“I Saw the Light” (Melody-Albert E. Brumley: “He Set Me Free” – 1939, lyric: Hank Williams, 1947, apparently an homage to Brumley’s hymn.) Psalm 123:1-2.

My Shepherd met me in His green pastures foraging in Esther chapters 4-7. The Mind of the Spirit engaged the spirit of my mind in Esther 5:13:

Esther 5:13 Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.

Esther is among the most beloved stories in the Bible. This book is God’s inspired journal of the deliverance of HIs people by the Divine Hand of Providence working through the affairs of men. It’s the only formal festival kept by the Jews that Moses did not prescribe. Some believe John 5:1 refers to the Feast of Purim.*

Along the still waters, I thought about the celebration of Purim. The word Purim refers to the casting of lots. It identifies the day God’s enemies cast lots before Haman to determine the date on which they would launch his plot to destroy the Jews out of the Kingdom (See Esther 3:7 and 9:24). The lot fell on the time of year leading up to Passover. In 2026, Purim will be celebrated on March 2-3, and Passover on April 1-9. Today, the Jews use Purim as preparation for Passover.

Purim celebrates the deliverance of Israel entirely by God’s Providence, working invisibly from Heaven to do His work. Whereas, Passover celebrates God’s deliverance by the open show of His magnificent power and Glory. Esther testifies that God usually works in this world from within the seemingly ordinary events of our history. Passover celebrates the fact that from time to time, God moves into our world from outside of it.

I wanted you to have that insight so you can hear Him say to you what He said to me this morning: I am constantly working behind the scenes, and much of what I do is a direct response to the prayers of My people—like Esther! Don’t fail to appreciate His attention to all your troubles and concerns (1 Peter 5:7). Nor fail to understand that His eyes are always running to and fro in the earth “to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

But, now to my musings on Esther 5:13: the wicked can’t enjoy their abundance, so long as God’s children are present to assert their independence and refuse to worship them. Believers make the prosperity of the wicked empty vanity when their ego is pricked by our indifference to their “glory.” When we refuse to “bow” to their self-importance, or when we are not swayed from our faith by their riches and power, it galls them and sets the worms of envy boring down into their souls till it finally destroys their flesh.

Mordecai did nothing to hurt Haman. He was a faithful servant of GOD, who refused to bow to Haman’s ego. Mordecai would not serve the Persians according to their vain laws that required rule over the conscience and over faith in God. But he did serve the Persians according to his faith: he saved the King’s life by revealing a plot to kill him, and counseled Esther to make for the king a most lovely and godly bride. Mordecai and Esther saved the kingdom from certain ruin from the open wrath of GOD if Haman had succeeded in his wicked purpose. Although Ahasuerus sat upon the throne, Mordacai and Esther ruled the realm.

We need to understand that it is the prayers of a perfect heart, humble, honest, and holy, that moves the Hand of Providence and even guides His work in this world. He said His eyes run to and fro through the whole earth to show himself strong in the behalf of those whose hearts are perfect toward Him.

In the valley, kneeling in the shadow of His Cross, I contemplated the immanent and transcendent movements of God. Immanence refers to God’s omnipresent, ubiquitous, and suffusive, exercising His powers to move events and history unseen. Transcendence refers to those moments when God interjects Himself, working from without the course of concourse and commerce, and works miracles that demonstrate He is the Creator outside of Creation, Who has the prerogatives of creation’s Sovereign to suspend its rules and act in this world independently of them. The distinction is evident when comparing God’s deliverance of His people in the Exodus (Transcendence) and in Esther (Immanence).

It seems evident that He prefers that we see Him in the shadows of this world’s events.

He marked out for us the way forward through anything happening in this world to us or to others. We must follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:22): “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

At the table, He anointed my head with His oil and filled my cup with His grace. Goodness and mercy followed as we went together into His harvest.

Praying for revival! 🙏

Going live asap:

https://rumble.com/v72rpqo-shepherds-pasture.html

[*John 5:1 “After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” This is the only Jewish feast mentioned that is not named. There are three feasts prescribed by Moses in the Torah: the Feast of Passover (also called the Feast of Unleavened Bread), which is mentioned often (Matthew 26:2; Luke 22:1; etc.), the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2), aka the Feast of Booths, and the Feast of Pentecost. This feast is never mentioned in the Gospels, which is curious. It is not mentioned until after the resurrection (Acts 2:1; 20:16; 1 Corinthians 16:8). These are the three Feasts commanded by Moses, and only the Feast of Pentecost was continued by the Christians. Passover (translation of πάσχα (pascha)) is mentioned after the resurrection only in Acts 12:3-4 (verse three refers to the Passover as the feast of “Unleavened Bread” (see also Acts 20:6); verse 4 uses the word pascha), also see 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, and Hebrews 11:28. None of these show Christians participating in Moses’ Feast of Passover. In Acts 12, the Spirit refers to the Feast as indicating when Herod intended to kill Peter. Tyndale astutely used Easter (meaning resurrection)  to translate pascha, showing that believers at the time celebrated the resurrection of Christ, understanding that Christ is our passover (1 Corinthians 5:7-8). It is near the blasphemy of the Mass for believers to eat the Passover. The Lord’s Supper established the Lord’s memorial for the fulfillment of the Passover. Two additional Jewish feasts were added to the three mandated in Moses’ Law: the Feast of Purim, celebrating God’s providential deliverance of Israel from annihilation as recorded in the book of Esther, and the Feast of Dedication, also called Chanukkah (Hanukkah). This last one has no biblical reference; it is a celebration of the rededication of the Second Temple (Ezra, Nehemiah) after Antiochus defiled it. This sparked the Maccabean revolt that lasted three years, ending with the Jews recapturing Jerusalem and purifying the Temple. This celebration is mentioned expressly in the New Testament (John 10:22). Jesus recognized this Feast (John 10:22-23). But Purim is not mentioned anywhere in the New Testament. Most think John 5:1 refers to Purim because it was not prescribed by the Law but is called a Rabbinical festival. However, the Feast of Dedication, also called the Festival of Lights, is a Rabbinical Festival, and it is named in the Gospels. Why would the Spirit omit referencing the Feast of Purim? The argument that John 5:1 refers to Purim includes the dating of the events described in John 5, which correspond to the dates the Jews celebrated Purim.]