahaz listed at the beginning of the passage. He’s listed first because this passage ultimately revolved around his kingdom, Judah.
Few more things about Ahaz. Even though he’s king of Judah which is the kingdom who retains the promise of God, that does not mean that Ahaz is a good king or a good man.
In fact, he’s neither of those things.
Talking of Ahaz, 2 Kings 16:2 says: he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, as his father David had done.
That passage also tells us that Ahaz sacrificed one of his sons as a pagan offering (2 Kings 16:3). And he also took it upon himself to go outside the bounds of Old Testament worship and practiced other pagan religious rituals.
2 Chronicles 28 tells us that Ahaz made metal images to worship pagan deities (2 Chronicles 28:2).
He’s not a good king. He does not honor God.
Next up: Rezin the King of Syria. Syria is probably listed next because they were a more prominent provocator of the military conflict than was Israel.
Israel is listed last, their king was Pekah at the time.
So three nations, three kings.
And the passage tells us in verse 1 that Syria and Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it.
Keep in mind that it’s Assyria who’s the threat in the region.
And with that in mind, you may be asking yourself a logical question. If Assyria is the threat, then why are Syria and Israel wanting to fight Judah?
I briefly touched on this earlier but the issue was that Israel and Syria wanted Judah to join them in an anti-Assyrian alliance.
Isaiah 7:2: When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.
This verse refers to the southern Kingdom of Judah as the House of David. Another way of referring to that part of the kingdom.
They find out that Syria has an alliance with Ephraim, which is to say that Syria has an alliance with the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
So you have Israelites fighting Israelites. It’s very disheartening for Judah to learn that these two nations are against them. Eventually, Syria and Israel would attack Judah and hit some of the territories outside of Jerusalem, and they hit Judah with devastating results.
2 Chronicles 28:5-6: the LORD his God gave him into the hand of the king of Syria, who defeated him and took captive a great number of his people and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force. For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed 120,000 from Judah in one day, all of them men of valor
And then again from verse 8: 8 The men of Israel took captive 200,000 of their relatives, women, sons, and daughters. They also took much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Samaria.
So Judah has over 120,000 casualties and over 200,000 taken enslaved.
A dilemma
Imagine if you were a citizen in Judah at the time and someone who was in the know about the diplomatic happenings in the region. It was a difficult time. You’re basically under threat of all the nations who surround you. You could join your fellow Israelites in the Northern Kingdom and band together with Syria.
But then you might still have to battle Assyria, an empire who could be ruthless in their conquests. Perhaps you could try to find a way to appease them or pay them for protection.
What’s the right choice?
We’ll get to that in a bit.
A prophecy and a name
Back to our passage. Verse 3, the Prophet Isaiah comes into the story for the first time.
Along with Isaiah, we’ll also meet his son. And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field.
The son is significant to the passage.
In Hebrew, Shear-Jashub means “a remnant will return.”
Why does that matter? You have a corrupt king in a corrupt kingdom. The early chapters of the Book of Isaiah largely revolve around Judah’s sin. There will be judgment on them for their sin. And in 735 B.C, they find themselves losing battles to neighboring nations.
They’ve already suffered tremendous losses, but Ahaz is given a promise: a remnant will return. Even with as dark as the times were in Judah, the nation would not be totally destroyed.
Even within our passage, Israel and Syria attempted to overtake Jerusalem and couldn’t. We don’t know if Ahaz understood that at the time.
Verse 4. Isaiah speaks. And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands,
After Isaiah has called Ahaz to trusting in the Lord, Isaiah continues by talking about the imminent destruction awaiting Israel and Syria. Isaiah calls Israel and Syria two smoldering stumps. He will elaborate more in this chapter but Isaiah is beginning to communicate the reality that Israel and Syria’s days are numbered.
Continuing in verse 4: at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah.
Isaiah is addressing the two combatants who have gone to war with Judah.
Verse 5: Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, 6 “Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,”
A lot could be said there. It’s basically one prophecy.
