The book of Esther chapter 8
tonight, and I'd like to read down through verse 8, I think
it is, and then we're going to spend some time. It cannot be
altered. It cannot be altered. That's
the title tonight. Here in the book of Esther chapter
8, we have the great work of God with regard to Mordecai,
the great work of God with regard to Haman, The great work of God
with regard to Esther, Ahasuerus, and many other players have been
brought to our attention as we've seen the very fingerprints of
God through the book of Esther. God has worked his everlasting
counsel here and he is directing all things. He is the director. The church is the actors. And all the rest are props. And many of those that were in
the days of King Ahasuerus were props. But we also find that
there were those that God had drawn to himself, revealed Christ
to, and that they knew something about the gospel. Esther chapter
eight, beginning with verse one, it says, on that day, did the
King Ahasuerus give the house of Haman, the Jews' enemy, unto
Esther the queen? Mordecai came before the king,
for Esther had told what he was unto her. The king took off his
ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over
the house of Haman. And Esther spake yet again before
the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears
to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that
he had devised against the Jews. Then the king held out the golden
scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before
the king and said, if it please the king, and if I have found
favor in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, And
I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the
letters devised by Haman, the son of Hamadathah, the Agagite,
which he wrote to destroy the Jews, which are in all the king's
provinces. For now, excuse me, for how can
I endure to see the evil that shall come upon my people? or
how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred? Then the king
Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew,
behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they
have hanged upon the gallows because he laid his hand upon
the Jews. Write, ye also for the Jews,
as it liketh you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's
ring. For the writing which is written
in the king's name and sealed with the king's ring may no man
reverse." Now we're going to find out as we go through here
that the previous writing that had been signed by him could
not be altered. but another rule or law could
be made to fix it. So that law was going to be carried
out. Well, as I think about this, why would it be recorded in God's
word, some laws about another country, another kingdom, King
Ahasuerus. And we're also going to find
out that this law is also mentioned in the book of Daniel. Well,
we're gonna find out that it is a type and a picture of how
God is, and His word is, and His law is, that it is unchangeable
and unalterable. But before we get to that point,
back up with me here in the book of Esther for a reading in chapter
one, verse 19. Way back here in chapter one,
verse 19, we found out about a queen by the name of Ashti. And here in verse 19, one of
the Chamberlains, one of the spokesmen had this to say, and
it reminds us of what's been going on here. If it pleased
the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let
it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes,
that it be not altered." Now, they had some idea about a law
written could not be altered. Now, the only reason I could
come to that these things are mentioned in the Scriptures is
God wanted us to have some idea about Him. about His law and
His being and His person that He cannot and will not be altered
with circumstances, with people, or even with multitudes of prayers. His will will not change. Well, let's go to another passage
and that is found in the book of Daniel. In Daniel chapter
6, we have some similar writing here because in many respects
we have Daniel in a kingdom much like Esther is in a kingdom,
the same one. And here in Daniel chapter six,
verse eight, Daniel chapter six and verse eight, we have this
law of the Medes and the Persians mentioned again. That's why Daniel
had to be put into the lion's den. All right, here it goes. In Daniel chapter six, verse
eight, it says, Now, O King, establish the decree and sign
the writing that it be not changed according to the law of the Medes
and the Persians, which altereth not. Wherefore, King Gariah signed
the writing and the decree. Now, when Daniel knew that the
writing was signed, he went into his house, and his windows being
open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees, three
times a day and prayed and give thanks before his God as he did
a four time. Then these men assembled and
found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
Then they came near and spake before the king concerning the
king's decree. Hast thou not signed a decree
that every man that shall ask of a petition of any god or man
within the thirty days save of thee, O king, shall be cast into
the den of lions? The king answered and said, The
thing is true concerning the law of the Medes and the Persians,
which altereth not. Then answered they, and said
before the king that Daniel, which is of the children of the
captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree
that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day. Then the king, when he heard
these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart
on Daniel to deliver him, and he labored till the going down
of the sun to deliver him, Then these men assembled unto the
king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of
the Medes and the Persians is, that no decree nor statute which
the king established may be changed. How often we find this consideration
in the scriptures, particularly in the book of Daniel. that the
law of the Medes and the Persians is unalterable. It cannot be
changed. Now we will follow in the book
of Esther that the law that Haman had the king sign is not going
to be changed, but a different law is going to be given that
the Jews have the right to defend themselves. And we're going to
find out that they do, and they defeat the enemy. Well, let's
go just a little bit further here in the book of Daniel. And
there it tells us in verse 17, and a stone was brought, well,
verse 16, the king commanded and they brought Daniel and cast
him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto
Daniel, thy God whom thou service continually, he will deliver
thee. And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the
den and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet
of his Lord's that the purpose might not be changed concerning
Daniel. Now, as we've read through a
number of places, we find out that this law of the Medes and
the Persians is unalterable. That's where Esther is, that's
where Daniel is, and you know, my friends, that's where we are.
