"Because Wyatt Earp Is My Friend"

As some of you know, I love the old westerns - whether TV shows or movies. Mainly, it's because the good guys always did right even when it stood to cost them everything - reputation, friends, and even their life. Right was right and it was not to be compromised, regardless of the cost. Maybe I like them because many say that I see things as being "black and white." Some state it as though it's a flaw that needs to be addressed. But I think in many ways our society is where it is because we've "grayed" everything. I digress, but I do like the strong, quiet types. :)

This past weekend, I watched "Tombstone" on AMC. I've seen pieces of it before, but for the first time I watched it all the way through from beginning to end. It had always spoken to me of the meaning of loyalty and true friendship. As I watched it more attentively, it did so again, over and over. That's what I would like to share, but first let me set the stage.

For those not familiar with the movie, it's the (somewhat romanticized) story of Wyatt Earp; his brothers, Virgil and Morgan; and Doc Holiday facing down the leaders of the outlaw gang known as the Cowboys at the OK Corral.

There are MANY lessons about loyalty and relationship leading up to that point. The Earp brothers had brought their wives out to Arizona to get away from being peace officers and the associated responsibility and dangers. Doc Holiday had joined them because of his long-time, deep friendship with Wyatt. When Virgil could no longer stand to watch people live in fear and the terror caused by the Cowboys and finally accepted the position as Marshal, the others joined him, one by one. Loyalty won out over their desire to not get involved. Blood is thicker than water.

I must digress here briefly. For us with our western culture mindsets, we often misinterpret that statement. Most believe it means that the blood shared in a family relationship is stronger than other more "watery" relationships. That is not the true meaning of the phrase. It's a covenant analogy. It means that the bond between those who had entered into covenant relationship - historically done with some sort of shedding of blood - is stronger than the bond shared by those who have passed through the water of birthing by the same mother. In other words, true covenant relationships are stronger than natural DNA, family relationships. There's a similar proverb in one of the African cultures, "Blood is stronger than milk," meaning covenant is stronger than the bond between those who nursed from the same breast.

In the movie we see both types of bonds, both types of relationships in action. There is a definite love and "tie that binds" between the Earp brothers. But I believe there was an even stronger tie between Wyatt and Doc Holiday. I am sure that neither in the movie nor in real life would they have called it covenant. It boiled down to Doc's statement: "Wyatt is my friend." But now I'm getting ahead of the story, so let me return to it.

Unfortunately, when a gang is 100 strong and you kill three of them, you have kicked a hornets' nest; retaliation (revenge) will follow. Virgil, who is the marshal with Morgan and Wyatt as his deputies, is shot on a dark street on a stormy night and loses the use of his left arm permanently. Morgan is shot in the back through a window and dies. At that point, Wyatt puts Virgil, still recuperating from his wound, on a train with the three Earp wives (one now widowed) to head further west to California.

Wyatt and Doc stay behind to finish the job of liberating the area from the reign of terror of the Cowboys. Some called it revenge. Doc called it "a reckoning." At this point they are joined by three others for whom the Cowboys have now crossed the line as well and they know they must join their long-time acquaintances and try to stop the reign of terror. Great! Instead of the odds being two against nearly 100, they were now improved to a mere 5:100.

As the movie progresses, the leader of the Cowboys is killed and a new leader takes charge. The new leader is Johnny Ringo, a notorious gun fighter. As the story continues, McMasters (one of the three who joined them) is brutally murdered, Doc's tuberculosis has gotten so bad he is bedridden at a ranch, and Ringo has challenged Wyatt to a 1:1 gun fight - winner take all.

There are two problems with Ringo's challenge. One is that they know that if Wyatt wins, it's not all over; the Cowboys will select a new leader and continue to try to kill them as well as continue their reign of terror. The other is that the chances of Wyatt winning are slim to none.

As Wyatt is leaving his friend, Doc, in bed at the ranch to head out to face Ringo, you can see in his eyes he believes he is seeing his friend for the last time. He asks Doc if there is any chance he might beat Ringo and his friend is honest with him. Doc Holiday was the noted gunfighter, not Earp. But even if he weren't bed bound, the challenge is with Wyatt, not Doc. Doc knows Wyatt's integrity would not allow him to take his place. Even if Wyatt should manage to survive, you can tell he is also concerned that the TB is about to take it's toll on his friend.

