May it please Almighty God to bless the reading of his holy words to the Prophet of our souls tonight. Let's turn to the book of Esther and we'll read the fourth chapter. The book of Esther and chapter four. I had felt directed to read this before I was advised about the two bills before Parliament. but it does seem quite appropriate because in Mordecai and Esther's day, there was a great difficulty where everything seemed stacked against them. But the Lord most wonderfully appeared and gave Esther that courage to go to the king, which was not according to the law. And she found acceptance before him. So we can only read a part of the essence of a lovely book, but we'll just read the fourth chapter and starting at verse one.

When Mordecai perceived all that was done, and what had happened was there was a petition which had gone round to all the countries saying that all the Jews should be slain on a certain day. So Mordecai now perceived all that was done Morikei rent his clothes and put on sackcloth with ashes and went out into the midst of the city and cried with a loud and a bitter cry and came even before the king's gate for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth and in every province Whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

So Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told it her. Then was the queen exceedingly grieved, and she sent raimans to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him, but he received it not. Then called Esther for Hathak, one of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai to know what it was and why it was.

So, Haytak went forth to Morikei unto the street of the city which was before the king's gate. And Morikei told him of all that had happened unto him and of the sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasurers for the Jews to destroy them. Also, He gave him a copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to show it unto Esther and to declare it unto her and to charge her that she should go in unto the king to make supplication unto him and to make request before him for her people. Hatak came and told Esther the words of Morikei. Again Esther spoke unto Hatak and gave him commandment unto Morikei.

All the king's servants and the people of the king's province do know that whosoever with a man or woman shall come unto the king into the inner court who is not called there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live.

But I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.' And they told to Mordecai Esther's words. Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall thy enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed, and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?' Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day, I also and my maidens will fast likewise and so will I go in unto the king which is not according to the law and if I perish, I perish. So Morikei went his way and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.

Well that's the end of chapter 4 and we'll stop there but it's lovely to read on and you can read on and perhaps when you get home tonight chapter 5 and you'll find the wonderful deliverance that God brought and we are thankful tonight to know that that same God that delivered his people all those years ago is the same God today and therefore may we be blessed with that spirit of prevailing prayer, because it's not too late, because that vote has not yet been taken, and we pray it may be overturned.

So here we have the picture before us of Morikei, knew what the problem was, and it was a desperate situation. And so he came and told them to go and tell Esther, so Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told it her. Then was the queen exceedingly grieved, and she sent Raymond to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him, but he received it not.

And then Esther called for one of the king's chamberlains, to ask what the situation was and he came and he came upon her and gave him a commandment to Morikei to know what it was and why it was. So Hatak went forth to Morikei unto the street of the city which was before the king's gate. And Morikei told him all the situation. He also gave him a copy of the writing of the decree so that Esther was fully in the picture of the true situation. Then Esther spake unto Hatak and gave him commandment unto Morikei.

And this is what she said, told this servant to speak to Morikei and to just make him remember that there was no way that she could really go into the inner court unless the king held out the golden scepter. And then Morikei gave her this answer. And it's a wonderful answer.

And he commanded to answer Esther, think not with thyself. that thou shalt escape in the king's house more than all the Jews. Sometimes we might think in our lives we may escape certain situations and they may not actually affect us. Well, we should realise that we're just as anyone else and that's why Mordecai spoke so clearly to Esther and told her therefore that thou shalt escape in the king's house more than all the Jews. no reason that she should for if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time then shall their enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another court place but thou and my father's house shall be destroyed he laid it down very clearly so that she was aware of the situation and there she was in that eminent position and so he comes and concludes this statement by saying and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this although that was a word so appropriate in that day yet for us today it's appropriate to realise that in our lives the Lord's called us to be on the earth at this particular time just like he called Esther to be on the earth at that particular time so that she might perform the command and be the means that God used to free Israel from that command. So let us not think that we should escape or there's no responsibility upon us because the Lord's placed us, you and me, on this earth at this very time. And the days in which we live are not easy. They're difficult and appear to be becoming more difficult. And we shouldn't think that we should escape, we can escape any more than anybody else.

And yet what a mercy if God gives us grace to stand firm and to speak out against those things which are so evil and so wrong. that speech had a good effect upon Esther and the result was that Esther said return Mordecai this answer, go gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan and fast ye for me and neither eat nor drink three days night or day I also and my maidens will fast likewise and so will I go in unto the king which is not according to the law and if I perish, I perish.'

She was wholeheartedly committed to do that which Mordecai had said that she should do and we see how God changed her mind from fear that she wouldn't be accepted to be made willing to go and to present the case before the king and she desired that the king would hear and yet she said I will go in unto the king which is not according to the law and if I perish I perish.

Well that was submission wasn't it? to the purposes and will of Almighty God. So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther had commanded him. And well, it's wonderful how deliverance came. And one of the situations which developed that deliverance was that years ago Mordecai had heard some people planning to kill the king Ahasuerus and Mordecai told the king or told his servants that there was this plan and therefore the king was delivered from that attack upon himself and they intended to murder him and but they made a note a note in the book had kept a record of these things that what had happened and how Mordecai had spoken up for the king and what a great favor that was so the king then asked what favour was done to Maudikei. And they said there wasn't any favour done. And then the king, if you read this you'll find out, the king then ordered what was to be done.

And he asked, who's in the court? And unbelievably, Haman was there with a plea to hang Maudikei. And the king said let him come in. And the king asked him, What should be done to the person that the king delights to honor? And Haman gave a long list of all the things, thinking he was going to be the person. And then the king said to him, go and do that to Mordecai. Well, that was the beginning of the deliverance. And it continued so that the decree that was against the Jews was turned around against Haman and all his followers.

So we see how God is in control and as we come in prayer tonight to our God to have that humble belief that we're not praying to a God who doesn't hear, we're praying to a God who hears and answers and may it please him tonight and tomorrow to hear prayer and send answers of peace. Well we'll just leave the few comments there and we'll sing together