Christ Church Daily Devotion March 23 2024

Esther's cousin, Mordecai, informs her of the plot to destroy the Jewish people and urges her to appeal to the king on their behalf. Esther is hesitant due to the risk involved but ultimately decides to take action out of love for her people. The passage highlights the power of sacrificial love and mentions Jesus as the ultimate example. The focus of the upcoming worship is on Jesus' sacrifice. The prayer offered expresses gratitude for the sacrifices made by others and acknowledges Jesus' sacrifice. Welcome to Christ Church's Daily Devotion for March 23, 2024. Today we will be reading from Esther chapter 4, verses 6-16. So Haphik went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king's gate. Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her. Haphik went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, All the king's officials and the people of the royal provinces, known that for any man or woman who approached the king in the inner court without being summoned, the king has put one law, that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king. When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer. Do not think that because you are in the king's house, you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this. Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai. Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish. We looked at the scene just over a month ago, but we expand it today in light of our focus for this week. A man named Haman had convinced the king of the land to allow him to destroy all the Jewish people among them. Esther's cousin Mordecai, who was older than her and had taken her in and raised her after her parents died, let her know that she was the last hope of her people. She had been chosen by the king to be her queen, but he didn't know she was one of the Hebrew people. Mordecai told her she had to go to the king and appeal to him on the behalf of her Jewish family. But she reminded him that going to the king without being summoned by him was a gesture that likely brought about a person's death. Still, Mordecai persisted in his instructions to her. It is inspiring to read of Esther's courage. She decided she was going in, stating bluntly, And if I perish, I perish. But I particularly notice is what motivated her to make this bold move. Love for her people. She was willing to sacrifice herself because she cared about her people. I do not know of any surveys that have been done about this, but I'm guessing that the overwhelming top motivating factor for why people make sacrifices of any kind is love. Parents sacrifice for their children and vice versa later in life. Teachers and coaches sacrifice for their students and players. Soldiers sacrifice for their country. And of course, the ultimate example of this is Jesus sacrificing himself for us all. That will be our focus as we worship together tomorrow. Your personal worship option today is to offer this prayer or one like it in your own words. Gracious God, I thank you for the many sacrifices that have been made on my behalf by a lot of people in my life. All who are motivated by love for me. Most of all, thank you for the sacrifice you made for me and all the world through Jesus Christ. In whose name I pray. Amen.