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Esther Chapter
Eight
Esther 8
Chapter Contents
Mordecai is advanced. (1,2) Esther makes suit for the
Jews. (3-14) Mordecai honoured, The joy of the Jews. (15-17)
Commentary on Esther 8:1,2
(Read Esther 8:1,2)
What Haman would have done mischief with, Esther will do
good with. All the trust the king had reposed in Haman, he now placed in
Mordecai: a happy change. See the vanity of laying up treasure upon earth; he
that heapeth up riches, knoweth not who shall gather them. With what little
pleasure, nay, with what constant vexation, would Haman have looked upon his
estate, if he could have foreseen that Mordecai, the man he hated above all men
in the world, should have rule over all that wherein he had laboured! It is our
interest to make sure of those riches which will not be left behind, but which
will go with us to another world.
Commentary on Esther 8:3-14
(Read Esther 8:3-14)
It was time to be earnest, when the church of God was at
stake. Esther, though safe herself, fell down and begged for the deliverance of
her people. We read of no tears when she begged for her own life, but although
she was sure of that, she wept for her people. Tears of pity and tenderness are
the most Christ-like. According to the constitution of the Persian government,
no law or decree could be repealed or recalled. This is so far from speaking to
the wisdom and honour of the Medes and Persians, that it clearly shows their
pride and folly. This savours of that old presumption which ruined all, We will
be as gods! It is God's prerogative not to repent, or to say what can never be
altered or unsaid. Yet a way was found, by another decree, to authorize the
Jews to stand upon their defence. The decree was published in the languages of
all the provinces. Shall all the subjects of an earthly prince have his decrees
in languages they understand, and shall God's oracles and laws be locked up
from any of his servants in an unknown tongue?
Commentary on Esther 8:15-17
(Read Esther 8:15-17)
Mordecai's robes now were rich. These things are not
worth notice, but as marks of the king's favour, and the fruit of God's favour
to his church. It is well with a land, when ensigns of dignity are made the
ornaments of serious piety. When the church prospers, many will join it, who
will be shy of it when in trouble. When believers have rest, and walk in the
fear of the Lord, and the comfort of the Holy Ghost, they will be multiplied.
And the attempts of Satan to destroy the church, always tend to increase the
number of true Christians.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Esther》
Esther 8
Verse 1
[1] 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.
The house — With all his goods and estate,
which being justly forfeited to the king, he no less justly bestows it upon the
queen, to compensate the danger to which Haman had exposed her.
Came — Was by the queen's desire admitted into the king's
presence, and family, and, as it seems, made one of the seven princes.
Had told — How nearly he was related to her: which 'till this
time she had wisely concealed.
Verse 2
[2] And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from
Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of
Haman.
Ring — That ring which he had formerly given to Haman he now
gives to Mordecai, and with it that power whereof this ring was a sign, making
him, as Haman had been, the keeper of his signet.
Set — As her steward, to manage that great estate for her as
he thought fittest.
Verse 3
[3] 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.
To put — To repeal that cruel decree.
Verse 5
[5] And said, If it please the king, and if I have found
favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be
pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman
the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are
in all the king's provinces:
If … — She uses various expressions, that she might confirm
the king's favour, by such a full submission to his good pleasure.
Haman — She prudently takes off the hatefulness of the action
from the king, and lay's it upon Haman, who had for his own ends contrived the
whole business, and circumvented the king in it.
Verse 8
[8] Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the
king's name, and seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written
in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse.
Reverse — For this reason he could not recall the former
letters, because they were irrevocable by the law of the Medes and Persians.
How much more prudent is our constitution, that no law whatever can be
established as to be unrepealable? It is God's prerogative, not to repent, and
to say what can never be altered.
Verse 9
[9] Then were the king's scribes called at that time in the
third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof;
and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and
to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from
India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province
according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language,
and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.
Then — Which was above two months after the former decree.
All which time God suffered the Jews to lie under the error of this dreadful
day, that they might be more throughly humbled for, and purged from those many
and great sins under which they lay; that they might be convinced of their
great sin and folly in the many offers they had had of returning to their
native country, by which means being dispersed in the several parts of this
vast dominion, they were like to be a very easy prey to their enemies, whereas
their brethren in Judea were in a better capacity to preserve themselves: and
for the greater illustration of God's glorious power, and wisdom, and goodness,
in giving his people such an admirable and unexpected deliverance.
Verse 10
[10] And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus' name, and sealed it
with the king's ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on
mules, camels, and young dromedaries:
Riders — Which were not employed in sending the former letter:
but this coming later required more care and speed, that the Jews might be
eased from their present fears, and have time to provide for their own defence.
Verse 11
[11] Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every
city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to
slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that
would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them
for a prey,
To stand — To fight for the defence of their lives against all
that should seek to destroy them.
The power — Either governors or governed,
without any exception either of age, dignity, or sex, Both little ones and
women - Which is here added, to strike the greater terror into their enemies;
and according to the laws and customs of this kingdom; whereby children were
punished for their parents offences: yet we read nothing in the execution of
this decree of the slaughter of women or children, nor is it probable, they
would kill their innocent children, who were so indulgent to their families, as
not to meddle with the spoil.
Verse 15
[15] And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in
royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a
garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was
glad.
Great crown — Which the chief of the Persian
princes were permitted to wear but with sufficient distinction from the king's
crown.
The city — Not only Jews, but the greatest number of the
citizens, who by the law of nature abhorred bloody counsels, and had a complacency
in acts of mercy.
Verse 16
[16] The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.
Joy — This explains the former metaphor by two words
expressing the same thing, to denote the greatness of the joy.
Honour — Instead of that contempt under which they had lain.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on
Esther》
08 Chapter 8
Verse 1-2
On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the
Jews’ enemy unto Esther the queen.
Right use of wealth
I. We see
how, in the providence of God, the wealth which worldly men would use in
opposition to the interests of God’s cause and people may be wrested from them,
and made available for the advancement of these interests. The conclusion which
we draw from all this is, that the best and happiest arrangement which a man
can make with respect to the good things which have been bestowed upon him is
that in his lifetime he seek to be personally the dispenser of good to others.