We're under an unalterable reigning God. and we find what a blessing
that is. Now in the days of Esther it
may have caused some consternation, and in the days of Daniel it
may have caused some consternation, but for us to find out that our
God is unalterable, and his rules are unalterable, and his law
is unalterable, and all things about him are unalterable. In
fact, we find that passage of scripture over in the book of
Malachi that we so often go to, Malachi chapter three. Would
you join me there as we read about the unalterable God? We find he cannot and it cannot
be altered. In the book of Malachi, chapter
3 and verse 6, we read these words, and they've been the comfort
for the church. When people were reading through
the Old Testament, they'd stumble on these verses of Scripture
in their dire depression and find out He doesn't change. He will not alter himself. He
will not alter circumstances to satisfy the whims of people.
As it tells us here in the book of Malachi chapter three and
verse six, for I am the Lord. I change not. I am unalterable. I am unchangeable. And that is a characteristic
and an attribute about God that we bow before and are thankful
for. In fact, he goes on to say, therefore
ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Now, if he was fickle like we
are, his mind towards the church would change on a daily, well,
minute basis. every second basis, but he is
inalterable, changes not, is not fickle, will not go from
one position to another position. He will not try to find out,
well, as one politician was asked about a certain bill, and he
said, well, some of my friends are for it, and some of my friends
are against it, and I'm with my friends. So, you know, we
are like that. The Lord revealed himself in
the words of blessings that he required Balaam to speak only
blessings to the children of Israel, even though the will of Balaam
was so different. God controlled his will, as we've
read there so often in the book of Numbers. And he writes this,
You know, it's good to know who's saying things when we read the
scriptures. And Balaam said this. We've just
read through there the last few Sundays and going through the
book of Numbers. But Balaam said this, but he had God's hands
back here moving his lips. Because this is what he wanted,
what God wanted said about God and not what Balaam wanted to
say. So let's just go over there one other time. Numbers chapter
23. In the book of Numbers chapter 23, these are the words of a
false prophet. These are the words that God
gave a false prophet. You know, I think of Balaam and
I think of Pilate, and Pilate could only say, I have written
what I have written. And who had a hold of his hand
when he was writing that out is Almighty God. All right, here
in the book of Numbers chapter 23. In Numbers chapter 23, there
in verse 19, Balaam said this, but we find out he could only
speak blessings to Israel. And what a blessing it is to
read this and to have this in your heart. God is not a man
that he should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent. that he should change his mind. God cannot lie and he cannot
change his mind. Now, God doesn't want to. It's
not, you know, people say, well, if I believe like you do, I would
go do this. Well, God's not in that boat.
He's not waiting for some law to change so he can do something
alterable. He has not changed. And he said here, God is not
a man that he should lie, neither the son of man that he should
repent. Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Can you imagine
Balaam's lips are burning as he's saying this? Because he
would have got paid dearly if he could have said what he wanted
to say, but he couldn't say it because God stopped him. Here
we go on. He says, and shall he not do
it? Or hath he spoken and shall it
not? Shall he not make it good? So everything that God has spoken
is going to come to pass. All his word will be fulfilled.
And he is not a man that he should lie, and he's not a man that
he should repent. He doesn't have to change his
mind. God does not have to come up
with another plan. And so it's so wonderful when
we read in the scriptures as the way things turned out in
the garden. God was not caught short. God was not what in the
world just happened, but he had purpose, plan, and had the solution
before the foundation of the world. We find also that this
theme goes in the book of 1 Samuel. Would you turn with me in the
book of 1 Samuel chapter 15? 1 Samuel chapter 15, this theme
is carried throughout the scriptures. We have it Old Testament, New
Testament. We have it here and there, everywhere, about the
unalterability of God and the unchangeability of God. And the
church is so thankful for that, that God will not change His
mind about His church or anybody in it. Here in the book of 1
Samuel chapter 15, 1 Samuel chapter 15, verse 15, we read these words. And Saul said, they have brought
them from the Amalekites. Oh, just prior to this, there's
a prophet says, what is the meaning of the bleating of the sheep
and the lowing of the cows? Because they were all to be slain.