Wyatt leaves Doc in the care of the ranchers who promise to protect him with their lives and rides off with his two remaining partners - with obvious anticipation of heading to his death and likely the death of his two friends who, loyally, accompany him "to the end." I wonder how many of us have friends who would make that ride with us?

I want to stop here to backtrack in the story a moment. There is a scene much earlier in the movie where Doc has been continually winning at a faro (card) game that had been running for hours and he is being accused of cheating. In those days in the "wild west" (there was more than one reason for that name!), this issue was often settled with one or both parties dead. As his accuser gets testy, the camera pans so you can see under the table where Wyatt (the dealer for the game) has a pistol pointed at the accuser and has it cocked and ready to fire. I point this out because it's a glimpse of how these two men always watched out for one another and were always ready to defend the other.

Similarly, Doc joined the Earp brothers on the march to the OK Corral not because of his sense of justice for the Cowboy vigilantes, but because of his friendship with Wyatt. If his friend was heading into danger, so was Doc. Doc was not a lawman as the Earp brothers had been and now were again. Doc was a gambler and gunfighter - a skill that often proved invaluable to the gamblers of that day. His reputation was well known and earned. It was his friendship that caused him to walk that street that day - not his innate sense of justice. Now back to Ringo's challenge...

You see Wyatt leave his companions to walk alone to the secluded location of the showdown. Then you see Ringo watching as someone emerges from the shadows. But much to your surprise and Ringo's dismay, it's not Wyatt; it's Doc Holiday. As Doc will later tell Wyatt, he wasn't as sick as he pretended to be. He knew two things: 1) He stood at least a reasonable chance of beating Ringo where Wyatt did not and 2) Wyatt would never allow him to go to meet Ringo in his place. So he knew to save his friend he had to get to Ringo first. While we don't know how he did that, apparently undetected by either Earp and his companions or by the Cowboys, he was there, stepping out of the shadows to challenge Ringo.

When Ringo realizes that it is Doc Holiday rather than Wyatt Earp approaching him, he begins to try to talk his way out of the situation. He knows he stands only a slightly better chance against Doc than Wyatt does against him. He does not want this confrontation, but he realizes Doc will not back down. Ringo had previously threatened him that they would have it out and "the reckoning" time had come.

All of this (finally!) brings me to the dialog exchanged that so got my attention. Ringo asks Doc, "Why you doin' this, Doc?" Doc responds simply: "Because Wyatt Earp is my friend."

There is so much in those six words. Doc, sick as he really was, had acted somewhat deceptively to his friend to provide the cover to go before him and meet his enemy, risking his own life in at least three ways in order to save his friend's life. THAT is a true friend!

"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."  John 15:13

How many of us have a friend that would go to such measures for us? Most of us would consider ourselves fortunate to have friends as close as the two who rode out with Wyatt. They were risking their lives to do even that. But the dialog continues.

Ringo retorts laughingly, "Friend? Hell, I got lots of friends." The implication is that none of his friends were there in his place - and that Doc must have some other motive, because people simply don't put their lives on then line like that for a friend. Doc replied in his usual slow, direct fashion: "I don't."

Once again, Doc said much with few words. He had lots of acquaintances. He even had at least a few relationships that we would call friends - like Virgil and Morgan and maybe even the three men who had joined he and Wyatt on the mission to break up this gang of thugs. But Doc knew he had one true friend - one who would have put himself in harm's way to protect him just as Doc was now doing for him.

If you understand how covenant works, it's easy to see it at work in this relationship. Doc knew his gun fighting skills were superior. While nothing is certain - an ambush was not out of the question - Doc was bound by his love for his friend to get to Ringo and eliminate the threat of the 1:1 encounter between him and Wyatt. As quoted above, there is no greater expression of love than being willing to die for his friend.

Most of our friends are like the disciples who scattered when Jesus was arrested. Only two, Peter and John, followed to where He was taken. Only John was present at the cross when He was crucified. John referred to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. It's pretty obvious that he's also the disciple who truly loved Jesus.