Even though Judah has all sorts of issues with sin and with the sinfulness of their king, it’s still God’s chosen people and there is a severe penalty for Syria for attacking Judah. But what’s more, for the northern kingdom in Israel, also known as Ephraim, there is also a severe penalty for them attacking their fellow Jews.
But they have all of these plans against Judah, and the Lord says:
“ ‘It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass. 8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. 9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.
It shall not stand and it shall not come to pass.
This is the Lord God speaking through his prophet Isaiah. The text says that within 65 years, Syria would be conquered. Ephraim will be shattered from being a people.
Again, remember that Ephraim is the northern kingdom of Israel.
So this is what Ahaz is told about his enemies.
And guess what? Those things do come to pass. Assyria would go on to conquer Syria. And in 722 B.C. the Northern Kingdom of Israel is conquered and they lose the land.
Earlier I talked about the tough situation which Judah faced. They had the option of joining the alliance with Syria and Israel. That’s option A. They didn’t choose that option. They could have tried to appease Assyria. That’s what Ahaz chose.
Let’s look at this story in 2 Kings 16.
2 Kings 16:5: Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to wage war on Jerusalem, and they besieged Ahaz but could not conquer him.
Similarly to where our passage begins. Israel and Syria have come to attack Jerusalem but do not prevail.
Ahaz begs Assyria for help.
2 Kings 16:7: So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.”
He’s going to a pagan and enemy nation and begging them for help. He will pay off Assyria. Where’s he get the funds?
2 Kings 16:8-9: Ahaz also took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasures of the king’s house and sent a present to the king of Assyria. 9 And the king of Assyria listened to him. The king of Assyria marched up against Damascus and took it, carrying its people captive to Kir, and he killed Rezin.
Ahaz takes the gold and silver that’s in the temple in Jerusalem and that’s what he uses to pay Assyria for protection. And the 2 Kings passage begins by talking of Assyria attacking Syria and having Rezin killed.
In the next scene, Ahaz meets the king of Judah and continues to be reverential to the Assyrians.
2 Kings 16:10-11: When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, he saw the altar that was at Damascus. And King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a model of the altar, and its pattern, exact in all its details. 11 And Uriah the priest built the altar; in accordance with all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so Uriah the priest made it, before King Ahaz arrived from Damascus.
And we will continue to see in 2 Kings that Ahaz does everything he can to show allegiance to Assyria. He practices their religious rituals.
So what was the right option?
Joining Syria and Israel? Or joining Assyria?
Trick question, the correct answer was option C. Ahaz should have trusted in God and his promises.
The importance of faith
Instead he let fear draw him into sin. He let his lack of confidence in the Lord lead him to bowing down to other deities. He put his trust in his own abilities and not in God’s providence. He trusted a man, the King of Assyria for his protection rather than placing faith in the Lord.
Israel and Syria might have looked like giants to Judah. But their days were numbered. He had the promise of God. He had the divine kingdom, and yet he sold off the temple items for what felt like earthly security.
The issue with Ahaz was that his first hope was not ultimately God. And this passage was an opportunity to trust God.
Where is your dependence? Where is your hope?
It’s easy to judge Judah. It’s easy to say that Ahaz should have had more faith. And he should have. I’m not defending him. But it’s interesting to consider his situation. All the nations around them have reason to go to war with Judah. The super power is taking up territory. And so he does what we so often do in a crisis of faith, he takes matters into his own hands. He doesn’t trust in the Lord.
But for him, his life, his reign, his nation hung in the balance. I think of the thousand other situations we face in our lives all the time where it can be so easy to distrust God.
Situations that are so much smaller than what is happening in this passage.
What’s our excuse? We have God’s promises. Yet we often times what to do whatever we can to feel a sense of control over our lives. We have God’s Word, but it so often doesn’t bring us the comfort that it should. What God says will happen will happen. That’s true of both good and bad things.