And Saul said, they have brought them from the Amalekites for
the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to
sacrifice unto the Lord thy God, and the rest we have utterly
destroyed. Now it's interesting that Saul said the Lord thy God,
he did not say the Lord my God, he referred this to Samuel. All
right, then if we look in verse 19, in verse 19, wherefore, Then
didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon
the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? And Saul
said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD,
and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought
Agag the king of the Amalekites, and have utterly destroyed the
Amalekites. But the people took of the spoils,
sheep and oxen, the chief of the things, which should have
been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal,
the wife thou gave me." Who's in charge here? And Samuel
said, hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to
obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of
rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness
is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the
word of the Lord, he hath rejected thee from being king. And Saul
said unto Samuel, I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment
of the Lord and thy words, because I feared the people and obeyed
their voice. Now, therefore, I pray thee,
pardon my sin and turn away with me, that I may worship the Lord.
Who can pardon sin? Not Samuel. And Samuel said unto
Saul, I will not return with thee. For thou hast rejected
the word of the Lord and the Lord. Let me get there. Samuel said unto Saul, I will
not return with thee, for thou hast rejected the word of the
Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the
skirt of his mantle, and it rent. And Samuel said unto him, The
Lord hath rent thy kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and
hath given it to a neighbor of thine that is better than thou.
And also the strength of Israel will not lie nor repent, for
he is not a man that he should repent. Once again, we find that
the scripture share with us that he will not lie and he cannot
and will not repent. He will not change his mind. We find that in the New Testament,
that there are two immutable things about God. That is these
two immutable things, which in Hebrews chapter six, Hebrews
chapter six, Hebrews chapter six, we read
this about God. God is immutable and the church
says, thank you, God. If you've ever done any study about
Henry VIII, he loved you one day and cut
your head off the next. We like a king that doesn't do
that. He has set his everlasting love
on the church. All right, here in the book of
Hebrews 6, verse 18, it says that by two immutable things,
God's counsel and oath, Unchangeable. Two immutable things. There's
an unchangeability about God. In fact, we find that James mentions
that there's not a shadow of turning, not a shadow of turning
with God. It goes on to say, it was impossible
for God to lie. We might have a strong consolation
who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set
before us. Which hope we have as an anchor
of the soul. both sure and steadfast, and
which entereth within the veil. Whether the forerunner is for
us entered, even Jesus made a high priest forever after the order
of Melchizedek." So our Savior, our God, our Lord is unchangeable. His rules change not. We find that whatever he does
is unchangeable. Every characteristic and attribute
of Almighty God cannot and will not change. His love does not
change, and His mercy does not change, and His righteousness
does not change, and His wisdom does not change, and His sanctification
does not change, and His great salvation and His grace do not
change. There is nothing fickle or inconsistent
in the mind of God towards His people. He has loved them with
an everlasting love, and He will preserve them with an everlasting
preservation. And He will bless them with an
everlasting blessing, and He will be kind to them with an
everlasting kindness, and He will be gentle with them with
an everlasting gentleness. That is God. And we see that
in the book of Esther and in the book of Daniel about that
rule of the Medes and the Persians is a reflection, a very small
microcosm, a very poor picture, but it is a picture of the greatness
of our God and his unchangeability. That his choice of the church
before time is unalterable. His sovereignty, his will cannot
change. His purpose of the gospel and
his purpose to reject all his own people and to promise eternal
salvation, which God has promised before the world began. Eternal
promised salvation. It is still a declaration of
his holiness. The blessing of the church is
that he did not just keep the law. The law is unchangeable. It will not and cannot be broken. It will be held. Now we're going
to find out that that law is unchangeable. And there's only
one way that God can be just, and that is keep his holy law
and justify people that are sinners. There's only one way. And we'll
look at that in just a moment. The law does not change. It is
a declaration of his holiness. and he is a holy God. We find
that continuously mentioned throughout the scriptures. Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God. The blessing to the church just
didn't keep the law, but he fulfilled it. He fulfilled the law. It's not that he just kept every
jot and till, but he fulfilled the law. And in so doing, as
we find in the book of Romans, would you turn there with me
to the book of Romans? This is, oh, what a blessing. He does
not change. He's unchangeable. He is better
than the law of the Medes and the Persians. Secondly, because
he doesn't make a law and then have to change it and add another
law to it. We see that how human it was for that to happen. But
here with regards to God, Romans chapter seven, there's the apostle
Paul, and to many people, he says, what's he talking about
marriage here at this point about? Well, let's just see what he
had to say. In chapter seven, verse one, he said, Know ye not,
brethren, for I speak to them that know the law, how that the
law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth. For the woman which hath a husband
is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth. But if
the husband be dead, she is loose from the law of her husband.