Getting back to the movie, as they say, "The rest is history." Even in his weakened condition (the TB was in advanced stages), Doc waited for Ringo to make his move to draw and did, as we expected, beat him in that draw and take him down. Wyatt arrives at the area upon hearing the shots fired. To his utter amazement, he sees Doc squatting over Ringo's dead body. His look of amazed bewilderment is classic.

From there the four ride on to "finish the job" of breaking up the Cowboys, whose numbers had now dwindled to around 30. Many had abandoned the group when "the reckoning" had started. (I guess their loyalty to each other wasn't all that strong!)

We later learn that Wyatt's wife, Mattie, died shortly after leaving Tombstone with Virgil, his wife, and Morgan's widow. Her cause of death is the long-expected overdose of laudanum to which she has been addicted for quite some time and for which she has refused to seek help.

Without the obligation to Mattie, Wyatt is free to stay with his friend in Colorado, where Doc finally checks into a Sanatorium due to his advanced stage of TB. We are shown their last visit. It's apparent that Wyatt has come every day to see his friend. It's also apparent that Doc is at the end of his journey in this life. When Wyatt asks how he's doing, Doc responds, "I'm dying, how are you?"

Wyatt gives him a booklet he's written and had published entitled, "My Friend, Doc Holiday." Doc, in their typical candid way with each other, lets Wyatt know how much he's meant to him, and then asks him to leave. For whatever his reasons, Doc does not want his friend to stay and watch him die. You can tell Wyatt does not want to leave him. But, in faithfulness to their friendship, he continues to put his friend's desires ahead of his own and walks away to leave him to die as he prefers, alone.

All too often when we come to the end of the road with a loved one, we put our desires for those final memories ahead of theirs. Wyatt's love and respect for his friend enabled him to walk away and allow him the dignity of dying in the manner he preferred.

The depth of love and mutual respect between these two men is what ministered to me in the midst of this shoot 'em up movie. I've learned about myself that loyalty and respect are key ingredients for me in a relationship. If those two things are not there, then I know there are boundaries on the relationship and it is not the type of friendship these men shared.

Without the depth of loyalty and respect, your "friend" may or may not be standing with you in a time of need or when your back is against the wall. It may simply be because they are busy with other, more pressing matters. It may be that they were forced to choose sides and are now standing against you (or are agreeing with and even spreading the rumors they really know not to be true). Or they may have refused to take sides and are waiting to see who is left standing (which person has the most to offer them after the dust settles). Are any of these sounding familiar?

None of these are true friends in the way that Doc used this term about his friend, Wyatt. Doc was literally "willing to take a bullet" for Wyatt.

The recent tragedy in Aurora, Colorado, has shown that such friendships still exist today. There were several reports of those who put themselves in harm's way to literally "take the bullet" for their friend or loved one. Others stayed by their friend, working to keep them alive, leaving themselves in great danger to do so.

These are true, covenant relationships. And, while they do exist, I submit to you that they are rare. If you have one, treasure it and continue to cultivate it.

How You Handle the Present Setback May Determine Your Future

I still have not been able to get away from the book of Esther. Take a look with me at the difference in how three of the central characters in this story handled disappointments and setbacks - and how things turned out for them in the end.

First, let's take a look at the setback or disappointment and the response. Then we will take a look at the outcome it eventually brought.

Response to Setback or Disappointment
Mordecai

Let's start with Mordecai. Mordecai and Esther are both introduced into the story in chapter 2, verses 5-7.

Now there was at the citadel in Susa a Jew whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite,who had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the captives who had been exiled with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had exiled. He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle's daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young lady was beautiful of form and face, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

Jeconiah, King of Judah, and most of the Jewish people had been exiled somewhere around 597 B.C. Mordecai's ancestors had been part of that exile. Most scholars believe the King Ahasuerus who is central to the story in Esther began his reign around 485 B.C. Hence, Mordecai had been born and lived his entire life in the land of their captivity. Since more than a century has passed since the Jews were sent into exile, they have somewhat adapted to their land and culture. Yet, many, like Mordecai, have remained true to their God, Jehovah (or YHWH).