In this passage, we see God’s faithfulness to his word. He told of the destruction which would befall Syria and Israel. And it happened.
God is true to his word. What does he say in his word that you struggle to believe?
At the end of our passage, Isaiah continues to speak to Ahaz. But they’re not Isaiah’s words. They’re the words of the Lord.
A sign offered
Verse 10: Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”
Ahaz is told to ask God for a sign. Signs are often used in the Bible to point to the miraculous works of God.
And the text says as “deep as Sheol or as high as heaven,” the point is that Ahaz can basically ask for any sign he wants. That’s a pretty incredible offer from the Lord. The Lord is saying that he will reveal his power and glory to Ahaz on Ahaz’s terms.
Imagine if you had such an offer? What would you ask for?
Maybe to see a relative or friend raised to life? Maybe to see heaven? Maybe to be instantly healed? Maybe to see a change the the weather or in nature like the day suddenly becoming 85 and sunny.
A sign rejected
What sign would you want to bolster your faith?
For Ahaz, the offer is meaningless. He’s already thrown his lot in with Assyria. That’s where his trust lies.
In verse 12, Ahaz says “I will not ask.”
He rejects the sign.
Tomorrow, we look at part 2 where we see a sign given.
On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her. 2 And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.
3 Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. 4 When the king held out the golden scepter to Esther, Esther rose and stood before the king. 5 And she said, “If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. 6 For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming to my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?” 7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he intended to lay hands on the Jews. 8 But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king’s ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s ring cannot be revoked.”
9 The king’s scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day. And an edict was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded concerning the Jews, to the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, 127 provinces, to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language. 10 And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king’s signet ring. Then he sent the letters by mounted couriers riding on swift horses that were used in the king’s service, bred from the royal stud, 11 saying that the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, and to plunder their goods, 12 on one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. 13 A copy of what was written was to be issued as a decree in every province, being publicly displayed to all peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies. 14 So the couriers, mounted on their swift horses that were used in the king’s service, rode out hurriedly, urged by the king’s command. And the decree was issued in Susa the citadel.
15 Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a robe of fine linen and purple, and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. 16 The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor. 17 And in every province and in every city, wherever the king’s command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.
9 Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s command and edict were about to be carried out, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them. 2 The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could stand against them, for the fear of them had fallen on all peoples. 3 All the officials of the provinces and the satraps and the governors and the royal agents also helped the Jews, for the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for the man Mordecai grew more and more powerful. 5 The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them. 6 In Susa the citadel itself the Jews killed and destroyed 500 men, 7 and also killed Parshandatha and Dalphon and Aspatha 8 and Poratha and Adalia and Aridatha 9 and Parmashta and Arisai and Aridai and Vaizatha, 10 the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but they laid no hand on the plunder.
11 That very day the number of those killed in Susa the citadel was reported to the king. 12 And the king said to Queen Esther, “In Susa the citadel the Jews have killed and destroyed 500 men and also the ten sons of Haman. What then have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces! Now what is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what further is your request? It shall be fulfilled.” 13 And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the Jews who are in Susa be allowed tomorrow also to do according to this day’s edict. And let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows.” 14 So the king commanded this to be done. A decree was issued in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged. 15 The Jews who were in Susa gathered also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and they killed 300 men in Susa, but they laid no hands on the plunder.
16 Now the rest of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also gathered to defend their lives, and got relief from their enemies and killed 75,000 of those who hated them, but they laid no hands on the plunder. 17 This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested and made that a day of feasting and gladness. 18 But the Jews who were in Susa gathered on the thirteenth day and on the fourteenth, and rested on the fifteenth day, making that a day of feasting and gladness. 19 Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in the rural towns, hold the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day for gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and as a day on which they send gifts of food to one another.
