Introduction

Good day to all. Let us continue our study of Esther, chapter 5, focusing on the theme of "The Courage and Wisdom Possessed by Vessels of God."

How God Works

Do you know how God works? God certainly works through people, as this truth is clearly revealed in the Bible. Once you become a vessel chosen by God, whether now or in the future, He will surely prepare you, but you must also possess this courage and wisdom.

There is a very important theological concept in the Old Testament called "The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon." Can the Lord strike down people Himself? Yes, He can! But God does not often do that. If He were to send some celestial armies, "bang, bang," it would be done, how wonderful! But why must God use Gideon and the sword in Gideon's hand to defeat the enemy? Because God wants people to participate.

Whatever project God undertakes, He will surely find someone on this earth to become a vessel to manifest His glory. In this world, if a person can participate in God's project and enter into God's plan, it is a blessing that "cannot be accumulated in eight lifetimes!" What a blessing this is! Therefore, you must desire to become a vessel used by God.

Moses initially longed to become the savior of the Israelites! Joshua accompanied Moses, and he also longed to serve God. So, everyone must know that people start from a longing in their hearts! If you long, at some point in the future, God will surely use you.

But the problem arises: there are not many people in this world who long to serve God, and even fewer possess the courage and wisdom to participate in God's projects! Perhaps you can say grandly, "Lord, even if it means death, I can die with you!" But Jesus said, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." So, shouting slogans is useless; you must have this courage and wisdom. And both of these qualities are embodied in Esther.

Do not underestimate this girl, Esther. Her words are powerful. In the previous chapter, she said, "Have all the Jews fast for me for three days, and then I will go to the king, and if I perish, I perish!" Is that the same as Peter saying, "I will die with you!"? No, it is not! She does not retreat; she rushes forward! So, God works by using vessels.

Everyone must know that it is not because we are so wonderful, but because God earnestly desires to find those who long, and then He says, "Quick, come into my project!" How wonderful is that! And Esther did not suddenly think "if I perish, I perish" after entering the palace; it is not like that. Many things in a person's life do not change.

So, the question arises: if you do not have this knowledge, then start learning this knowledge, and then begin to long to serve God, while training your courage and wisdom, and then the days of blessing will begin!

When I see brothers and sisters not prospering financially, I truly long for blessings to come upon you. But I tell you, you must begin to ponder how to prepare yourselves, removing from within us those things that God hates, and constantly enhancing those things that God loves, such as possessing courage and wisdom.

In fact, it is very troublesome when people are foolish, but the problem is that foolish people do not know they are foolish. There is a saying, "Awesome people always think they are fools, while fools always think they are awesome." So, people are very perverse.

We must begin to long to be vessels of God, to participate in God's projects. So, later, for Esther's sake, God deposed the queen and then, like a beauty pageant, chose Esther from among thousands to be queen.

Before, Esther received very strict training in Mordecai's house. She was very disciplined and had a good learning ability. She was not a foolish person; otherwise, not to mention being chosen as queen, she would not even be chosen in a beauty pageant. She had to be able to speak well and conduct herself well.

So, how do people become foolish? Because people are stubborn and headstrong! That is troublesome. So, people must soften, never be rigid, never say, "Wow, I possess the truth!" But do you really possess the truth?

Take the college entrance exam, for example. If you always fail, and always think you understand, but you do not really understand, otherwise would you be missed? God works through vessels. In fact, He began choosing Esther long ago, and Esther did indeed have this aspiration. It was not something she suddenly came up with later.

Esther's Courage

Esther's courage was extraordinary. In the previous chapter, she said, "Have all the Jews fast and pray for me for three days, and then I will go in to see the king, and if I perish, I perish!" If you enter the palace to see the emperor without permission, do you know what crime that is? That is a capital crime, understand? Fasting and praying is brewing, this is Esther's courage and wisdom.

As a result, when Esther walked in, it happened to be when the emperor was in a very good mood. If she had run into a bad situation, and the soldiers outside urgently reported, "We were defeated in the front when recovering the border, and the entire army of 200,000 was wiped out," would the emperor still be in the mood to listen to Esther?

But who knew that it was such a coincidence that the soldiers came up to report, "There was a great harvest in a certain place, and a certain place was recovered." Oh, the emperor was so happy! Such good things, the emperor was happy to see Esther standing in the courtyard.