We do not know how or why, but Mordecai had apparently become somewhat well known within the capital city of Susa. He sat at the gate of the palace, which was a place of prominence in the city. We do not know what he did for a living, but he apparently was able to not only support himself but also his orphaned cousin, Hadassah. We can only assume that he no children of his own, perhaps not even a wife, since there is no mention of either in the story.

Mordecai could have carried anger and anomosity against the king and the people of the land. After all, this was not his homeland. Some would say he "had reason" to be bitter or resentful. He was born in this land because his ancestors had been forced to relocate there as subjects (slaves) of those who ruled the land. Second, there was still hostility against his people (ethic group) by some of the "ruling class."

But Mordecai does not allow the "setback" of being born in a foreign land to a minority ethnic group to cause bitterness. In fact, in chapter 2 we find that he intervened to protect the life of the king.

Mordecai could have also resented being "saddled" with having to take care of and provide for his cousin. Instead of expecting "someone else" to care for her, he "took for his own daughter." As the story unfolds, we find that "Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women's house, to know how Esther did, and what should become of her." (Esther 2:11) Mordecai truly cared for her as he would have his own daughter. Instead of allowing resentment, Mordecai opened his heart to love.

In spite of the"setbacks" of difficulties and prejudices to overcome and of having a child to raise that was not his own, Mordecai simply went about his daily life, living it in a manner to please God and to follow Paul's later exhortation to us in Romans 12:18 to "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." In the midst of that, he obviously had prospered within that land and considered it his home.

Esther

Now, let's look at Esther. We already know that she was orphaned. We do not know how old she was when she lost her parents, or whether she lost them both at the same time or first one and then the other. All we know is that "she had no father or mother" and Mordecai had taken her into his home to raise as "his own daughter."

Like Mordecai, Esther is in a land to which her ancestors had been forced to come as subjects and where her ethnic group is still not welcomed by some. As a young woman, likely still a teenager, she has lost both of her parents. There is no indication that she had any sibblings, so she is left essentially alone - except for an older cousin, who, graciously takes her in. She is apparently being raised in a home with no female role model (no one to teach her the ways of ladyhood). Yet, it is obvious from the story that she loves and respects Mordecai and that she "was beautiful of form and face." Now, her life is about to take yet another setback.

Some time (we're not told how long) after having deposed Vashti, King Ahasuerus misses having a royal co-regent and begins to look for someone suitable to be his queen. The beginning of chapter 2 explains the process that will be used to select from among "all the fair young virgins" throughout "all the provinces of his kingdom" to find "the maiden which pleaseth the king" for him to make his queen. Verse 8 tells us:

So it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.

Esther's life is once again interupted from its normal course. Having settled in with her cousin, she still have the hope of one day marrying and having a family of her own. Now, those hopes are dashed.

Esther is one of some (probably large) number of young women being "rounded up" for the king's harem. True, one of them would become queen. But that would be one and only one out of "all the fair young virgins" throughout "all the provinces of his kingdom." What were her chances of being that one? Especially since she was from a different ethnic group than the king. Though it was true that his kingdom included many ethnic groups since it contained 127 provinces extending from India to Ethiopia, her people group were those who had been brought to this region due to their captivity. They were not a natural people group within this land. And many in the land had not forgotten that.

Esther's hopes for a family and a "normal" life were over. Once she received her year's worth of beauty treatments and had her "one night with the king" she would become part of his harem. After that one night, whether or not she was ever in his presence again was entirely up to him. She might well spend the rest of her life living as part of his harem and dying without ever being able to be with "family" again.

Remember, too, that Esther is still likely a teenager. To say the least, she was still young enough to be considered a "maiden." Human nature has not changed. Teenage girls then were likely to have the same ability to be moody as teenage girls now. But Esther did not slip into that.

Esther had been trained well by her cousin. She did not allow bitterness and resentment to build in her heart. As she had submitted to and obeyed Mordecai, she now submitted to and obeyed Hegai., in whose care she found herself. And she continued to receive and abide by the counsel of her cousin, Mordecai.

Haman

Finally, let's take a look at Haman. His is a very different story. Unlike Mordecai and Esther, he is what we might consider "one of the ruling class." In Esther 3:1 we learn that he is above all the other princes of the land.

After these events King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and established his authority over all the princes who were with him.

