Please turn within your Bibles once more to Esther chapter number 8. Esther chapter number 8. And this will be our text for this evening's message as we continue our series through this book of Esther. And our title for Esther chapter number 8 is this, The meek are rewarded. The meek are rewarded. If we think of the business world, or the world in general, who are the ones who usually reap the rewards? Who are those who usually, normally, come out on top? Is it the meek? Is it the gentle? Is it the humble? Of course there are exceptions and we know that the Lord is in control of all these things, but generally wouldn't you expect the most aggressive and the one who knows what he wants and takes it. The self-made man, the self-confident, the self-assured. The person who doesn't mind who he tramples over in order to get what they believe belongs to them. As we think of these things, and as we look at this chapter, and looking at the life of Haman, who was a very wicked man, Esther, who's a godly queen, and also Mordecai, we should also think of as well, when we think about these things, the Christian church can never follow the leadership standards of the world. I think as we look at this chapter, there's leadership demonstrated in the life of Mordecai, there's leadership demonstrated in the life of even of Esther. A meekness, a submission to the will of God, a submission to the king. Now, as we are to do so, we're not to be pushovers. We're to be principled, aren't we? We're to be steadfast in the truth, filled with wisdom. But in doing so, we must never think the ends justify the means, as we would see in the life of Haman, who has now been executed at the end of Esther chapter number seven. But you see with Mordecai and Esther, meekness, gentleness, and submissiveness to the king. And as we see in this chapter, it is they who come out on top. It is the people of God who claim victory. Not through cunning and deception, like you will probably see out in much of the world. No, no, no. It is the timid, it is the humble that have the reward before the great king. Our first point that we're going to look at here this evening is this. With a place. With a place. And this is what the meek are rewarded with. Verse number one, on that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman, the Jews' enemy, unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was unto her. For all Haman's power, privilege, and position that he had in the kingdom of Persia, this most powerful empire the world had ever seen, up until this point, for all his cunning, for all his scheming, for all his power, where did it get him? His house. which I'm sure he believed that was through his endeavor, through his hard work, and through other things, falls. The house of Haman falls. And the house of Mordecai rises. See, Haman's moment in the sun is He's brief. Time on top is brief. He has authority. He has wealth. And many, if we were reading the early few chapters of this book, would think, who can stand in Haman's way? How can this possibly be stopped? He's annoyed that Mordecai will dare to stand before him and refuse to give him reverence. And you think, well, that's the end of Mordecai. He won't survive long. Oh, he's a Jew. Oh, all the people of God are now being targeted. The wicked of this world, they think they're going to win. They forget that they can't bring their possessions with them. They forget that it is God who gives and also the God that taketh away. And Job learned that. Job in verse 21, a godly man Job was. And Job loses much. I say much because he doesn't lose everything because he had still the Lord. He loses much, but he doesn't complain. The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away, but blessed be the name. of the Lord. Things become so bad in Job chapter two, his wife says to him, curse God and die. His health was taken away from him. The temptation is when we forget where good things come from, to complain and to grumble. And to think that are all one things. I deserve this. That's Haman. That's the Haman's of this world. And in that house, that rain, that brief rain will one day end. And in the Bible, we can see other examples as well of houses that through unfaithfulness to God fell. In the nation of Israel, the king Saul. He was the people's choice. The people demanded a king. And they were given Saul. And as they were told, it is God that they were rejecting. Now the house of Saul then folds through unfaithfulness to God. And David then, a man after God's own heart, is chosen. in its place. The house of Saul falls and the house of David rises. The house of the unfaithful is led to ruin and the other one graciously, powerfully, mercifully in its place. How did Esther and Mordecai rise? Well, how did they gain Haman's possession? All the things that Haman had accumulated through God. See, it's a blessed thing to follow the Lord. We may lose things in this world, and we will. To follow the Lord, we will have to say and turn our back on many things. But does that mean we lose, really, in the end? Not at all. We actually gain far more, yes, in the world to come, but even in this world, far more than we've ever given up in pursuing The Lord graciously and mercifully, the Lord rewards those who are meek. Meek. It doesn't mean weak. And it doesn't mean meek towards everything and everyone. It means meek in the presence of God and the authority of God. It means not hostile to the rule and reign of God. We think of