Esther thought: This is really good! Originally, it was not certain whether she would live, and she had long had the intention and faith to die if she perished, but now not only would she not die, but she would also have great honor. And then their conversation was simply amazing! During the three days of fasting and prayer by the Jews, God's hand was brewing there.

And the king, with such a large country, certainly had bad news, but it was just a few days late! If the soldiers reported, "The strait is blocked, the oil is used up, our aircraft carrier was bombed, and all 150 toilets on the aircraft carrier are blocked," would Ahasuerus have time to listen to Esther's "nonsense"? He would be so upset!

So, it is said that "being early is not as good as being on time," so how could it be such a coincidence? But God is directing behind the scenes, how could it not be a coincidence? I often tell testimonies to non-believers, and they have a very perverse logic, thinking that these testimonies are coincidences. Then why do I have so many coincidences? In fact, God is behind the scenes, otherwise it would be difficult without God behind the scenes.

Our brothers and sisters must know that, in fact, Esther's story is directed by God. So, why does God direct one farce after another? It is to let the vessels He uses manifest His glory. God wants to bring disaster to Haman the Agagite, and wants to exalt Esther. Even the emperor's mood is directed by God. How powerful our God is!

But sometimes our brothers and sisters lack that courage, and then people suddenly become "timid." It is difficult to become a vessel used by God this way. Afraid of this, afraid of that, in the end, they will definitely be "timid."

The faith of "if I perish, I perish" is very effective. I especially like "if I perish, I perish," but I never die! Because I am not afraid of death, "There is a time to be born, and a time to die. If the time has not come, you will not die." Everyone must remember this.

This Sunday's sermon theme is "Jesus Christ Holds the Keys to Death and Hades." Jesus directs people, and you play His protagonist, but not a villain like Haman. If the protagonist dies, how can the play be filmed? Wouldn't it end?

If you are the protagonist, then you cannot have a face like Chen Peisi, at least look like Zhu Shimao, looking like an upright person. Chen Peisi plays the villain, his hat is crooked, half of his shiny bald head is exposed, his gun is slung crookedly, his clothes are wrinkled, and he is doomed from the start.

How wonderful it is for us to perform God's play in this world! You must cooperate well, and you must cultivate a strong character, with courage, otherwise you cannot do this work. Because our God often plays "roller coaster" games, and the plays that Christians perform in their lives are very exciting. Some of the tracks of those "roller coasters" are broken, with a section missing in the middle, and then "whoosh" it passes, but the protagonist does not die.

On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance to the hall. (Esther 5:1)

When Esther went to see the king, she was definitely not like "sneaking around," and definitely did not have a "Mr. Bean" expression. How uncomfortable would that be? Like a thief! Esther's mentality when entering the palace was: upright and calm, not thinking about leaving alive. If she ran into a bad situation, that would be fine, she originally wanted to leave this world, and now she finally had the opportunity.

We must know that the keys to death and Hades are in the hands of our God. How could He direct it that way? I have too much faith in God. I almost died several times, but in the end, I did not die. That is good. Unlike some people, who put all their hope in doctors, and then still die. Who can you reason with?

At that time, I stood outside the coffin and said, "Good brother, I survived COVID-19, but you got COVID-19 and rushed to the hospital, and were intubated and everything, how did you die instead? We are both people who got sick!" The reason is that one had courage and the other did not!

Everyone must not think that I will kidnap you. It is OK if you want to go to the hospital. You are in charge of your body, and I am in charge of my body. I am willing to do this. If you do not have the faith of "if I perish, I perish," then you cannot do this work, so courage is very important.

What is fear? Fear is not knowing that God is in control! Some people have to walk in fear. Sometimes I am particularly moved. I serve these fearful people, and I do not feel good in my heart. Why do they have to be afraid of death? If you are not afraid of death, then you will not die! Why do you want to live so much?

Some people say, "What are you talking about? Who does not want to live?" I do not really want to live. In fact, you do not understand this logic. Do not think that if you are afraid of death, then death will not come looking for you. Just like when I go out with people who are afraid of dogs, the dog comes over and ignores me, but instead goes to the person who is afraid of dogs. What is the logic?

Remember, people who are afraid of death attract the spirit of death, and people who are not afraid of death attract the Spirit of God! It is like the dog thinking in its heart: This kid is afraid of me, I will get him! If "ox-head and horse-face" are strolling on the street, thinking: This kid is afraid of death, I will get him! That is how it is. People cannot resist on their own!