As the story unfolds, we realize that Haman has become essentially "the number two guy" in the kingdom. Most would consider themselves at the peak of their career and enjoy their honor, prestige, and all of the benefits it brings. But not Haman. In spite of everyone paying homage to Haman except for one person, Haman could not let the issues of that one person go. Esther 3:2 sets the stage.

All the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman; for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage.

Esther 3:5 reveals Haman's reaction.

When Haman saw that Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage to him, Haman was filled with rage.

Verse 6 goes on to tell us that Haman's wrath was not simply targeted at Mordecai as an individual, but at his entire ethnic group.

But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

While the account recorded for us does not say, my belief is that Haman did not target the Jews because Mordecai wouldn't bow to him - but rather Haman used his disgruntlement with Mordecai as the excuse to destroy a people group he already hated. (For more on that issue, see my previous post entitled "The Anti-Christ Spirit ...is against You!")

But, in this study I am looking at how people respond to setbacks, so let's get back to Haman's story. So far, he seems to be advancing in the kingdom nicely. He is even granted his petition to set aside a day throughout all of kingdom (all 127 provinces) to destroy all of the Jews within the kingdom. Even his personal vendetta against the Jews would be settled once and for all. Yet, all of that does not appease Haman. Esther 5:13 records Haman's feelings:

"Yet all of this does not satisfy me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate."

Haman's anger against Mordecai was so consuming he could not simply wait for the appointed day to come and Mordecai to be killed along with all his people group.

Wrath will drive you to do foolish things. Haman, following the counsel of his family and friends, decides to build a gallows especially for Mordecai. He orders it built that night and has it built 50 cubits high. That's roughly 75 feet (or nearly 23 meters). That's high! Why? This wasn't just about hanging Mordecai - it was about making a spectacle of him openly. Haman was waiting for morning to request permission to hang Mordecai publicly.

Haman's plan was to go the following morning to "suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on" the gallows he had constructed that night and "then go merrily with the king to the banquet" prepared for them - and only them - by Queen Esther. He would get that thorn, Mordecai, out of his side (or at least have permission to do so) and then go celebrate with the king and queen. Here's where Haman begins to encounter a setback.

As Haman entered the outer court of the king early the next morning in hopes of being able to make his request, his pride swells when the king asks what should be done for someone the king would like to honor. Assuming this had to be himself, Haman lays the plan out to his liking. Then he finds himself being forced to parade through the city square, leading one of the royal horses with Mordecai mounted upon it in royal robes, proclaiming to all that "'Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor." (Esther 6:6-12) Talk about having to eat your own words! Haman's day is not starting well!

After being totally humiliated by having to show honor to Mordecai, Haman rushes home. Those who had so encouraged him to kill Mordecai the night before have suddenly changed their tune. Now their words to him are of dire warning:

"If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish origin, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him." (Esther 6:13)

Warning aside, it is time for his banquet with the king and queen and he must be off. At least he is still enjoying that honor. He rushes off to eat and drink with the king and his beautiful queen.

After dinner the king again queries the queen about her petition. This time, Queen Esther lays out her plea.

"If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me as my petition, and my people as my request; for we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed and to be annihilated. Now if we had only been sold as slaves, men and women, I would have remained silent, for the trouble would not be commensurate with the annoyance to the king." (Esther 7:3-4)

The king quickly asks, "Who is he, and where is he, who would presume to do thus?" to which Esther replies, "A foe and an enemy is this wicked Haman!" Haman's day that had already started out poorly has just taken a rapid decline! "Then Haman became terrified before the king and queen." (Esther 7:6b)

Haman realizes he better do some back-peddling - and fast! He had no idea that the queen was Jewish. Which also means he probably still has no idea of her relationship to his archenemy, Mordecai. (Sidebar: It pays to know all about your enemy before you try to take him down!) Talk about a setback!

When Haman comes to realize the people group he has targeted for annihilation include the much-loved Queen Esther, he knows he is in serious trouble. Instead of following the king out to the garden to repent and recant from what he has requested, he hopes to find mercy in Esther and stays in the banquet hall to "beg for his life from Queen Esther." However, just as he was "falling on the couch where Esther was" in his desperate plea, the king returns to the room. Seeing Haman lunging toward his queen was over the top for King Ahasuerus. He would tolerate no more from this man!

