WE ARE WHERE WE ARE FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

PROCLAMATION

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your family’s family will perish.  And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”  Esther 4:14 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After Queen Vashti was banished from the kingdom, King Xerxes decreed that a search be conducted for all the beautiful young virgins in the kingdom in order to find a replacement for Vashti. (Esther 2:1-4)  Esther, who had been raised by her Jewish cousin Mordecai, was one of many young women brought to the king’s palace and placed under the care of Hegai, who was the eunuch in charge of the king’s harem. (Esther 2:5-8)  After twelve months of beauty treatments each woman would go in and spend the night with the king.  Afterwards she would return to another part of the harem under the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines and stay there until summoned by the king. (Esther 2:8-14)  Esther pleased the king more than any of the other virgins and he made her the new queen to replace Vashti. (Esther 2:17-18)  At that time, Mordecai angered Haman, who had the highest position of honor among the king’s nobles, because he would not kneel down to him and he wanted to kill Mordecai and all of the Jews. (Esther 3:1-6)  Haman convinced the king to issue a decree to kill all of the Jews on the same day and he sent couriers out to proclaim this in all provinces. (Esther 3:8-15)  When Mordecai learned of this, he requested Esther’s help to plead for the king’s mercy to save the Jews, but she initially refused. (Esther 4:1-11)  Then Mordecai told her, “who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? 

APPLICATION

All things happen for a reason.  Each of us has a sphere of influence, a person, or a group of people whose behavior we can affect.  These people will listen to us and they will do what we say or suggest.  We may not all have a title, but we are still in a position of influence.  It is by the providence of God that we are where we are at any given time.  Let us be careful regarding the advice which we give to others.  We do not want to be the one who causes someone to stumble and fall into sin. (Malachi 2:8)  We especially do not want to cause a child of God to go the wrong way. (Mark 9:42 and Luke 17:2)  Let us pray that our words and advice will always be given with grace and be helpful to those who receive them. (Colossians 4:6)

WISDOM IS A GIFT FROM GOD

PROCLAMATION

“Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people … He was wiser than anyone else … and his fame spread to all the surrounding nations.”  2 Kings 4:30-31 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

When The Lord God asked Solomon what he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom and discernment so that he could make the right decisions for the people of Israel. (1 Kings 3:5-9)  The Lord God granted his request and gave him much more than he asked for including fame and fortune. (1 Kings 3:11-13)  God gave Solomon great insight and a breath of understanding that was as immeasurable as the grains of sand on the seashore. (1 Kings 4:29)  He was wiser than all of the wise men of his day. (1 Kings 4:31)  He spoke on a vast multitude of topics and people came from the surrounding countries and from all over the world to hear him share his words of wisdom. (1 Kings 4:32-34)

APPLICATION

Solomon was the wisest man ever.  He got his wisdom because he asked The Lord God for it.  We may not be as wise as Solomon was, but if we want wisdom, we can also get it, if we pray and ask The Lord God for it. (James 1:5)  Wisdom is a gift from God. (Proverbs 2:6)  It is better to get wisdom than silver and gold. (Proverbs 16:16)  The fear and love of God is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10)  Happy is the man who gets wisdom. (Proverbs 3:13)  We seek and get a lot of things in life, and with all of our getting, we should get wisdom and understanding. (Proverbs 4:7)

THE FEAR OF THE LORD GOD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM

Proclamation:

“Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.  The fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of The Holy One is understanding.  For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.  If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.”  Proverbs 9:9-12 (NIV)

Explanation:

This proverb, like all but the last two of the proverbs, was written by King Solomon under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This ninth proverb is also all about wisdom.  Solomon begins by saying that wisdom has built her house, prepared the meal, and invited the guest to join her. (Proverbs 9:1-6)  Teaching those who are wise will make them wiser.  Having wisdom, and applying it, can lengthen one’s life.  Having respect for The Lord God is the beginning of wisdom.  Wisdom is a gift from The Lord. (Proverbs 2:6)  He who has wisdom has something that is much more valuable that silver or gold. (Proverbs 8:10-11)

Application:

If you offer The Word of God to some people, they will hate you for it. (Proverbs 9:7-8)  Those who will not receive The Word of God are to be left alone. (Luke 9:5)  Shake the dust off of your shoes and keep on going.  Our job is to tell them and offer it to them, not to force them to accept it or believe it.  It is the job of The Holy Spirit of God to convict, convince, and convert them as He sees fit to do. 