the Beatitudes in Matthew chapter number 5 and verse 5. Matthew chapter 5 and verse number 5. It says, blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. There's something really shocking about all of these Beatitudes. They seem to teach something that is very unexpected. Blessed are the poor, theirs is the kingdom. Blessed are they that mourn, they shall be comforted. And blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. See, sinners who love this present fallen world, they cling to these things of this world, which will return to dust and ashes one day, but they can't keep hold upon them. You cannot keep hold upon them. Haman lost his house, but we gain the new heavens and a new earth, given to us by grace, Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, those possessions you cling to in this world, are they worth it? Your houses, your homes, all these things, where is your home? Is it in this world? If it's in this world, you will lose it. But if your home is in heaven, if your home is in the world to come, will you lose that? Not at all. This will never be taken away from you. And it is a home given to you by grace. You see, Esther and Mordecai didn't earn and didn't do all this hard work, did they? It was by grace. It was a gift from the king himself. Because why? Because Esther, and now Mordecai, because Mordecai, oh, that's what Mordecai means to you. Mordecai raised you. This is your cousin who has done so much for you. The king delights to give good things as well to Mordecai from Ahasuerus. There's a phrase, popular expression, home is where the heart is. Home is where the heart is. Where is your heart, friend? Have you ever been away from home and you're homesick? And you're maybe on holiday and you thought you'd really enjoy it and you're about a couple of days into the holiday and you find yourself counting down the days until you can get back to where you feel at home and comfortable. The believers like that with heaven. We are homesick. for heaven in this world. You see, we suffer in this world as believers in Jesus Christ because in this world, there's so much sin and it grieves us. But in the world to come, it's our home because that is where righteousness dwells. If you turn to Psalm number 37, Psalm number 37 and verse number 11. Psalm 37 and verse number 11, but the meek will inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. See, it's the meek. that will embrace this. And we see throughout this book that Esther comes sweetly, gently before the king, if it is pleasing in thy sight. And it's how we are to be with the will of God, our own king, the king of kings and the Lord of lords. This brings us to our second point, with a power. So the meek are rewarded with a place that is our home and with a power Number two, verse number three, and Esther spake yet again before the king and fell down at his feet and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite and his device that he had devised against the Jews. Esther sweetly, meekly, humbly goes before the king And she has respect unto the king. And it is a powerful petition because of the way she's crying out to him. She doesn't come demanding, does she? She doesn't come hostily to the king. Neither are we to come with hostility toward God. We too are to cry out to the Lord our God and King with such sweetness and humbleness. And this is only through the Holy Spirit working in our hearts. You see, she is blessed. She sees, Esther sees that she's blessed to have this power of Ahasuerus, the King of Persia, on her side. So what does she do? She asks him again and again. These petitions keep coming. Not just one time. And it's a blessing that the power of the Persian Empire is on her side. How much more is it a blessing to us, the believer in Jesus Christ, that the power of the kingdom of heaven and earth is on ours? That is a great privilege that we have. In Psalm 124 and verses 1 to 3. Psalm 124. And verses 1 to 3, if it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say, if it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us, then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us, on our side. But what does she cry out for now? We may be reading through this book and thinking, well, in the previous chapter, it seemed to be all over. The enemy has been dealt with, Haman's finished, so what's the problem? Surely that's it over. You might even think maybe the book should have finished at chapter seven, but there's more. There's more. And there's still the ongoing reality of the decree of Haman. See, what can happen is even though the one who began something, maybe it's some sin or whatever the case may be, the effects of which can still live on even past their life. She cries out to the king again, and again, you see it in the previous chapter, chapter seven, verse three, then, Esther the queen answered and said, if I have found favor in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king that my life be given me at my petition and my people at my request. Verse four and five of our text in chapter eight, then the king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther rose and stood before the king. And the scepter there is a, it's a symbol of power, the power of the kingdom. Verse five, and said, if it pleased the king, Notice the sweetness of Esther, the meekness as she comes before him. And if I have found favor in his sight, and the things seem right before the king, and if I be pleasing in