The Outcomes

So what happened to each of these? What was the result of their actions and they ways they lived their lives? We will take these in a reverse order, starting with Haman.

Haman

The warning Haman had been given just before the banquet turned out to be both accurate and swift.

"If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish origin, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him." (Esther 6:13)

Esther 7:8-10 records "the rest of the story" for Haman.

Now when the king returned from the palace garden into the place where they were drinking wine, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, "Will he even assault the queen with me in the house?" As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face.

Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who were before the king said, "Behold indeed, the gallows standing at Haman's house fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai who spoke good on behalf of the king!" And the king said, "Hang him on it." So they hanged Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, and the king's anger subsided.

Be careful what traps you lay for someone in anger. They may well become a snare for your own feet - or, in this case, your own neck!

Anger and rage eat like a cancer. The person they consume is the one allowing them to eat away!

That ends the issue between Haman and Mordecai, personally, but the decree that has been issued to kill all the Jews in the land is still in force. This still has the lives of both Mordecai and Queen Esther in jeopardy, along with all of their ethnic group within the vast kingdom of King Ahasuerus. With that still in mind, let's turn our attention back to Esther.

Esther

Not only had Esther's continual, godly submission to those whom God placed over her (Mordecai and, for a season, Hegai) ended in her finding favor with King Ahasuerus and becoming his queen, but now she had favor with him that he continually promised her "even to half of the kingdom" should she ask for it. Yet, all she sought was her life and the lives of her people. The impending destruction is still looming. Esther goes, again, to the king to make a plea for her people.

Then Esther spoke again to the king, fell at his feet, wept and implored him to avert the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite and his plot which he had devised against the Jews. The king extended the golden scepter to Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king. Then she said, "If it pleases the king and if I have found favor before him and the matter seems proper to the king and I am pleasing in his sight, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king's provinces. For how can I endure to see the calamity which will befall my people, and how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?" (Esther 8:3-6)

We know that the king granted Esther her petition. He allowed her to write a superseding decree and seal it with his signet ring that the Jews were able to assemble and defend themselves against any who would try to do them harm. The "curse was reversed" in that they were granted the same permission that had been previously granted to those who hated them - except that the Jews were defending themselves against their attackers instead of attacking an innocent, peaceful people group as the plot against them had been.

But, what of Queen Esther? In the process, she had been given Haman's estate - his house and all that was in it. And, having revealed her relationship to Mordecai, she was now able once again to have a full, open relationship with him. In fact, she placed him in charge of the estate which had belonged to Haman to manage it for her.

Which leads us back to Mordecai...

Mordecai

As mentioned above, Esther not only sets Mordecai over the estate she has been given, but she also brings him before the king and explains their relationship. When she does, we find that "The king took off his signet ring which he had taken away from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai." (Esther 8:2) Further,

Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a large crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. (Esther 8:15)

In the end,

... Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews and in favor with his many kinsmen, one who sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the welfare of his whole nation. (Esther 10:3)

Mordecai had not sought self-promotion. He did not send word to Esther to plea for herself and him, which might have been "an easier sell" to the king. Both Queen Esther and Mordecai were concerned about the good of their people over their own personal well-being. (Remember that Esther risked her own life to enter the king's presence to make the plea.) It is obvious from this last verse recorded for us that the people knew Mordecai's heart of servant hood toward them.

Takeaway Points

• Selfishness and self-promoting leads to pride, which leads to a downfall or destruction.
• Anger eats like a cancer and consumes the one who allows it to seethe.
• Godly character produces favor.
• Those who chose to serve the people rather than be served by them cause the city (or nation) to rejoice.

May we always, in every realm - be that business, politics, the Church, or in personal relationships - seek to serve rather than to be served. Then and only then are we true leaders!

The Anti-Christ Spirit ... is against You!

[All scriptures quoted from NASB unless otherwise noted.]

For some time now, I have not been able to get away from studying the book of Esther. I have gone back to it time and time again. One of the things the Holy Spirit has highlighted to me in this passage of scripture is the working of the anti-Christ spirit - how it worked then and now.