So then, if while her husband liveth, she be married to another
man, she shall be called an adulteress. But if her husband be dead, she
is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though
she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also
are become dead to the law." Now, the law didn't pass away.
God just, in Christ, not only did he keep it, but he fulfilled
it. And he said, as a result of that, when you are given the
new birth, you are dead to the law. It has no more dominion
over you. Going on, it says there, We shall
be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead,
that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in
the flesh, the motives of the sins which were by the law did
work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now
we are delivered from the law that being dead, wherein we were
held, that we should serve in the newness of spirit and not
in the oldness of the letter. Now in this same book in chapter
three and verse 26, the question is asked, Romans chapter three
and verse 26, the question is asked, how can, how can? To declare, I say, at this time,
his righteousness, that he might be just. What's that mean? I must have sin accounted for. The soul that sinneth, it must
die. Just. And then, at the same time,
the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. Now God is unalterable. God is unchangeable. God is immutable. There's not a shadow of turning
with him. And he has this very strong rule, the soul that sinneth,
it shall die. This is the law of God. And every
one of us have sinned against God. And he said, now, how can
this person that has sinned against God be justified? How can, without altering God's
purpose, his glory, his sovereignty, his majesty, and in God's eternal
purpose, he determined that there is only one way that could happen.
Now, I had a preacher tell me one time, God couldn't have come
up with any way he wanted to save man. No, he couldn't. With
his characteristics and attributes, he could not. There is only one
way that he can be just and justifier, because he needed and required
that someone pay that price. And it could not be the person. And it could not be another person
that stepped in for that person. Why? Even the high priests in
the Old Testament were sinners. And they proved it by dying.
And then another one had to come along. The prophets, they were
human and they were sinners. And how do we know it? Because
they died. And how do we know about Christ? He was appointed
before the foundation of the world in the covenant of grace.
that the only way that mankind could ever be saved, anybody
could ever be saved because of the holiness of the law and the
requirement that it be kept, that that sin of those people
that he was going to die for must be paid for in full and
nobody could ever bring it up again. No wonder we read here
in the book of Romans Who shall lay anything to the charge of
God's elect? It is God that justifieth. He's the one that has made them
just. How? By imputing their sin to a substitute. Now, not just any substitute.
All the animals in the Old Testament would not fulfill that. And nobody
could die for another person and justify them. but we have
the Holy Son of God, Jesus Christ the righteous, that could come
and have sin imputed to him, the God-man. He had escaped all
of the relationship to Adam. Adam was a type of him, but Jesus
Christ the second Adam could do what Adam could not do. He
could not take care of the problem that he had created. All right,
he might be just and justifier. You know, Job says, but how shall
a man be just with God? How can a man be just with God? How can God be just and justifier? There is no God else beside me
in the book of Isaiah 45 verse 21, a just God and a Savior. Just means justice has been served. He is a just God. He cannot just
throw the law away. He cannot just say, I love them
so much that their sin is put away. There must be someone that
will come. The greatness of Christ's sacrifice,
how God in his threefold character of persons may and indeed does
justify the believer in Jesus while preserving his own glory
in full perfection of all the rights of his justice. Now, I
wish I had said that, but Mr. Hocker did. In his glory, the
believer is justified in Jesus while preserving his own glory. He doesn't permit sinners. He
puts sin away. How glorious, as we read with
regard to the law of the Medes and the Persians, a reflection
upon our God, a reflection upon His grace, a reflection upon
His holiness, a reflection upon His purpose, a reflection upon
His character, a reflection upon Him on behalf of His people.
I change not. That law must go to someone. The justice of that law must
go to someone. And we find the Lord Jesus Christ
had that sin imputed to him, counted to his charge. And when
we hear him cry, I'm stepping into Sunday's message a little
bit, when we hear him cry, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me? That's justice being served. on another, on a substitute.
And the people say, thank you, God. Now it's either going to
be him or us. Justice will be served. Justice
will be served. It will be carried out. It was
carried out on Christ for the church. It will be carried out
by individuals that are not in Christ. So, just going back there
to the book of Esther for just a moment, the book of Esther,
chapter eight. In verse eight, this is about
the law of the Medes and Persians. Just think what it is about the
law of God, the purpose of God, the salvation of God. It says there in verse 8, write
ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king's name, and
seal it with the king's ring. For the writing which is written
in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no
man reverse. God said, with my hand I do this,
and no man shall reverse it. And that's how he can give eternal
life. Not us, but he gives eternal
life. Well, we'll stop there tonight
and we'll pick this, Lord willing, up the next time we meet. God
would give grace and cause us to understand what it is that
there would be no alteration to God and no alteration to his
purpose.