If Esther entered the palace trembling, shaking, with a pale face, thinking that she was going to die, then it would be over! Then the king would think: What is wrong? Is she having a seizure? What happened? How embarrassing! The queen of the mighty Persian Empire is standing in front of the king, shaking like a "chaff sifter," how unseemly!

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To live out God's nobility and glory, and to become vessels used by God, we must possess the courage of Esther, the "if I perish, I perish" spirit.

Some time ago, I ministered to a cancer patient with intestinal obstruction and ovarian cancer. Alas, her abdomen was full of cancer. As we ministered, we led her in prayer, but her mind was preoccupied with the hospital. Later, she sought treatment from a combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

We were only praying for her online, so we were initially unaware of this! She told me herself later because the hospital treatment was ineffective, and she eventually returned to her hometown hospital. From beginning to end, she was full of faith in the doctors, but the doctors themselves were unsure of what to believe!

Otherwise, ask the doctors at the oncology hospital what they trust in. Upon seeing that your treatment is ineffective, the doctor might say, "Shouldn't you visit a temple? If you believe in Jesus, it would be good to ask your Lord Jesus for help as well." So, the doctors are also helpless.

Esther, through the three-day fast and prayer of the Jews, immediately elevated this "if I perish, I perish" faith. Let me tell you, those who contract serious illnesses are actually half scared to death and half poisoned to death by medication! Ponder this slowly! I might be "stirring up trouble" by saying this because the hospital relies on this to make money. If you don't give them money, how will they pay their salaries?

Actually, I am not talking about the hospital, but rather the pitifulness of people fearing death! If a person has a fear of death in their life, it is ruined. The fear of death is even more serious than the fear of dogs! At most, a dog comes, but the fear of death is like "ox-headed and horse-faced demons" arriving.

Esther's Wisdom

The Book of Esther does not record the entire process of selecting the queen, but you must know that Esther was not just a pretty face. The current "beauty pageants" and the ancient selection of queens, the face is just the entry requirement. The key is to see if the person has wisdom.

Esther grew up in Mordecai's household, and Mordecai's training of Esther was very strict. Unlike some of our brothers and sisters who only know how to indulge their children's flesh, I tell you, there is no good in indulging children's flesh! Raising children to weigh two or three hundred pounds makes it difficult to lose weight, and then they become "silly and foolish." How difficult is that to manage? So, training children requires wisdom, just like Mordecai trained Esther.

Was Esther's wisdom a gift from God or did she learn it? It was both a gift from God and something she learned. Some people especially like what? They want God's hand to touch them, and they suddenly become wise, but I really haven't found this basis in the Bible because God doesn't like people becoming lazy through God. Lazy people think it's best to have a laying on of hands and prayer, and then "poof," it comes. Actually, I don't really like this.

Esther's wisdom was a gift from God, and she also learned it. If she didn't have a correct attitude towards learning, it would be difficult for God to give it to her. If she's silly all day long, what can be done? Because she doesn't study.

Yesterday, a child committed suicide. His mother had just started believing in the Lord among us. Her child ate several packets of sleeping pills, and after stomach pumping and everything else, it scared his mother. This child also weighed two or three hundred pounds. So, what I want to say is that people must have wisdom, self-discipline, and be willing to learn and grow.

If a person indulges the flesh, it is very hard. Otherwise, you can try it. If a person has poor self-discipline and grows into a big fat person, it is very troublesome because as long as he works or studies, he feels uncomfortable, and as a result, he lacks knowledge and wisdom inside.

I'm not saying I despise you or look down on you. I really know the kind of hardship you have inside. Where does this hardship come from? It comes from indulging the flesh! The mother indulges the child's flesh, indulging the child to such an extent that three packets of sleeping pills are eaten by the child.

If you really have the "if I perish, I perish" faith to deal with our flesh, wouldn't we also grow? Let's look at Esther's wisdom:

The king said to her, "What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to half of my kingdom." And Esther said, "If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the feast that I have prepared for him." (Esther 5:3-4)

Don't you think this is strange? Why go around in such a big circle? For example, Esther could have said, "I want Haman's head." That would be more direct, but you can't do that because Haman is the most popular person. This is not a good opportunity. This is not called wisdom.