20 And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, 22 as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
23 So the Jews accepted what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur (that is, cast lots), to crush and to destroy them. 25 But when it came before the king, he gave orders in writing that his evil plan that he had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. 26 Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term Pur. Therefore, because of all that was written in this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them, 27 the Jews firmly obligated themselves and their offspring and all who joined them, that without fail they would keep these two days according to what was written and at the time appointed every year, 28 that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, in every clan, province, and city, and that these days of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the commemoration of these days cease among their descendants.
29 Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew gave full written authority, confirming this second letter about Purim. 30 Letters were sent to all the Jews, to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, in words of peace and truth, 31 that these days of Purim should be observed at their appointed seasons, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther obligated them, and as they had obligated themselves and their offspring, with regard to their fasts and their lamenting. 32 The command of Esther confirmed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in writing.
10 King Ahasuerus imposed tax on the land and on the coastlands of the sea. 2 And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honor of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? 3 For Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.
Prayer
Our heavenly Father,
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Lord, we continue to praise you in this Christmas season that it’s a time when we remember that the Prince of Peace came into the world.
He came into a dark world to bring life, a dead world to bring life, a fallen world to bring the kingdom of heaven.
Father, in spite of the struggles we’ve all faced this year, in spite of the personal and family struggles we might be going through right now, may we not be weighed down by the stresses of life and circumstances, but let us rejoice in Christ our Lord.
May we continue to praise you for your deliverance of as a church family through this year and this virus. We continue to pray for your hand of protection.
Prayers of supplication: Trey, Barb, Charlie.
Lord, we pray that you would bless our time in your word. May we be pointed to you and to your gospel.
Introduction
We’re concluding the Book of Esther this morning. And the plan for today is to look at the story and then close with a few comments on the passage and the Book of Esther.
I keep talking about the major events in Esther like those in a play. Two weeks ago was act 3. We reached the climax of the story.
This week, we actually cover acts 4 and 5. The falling action and the resolution of the story.
As I said, last week was the climax of the story. Haman who had risen in the empire and plotted against the Jews falls victim to his pride and schemes and he is executed.
But that’s not the end of all conflict in the story.
Because there’s actually a very significant matter that’s still on the table.
Even though Haman is dead, the decree which had been issued to kill off the Jewish people in the Perisan Empire is still in effect.
In chapter 8, Esther and Mordecai seek to have that decision reversed.
Chapter 8 begins, and we see the spoils going to Esther and Mordecai. At the beginning of the chapter, Esther is given Haman’s house. Mordecai is given Haman’s signet ring, which could be used to issue royal decrees. So a very significant thing to have.
Beginning in chapter 8, verse 5:
“If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. 6 For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming to my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?”
Again, there was never really any indication in the story that the king himself had any animus against the Jewish people. The king was impressionable and easily swayed and he was willing to go along with Haman.
Esther reminds the king that the Jews are her people and that she can’t bear to see this destruction carried out.
The king tells Esther in verse 8:
you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king’s ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s ring cannot be revoked.”
The rest of chapter 8 revolves around the process of the new order being written and going out throughout the Persian Empire.
Just to highlight part of that passage:
the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, and to plunder their goods, 12 on one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. 13 A copy of what was written was to be issued as a decree in every province, being publicly displayed to all peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies.
When they change the order, they don’t so much revoke the previous order because the order of extermination has already gone out under the authority of the king. His word is law and is binding.
So instead they issue orders that the Jewish people have the right to defend themselves.
This does not give the Jewish people carte blanche to be violent and destructive. It doesn’t give them permission to go on the offensive or be the aggressor. But they do have the right to defend themselves.
With that, we come to chapter 9.
And we see the fruit of this new decree.
There would be some bloodshed in the empire, because there were still people set on carrying out Haman’s plans. But the Israelites also had help from government officials in defending themselves.
Verse 10 mentions that the Jews did not plunder their aggressors. They were not out for personal gain.
Vengeance would also be extended to the Sons of Haman, in order to quell further plots and the chapter records that they were executed.
The world is fallen. Were the deaths of Haman’s sons morally justified? I’d say no. But it was part of the cultural practices of the time. Again, not everything ever mentioned in the Bible is an endorsement.
