THE EMPTINESS OF HUMAN POWER

AN EXERCSE OF VANITY

The preacher had said (Ecc. 1:2, 14) “Vanity of vanities, says the preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity;” I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.” All that humanity sets their eyes upon are vanity and will by all means pass away like the wind.  When seen in the light of God’s eventual judgment, all that we value in this world such as- wealth, power, recognition, wisdom and accomplishment is all small and vain as the preacher indicates (12:14) “For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” And if all is vanity, then what are we left with beloved? “Fear God and keep His commandment is the answer given by the son of Jesse. Apart from the Lord and His Word our lives are vanity, but lived in harmony with the Lord our lives have depth and reality. Only in God will true satisfaction and fulfillment be found. John the apostle wrote (John 6:27) “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”  

All was but vanity that king Ahasuerus showed his friends for one hundred and eighty days (Esther 1:1-4)”Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this was Ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twenty seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia), In those days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was on Shushan the citadel, that in the third year of his reign that he made a feast for all his officials and servants- the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles and the princes of the provinces being before him- when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all.” Ahasuerus probably can be identified with Xerxes 1, the Persian king who ruled from 485 until 465 B. C. This Xerxes reigned over a vast empire stretching from India to Ethiopia. But the Book of Esther does not directly tell us why Ahasuerus “showed the riches of his glorious kingdom” for 180 days and give his lavish banquet in (V. 5) “And when these days were completed, the king made a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present in Shushan the citadel, from great to small, in the court of the garden of the kings palace.” The display was an exercise of vanity similar to Herod’s action several centuries later (Acts 12:20-23) “Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king’s personal aide their friend, they asked for peace because their country was supplied with food by the king’s country. So on a set day Herod arrayed in royal apparel sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. And the people kept on shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man! Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.”  Glory and honor belong to the Lord alone, and He will not share His glory with the highest of human dignitaries (Isa. 42:8) “I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to curved images.” The Bible warns against the vanity of glorifying in human wisdom and power (Jer. 9:23) “Thus says the Lord; “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches.” God is the one, who in spite of appearances, is in control of history. To boast of human power is an arrogant and empty assumption of divine prerogatives. Ahasuerues’ kingdom, like all other kingdoms ended on the scrap heap of history. Peter in his epistle wrote to the Corinthians thus (1 Cor. 2:4-5) “And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

PHAROAH’S EMPTY POWER

The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh so that He may perform great and mighty miracles that He did in the land of Egypt before releasing the Israelites go serve their God. And because his sorcerers and magicians were also able to perform the first of the miracles along with Moses, he hardened his heart the more and would not let the Israelites leave the land of Egypt.  But the last miracles happened to all the Egyptians with an exception of the children of Israel who were at Goshen (Exod. 10:22-23) “So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” May those serving the Lord in soul, body and mind, receive the grace of exemption of economic meltdown that is felt in this season in Jesus Mighty name Amen. (V.27-29) “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you will die!” So Moses said, you have spoken well. I will never see your face again.” Pharaoh was confidence in himself that the plagues were over, and little did he has an idea what awaits him and all the Egyptians first born sons (Exod. 12:29-30) “And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who sat on dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was great cry in Egypt. For there was not a house where there was not one dead.” Because of a haughty spirit and pride, Pharaoh, had sworn not to see the face of Moses anymore. But because he could not bear the anguish that had befallen on him and the entire Egyptians, he had to see the face of Moses and to let them go out of the land of Egypt (V. 31-32) “Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said “Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go; serve the Lord as you have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone and bless me also.” The proud Pharaoh was able to release the Israelites, after being humbled by God, and now had to recognize who God is. Abba Father, may You cause havoc in the camp of our enemies, making them vomit all that they have ever stolen from us and have been holding in Jesus Mighty name . Amen.

 AS IF GOD WAS NOT YET DONE

The Egyptians made the Israelites leave in haste lest they all perish (V. 33) “And the Egyptians urged the people that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.”  And they not only left the land empty handed but plundered the Egyptians (V. 36) “And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.” And (V. 51) “And it came to pass, on that same day, that the Lord brought  the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.” The fulfillment of history had to take place that day as the Israelites ceased to be in bondage anymore. As if that was not enough, the Lord continued to harden the heart of Pharaoh to pursue the Israelites for God to gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that He is the Lord. And they did so (14:8) “And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh King of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness. So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horse men and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.” And here comes the greatest wonder (14:27-29) “And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it.  So the Lord threw the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horse men, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters, were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.” Pharaoh was indeed humbled by the Lord, his stubbornness, haughtiness and his pride came to an end; returning to Egypt empty handed, minus his army and chariots and his son who had sit on his throne was no more. My Allmighty God cause havoc in the camp of the enemy; open up the red sea to sallow them and let them rise up no more in the name of Jesus. Amen.

NEVER MEDDLE IN OTHERS BUSINESSES!

When a man or a nation meddles and lift himself high in haughtiness and pride, he will by all means fall and his pride be buried with him (2 kings 14:8) “Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash  the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face one another in battle.” And Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife; and a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed on and trampled the thistle.” Because he had killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and also took Sela by war, he thought he could meddle around with any other kingdom (V.10) “You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Glory in that, and stay at home; for why should you meddle with trouble so that you fall- you and Judah with you?” But the king of Judah was too stubborn and too proud to heed the voice of his fellow the king of Israel (V. 11-14) “But Amaziah would not heed. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went out; so he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent. Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah at Beth Shemesh; and he went to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate- four hundred cubits. And he took all the gold and silver, all the articles that were found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.”  

May we harken to the voice of God; so He may have mercy on us and harden not our hearts!

“Grace to you and Favor from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with us all. Amen and Amen and Amen.”