My wife recently reminded me of an old television commercial where the tagline was: “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” The point of the ad was that if people came to Las Vegas, they could be free to do what they wanted without any guilt. It is as if the people were saying that God isn’t in Las Vegas (Ps. 139:7-12), or He cannot see what we are doing there (Prov. 15:3)! Las Vegas was giving people a “license to sin!”

It concerns me when I hear about Christians who think that taking a vacation means taking a vacation from being a Christian as well. Some Christians have been known to go to another county or another state to engage in sin. They think they are “safe” from “prying eyes” if they go somewhere that no one knows them. Of course, they are just fooling themselves because, as we noted above, there is nowhere they can go that God is not there and sees them!

It is for this reason that people like Joseph and Daniel, as well as women like Vashti and Esther, stand out to me. They stand out because Vashti and Esther lived in the King’s palace. They could justify any behavior they wanted by referring to where they lived, or by saying, “The King made me do it. I had no choice!” Yet, these two ladies, just as the others named, did not use their location as an occasion for sin!

When Vashti was called into the King’s presence, she did not yield to her husband’s drunken demands (Est. 1:10-12). She could have easily justified sin by saying, “The King has called me,” but she didn’t. We do not know Vashti’s origin, but we know she had morals and was not going to compromise them for anyone. Where she lived made no difference to her! Right was right, and wrong was wrong.

Esther did not allow fear to overcome her (Est. 4:16-7:10). We know she was raised well under the guidance of her cousin, Mordecai (Est. 2:5-7). Yet, when she was brought into the King’s palace, she did not allow her location to hold her back from speaking when she needed to speak up for her people! She had the opposite issue from Vashti, in that the King had not called for her for a month (4:11). She might have justified her silence by saying, “I can’t go until he calls me, and so there is no point in trying. No one will know if I spoke to the King or not, anyway.” These ladies knew they had responsibilities. The God of Heaven is in Shushan, just like He is in Jerusalem, and He must be respected!

What excuses do we make to justify our sins? Do we justify our sins based upon where we are and who saw or didn’t see us? Remember, God sees all of humanity and knows our hearts (Heb. 4:12-13). We are not going to get away with sin just because we did it out of town! Don’t fool yourself into thinking that godliness only applies at home! Take a lesson from Vashti, Esther, Daniel, Joseph, and so many others who served God faithfully even when they were away from home.

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

Esther 10:3 reveals that Mordecai, in his new role, was “great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.” What impresses me is that there is nothing said about Mordecai taking vengeance on the Persians. Nor do we read that he stole money or somehow made himself rich in his position. He used his power for the betterment of his people.

The change of fortune recorded in the book of Esther is quite astonishing. Mordecai went from being a servant living with a death threat on him to second-in-command over Persia (Est. 3:5-6, 9:4, 10:3). He was like Joseph, Daniel, and many others who rose to prominence after suffering much for the Lord. Thankfully, he remembered who he was, and remained faithful to God even as his social status changed.

Those who become Christians (Mk. 16:16) witness a change in their lives. The difference is so radical that Christ compares it to a birth (Jn. 3:3). Then, “as newborn babes,” we need to feed upon the word (I Pet. 2:2). We must continue to mature in the Lord (Heb. 5:12-14) and be faithful to Him (I Cor. 15:58).

Have we ever considered, though, that this change brings with it many spiritual blessings that lost people do not enjoy (Eph. 1:3)? In one sense, Christians are like Mordecai. He rose from slavery to being second-in-command. Have we not done the same thing in Christ? When we obeyed the Lord’s plan of salvation (Acts 2:38), we went from being slaves to sin (Rom. 6:16, 7:14b), to being free from sin (Rom. 6:18)! Christ made us “kings and priests” (Rev. 1:5-6; I Pet. 2:9)! We are now “joint-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:16-17)! As good as Mordecai’s change was, ours is better!

Have you made that change for the better? If not, become a Christian today (Acts 22:16; Col. 2:11-13). If I can help you, please contact me.

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

In II Samuel 16, we read where David was cursed by Shimei, a family member of Saul. He threw stones at David, calling him a “bloody man” (v. 6-7). Though Abishai wanted Shimei to die, David spared his life. He reasoned that if God wanted Shimei to curse him, then he would not fight it (v. 9-11). David allowed Shimei to live, and he lived into the reign of Solomon (I Kings 2:36-46).