his eyes, that it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman, the son of Amadatha the Agaite. See, this decree was still ongoing, and this decree. Why was this still ongoing? Because if you made a decree in the Medes and the Persians, it cannot be reversed. Verse 8 hints towards it as well. At the end of verse 8, when they eventually get it reversed of a sort, it says, and seal with the king's ring, at the end of verse 8, may no man reverse. May no man reverse. You can also see this in Daniel chapter 6. Daniel chapter 6 and verse 12. Daniel Chapter 6 and verse number 12. Just at the end of this verse, the king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. And there's plenty of other references as well to this. You could say a very absurd law. Once a decree has been made, it can't be altered or changed. There's an incredible arrogance. It reminds you in the modern day of the Pope of Rome, who claims to be infallible when he speaks ex cathedra, from the chair, literally. And he claims, and the Church of Rome claims, that if this has been said in this position, well, it's infallible and can't be reversed. There's only one law that cannot be reversed and cannot change. It is the law of God because it is His eternal and unchanging law. But many kingdoms and earthly rulers make such claims themselves. But we see here, don't we, because of this decree cannot be reversed, Haman's decree lingers on. Haman's decree has not been reversed and in many ways cannot be reversed at all. And what ends up happening, a second decree is made that will challenge and almost nullify, stop the previous one. You see, things may look very, very bleak at times, but the Lord is the great power of all great powers. See, Ahasuerus, this Persian ruler, as powerful as he is, he's limited. God is not in any way. And he uses means, even human means, to lead them to deliverance. You see, no matter how things may look at times, the people of God will never be extinguished, ever. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church, as Tertullian once said. Often the more the world seeks to persecute and annihilate the church, the more she grows, the more she advances. It says in verses 10 and 11, Verses 10 and 11, and he wrote in the King Hasuerus' name and sealed it with the king's ring and sent letters by post and horseback and riders and mules and camels and young dromedaries. Verse 11, wherein the king granted that the Jews were in every city to gather themselves together to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, to cause, to perish all the power of the people and province. that would assault them, both little ones and women, to take the spoil of them for a prey. This is granted to them, and the king's seal and power, and this is power to rescue. It was power to challenge the forces of evil that would seek to wipe out the people of God. And another thing that as well gave them victory over their enemies. Verse 15, and Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, glorious. And why was Mordecai dressed in such a way? He's dressed in such a way of blue and white and with great crown of gold and with a garment of fine linen and purple. Because the king delighted to show favor upon him. And what was that a sign towards the people of Gaul? They would be victorious. Because that great power is on their side. Revelation 11 and verse 3. Revelation 11 and verse number 3. It says this, and I gave, and I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand, two hundred, and threescore days, clothed in sathcloth. And though they're clothed in sathcloth, and though the difficulty that comes with it all, I will give power. We're all to be clothed in meekness. We're all to be clothed in humility. But the power we possess, it doesn't mean weakness. It's actually the greatest source of power. It's the Almighty himself who enables us to do what we need to do. You see, when we see the power of God and his strength, we realize we do not need to be Dominant, because we can't be, we're weak, we're feeble, we're helpless. And Esther, when she goes before the king, she sees her weakness, she sees her dependence on the king. If it is pleasing in your sight, because if it's not, if it's not pleasing before Asawiris, it's not gonna happen, is it? So she comes, and she comes as well, we saw earlier in the chapter, she comes with tears. And this is what defeats the enemy. In our day, it's not going to be greater politics, or the greater debater, or the great aggressors, or whoever else is going to change our society for the good. It's going to be meek and humble believers in Jesus Christ who see their need for Him, and bow their knee to Him, and cry out to Him. because they realize the power that is on our side. Not because we're good, not at all. We do not deserve least of His mercies, but we realize the great privilege that we have in coming before the great power of heaven and earth. Our third point is this, with a protection, with a protection, with a place, with a power, with a protection, God protects us. God is the great power by which we are protected, but at the same time, God uses means. God doesn't just expect us to sit down and say, you know what? It'll all be fine. I'll be protected. It'll all be wonderful. And of course it doesn't depend on us. But at the same time, you see in this chapter from verse 11, He gives them a means by which they'll protect themselves. Verse 11, wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together