If he lives and acts in this spirit, then he will have the less anxiety as to
the disposal of what he may be able to leave behind him.
II. The peculiar
providence which we see exercised in the case of Mordecai teaches us that men may
be well content to wait, while they are in the way of well-doing, until they
receive their recompense. Worth and faithfulness and humility, after they have
been long neglected, are brought into the light, and are honoured in proportion
to the neglect which they formerly experienced.
III. from Esther’s
love for her people we take a lesson. Then should not this be an example to
those among us, who themselves have had their souls gladdened by the grace of
God, to be mindful of others who have not been visited so graciously?
IV. The lesson
which is to be drawn from the conduct of the king as it is here exhibited. If
one man, for example, has injured another, and knows it, but is too proud to
acknowledge it, then he is destitute of the true spirit of Christianity. If a
man is engaged in a wrong course of action, and is sensible of it, but will put
his soul in peril rather than yield to the remonstrances of his friends, then
his pride will certainly prove the ruin of his soul. There is, perhaps, more
real heroism in confessing and correcting errors and weaknesses than there is
in boldly contending for truth, when we are conscious that we have it on our
side. Many voices will cheer us onward in the defence of principles which we
defend at some risk. The courage that suffers in a good cause will always get
applause. But when I have done wrong, and make confession of the wrong, the men
of the world do not sympathise. (A. B. Davidson, D. D.)
And the king took
off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai.
The end in peace
But success to faithfulness, even in the narrowest sphere and with
the feeblest powers, is uniform and certain, and, as an example, blessed and
wholesome. This is the great principle which Mordecai illustrates.
1. In his case we first see this fidelity for a period exceedingly
tried and hopeless.
2. We see this faithfulness in duty brought to extreme danger. Not
only was Mordecai unrewarded, but he was condemned to an appointed destruction.
3. We see this fidelity in duty completely rescued and delivered.
4. We see this fidelity in duty proportionably exalted.
5. We see this fidelity in duty abundantly rewarded in outward,
earthly things.
6. We see this fidelity in duty not only rewarded in itself, and in
the person and condition of the man who is distinguished by it, but crowned
with eminent usefulness to others. (S. H. Tyng, D. D.)
Verse 3-4
Besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman.
Counteracting evil
It requires earnest and vigorous efforts on the part of the pious
to undo the evil wrought by the wicked, and left by them as a legacy to the
world. How much thought and research have been expended in this way in
answering the works of such men as Voltaire and Paine! The evil cannot be
sufficiently deplored, but may it not, in the providence of God, be overruled
and sanctified for good? In nature we have opposing forces at work, which issue
in greater stability and permanence; and somewhat the same result is secured by
the opposition and conflict
of minds. By the strain to which the truth is subjected it is put to the test,
and whilst what cannot be maintained falls away, all that is founded on
reliable evidence is retained, and made on every side more perspicuous, as the
pressure of a great need has stimulated the inventive genius of a people to
provide appliances to meet it. So has one infidel book or wicked action
occasioned the writing of treatises in defence of Divine revelation, or the
performance of holy and generous deeds, and the evil of the former has been
more than counteracted, and the result proved an absolute boon. In this
direction also we may see the hand of God, and praise Him for His goodness. (T.
McEwan.)
Sin survives the sinner
I. Evil outlives
its first contrivers.
1. Haman is dead, but the mischief he devised still hangs over the
Jews. A passing stranger may loosen a stone in an embankment, and go on his
way; but a whole province will bewail his folly. An infidel father trains most
carefully an infidel son; the son becomes an eminent writer and spreads through a whole
generation the poison he imbibed on his father’s knee. An English colonist,
filled with pity for the Caribbaeans, introduces negro slavery into the West
Indies--doing evil that good may come--and for centuries those fair islands are
cursed by his device.
2. Evil tends to permanency.
II. Evil yields
before holy self-sacrifice. Esther was--
1. Intensely solicitous.
2. Persistent.
3. Boldly self-sacrificing.
4. Successful.
III. Evil crushed
but not killed.
IV. Practical
lessons.
1. The folly of infallibility.
2. The power of intercession.
3. The awful nature of sin. (W. Burrows, B. A.)
Verse 5-6
For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my
people.
Great changes
The world is full of changes. There are no elements of stability
belonging to it. When all appears fair and promising, some unlooked-for event takes
place, to darken the prospect, and to render it cheerless and gloomy. And, on
the other hand, when the atmosphere forbodes great storms, a gale arises
unexpectedly, to chase away the clouds, and to pour liveliness on all around
us. We find these statements strikingly verified in this chapter.
1. Haman’s prosperity vanished away suddenly, and the objects of his
deadly enmity rose to power and happiness. “On that day” (in which Haman was
executed) “did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman, the Jews’ enemy,
unto Esther the queen.” Here she, who had been doomed to an untimely death by a
wicked man, is enriched with his estates. How true the declaration of the
psalmist, “Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches,
and knoweth not who shall gather them”!
2. Esther was not the only one that profited by Haman’s doom.
Mordecai also was advanced by it. How could he advance a more deserving
character, one who had been more faithful in every duty? Were things properly
conducted, such would always be the case. Worthlessness of character would ever
act as an hindrance to power, and a life conducted on the principles of
integrity and faithfulness would lead to preferment and honour. Such will be
the case on a future day. The good and faithful servant shall enter into the
joy of his Lord. Esther likewise behaved well on this occasion. She did not
forget Mordecai’s kindness to her when she was destitute and in trying
circumstances. There is a perpetuity in holy affection and friendship which you
look for in vain in the children of this world. These may for a season be loud
in their professions of attachment; but when it suits their purpose they find
it convenient to forget those professions, and allow their attachments to
degenerate into neglect and oblivion. But Christian friendship, based on
permanent principles, is permanent in duration. The sweet friendship between
Jonathan and David nothing could extinguish, no reverse of fortune could even
cool. But there is no friend equal to Jesus! the acts of His friendship are
unceasing. He is, what every friend ought to be, “a friend that loveth at all
times.”