But the major takeaway from this scene is that the Jews are saved.
And Esther makes a request for celebrating this salvation.
And that’s how chapter 9 ends. The creation of the feast of purim.
20 And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, 22 as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
Purim is a celebratory holiday of remembrance.
Now in Leviticus, the holy days are outlined…
Purim is not one of the high holy days in Judaism, and in some ways, it’s more significantly nationally than religiously.
Because it’s less sacred, it is a pretty big celebration. It’s kind of like taking some of our favorite elements of all of the other holidays and rolling them into one holiday. People eat, some dress in costumes and get candy.
As chapter 9 winds down, it gives the reason for the naming of the holiday.
For Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur (that is, cast lots), to crush and to destroy them. 25 But when it came before the king, he gave orders in writing that his evil plan that he had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. 26 Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term Pur.
“Pur” is the word for “lots” which Haman had cast in determining the time of destruction for the Jews.
And in an ironic twist, to remember that day, they named the holiday of celebration after the lots that were cast for their genoicde.
Chapter 10 has an interesting, seemingly unrelated conclusion to the book.
It’s just three verses.
King Ahasuerus imposed tax on the land and on the coastlands of the sea. 2 And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honor of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? 3 For Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.
There are a couple of things to take away from these closing verses to the book.
One, in a story where so much of the action is a genocidal plot against the Jews, we see it ending with a relatively peaceful, almost mundane note.
It mentions the king and taxes. It’s a reminder that this earthly king still does have power and influence over the lives of the Jews and that they go on living in a fallen world where they are influenced by their society.
And then the book simply ends by talking of Mordecai being a high ranking official, advocating for his people.
Interestingly, the next Book in the Bible is another book that deals with suffering and trusting in God: the Book of Job.
But that concludes the Book of Esther.
Conclusion
One of the things we’ve done each week in this book is tried to talk about themes in the Book of Esther that we also see in the Christmas story.
And part of why we can do that is because everything in the Bible is about Jesus.
So as we conclude our study, I want to focus on two things in this week’s passage as we celebrate this final Sunday before Christmas.
First, the ultimate result of the Book of Esther is the salvation of the Jewish people.
Haman had used his authority to order genocide of the Jewish people throughout the Persian Empire.
In God’s divine providence, this plan could not ultimately succeed. The salvation of Israel in the Book of Esther does point to the gospel and the salvation that Jesus brought into the world.
In Esther, the Jews faced destruction because of hatred.
Jesus came into a world that was dead because of sin.
In the Book of Esther, we see lives saved. Through the gospel, we see eternal life given.
Because the Jews were saved in the Book of Esther, that also meant that the family line which led to Christ was preserved.
The second point of focus from these closing chapters of Esther is the Feats of Purim.
With many of the holy days in the Jewish calendar, a significant theme is remembrance.
The Feast of Booths, something we talked a lot about in our study in John. Part of the purpose of that holiday is remembering God’s provision for the Israelites during their desert wanderings.
Passover calls for remembering God freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.
Hanukkah remembers the Maccabees victory over the Syrians in the intertestimental period and a miracle where oil used for lighting the lamp at the temple dedication lasted eight days when it should have lasted one.
And Purim remembers God’s deliverance of the Israelites against the Persian genocide.
Remembering is such an important command in the Bible. It’s such an important activity in our Spiritual lives. Remembering God’s goodness. Remembering his gospel. Remembering that Jesus is the light who came into a dark world. Remembering the love that God has for us. Remembering God’s provision for us, that he has a plan for us and for our world, that he is in control, that he has blessed us with every Spiritual blessing.
Remembering who God is, what he has done, and what he has promised.
We’re called to continually remember because we so often forget.
It’s been a year where there have been lots of times where we could either forget God or remember that God is all we need.
And I don’t meant to be flippant. 2020 has been a rough year.
We’ve all had rough years in our lives.
