This statement, “You cannot stand against Him,” was made to Haman, the preeminent noble in King Xerxes’ court, by family and friends after Xerxes honored the Jew Mordecai.
“Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him—you will surely come to ruin!”
Esther 6.13 (NIV)
The narrative behind the statement has application to major socio-political story lines of the 2020s. The plots of today may read as a novel; however, it is history in the making. On the World level, there is the 21st century struggle for Israel and the threat of a World War. On the National level, there is a struggle for leadership and direction for a country that has been the global power for 80 years. On the local level, people try to grapple with postmodern philosophies concerning criminal justice, natural resource utilization/ consumption, and gender. Even some congregational groups of the Christian Church are trying to normalize sin. The thing is…in postmodern thought, anything can be anything that you want it to be; right and wrong are completely dependent on personal whim and independent “think group” authority.
The Skinny
King Xerxes was the seat of power in ancient times. Haman was a noble in Xerxes’ court; the Bible is unclear on how Haman rose to the highest official under the king. He hated Jews and plotted to annihilate the whole people group on the technicality that some Jews would not go along with bowing down to Haman, according to the king’s edict. Mordecai was the main offender.
Haman wrangled another edict from King Xerxes condemning Jews to death. This edict moved to a more formal decree, making it impossible to walk back.
As a result of much prayer and fasting from the Jews who were at Susa, God intervened on the Jew’s behalf by keeping Xerxes from sleeping. Xerxes ordered servants to read the archives of his reign to him and discovered that a person, Mordecai, who saved his life, had not been honored. To remedy his sleep disorder, he called for the most available noble to come to him and make recommendations on what he should do. Haman just happened to be in the court waiting to ask Xerxes for permission to impale Mordecai on a 75 foot pole.
The story now flips. Haman had to show Mordecai great honor. He went home distraught, and his close circle gave him the bad word that an unpleasant outcome was looming. Xerxes finds out that Haman played him so Haman could inflict genocide on the Jews. The villain, Haman, ended up impaled on the pole he prepared for the victim, Mordecai. The narrative in full is much more interesting; just read the book of Esther in the Bible.
The triple bottom line of this narrative is that if you trust God, then you are eternally safe; if your unrighteousness harms others, then your life is at risk, and if you cross the King, your outcomes are not good.
Observation: In this narrative, King Xerxes asked for counsel and advice concerning official actions. The advice was not always good. God does not seek counsel outside the Godhead (Father, Son, Holy Ghost) when pronouncing an edict, decree, or His Word. A divine case to consider: ‘The wages of sin is death’ is an edict by the Word of God. It became a decree when it was formally recorded as scripture. God superseded with the WORD of God, He who became flesh and died so that the original edict/decree was satisfied for mankind.
The Nation Israel is of Jewish origin; you cannot stand against the homeland—you will surely come to ruin!
Now, that is a historical statement. This nation has been in the political crosshairs of the world since its formation. Egypt has experienced governmental and social failures multiple times because of persecuting Israel. Even when the Jewish people were dispersed and not at home in the homeland as in the Esther narrative and in modern times (Germany, Third Reich), outcomes for the opposing power were not good. Israel was established as a formal nation in the 20th century and had to withstand enemies bent on destruction many times. These antagonists failed and are still in social upheaval 75 years later. Today, Israel is in a life-and-death struggle again; the outcomes will not be any different. The thing is, anyone or any nation that supports or approves of actions against Israel is subject to the same outcome. The thin line of complicity is withholding support and approval to Israel.
Righteousness is of God; you cannot stand against him—you will surely come to ruin!
On the local and national levels, struggles over righteousness and the implications thereof are at the forefront. A two-tiered justice system is not righteousness. Incarcerating victims and letting perpetrators go free without penalty is not righteous. A statement made by a leader regarding an adversary on trial, “He has every opportunity to prove his innocence,” is not righteous. The same leader said, “How many times do we have to prove that we can’t be trusted?”
Promoting electric vehicles as earth-saving and climate-saving solutions is a lie. It still takes the energy villain, fossil fuel, to provide for the manufacture of total electric infrastructure as well as the initial energy source for the cars of the future. Even more sinister is the extraction of rare minerals in low-wage, third-world countries used for necessary energy storage. Nations that can afford to be climate-clean exploit those who are not conscientious with extraction methods in meager economies. It is unrighteous for one nation to clear a guilty conscience at the expense and sacrifice of a poorer nation.
Edict vs. Decree
The distinction between an edict and a decree is very subtle. Both are directive; however, an edict is more spur of the moment and made by one person. A decree can be made by one person, but typically, it is formalized by a governing group, is fleshed out, and is more specific concerning expectations, violations, and outcomes.
Edicts may become laws, and decrees are laws. Edicts may become decrees; however, decrees never revert because they do not have a pre-decree origin to revert to.
A new decree can mitigate unwanted outcomes of an old decree that is still operational.
Caveat: The Word of God supersedes edicts and decrees.
Gender righteousness…now that is a senseless conversation in today’s world. Men who claim to identify as women can compete against women in sports. The biology is different; males have more natural prowess in physical contests. A bio male and bio female recently tied in a swimming event. The bio male received the trophy over the woman for some lame excuse she/her was more deserving. Children are given gender-correcting treatments, both physical and chemical, without telling their parents. This is not righteous, and such practices show disrespect to the Creator. The byline: “You will surely come to ruin.”
Abomination is a picture word in Hebrew. It means “stinks in the nose.” God clearly called out one egregious sin and stated in His written word that such sinners and those who approve and support them have no inheritance in Heaven. Can you imagine a church organization normalizing this behavior by decreeing that such offenders may become approved and ratified clergy, practitioners may marry in church under a sacred ceremony, and church funds would be designated to promote acceptance for those practicing this sin? This is an abomination to God; it stinks in His nose. It is not only a failure to acknowledge God but also like getting into His face and saying, “So what?”
Since the Man, Jesus, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him—you will surely come to ruin!
As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
Romans 9:33 (NIV)
Jesus is the most famous Jew in history; being the Son of God, He is God. People have stood against Him for 2000 years and have come to ruin for 2000 years. People get uncomfortable and riled up at the sound of His name. God should elicit such reactions.
For those who know Him, His name embodies comfort, safety, strength, and wisdom. Most of all, it is a harbinger of salvation and eternal life. The spiritual nuance that Jesus lives in His believers and they in Him means that if one is “in Christ,” anyone or anything that comes against them will come to ruin, maybe not in this realm, but most certainly as we transition to the next. It is a good thing to stand with the One whom no one can stand against.
Shalom, Peace unto you.
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