3. The Jews also derived great advantage from the death of Haman, for
his edict contemplated their destruction. Esther interceded for them, and as
far as circumstances permitted, prevailed. She approaches the king again,
uncalled, in the humblest manner, and with abundant tears in his eyes. It is a
good sign when we feel an interest in the welfare of those related to us, and
when we can with importunity invoke the blessings of God upon them. Thus did
Esther. She was not more earnest for herself than for her people. Thus felt
Jesus. “When He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it.” Thus felt
St. Paul. He poured out his very soul for his people, the Jews, though they
persecuted him, and tried to effect his destruction. He tells us that he “had
great heaviness, and continual sorrow in his heart” at their folly and
wickedness in rejecting Christ, and that his “heart’s desire and prayer unto
God for them was, that they might be saved.” Are we thus minded? Esther fell
down at the king’s feet for her people. Have you done so for your relatives and
friends? “Oh that” my children “might live before Thee!”
4. Esther interceded not in vain: for the king took immediate steps to avert,
at least in some degree, the storm which had long been gathering over their
heads. The unchangeableness of the Persian laws was deeply to be regretted, and
caused much injustice and cruelty. The law of God is indeed unchangeable, and
properly--necessarily so. His commands are based on immutable foundations, and
therefore they must be eternally the same. How strangely was this kingdom
managed! Here are two different and contrary laws--authorising civil war from
the one end of the realm to the other--one decree authorising the Persians to
attack the Jews, the other authorising the Jews to defend themselves, and to
slay the Persians. Let us bless God for more rational and equitable enactments in
our kingdom. We owe this altogether to Hie goodness in giving us the
Scriptures; for our civil as well as religious light are derived from their
sacred page.
5. If such anxiety was manifested for this newly-enacted law to be
known throughout the empire, how much more anxious should we be to circulate
the Word of God throughout the world! And if it was deemed of such moment that
the decree should be “written unto every people, after their language,”
how should we rejoice that the great charter of salvation has been translated
into so many of the languages of the earth, and that a copy of the Scriptures
goeth forth into distant parts of the world for every moment that passeth away!
The speed with which the decree in favour of the Jews was to be made known to
them deserves our attention. “The posts that rode upon mules and camels went
out, being hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment--that the Jews
should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.” Was
preservation from temporal death of such consequence to the Jews that all this
expedition was enjoined that they might obtain it? Of how much greater
consequence is preservation from everlasting death.
6. Mordecai, being now chief minister of state, went forth arrayed,
according to the dignity of his office, and the people rejoiced at beholding
power conferred on one who would use it beneficially. “When the righteous are
in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked beareth rule, the people
mourn.” Their weeping endured for a night, and there was joy in the morning. “A
good day!” yes! a day of everlasting sunshine, awaits holy mourners, in a
future world. “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” (J. Hughes.)
Esther’s patriotism and piety
Patriotism among the Jews was not a mere beautiful sunflower that
flourished end expanded in days of prosperity, but a strong and powerful
principle that displayed itself as much, if not more, in days of adversity. Our
text breathes the spirit of the truest patriotism.
I. The scene that
presented itself to esther’s feeling heart. What patriotic Christian can
contemplate the condition of large masses of our people without being moved to
sympathy and confession?
1. Their poverty and privations.
2. Their want of moral and religious influence.
3. Their spiritual wants.
II. The effort she
used under the circumstances in which she was placed.
1. She addressed herself in earnest prayer to the king in behalf of
her countrymen. Let us arise and plead their cause with the King of kings who
are the willing captives of sin and Satan.
2. She was active in the use of proper and legitimate means to
accomplish her heart’s desire. “Prayer without works is enthusiasm, and works
without prayer presumption.”
3. She did all in deep humility (verse 5).
III. Encouragements
to christian exertion.
1. The times are favourable.
2. The gospel is admirably adapted to meet the wants of people
everywhere.
3. The example of pious characters in all ages from the time of
Christ down to our own time, who have felt it their duty and privilege to
propagate the gospel.
4. “The value of the soul.” (C. Hyatt.)
Esther, an example of intercession-
I. Esther’s deep
affection for her kindred.
II. The character
of her intercession on their behalf. She had singular advantages and great
opportunities, and she turned them to the best purpose.
III. She used her
advantages with earnest any persevering importunity. Conclusion: There are two points
of difference between Esther’s intercession with Ahasuerus and ours with the
Lord Jesus.
1. She went into the king’s presence uncalled and unbidden; we are
urgently invited and commanded to make our requests known unto God.
2. Esther had reason to fear a repulse; we are positively assured of
a welcome. (R. Glover, D. D.)
Concern for unsaved relatives
It is one of the results of sin that it deadens the spiritual side
of our nature so that, while in theory we admit the danger of the unsaved, in
fact we fail to realise it. How anxious parents are about the health of their
children! If they have any fatal disease, what care and pains they will take
until they feel that they are out of danger. Or if on a steamer that was
reported in the city to be in danger, how distressed they would feel until they
learned of their safety. When the ocean steamer Atlantic was wrecked
some years ago on the Banks of Nova Scotia, a gentleman from Chicago was
reported among the lost. Then came the telegram “Saved,” and his name under it.
His business partner had it framed and hung up in the store. If the members of
a family really felt the true condition of every one in it who is not a
Christian, they would never rest until all were safe. But the true condition is
not realised. A mother will say, “My boy is steady, industrious, no bad habits,
stays at home, is kind and good.” All well Many a son is the opposite,
disgraces his family and breaks his parents’ hearts. But is your son a
Christian? Is he saved? It would be a pity that a good boy should be lost. When
one of the family is lying on the brink, what a concentration of effort is put
forth to rescue him from the grave. The ventilation, temperature, quiet of the
house; the exclusion of all excitement, consultation of physicians, all the
ordering of household affairs to one end. Then in convalescence moving from one
place to another. Oh, if the same care and skill and devotion were employed to
save the soul as is put forth to save the body, how many holy, happy Christian
homes there would be--father and mother, son and daughter, all one in Christ! (G.