But we don’t have a lot of years that are rough years for everyone. Some of us have had it tougher than others. Some of us have lost people very dear to us this year. I know there are some of us who have gone through personal struggles, or injuries, or physical struggles this year.
It’s been a rough year.
And in that, if you’re not actively remembering God and who he is and how good he is, it can be easy to forget all of that.
And remembering is important at Christmas time.
Because Christmas calls us to remember specific events in human history. Namely, the Christ coming into our world. God with us. The word who became flesh and dwelled among us.
But it’s not just that. Because in that, we are to also remember the gospel itself. To remember why he came, what he did, the life he lived, and the death he would die.
It’s easy to forget, but Christmas is a time of year where we can remember the truth that God does love us, he loves the world, and that he is good.
So that is my hope for all of us this Christmas. That we remember. That we remember that in a dark world, in a world where there was oppressive rule, where God could have seemed very distant, that Jesus came.
May remember his incarnation, but may we also remember his crucifixion. That the reason why our fallen world does have hope is because that baby was born, that he lived a sinless life, that he went to the cross, and that he died for all who believe in him.
Like many Americans, one of the ways I celebrate the Christmas season is watching Christmas movies. Some of my favorites include A Muppett Christmas Carol, The Santa Claus, and Elf. But my all time favorite Christmas movie, by far, is Home Alone.
Many classic Christmas movies have wonderful redemption themes (Christmas Carol is a great example of this). But Home Alone revolves around redemption. A couple of years ago, Les Lanpere of the Reforemd Pubcast made a video outlining redemption themes and asking if Kevin’s character finds faith in the film?
It’s a fascinating argument that Lanpere presents (and as much as I enjoy Home Alone, he’s clearly put much more thought into it than I have). Now, it’s impossible for me to not watch Home Alone through the redemptive lens that Les gave to it.Spoiler alerts (although who hasn’t seen Home Alone?!)
Early in the movie, Kevin is having conflicts with several family members, his older brother, his cousins, his parents, his uncle. And he wishes that they’d all disappear. This represents sin. It’s the eve of a special family trip to Paris over Christmas.
The following morning, Kevin gets his wish! The family is running late to the airport for their Paris trip. Through a headcount mishap, they leave, thinking that Kevin is in one of their shuttle vans. With the family off to Paris, Kevin awakens to discover that he is Home Alone. At first, he has a blast, basically doing whatever he wants but he will eventually begin to miss his family. He finds a department store Santa and expresses his wish to have them back, but he sees his powerless this figure is to bring restoration. This represents the false hope that idols can bring.
There is a second conflict in the movie: the Wet Bandits, two burglars who have been prowling in their neighborhood and robbing houses when families are traveling. They know that the McCallister’s are going to Paris. The Wet Bandits essentially represent evil in this movie (though comically).
Kevin finds out about their plot to strike his home. Since he knows that Santa can’t help him, on the night of their attack, he goes to church. A choir is singing hymns. Old Man Marley walks up to Kevin. He was introduced in the movie when Kevin’s brother Buzz told Kevin an urban legend about Marley being a killer. But when he introduces himself to Kevin, Marley is kind. Marley is a Messianic figure in this movie. He asks Kevin if he’s been good, Kevin admits that he has not. Marley tells Kevin he’s come to the right place. Marley also tells Kevin about a strained relationship with his son (prodigal son).
Back at the house, Kevin works on his plans to protect his home. We all see him pray before his evening meal. The dinner scene has essentially no relevance to the movie, aside from the fact that it shows him praying. Something that the family had not previously done. The robbers are stopped time and again, but eventually catch up to Kevin. In one of the most striking theological symbols of the movie, Harry is about to “devour” Kevin (bite his fingers) when Old Man Marley comes in at the last moment to intervene and save Kevin.
On Christmas morning, Kevin’s mother (who had been trying to get back to him throughout the film) returns home. The rest of the family follows soon after. We see restored relationships. We see the bad guys defeated.