and to stand for their life. Verse 12, upon one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, namely on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar. There's a number of things happening here, but this is about two months after the decree of Haman to kill and to slay all these women, everyone. And it's about 12 months. It's on the 12th month, it says here, that this horrible deed is gonna be carried out. It's going to come. There's nothing that can stop it. But now is a decree to challenge it and to fight against it, and in very many ways nullify it. Because not only do the Jews fight to protect themselves, fight to avenge themselves, they fight with the authority of the king as well. This is not their own private justice. This is not some vigilante mob or anything else like that. The king has the sword. The magistrate has the sword. and they are able to defend themselves. Without this, humanly speaking, they are sitting ducks. As John Trapp once wrote, this is no private revenge, but licensed by the chief magistrates, instructed by God with administration of his king. Even in the Persian Empire. Romans 13 and verse number 4. Romans chapter 13 and verse number 4. It says, for he, and this is the civil ruler, the land. For he is the minister of God, to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid, for he beareth not the sword in vain. For he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." So there is a place for the state carry out justice. There is the sword given to the state. And also earlier in the Bible, in Genesis chapter 9 and verse 6, we have the death penalty not just given to Israel as a nation, but it's given to all the nations. So this is not private individuals deciding what justice will be. This is The civil magistrate giving them authority to do this, basically to save their own lives. While they may have the sword, which is a great help at that time to defend themselves, and this sword of death was hanging over them for the last two months, but prior to this and coming up in the 12th month, they realized they can defend themselves, but we have a far greater sword only as Christians. The sword of the Lord. Our weapons are not carnal. It doesn't mean they're weaker. It actually means they're stronger. They're more powerful. They're more powerful. Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 17. Ephesians chapter 6 and verse number 17. and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. This is our powerful weapon against the enemy, the sword of the Lord. And it's important that we have confidence in it. If you don't have confidence in it, you will not use it. Just like David, when he's going to fight Goliath, he sets aside those armor and weapons he's not confident in. He must be confident in the word of God, in facing down the challenges of the enemy. Later in chapter nine, we see that indeed this is carried out. They avenge themselves, they are delivered. And these two decrees are going side by side. I know we may look at it and kind of go, are they seeking revenge? It does not come across like that at all. The second decree really nullifies and reverses the first in many, many ways. And it'll be some months later before this takes place. But we need royal protection ourselves, don't we? And in the Lord providing us with weapons of our defense and other things, we also need to think about this. In our own homes, we're not to completely surrender. There's a spiritual battle which we're not supposed to surrender. And yes, we're to be meek before the king. We're not to give up to the enemy, are we? Not to just drop our hands before the enemy. Now, the way we face that enemy, the way we get protection, is through the Lord. But we are morally required, when called upon, to also, not just protect our own lives, but the lives of those we love. There are well-meaning people, and they mean well, that defend a thing known as pacifism. And yes, we're to turn the other cheek when we possibly can. Yes, we're to take heart when it comes upon us and we can move on and other things like that. But the sixth commandment, thou shall not kill, does not just mean you do not take another's life. There's also a positive side to that commandment, which is this, preserve life. All the commandments, you can say have a positive and negative side of them. Thou shall not kill. but also where to preserve life. If you see someone in danger and you can rescue that person, say, I'm not getting involved. That's a breaking of the sixth commandment. So until this point in our text, they are completely defenseless. God provides the means, the means. It's got by God's power, but he provides the means. of our protection. Friends, what we need to do is the wise use of those means. You could talk about many things, but prayer, how powerful is prayer? How powerful are these weapons we've been given to the pulling down of strongholds raised against the knowledge of the truth? Our fourth and final point is this, with the pleasure with a pleasure, so these rewards for the meek are this, with a place, with a power, with a protection, with a pleasure. To know the king and to be blessed by the king and to be able to go into his courts and come out again, that is something that ought to delight us. Could you imagine if you said, well, you know, I can visit King Charles whenever I want. I can come in and out of his presence. Yes, he's got all the royal robes on. No big deal. Doesn't mean