H. Smyth, D. D.)
Neglecting the spiritual safety of others
Some of you perhaps remember when you were awakened to your danger
and saw your condition before God. Does not the recollection move you for the
safety of others? “How can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?” If the
awful fate must be theirs, we would shrink from it. Hagar in the
wilderness--“Let me not see my child die.” David--“And the king was much moved,
and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept; and as he wept, thus he
said, O my son Absalom! my son I my son, my son Absalom! Would God I had died
for thee, O Absalom my son, my son!” (2 Samuel 18:33). A boy was once lost
in a storm at sea. His mother went to learn the sad story from the captain of
the vessel, who barely escaped with his life. Among other inquiries she asked,
“Did you see my boy at the time he met his sad fate?” The captain replied,
“Yes, he was clinging to a piece of broken spar that hung over the side of the
ship a short time before she sank.” “Did he speak to you or say anything about
his father or me?” The captain said yes, and then a long pause was broken by
the weeping mother impatiently saying, “Oh, tell me what he said, one word of
my dear boy will bring me comfort.” The captain still tried to avoid tolling
her, but she insisted. “Well, then,” replied the weather-beaten seaman, “your
boy looked despairingly at me and said, ‘ My parents never prepared me for a
moment like this!’ Then a huge wave washed him from my sight.” (G. H. Smyth,
D. D.)
Verses 7-14
Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen.
A monarch’s imbecility
Always distrust the man who is the victim of circumstances. Great
men make their circumstances and little men are made by them. Ahasuerus here
pleads his circumstances, and rather than acknowledge an error, plunges the
whole empire in danger of civil war. He throws upon Mordecai the duty of
contriving a remedy against his own mistakes.
I. A weak man’s
self-defence. “I have given Esther the house of Haman,” etc. He had given what
cost him nothing. With a maudlin tenderness, like that of a drunken man, while
Esther is inspired with an almost Divine passion of patriotism, he pleads his
affection for her person. A small propitiation for a great wickedness. As if
the hero of one hundred swindles flung a copper to a beggar; as if a cowardly
murderer gave a crust to his victim’s orphan; as if a life-long sinner offered
to God the compensation of a Sunday prayer; so Ahasuerus hopes that Haman’s
death will make Esther unmindful of the wickedness devised against her kindred.
II. A weak man’s
“non-possumus.”
III. A weak man’s
refusal of responsibility. (W. Burrows, B. A.)
May no man reverse.
The repealable and unrepealable in human conduct
1. There is something in all human action unrepealable. But the only
way of making quite sure that we shall obviate or nullify the consequences of
an evil action or an evil course of conduct (if one may express the thing in a
strong solecism) is--not to do the action; not to follow the course of conduct.
Few things are more melancholy and affecting than the deep concern and trouble
of aroused consciences in view of things deeply regretted, but seen to be
beyond recall, and, in a large degree, intractable to modification and
management. It is easy to touch a spring in a piece of complex machinery where
there is force of water or steam pent up and ready to play; but if you don’t
know all the consequences, you had better not touch the spring. We must not
take a morbid view, and afflict ourselves with imaginary fears, and think of
this great machine we call providence as if it were full of lurking mischiefs
ready to break out at the slightest touch. We are responsible chiefly, almost
exclusively, for this--the action in itself, the course of conduct in itself.
We cannot control the consequences, and we shall not be accountable for them
except in so fax as they are the direct and proper fruit of the action. If we
do what is right, and wise, and for good reasons, we have nothing to fear. If
we do wilfully or carelessly what we know to be wrong, we have every reason to
look for the evil consequences, and every reason to judge that we are responsible
for them as far as personal responsibility goes in such a case.
2. This narrative may teach us farther that in the darkest and most
unpromising circumstances there is nearly always some way of relief and
improvement. How seldom are things so in human life that literally nothing can
be done! There is something unrepealable in all important human action. But
there is also much that may be practically repealed. I think we may say that
never, at any one time, in the history of a nation, never in the life of an
individual, are things so dark and bad that nothing can be done to amend and
lighten them. If this were not so, the world would soon be full of the most
pitiable spectacles that could be conceived; communities and individuals
sitting hopelessly amid the gloom of their own failures. But who knows not,
also, that calamities and misfortunes are retrieved, that injuries are
redressed, that mistakes are rectified? As Esther set her single will against
the deadly edict, and drew from it, as far as her people were concerned, its
deadliness, so a single will is often set against a whole system of evil, and
by vigorous and persevering assaults it is brought to an end. (A. Raleigh, D. D.)
The irreversible in human life
The word ones spoken cannot be recalled. The deed once done cannot
be undone. The book once issued begins to exercise an influence which cannot be
bottled up again, but which must go on operative for evermore. The man who in
youth sowed “wild oats” cannot stop the production of the harvest which has
sprung from his folly. The hasty-tempered one, whose words sank into the heart
of a friend and stabbed him with something keener than a poniard, cannot undo
the mischief he has wrought. The author of a vile book may see his folly and
lament it, but he cannot catch and confine the influence it exerted, even
supposing every copy were to be recalled. You cannot stop the ball after it has
left the gun. If you shake the dewdrop from a flower you cannot put it back
again. “Don’t write there, sir,” said a newsboy to a young dandy in the
waiting-room of an English railway station, when he saw him take off his ring
and begin with the diamond in it to scratch some words upon the surface of the
mirror. “Don’t write there, sir.” “Why not?” “Because you can’t rub it out.” (W.
M. Taylor, D. D.)
And to stand for their
life, to destroy, to slay.--
War against evil
There is “not an evil passion or lust against which we are not
called upon to do battle, not a temptation which we are not commanded to
resist, not a spiritual adversary which we are not required to put forth all
our energies to overcome. In our “evil day” we are summoned by our King to
“stand for our lives,” and be prepared to war against our enemies as though the
victory lay with ourselves. God helping us, we will do it. (T. McEwan.)
Verses 15-17
The Jews had light, and gladness, and Joy, and honour.
Proper use of power
Now let us pause for a little, and take from this passage one or
two of the important lessons which it suggests.