The movie is a masterpiece.
Most importantly, it is a picture of the gospel. We have sinned against God, but we have a savior who has come to rescue us. Jesus was born on the first Christmas. He came to do what we could not: to reconcile us to God, to fix the relationship that had been broken. We could not do it on our own efforts (I actually take the scene of Kevin’s plan of stopping the Wet Bandits as being symbolic of this). He was eventually caught by them and needed a savior.
That savior is Jesus. He delivers us from sin. He restores us to God. He brings us life. He came to do that for all who accept his grace and trust in him.
Let us not trust in ourselves, let us not trust in our own pursuits, let us not trust in our own efforts or plans. Like the Santa who Kevin goes to visit, anything aside from God will fail us. We must go to the Lord himself.
Originally published December 19, 2018
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I recently watched the movie “Last Christmas” The movie stars Emilia Clarke (as Kate) who’s a down and out singer who has a dead end job in a shop that sells Christmas ornaments and decorations. Her fortunes change when she meets Tom (Henry Golding). I really enjoyed some of the theological themes of this movie. The movie is rated PG-13, so probably not a family movie, but I appreciated the story.
Reviews
I’ll start by talking about the reception of Last Christmas. Ratings for the movie are mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has poor reviews among critics (47%), but favorable reviews among the general public (81%). On Letterboxd, the site has an average rating of 2.9 out of 5 stars. I actually really enjoyed this film. It’s not an all time classic, but it was fun. I laughed, I cried. I liked the cast.
(spoilers)
This will absolutely spoil the movie, so reader beware. The movie begins and Kate’s character is down on her luck. She’s an aspiring singer and her career isn’t going where she wants it to go. She doesn’t have a stable living situation. A mistake that she makes at work nearly costs her her job. She has a strained relationship with her family. But then she meets Tom, who’s this mystery man.
Tom is joyful. He’s a gentlemen. In one scene, he refuses to take advantage of her even though she’s drunk and willing. He’s thoughtful. They go on a date where he sneaks them into an ice skating rink after hours. He’s giving. Kate discovers that he volunteers at a homeless shelter. Kate initially mocks this, but later she starts volunteering at the shelter, not because she wants to volunteer but because she wants to see Tom (but the volunteers are unfamiliar with him). He has a positive outlook on life.
In the middle of the movie, Kate reveals to Tom that she had received a heart transplant a year before and the trauma of that experience.
After that conversation, her life starts to turn around. She’s more joyful. She starts doing more things to help others. She does a better job at work and fixes up her boss with a man. She works to restore a broken relationship with her sister. She even uses her singing talent outside of the homeless shelter to raise money.
Tom tells Kate that he has something to tell her and she fears he’s afraid to commit and walks away, but when she decides to make amends, she heads back to his apartment to find Tom not there. A real estate agent tells Kate that the apartment has been vacant.
Kate learns that Tom is dead and that she had received his heart.
Theology themes
And that’s where the theology of the movie is found. Tom needed to die for Kate to really live. And it was because she received his heart that her life changed. Eventually she shelves the dream of making it in music. The movie ends with a Christmas concert she’s put together at the shelter. She’s happy. She has purpose through serving others.
And it’s because she has a new heart. The Bible teaches that when a person comes to faith in Christ, they also receive a heart transplant.
Because of our sin, we cannot make our hearts pure. But the good news is that through regeneration, God does a heart transplant in us. He gives us a new heart and a new Spirit. So the Spirit brings renewal through cleansing, it is through the Spirit that we are given a new heart.
While I don’t think the producers of Last Christmas meant to make it a Christian film, the movie has a theme which resonates with Christian themes. We also see the gospel theme that Kate has life because another man died for her. In the movie, as Kate grows, it is because of Tom that her life and way of living are transformed.
There are also some similar plot elements to A Christmas Carol. Kate’s life goes from being more inwardly focused to more giving after an encounter with a ghost…
I liked the film.
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