Anti-Semitic Spirit at Work

From the events recorded for us in Esther, we know that Haman hated Mordecai. Haman's hatred seethed each time he would pass Mordecai and Mordecai would not bow to him as everyone else did. Haman also knew why Mordecai would not bow to him, which caused him to hate not only Mordecai but his people - the Jews. Esther 3:6 tells us:

But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

It wasn't enough for Haman to get rid of Mordecai; he wanted to annihilate this whole people group!

Why this hatred for the Jews? Where and when did this start?

To answer those questions we have to go back to the beginning of this "race" of people. That takes us back to Genesis.

God established a covenant with one man, Abraham. God further made covenant with his descendants through Isaac, the son born to him by his covenant wife, Sarah. (Genesis 17:19-21) God promised Abraham that "in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." (Genesis 22:18) It would be through this linage that God would send His only begotten Son, Jesus, to redeem mankind.

From that time forward, Satan has hated the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - the Jewish people - and has sought to destroy them. Satan was driven to stop the plan of God from coming to pass, and anti-semitism was born. Since the reason for wanting to annihilate the seed of Abraham was to prevent Christ from being born, the anti-semitic spirit is simply a form or particular manifestation of the anti-Christ spirit.

We know that throughout history, both in Biblical times and up to our present day, leader after leader in nation after nation has tried to wipe out - totally annihilate - God's chosen race, the Jews, including their modern-day nation of Israel. One of the many Biblical examples is the one given in Esther when Haman convinces King Ahasuerus to issue a decree "to kill and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of ... Adar, and to seize their possessions as plunder." (Esther 3:13)

While this particular edict in ancient times was overturned by Esther's plea followed by Ahasuerus' decree of reversal, Satan did not give up on his goal to destroy this people. In the 1940s, Hitler attempted to accomplish the task. He attempted to annihilate the entire Jewish race (among other groups he also targeted). Tragically, Hitler did kill nearly 6 million Jews, which was roughly two-thirds of the European Jewish population. About a quarter of those murdered were children under the age of 15 - he killed "both young and old, women and children." He also "[seized] their possessions as plunder." Yet, the Jewish race survived - as God has promised it will.

The most poignant current example of the impersonation of this spirit rests in the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who insists that Israel must cease to exist. The story of hatred against this people simply because of who they are and Who they believe is the same; the pawns used by Satan to attempt to destroy them change over time.

Yet, Satan knows "the end of the matter." God's covenant with Abraham was an everlasting covenant to his descendants. That means - it will never end! As part of that covenant, God promised them the land of Abraham's "sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession." (Genesis 17:7-8 & Genesis 15:7,18-21)

God also promised that Abraham's seed would "possess the gate of their enemies." (Genesis 22:17) Hence it is not wise for anyone - a person or a people group - to set themselves against Israel. According to God's promise to them, in the end, Israel will prevail!

We can see this demonstrated in the story of Haman. His hatred for Mordecai and the Jewish people cost him not only his position of authority but his life and the lives of his seed along with the lives of others who joined him in his hatred of the Jews. Rather than the decree he had issued being the end of the Jewish people, "the curse was reversed," and it was a day on which the Jews were allowed to annihilate their enemies. And so they did. With the help of government officials throughout the provinces, they killed 75,500 of their enemies in a single day and were given permission to continue into the next day in the capitol city of Susa, killing another 300. (Esther 8:11; 9:1-3, 12-16)

God turned Haman's plan to destroy them into a plan for deliverance from the oppression of those who hated them. They possessed the gates of their enemies!

Anti-Christ Spirit at Work

As previously noted, there is a close tie between the anti-semitic spirit and the anti-Christ spirit. One is specifically targeted against the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. The other is targeted more globally against Jesus Christ and His people, whether Jew or Gentile, in whatever earthly nation or geographic location they reside.

According to 1 Peter 2:9-10, we "who ... obey Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:1-2) and have been "born again to a living hope" through Him (1 Peter 1:3), are now "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's Own possession ... the people of God." The creation of this new "chosen race" and the "holy nation" it constitutes does not in any way nullify God's everlasting covenant with the Jewish race and their nation, Israel. However, those who accept Christ as the promised Messiah and Savior, whether Jew or Gentile, have "a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises." (Hebrews 8:6)

As with the anti-semitic spirit, to understand this hatred of God's people, we must return to the beginning. This time, let's go all they way back to Genesis 3.