1. In the first place, the conduct of Mordecai under the strange
revolution which had been wrought in his condition and prospects is full of
practical instruction to us. The lesson is this, that advancement in worldly
honour and prosperity should be turned to account, by being made conducive to
the promotion of the interests of the Church of Christ and to the good of His
people. It reflects high honour upon Mordecai, that the first act of authority
which he performed in the exalted position to which he had been raised was one
which secured the enlargement of the Church and the safety of his brethren. In
other hands the king’s signet had been more frequently employed to give effect
to decrees of violence and cruelty; but no sooner does it pass into his hands
than it is used in behalf of the oppressed. Worldly honour and dignity in his
case were invested with a value which does not intrinsically belong to them,
and which never can belong to them, except when they are made subservient to
such ends as he sought to promote by means of them. Now we say that all who
have been blessed with wealth and influence may well look to this example and
learn from it. The natural selfishness of the human heart prompts men to
overlook the miseries of others, when they have gathered about them all that is
needful for their own comfort. If they can but obtain the luxuries which
gratify the senses, they care not what amount of woe and wretchedness may be
experienced by those who live almost at their door. They waste not a thought
upon the sad condition of the victims of spiritual darkness. We would remind
them, therefore, that there is a luxury, the sweetest and best which wealth can
purchase, and which lies fully within their reach--the luxury of doing good.
2. In the second place, the account given in the text of the feelings
of the Jews when the edict was issued for their deliverance, suggests some
profitable reflections to us. It caused them light, and gladness, and joy; and
the day of its publication was a day of feasting to them, and a good day. But
our thoughts are directed by the description to a still higher theme. “How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings,
that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth
salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth.” All mere temporal
deliverances sink into insignificance when contrasted with this which the
prophet celebrates. The sentence of doom under which we all naturally lie, as
transgressors of God’s covenant, has been followed by a message of pardon and
life through Jesus Christ to all who will accept God’s gracious offer. Surely,
then, we are warranted to ask, What has been the effect of this message upon you
who have so often heard it? Now, according to the views of some, where
spiritual joy and gladness are awanting, spiritual life must be awanting also.
But to this “opinion we cannot give our assent. Various causes there may be for
the obscuration of the light of Divine joy in the soul, while there is no good
reason for supposing that the soul is still dead in sin. No one who has had
experience of the conflicts of the life of faith, and of the power of
temptation, will require any formal reasoning in proof of the fact that there
may be spiritual life without joy, or at least with not a little darkness and
disquietude. Yet, it is unquestionably the duty of all Christ’s followers to
rejoice in His salvation.
3. In the third place, we may take a lesson from what is said in the
text respecting the readiness which was shown by multitudes to join themselves
to the Jews, when the king’s edict in their favour was published. It may be
believed that in some instances those of the people of the land who professed
the Jewish religion were influenced by right motives, and forsook their
heathenism because they felt that Jehovah, the God of the Jews, was the true
God. Zechariah had foretold such event (Zechariah 8:23). It is very manifest,
from the language used in the text, that such was not the generally prevalent
feeling. “Many became Jews, for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.” The
sunshine of the royal favour was now resting upon the seed of Abraham. They
were a numerous body of themselves; and now, when they had liberty of action,
by their wealth they could bring over to their side those who would protect
them. It was good policy, therefore, to profess to be friendly toward them. And
so not the fear of God, but the fear of the Jews, moved many to renounce
heathenism, and acknowledge submission to the law of Moses. The Church was in
one of her prosperous periods, and hence there were strong inducements to the
worldly-minded to enrol themselves among her members. Now this is no isolated
case. Such things have often occurred, although by no means tending to the
advancement of vital religion. For example, it must have often struck the
reflective readers of history, as a subject rather of painful than of pleasant
contemplation, that the progress of the Reformation in many countries should
have been so intimately connected with and dependent upon the belief and
practice of the ruling powers. The flowing and ebbing of the tide of religious
profession might be calculated too surely from the prevailing sentiments of the
court. Thus, for instance, how sudden were the changes which the aspect of the
Church in England presented during the reigns of three successive sovereigns.
In the brief time of the Sixth Edward, when his counsellors were Protestant,
and Popery was disallowed, how fast did the principles of Protestantism spread
through the kingdom! Then Popery became rampant again, and the majority were
glad to seem to be upon its side. And no less remarkable was the revival of
Protestantism during the reign of Mary’s successor, Elizabeth. The nation
appeared to be born in a day; and again multitudes who had joined in the
celebration of the Mass cried, “Away with it!” and became the friends and
promoters of the purer faith. And thus, from regard to character, and with a
view to maintain respectability and to forward worldly interests, very many
join themselves to the Church of Christ without being influenced at all by the
love of Christ. Now, if we examine all the circumstances carefully, we shall
perceive that we have as little reason to take comfort to ourselves from the
external state of religion among us as the Jews had from the apparent respect
which was shown for their religion in the days of Mordecai, or as the
conflicting parties had which alternately sunk or prevailed in many countries
at the period of the Reformation. The worldly and selfish element--the fear of
man, and not the fear of God--has ever been too prevalent in moulding religious
profession; the fires of persecution being sometimes employed to compel, and
the attractions of self-interest at other times to draw men to confess with the
mouth what they did not believe in their heart. And thus it is that the
numerical force of Christianity, if I may so speak, is so different a thing
from the vital power of it. A profession of Christianity, with some show of
reverence for its ordinances, will not carry you to heaven. It will not even
abide the trouble of a sifting-time on earth, if such time should overtake you.
It will not give you solid comfort when you come, as soon you must come, to
pass through the dark valley of the shadow of death. Nothing will avail but the
faith which rests on Christ, and which, being the substance of things hoped for
and the evidence of things not seen, makes the possession of heaven sure, by
the present foretaste of it with which it feasts the soul. (A. B. Davidson,
D. D.)
Light and gladness
I. The golly of
claiming human infallibility. Think of what the king had here to do. His law
“might no man reverse.” To save the doomed Jews the king was reduced to the absurd necessity, as
Matthew Henry pithily puts it, “of enacting a civil war in his own dominions
between the Jews and their enemies, so that both sides took up arms by his
authority and yet against his authority.” What is not claimed by our sovereigns
or legislators is claimed, in matters of religion, by the Roman Pontiff. As a
general belief it may be held by Roman Catholics. But in what one law has this
personal infallibility been exercised? In the end it must be a manifest failure
in religion, as it has been in politics.