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO KEEP HIS WAYS

Proclamation:

“Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.  Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it.  Blessed are those who listen to me … For those who find me find life and receive favor from The Lord.”  Proverbs 8:32-35 (NIV)

Explanation:

This proverb, like all but two of the proverbs, was written by King Solomon under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This eighth proverb was written from the perspective of wisdom speaking as a person.  Wisdom calls out to mankind to hear her words. (Proverbs 8:1-6)  The words of wisdom are trustworthy, true, just, and right. (Proverbs 8:6-9)  The words of wisdom are worth more than silver, or gold, or precious rubies. (Proverbs 8:10-11)  With wisdom comes prudence, knowledge, and discretion, in addition to good advice, sound judgment, and insight. (Proverbs 8:12-14)  Those who seek wisdom will find her and those who love her will be blessed. (Proverbs 8:17-21)  Harken to the words of wisdom and be blessed, (Proverbs 8:32-35) those who don’t, won’t be. (Proverbs 8:36)

Application:

The Word of God calls out to us to read it, to hear it, to study it, and to seek to understand it and gain wisdom.  We will be blessed if we not only hear The Word of God but become doers of The Word. (Proverbs 8:32, Romans 2:13, and James 1:22)  Believing and having faith and having knowledge of The Lord God without doing anything with it is useless. (James 2:18 and 2:26)

LET THE WISE LISTEN AND ADD TO THEIR LEARNING

Proclamation:

“Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let discerning get guidance; for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.  The fear of The Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”  Proverbs 1:5-7 (NIV)

Explanation:

These proverbs are the words of King Solomon, son of King David, the king of Israel.  They were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God to provide instruction and guidance to the people of God.  This first proverb begins by discussing wisdom, instruction and knowledge. (Proverbs 1:1-6)  “Fear of The Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (Proverbs 1:7)  Then it warns them not to hang out with evil men who plan to harm and take advantage of the innocent. (Proverbs 1:10-19)  The remainder of this proverb describes the consequences which they would receive for not following this advice. (Proverbs 1:20-33)

Application:

It has been said that maybe God gave us two ears and one mouth because He wanted us to spend twice as much time listening as we did talking.  All too often we listen just so that we can respond to what was said.  It is good to listen in order to gain knowledge and understanding.  However, we do not understand everything that we hear or read.  Some things must be explained to us, and some things only The Holy Spirit of God can reveal to us.  Reading The Bible is good, but much more insight and knowledge can be gained from prayerful Bible study.  “Study to show yourself approved unto God.” (2 Timothy 2:15)  Only the fool does not want to learn or get any wiser.  To learn is to grow, and only dead things don’t grow.  Don’t be a dead soul, pray and ask The Lord God to increase your wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of His Holy Word then apply what you learn.

Loud Words Are Not Always Better

"The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools."  Ecclesiastes 9:17 (NIV)

King Solomon, the wise man, said that the wise speak words of wisdom calmly after great deliberation, and one would do good to heed and respect them.  Those who shout loudly what they have to say, are usually not saying anything of importance.  They think that their words will be given more credence and they will be followed because of their loud speech.  

When we have something important to say, it is often good to speak up to insure that we are heard.  However, shouting is not necessary.  All too often, we talk loud and shout to talk over others, as if our "out talking them" will increase the importance of what we have to say, and will enhance our status among those who hear us.  The Bible warns us to be careful regarding what we hear and listen to. (Mark 4:24)  The Word of God is to be used as a guide to evaluate what we hear, as to whether or not it is true. (2 Timothy 3:16)  We should read and study The Word of God so that we can correctly discern the truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)  Everything spoken loudly is not to be heeded, fools can speak foolishness loudly and with conviction.  We should make sure that when we speak, we speak the truth. (Zechariah 8:16)  We should also make sure that when we speak that what we say is appropriate, helpful, considerate, and thoughtful. (Colossians 4:6) It is not necessary for believers to be loud and shout when we are speaking to others