Why are these facts relevant to us? They are relevant because the descendants of Shimei lived to see the rise and fall of the kingdom of Judah. They saw the rise and fall of Babylon and the emergence of the Medo-Persian empire. In these generations, Shimei’s descendants gave birth to Jair, and finally, Mordecai and Esther were brought into the world (Est. 2:5, 7).

Think about this for a moment. Had David not spared Shimei’s life, would there have been a Mordecai to raise Esther? Would there have been Esther to save the Jews? I believe in God’s providence and know He would have made a way to spare the people if they had not been born. However, they were born, and because they were born, we see an exciting thing occurring. By the providence of God, a descendant of Judah (David) spared a descendant of Benjamin (Shimei), so that a descendant of Benjamin (Esther) could spare all of Judah! The actions described in Esther are what finally allow Christ to come into the world!

I doubt David ever thought about the descendants of Shimei when he spared him that day in II Samuel 16, but thanks be to God, it happened! I doubt Shimei thought that someday his descendants would save the lives of David’s descendants, but I am thankful to God that they did! Our Savior’s lineage was hanging in the balance in the days of the Persian Empire. Thanks be to God that Christ was spared, and He became the Savior for those under the Old Covenant and the people living today (Heb. 9:15; I Pet. 1:18-19)! All because David spared Shimei!

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

(A special thanks to #1 Son who said, “Hey Dad, did you notice …”)

Haman was chosen to serve as “second-in-command” under Ahasuerus (Est. 3:1-2). This was a position of honor and respect, but Haman allowed this power to go to his head. When surrounded by the servants and others who bowed (3:2), he seemed content. However, to witness just one man at the gate who refused to bow, he became “full of wrath” (3:5). His wrath set off a “chain reaction” of events that would finally end with his death (7:10). (Ironically, his death satisfied another’s wrath, but this will be covered in a future writing.)

Why did this occur? When Haman had so many that bowed to him, why did it bother him that only one didn’t? It seems that the presence of the servants and “yes-men” served as too much of a temptation for Haman. He would have 100% allegiance from the people, or he was going to know why not! Mordecai’s reasons for refusing to bow are not stated here, though. Regardless, Haman demanded obeisance from every person, and to refuse would be met with harsh punishment. In this case, Mordecai’s refusal to bow was Haman’s excuse to commit genocide! This attitude exists in the man who has allowed his power to corrupt him.

Contrast Haman’s attitude with the attitude of men like Joseph, Daniel, even King David! These, and many more, did not allow earthly power to corrupt them. They knew they were serving a God who was higher than them. In contrast, Haman acted as if he were his own god!

Let us remember that regardless of what position we hold on earth, we are just servants of God. We are still God’s creation (Gen. 1:26-27; Jas. 3:9b). We still have a Master to please (I Thess. 4:1; Col. 1:10). We will all fit in the same six-foot hole, and we will all stand before the same Judge (Heb. 9:27; II Cor. 5:10)! Don’t let power, position, or prestige on earth go to your head! Stay humble (I Pet. 5:5-6; Jas. 4:6)!

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

1/4/20 - True Riches

Jesus said, “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Lk. 12:15). Passages such as Proverbs 15:16, 16:16; Ecclesiastes 4:6, 5:10-16; and I Timothy 6:6-8 also remind us of the true riches of this life.

Contrast this with the life of Ahasuerus, or Artaxerxes, the king who would one day marry Esther. He had such an opulent lifestyle that he was able to stage a party that lasted six months (Est. 1:4)! When that was done, he had another one that lasted yet another week (Est. 1:5)! His earthly power, riches, and military strength would have impressed us, no doubt. However, these things said nothing about the condition of his soul. It told us nothing about whether or not he was ready for eternity.

Jesus asked one time, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26). This is still a valid question! It is a soul-searching question that demands an answer. If you could throw a six-month party for all the people you knew like Ahasuerus, if you had the money to stage a year-long party and impress friend and enemy alike, what does this say about our soul’s salvation? It says nothing! Prepare for eternity (II Cor. 6:2; Mk. 16:16)! Set your mind on pleasing God rather than man (Gal. 1:10; Col. 3:1-4). This is the most important goal we have in life (Ecc. 12:13-14)!