II. Into all the
languages of persia was the new decree translated. Thus with man’s law. Thus
too it should be with God’s law. Happy day for any nation when in its own
language it comes into possession of the Bible, the good news from God.
III. The promptitude
in the communication of good news. Wonderful the promptitude that marks the
postal service of to-day! It may bring its burden to some, but it is a ministry
of consolation to the many. It brings the distant nigh. It revives with oil of
love the lamp of
life.
IV. The temporal
salvation of the jews was but a faint shadow of the good things to come in the
great spiritual salvation wrought by our Lord Jesus Christ. (G. F. Coster.)
The story of a great deliverance
Some of the most striking illustrations of Divine truth are
afforded to us in the incidents of history. It might be too much to say that
the Book of Esther is an allegory, but I believe that its spiritual purpose is,
that it should furnish us with a most striking illustration of that greater
deliverance which God hath wrought for the sons of men through Jesus Christ.
I. Now the first
thing to be noticed in this story is, the secret of Israel’s danger. It arose
from the fact that Israel had an enemy at court--“that wicked Haman,” who was,
in the first place, moved by bitter hatred against the person of Mordecai, but
who extended his antipathy to the whole nation to which the object of his
hatred belonged. Observe, however, that the strength of the enemy’s position
rested upon a more valid basis than his own personal hatred. In urging this
case against them, he was able to appeal to the laws of the king’s realm, and
that “it was not for the king’s profit to suffer them.” We need to point out
where the analogy fails, as well as where it becomes instructive. There is no
kind of moral resemblance between the Christian’s God, and this half-barbarous
monarch, Ahasuerus. This man was a capricious and licentious Oriental tyrant,
utterly selfish; while righteousness and mercy are blended in wondrous harmony
with the attributes of Him whom we acknowledge as King of kings, and who holds
our lives and our destinies in His hands. Once again, these Jews were harmless folk,
and the charge brought against them, though plausible, was destitute of any
such foundation in fact as could have justified severe measures against them.
We may despise the moral character of this Oriental despot, and yet the
attitude which he, as a king, assumed towards the Jews may well serve to
illustrate the attitude which the King of kings is constrained to assume
towards those who disobey His laws. Further, though the Jewish people were
innocent of any moral or serious political offence, yet at the same time, the
fact that they had laws and institutions of their own and that these laws and
institutions were diverse from those of other nations, and in particular did
not wholly accord with the laws of the Medes and the Persians, placed them in a
position of apparent sedition against the ruling power. Here, then, first we
have a striking illustration of the relations between the King of kings and
Lord of lords, and His rebel creature man. In virtue of the sovereign position
which He occupies in His universe, He cannot tolerate anything like deviation
from those eternal statutes of righteousness which He Himself has laid down for
His creatures; and, on the other hand, it cannot be denied that the sinner does
break the King’s laws, and set His authority at defiance. We also have a
determined and malignant foe, “the accuser of the brethren,” who first lays
himself out to induce us to sin against these eternal edicts, and to form
habits of life which are altogether at variance with the Divine mind, and who
then turns round upon his victims and next accuses us to the Divine Being as
persons whose very existence in the universe is a source of danger, moral
disorder, and general peril to the stability of the kingdom over which the King
of kings holds sway. He presses upon the notice of the Supreme Ruler the fact
that it is not for His profit to allow us to go on as we are doing. Between the
case of Haman against the Jews, however, and Satan’s ease against us, there is
this wide difference--that the charge brought by the enemy of the Jews was
morally a plausible pretext, a trumped-up accusation; whereas in the case of
the sinner the charge is only too true. If there is one single person whose
heart has not been surrendered to God, and whose will is not yet wholly yielded
to Him, then of such an one the accusation is true, terribly true, “It is not
for the King’s profit to suffer him.” Let me ask you, then, Have you yielded
yourself to God? For observe that if God were to allow men to go on from age to
age, defying and disregarding His Divine will and law, He would be permitting
His own rule to be overthrown, and would be virtually abdicating the throne of
the universe, and giving all over to general anarchy and disorder. Nay, God can
never lay aside His claims, and therefore it is not for the King’s profit to
suffer those who reject or ignore Him. “Has it been for the King’s profit that
thou hast lived?” If you were eliminated from human society to-day, would it be
a gain instead of a loss to the world in which you have lived? You may reply,
“I have affections as well as other people. There are many whom I love, and who
love me, and whose hearts would bleed if I were taken away; how, then, could
the world be anything but a loser by my removal?” Stay, let me ask you, What is
the character of your influence and the effect of your example upon those very
persons whose affections you have won? Are you doing them harm or good? What
fruit does your life bear from day to day? Father, might it not be better for your sons’ spiritual
and eternal well-being if you were taken away from them? Mother, might it not
be better for your daughters, better for your household, if your baneful
influence were removed? And you, young man! who are the ringleader of a little
band of friends, let me ask, Whither are you leading those young companions of
yours? Is your fatal influence dragging them down to ever-deepening depths of
moral degradation and sin? Ah! if that be thy case, if thy very friendship is a
source of danger to those who are its objects, surely it is not for the King’s
profit to suffer you. Well, you say, or some one says, “Why does He suffer me,
then?” Ah, here is a point to which we can find nothing to answer in the
analogy. Let St. Paul explain why God suffers you, “Despisest thou the riches
of His goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering; not knowing that the
goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” Such is the secret of our danger;
and now, turning again to our illustration, let us observe the sequel. There
goes forth as the result of all this, a terrible edict against these
unfortunate Jews, no less than an edict of utter destruction. Just let us
picture to ourselves what effects must have been produced wherever the
proclamation came. Yonder comes the royal herald into a large provincial town;
he blows his trumpet and proceeds at once to nail up his proclamation at the
gate of the city, or in the crowded marketplace. The news spreads like
wildfire, and soon it reaches the Jewish quarter of a city. See the terrified inhabitants
rushing about from house to house, and at last collecting in a crowd around the
fatal parchment, eager to know the worst. One in a clear voice begins to read
the dreadful paragraphs amidst a silence still as death. As he proceeds, strong
men begin to weep like children, mothers clasp their children to their hearts
in an agony of despair, till by and by, as with one voice, all break forth into
a cry of lamentation; they rend their garments and grovel in the dust, utterly
overwhelmed by a misfortune so unlooked-for and so inevitable. It is easy to
account for their consternation, but it is much more difficult to explain the
stolid equanimity with which sinners listen to the terrible threats against
them of a proclamation more appalling than that which caused such terror to
Israel of old. The dread and righteous decree which must expel the sinner from
the Divine presence, and consign him to the darkness of death, may not be
carried into effect at once; no more was the decree of Ahasuerus; but, remember,
the command has gone forth, the sword of judgment is drawn, and under that most
dread edict the sinner is condemned already. “The wages of sin is death.” Oh,
if there was weeping and wailing throughout the provinces of Persia when that
ancient proclamation was read, no less is there horror and fear in the heart of
the sinner when, his conscience being roused, he at last becomes aware of his
actual state, and of his terrible danger. Too many, indeed, are so absorbed
with the passing nothings of this world, that they endeavour to evade all
serious thought, and to forget the real perils of their present condition. But,
thank God, it is not so with all. See that terrified jailer of Philippi. Why
does he exclaim with such undisguised trepidation, “Sirs, what must I do to be
saved?” Surely it was because in his own conscience he had discovered the
proclamation. Remember that nothing is gained by shutting our eyes to facts.