Esther's dialogue with the king is full of wisdom. "Let the king and Haman come today to the feast that I have prepared for him." What is she doing? She is looking for an opportunity to say to the king in front of Haman, "Haman wants to destroy me. If it weren't for him wanting to destroy me, I would never come to ask the king." This logic makes sense.

And as they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, "What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled." Then Esther answered, "My wish and my request is this: If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king says." (Esther 5:6-8)

I tell you, we must have knowledge. Don't ever expect to suddenly have wisdom, knowledge, or be healed of illness. We must become a learning person. God doesn't like those silly, uneducated people. The reason is simple: first, you have to let the king do a little psychological preparation.

Second, Esther knows that God will definitely give her a good opportunity. If there is no good opportunity this time, it doesn't matter, I'll come again next time. If there is no good opportunity next time, I'll come again the time after that. God will definitely act. Does God know this? God knows. Will God "endorse" Esther? He will "endorse" Esther. God is going to direct it this way in the background.

There is definitely God's revelation here, but in Esther's dialogue with the king, she made her position very clear and spoke these words extremely well. If you are "silly and clumsy" and can't speak well, with a mouth full of "rough talk," stubborn to the extreme, that would be very troublesome. So, you must wait for God to create opportunities. God is directing these things in the background.

Brothers and sisters, I am not saying that God "poof" gives you wisdom, but that you must study hard and master knowledge. You cannot have knowledge without studying. God does not want you to take shortcuts. Not only does Jehovah God not like people taking shortcuts, but even the gods of Buddhism don't like people taking shortcuts. For example, the Tang Monk and his disciples had to go through eighty-one tribulations to train people's faith.

So, these two banquets are full of great wisdom. I tell you, if you want to do business well, you must first be a good person, and people will be willing to befriend you. If you can't speak well and you "stubbornly resist" as soon as you open your mouth, that is very troublesome.

Esther, King Ahasuerus, and Haman are all being directed in God's hands. After Esther finished this, Haman became very arrogant and conceited. He thought, "Queen Esther and the king invited me to the banquet. What great honor is this!"

I tell you, when Haman returned home from Esther's banquet, he was jumping and skipping like a dog. The way he walked changed. He became very arrogant. As a result, he saw Mordecai sitting at the gate, and Mordecai didn't treat him like a person. His eyes were slanted, one eye was half-closed, and he was "humming" in dissatisfaction. This made Haman very angry, and he was very upset when he got home.

And Haman said, "Queen Esther let no one but myself come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king. Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate." (Esther 5:12-13)

As a result, his wife gave him an idea: make a wooden gallows seventy-five feet high, and tomorrow ask the king to hang Mordecai on it. So you see, Haman thought crookedly as soon as he thought of Mordecai. Actually, God was digging a pit for Haman, but he didn't know it yet. The story is so coincidental. Remember, when God's people are in danger, don't be afraid. You must rely on God. God's direction will never "fall apart"!

God Made Haman Arrogant

I tell you, those who curse Abraham will be cursed, and the God who blesses Abraham will bless him. If you go against someone like Abraham, against God's people, you'll have a lot to deal with. As a result, Haman insisted on going against God's people, so wouldn't it be as simple as crushing an ant for God to destroy Haman?

But even if it's crushing this "ant," God doesn't want to crush him directly. Why does this matter go around in such a big circle? If God gave Haman a fatal illness, such as a stroke or cerebral infarction, and then his mouth and eyes were crooked, then he wouldn't be able to be an official, but God doesn't do it that way.

God went around in a big circle, first abolishing the queen, letting Esther be the queen, and then Mordecai had to make Haman angry. Oh my goodness, what a circle! Then God made Haman arrogant, and he wanted to kill the Jews. Isn't that strange? It's strange!

I tell you, God is a master of digging pits. If you fall into the pit that God digs, you will definitely not be able to get out! So don't go against God and God's people. Watch slowly! There are many people who go against God. Another brother told me that the endings of some people who go against us are not good. Actually, we are not as great as Abraham.

Why go against God's people? This crisis allows the Jews to reshape themselves and turn their hearts to God, so every crisis is very good! This time, God dug a perfect pit for Haman. In the end, he nailed himself to the wooden gallows he had prepared for Mordecai, and he was extremely unlucky! As a result, Mordecai became prime minister, a perfect ending!

Brothers and sisters, remember, to be a vessel of God, you must have courage and wisdom. You must become a learning person. Don't ever expect to "slap your head" and do things! We will share this Bible study up to this point. May God bless everyone!

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