anything to me. No, you would say that was a great privilege. You would say that's a wonderful thing. There's something far more wonderful here. See, in the Westminster Shorter Catechism, question one. What is man's chief end? To glorify God. And second part, to enjoy Him. I think we often forget that. To enjoy being in the presence of God. To love being there. And if we do that, we will also love being in public worship. We love to pray. I know we struggle with these things at times and love to hear the voice of the shepherd and other things like this because what The presence of the Lord does. The presence of the King. Look at what this mere Persian king did for the Jews. There was rejoicing, verse 15, and Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white and with great crown of gold and with a garment of fine linen and purple. And the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor. The burden. that had been hanging over them for some two months. Can you imagine that? So Haman's gone, but the decree is still there. Okay, that's good. Haman's gone. He's pretty dangerous. But still, there were many people across the Persian Empire sought to do the Jews harm. And they couldn't wait for this 12th month to arrive. And they knew who they were. So two months had passed, and this must have been a very great burden, heavy upon them. You wake up in the morning, you're thinking about it. You go to bed at night, you're thinking about it. And they probably think, well, how are we gonna defend ourselves? The whole might of the Persian Empire is on their side. But now it's changed. Fear has fallen upon the people, and this heavy burden which once hung over their heads, this death sentence, is removed. The Jews had light. Verse 17, and in every province and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day, and out of that as well, and many of the people of the land became Jews, for the fear of the Jews fell upon them. This death sentence removed, and there's a great relief, this great comfort, this great joy. This is not great joy of just like, oh, I get back at our enemies. This is not what it is. The death sentence hanging over their heads has been removed. They have been provided the weapons which to defend themselves and they can see hope. The king, this earthly king, brings rest and refreshment. How much more does our heavenly king bring rest and refreshment? The Lord is guiding through all these things. Ahasuerus is a pagan king, immoral in many ways, but the king's heart is not outside of the control of Almighty God. And there's this pleasing comfort that we find in the presence of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, when He reminds us in many ways how much He delights in His children and loves them, loves you. And so when we have answered prayer, and there's those moments of relief, In your Christian walk, you've had a period of heaviness, a period of heavy anxiety and worry, and the Lord answers prayer and removes that. Savor that. Don't forget that. It doesn't mean there won't be things in the future, but that's a wonderful thing to remind you of the Lord's care and provision for you. He answers prayer. So often we forget the answer prayer, don't we? We pray then for the next thing. We've forgotten all about the things that the Lord has provided. But they've already prayed for these things in Esther chapter 4. Verse 16, go, this is Esther speaking, go gather together all of the Jews that are present in Shushan and fast ye for me and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day. And that's fasting is really to, it's with prayer. To enable them to pray in a moment of crisis when it looked like it was all over. And so when you face difficult and hard times, be reminded of the beauty, the robes and the splendor which have been provided through the blood of Jesus Christ, through the suffering of Jesus Christ. These robes pale in comparison to the robes of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And when they saw the robes upon Mordecai, They rejoiced. How much more will we rejoice in heaven when we see the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords? Friends, who won the day? You know, today, social media, politics, and all these things, it seems to be getting more aggressive, and whoever's gonna get the best soundbite, and there's no debate, and there's no clear arguments anymore. Everybody's just, fighting with each other. Let us never forget it is the sweet petitions of the humble Christian, crying out to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. That is what will be victorious in the day. The wicked will face justice in the future. Whatever they think will happen, We ought to know and find comfort and rest and refreshment in that we know how it's all going to end. Everybody else is worried about this, that, and the other. Cost of living crisis, all these things. The next, I don't know, the next pandemic that's gonna come out of Africa or something. I don't know. There's all these things that make people wanna worry and it sells newspapers and it gets clicks on websites and all sorts of things. And I don't know half of the things that are going on in the world, but I do know this. the Lord will return and it's going to be glorious and it's going to be wonderful if you're in Jesus Christ. But if you're not in Jesus Christ, there's nothing wonderful and you should worry and you should run to Jesus Christ today by faith and by faith alone.