II. The secret of
Israel’s safety; for saved, eventually, they were in spite of the foe and the
terrible edict of the king. How were they saved? As their danger was due to the
presence of an enemy at court, so their safety was due to the fact that they
also had a faithful friend at court.
1. Let us consider their deliverer; and the first thing that strikes
us about her is the fact that she was connected by a double relationship with
each of the parties concerned. On the one hand she was related to the doomed
race; she was one of them--a Jewess, bone of their bone, and flesh of their
flesh; while, on the other hand, she was also closely related to the monarch.
She was his wife. Thus she stands, then, between the two--the monarch and the
condemned race--and so in her own person effects a reconciliation.
2. Notice, again, that the motive which inspired her to risk her life
was love for her people. One angry word, one look, and she and her people were alike
lost; but for love of them she was content to risk her all!
3. She stood before King Ahasuerus, not for herself, but as the
representative of her people. She approaches him, not in her royal dignity as
queen, but as identified with her kindred. For us, too, there is a secret of
safety, and blessed are they who are acquainted with it. Let us proceed to
consider how this safety has been secured. We, too, have a Friend at Court,
and, like Esther, He is possessed of a certain double relationship. On the one
hand, He is bound to humanity, for He Himself is man. Voluntarily He took our
nature upon Him, “He was made flesh, and tabernacled amongst us.” He has identified
Himself for ever with mankind; but, on the other hand, He is no less closely
bound to the everlasting Father than to us. He is one with the Father from all
eternity, the Son of His love, the express image of His Person. Further,
observe that it was as the representative of His people that the Lord Jesus
Christ undertook to perform the work that had to be done before man could be
saved. Queen Esther took her life in her hand and presented herself before the
king, in order to save; but our Deliverer has done much more than that--He has
not risked, but given His life for the doomed race. Now observe, further, when
Queen Esther entered into the presence of King Ahasuerus, we read that she
found favour, or grace in his sight; but this favour was shown her on her own
account, and not because she was a Jewess. Ahasuerus would scarcely, under the
circumstances, have been disposed to listen to such a plea, even when advanced
by his wife. What does she do? First she wins the king’s favour for herself,
and then she is in a position, so to speak, to transfer that favour to those
whom she represents. Even so was it with our Great Deliverer when He entered
within the veil, with His own blood having perfected the work of filial
obedience which He had undertaken on our behalf. He was then most of all the
Beloved Son in whom the Father was well pleased, but the special favour with
which He was then rewarded by the Divine Father was won on our behalf that it
might be transferred to us. When the grace of Ahasuerus reached Esther, it
reached through her the Jew; and even so when the grace of the Father reaches
the Beloved Son as Representative of the human family, it reaches us also
through Him. Thus indeed “the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to
all men.” You will notice that this grace thus assumes a definite form in a
second proclamation made this time in favour of the Jews, whom the former
proclamation had given over to death. This second proclamation, observe, does
not override or conflict with the first. The law could not be abrogate.d, and
yet its fatal operation had to be prevented, its condemning force was to be
rendered nugatory. Here again we need to call attention to points of difference
as well as points of agreement. The Gospel dispensation was not designed to
abrogate but to fulfil the law. The law of God must remain unalterable, not in
virtue of an arbitrary decree of Omnipotence, but because it is founded on
moral principles of eternal obligation; it is only because Christ is “the end
of the law to every one that believeth,” that is to say, produces consequences
greater and better even than the law was designed to effect, that the dread
penalties of the law can be escaped under the new dispensation. Now let us
observe more closely the nature of this second proclamation, for we shall find
the illustration very suggestive. The first proclamation puts the whole of the
Jews into the hands of their enemies, and arrays against them all
representatives of the king’s authority and of legal justice throughout the
land. The second proclamation, on the other hand, has the opposite effect, for
it puts the law on the side of the Israelites; it gives them the right to
defend themselves. Thus it is that the story of this marvellous deliverance
shadows forth ours with strange fidelity. For us, too, there has been issued
from the throne of the Eternal Being a second proclamation. It has been nailed
to the Cross of Calvary, it has been revealed in the broken body of the Son of
God. First, it puts the sinner who avails himself of it right with his God; it
arrays all the forces of justice on his side, and enables him find his surest
protection in that which but for the work of Christ must have condemned him;
and further, it puts him in a position to rise up against the tyrant sins by
which he was previously enslaved, and to lead his captivity captive. From the
condemnation of the law and from the cruel dominion of sin the believing sinner
is equally delivered by the proclamation made from Calvary. The eternal justice
of God, which apart from the Cross of Christ must have righteously demanded our
punishment, now secures our safety; and we find now that “if we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness.” Many see that God is merciful to forgive us our sin; but how much stronger is
our confidence when we see even His eternal justice, that attribute of His from
which we needs must have most to fear, arrayed on our side! And here again I
think we may notice, without pressing the illustration unduly, that this second
proclamation demanded a certain believing response from the Jews before it
could be of any practical utility to them. The favour of the king towards the
race was conveyed by the proclamation; but unless the Jews had sufficient faith
in the king’s word to act upon it, and to arm themselves and issue forth
against their enemies, they might still have fallen an easy prey. The
proclamation from Calvary is described by St. Paul as “the grace of God which bringeth
salvation to every man,” but it is not every one that ventures forth upon it,
claims justification, and, as it were, takes his spiritual enemies by the
throat because that proclamation has delivered them into his hands. Alas I how
many are there still who receive the grace of God in vain! But to return to our
story, let us follow the second proclamation in its journey forth from the
court of King Ahasuerus. In hot haste the heralds speed on their way, for the
business is urgent, and the tidings spread from city to city, until they reach
the uttermost parts of the great king’s dominions. Let us watch this royal
messenger as he enters that same provincial town that we were visiting in our
thoughts when I was describing the promulgation of that first terrible edict.
See, he rides up the street in great haste, he blows his trumpet, and the
people begin to gather in a crowd. What is going to happen now? Another
proclamation! What is it all about? Some poor trembling Jews venture into the
throng in deadly terror, lest it should prove but some fresh aggravation of
their woes. “Oh, it’s about these Jews again! What more about them? Are they to
be given up to us at once instead of our having to wait three or four days
longer?” It is in three or four different languages, amongst others in Hebrew,
and signed with the king’s seal See, there is one of the doomed race. His eyes
fall upon the Hebrew; eagerly he begins to read, the colour comes and goes.
“God of my fathers!” I fancy I hear him exclaim, “what is this?” Another glance
to make sure that his eyes don’t deceive him, and then away he hies to the
Jewish quarter of the town. “Deliverance!” he cries, “we are delivered, we are
saved, God has saved us!” The Jews rush out of their houses, the whole
multitude throng to the market-place. Eagerly they listen as one reads aloud;
and as sentence after sentence falls from the lips of the reader, sobs of joy
and gladness are heard. Ah, that was a day long to be remembered by all. What
tears of joy were shed, what songs of rejoicing were raised, what feasts they
held! But what shall we say of the joy of the ransomed sinner when the
proclamation of life reaches his liberated heart? He has heard the sentence of
doom from Sinai, tie has felt his impotence to resist his terrible foes, and
has wrung his hands in despair as the iron has entered into his soul. “O
wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” It
may be that his misery is so great that he can scarcely attend to his ordinary
business, or even find an appetite for his necessary food; and if so, why
should we wonder at it? Are you surprised, then, at his joy when first he reads
the second proclamation, and discovers that it is really intended for him? Do
you blame him for being excited? I’ll answer for it, these Jews were excited
enough. How could they help it? And how can he? The Jews, we read, had light
and gladness, and joy and honour; and such are the blessed privileges still of
him who hears the gospel “report,” and believes it. The Sun of Righteousness
has arisen upon him with healing in His wings--joy within, and gladness
without; and honour, for are we not children of the Most High, “heirs of God,
and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may also
be glorified together”? Honour! Yes, for all things are ours, and we are
Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. Well, now, that second proclamation has been
made to us; the voice from Calvary has been spoken. On the Cross, favour has
been secured for a guilty world. Have you received the report? But do you say,
“I don’t realise it; I
am afraid it can’t be for me, because I don’t feel happy; I don’t feel as if I
were free from condemnation; I don’t feel that I am saved”? Did these Jews of
eld know that they were delivered because they felt happy? Or did they feel
happy because they knew that they were delivered? Which? Thy happiness is the,
effect, not the cause of thy safety. If thou wouldst be happy read the
proclamation. Answer all thy inward misgivings by telling thy troubled heart
that the good news is for thee. When we really believe a thing, we cease to
look for evidence of our believing it in the effect produced in our own
experience. Let me put it thus:
Suppose we were to visit that Persian city shortly after the proclamation, and
find there an aged Israelite of a sorrowful countenance. “Well, sir,” we
remark, “this, is a day of good tidings: it occurs to us that a more cheerful look
might be more in keeping with the occasion.” “Ah, sirs,” he replies, “this is a
sad, sad time with me. I can get no comfort.” “Why not, my good friend? Haven’t
you heard all about the king’s decree, and how you Jews are to stand up against
your enemies; and don’t you know that the king’s officers are all going to
defend you, and that you are safe?” “Ah!” he replies, with a mournful shake of
his head, “that may be all very true, but--but--I don’t realise it!” “But what
has your realising got to do with it: do tell us, is it true or false? If it is
true, your realisings won’t make it any truer; and if it be false, your
realisings won’t make it true; which is it?” “Oh, no doubt it’s perfectly true;
but still, how can you expect me to be happy when I don’t realise it?” Really,
if we could have found such a man, don’t you think we should have felt something
like irrepressible impatience with him? (W. H. M. H. Aitken, M. A.)
Many became Jews, for the
fear of the Jews were upon them.
Reasons for uniting with a Church
The true reasons why one should unite himself with a particular
Church are because, first of all, he is already united to Christ; because,
next, the organisation and activities of that special Church commend themselves
to him as most in harmony with the principles of the New Testament; and
because, finally, he is most edified and sustained by its ordinances and
ministry. But to allow fashionable or worldly motives to intervene and become
the determining elements is to secularise the Church by making it an anteroom
of the world and so subordinating it to the world. One should be in that Church
where he sees most of Christ; where he gets most from Christ; and where he can
do most for Christ. The Church that is composed of such members will be
blessed, and will be made a blessing, not to its own adherents, only, but to
all around. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》