From the very beginning of the human race, there has been a struggle between Satan and God as to whom man would believe and serve. In Genesis 3, we have the account of how the serpent came to Eve and enticed her to distrust what God had told them about the tree "in the middle of the garden." What we do not know is how long it took the serpent to entice Eve to disobey the commandment of the Lord. However, by verse 6, Eve is standing at the tree.

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

Eve is no longer simply talking about "the tree which is in the middle of the garden" (Genesis 3:3), but she is standing there at it, beholding it and its fruit. James 1:14-15 warns us:

But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

This is where Eve found herself. She was "carried away and enticed by [her] own lust" for wisdom. Her lust gave birth to sin - disobedience of God's command; her sin brought forth death.

In verse 13 we learn:

The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this ... I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head and you shall bruise him on the heel."

There you have it - the enmity between Satan and the seed of woman began. Satan knew that, eventually, the seed of woman would bruise his head.

While we know that Jesus was The Seed that would bruise his head, we are also told in Romans 16:29 that "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under [our] feet." So we as redeemed mankind, born-again followers of Jesus Christ, are also part of the fulfillment of the word given in the garden. But, the fact that we will have our heel on Satan's head comes at a price.

Jesus clearly told us how the world would view us. The world, under the influence of the prince of this world, Satan, hated Jesus and it would hate those who belonged to him. In John 15:18-21, Jesus provides this warning:

"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me."

So, why are we surprised when the world hates us? Why are we surprised that most of the media does not treat us "fairly" - or give equal (and respectful) time to our views and issues?

Christ, Himself, told us that if the world loved us, it would be because we were part of it - "its own." If we are "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and holy nation, a peculiar people" (1 Peter 2:9, KJV), then we are not "its own" - we are in the world, but not "of it."

Yet, as with the Jews, we have the promises of God that tell us "the end of the story." We know that Jesus will reign over the Jewish people forever. Among other places, this was promised to Mary in Luke 1:31-33.

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” [NKJV]

But what about us, particularly those of us who are non-Jewish followers of Jesus Christ? We also have promises! In fact, Romans 8:17 tells us that we will be "heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." [NKJV]

Think of it. Jesus "will reign over the house of Jacob forever," but, as believers, we will be "joint heirs" with Him. That's the difference between being a subject in the kingdom and being co-regent! I would say that we have "a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises"!

But, did you catch that second phrase in the passage from Romans, "if indeed we suffer with Him"? Once again, there is the warning that the privilege of being a joint heir with Christ carries with it the condition that we share in His sufferings.

We should not expect that living a life committed to Christ will be "a cake walk." As soon as we are born again and set our hearts on living for Him and by His principles, we become targets for the Enemy. At that point, his fury against Christ is also directed against us.

In James 1:2-8 we are exhorted to:

... count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. [NKJV]

The Greek phrase translated here as "various trials" is "poikilos peirasmos" (poy-kee'-los pe-ras-mos'). A literal translation of this phrase would be to "to put to proof by various (different) means." The word translated as "fall into" is the word "peripipto" (per-ee-pip'-to). The connotation is that of falling into something that totally surrounds you or to be totally surrounded by something.

In other words, James is telling us that we are surrounded on every side by opportunities for our faith to be put to the test - to prove whether or not it will "hold up" under scrutiny. I think we can all agree he got that right!

But, why is that the case? Why does God not always give us immediate victory? Because "the testing of [our] faith produces patience." And we need for "patience [to] have its perfect work, that [we] may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

This reminds me of the issue of the children of Israel when they were finally freed from Pharaoh's rule and left Egypt.

Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, "The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt." (Exodus 13:17)

God knew that after spending their entire lives in slavery, He would have to retrain these people to think and act like the free men they now were as well. They also had to be trained to fight, both to defend themselves and to be able to conquer the enemies who had possessed their former homeland.

We are much the same when we become born again. Until that point, our thoughts have been controlled by Satan, the father of lies. God has to retrain us to think and act like His children, operating out His principles and faith in Him and His word. Ephesians 4:23-24 tells us that we need to "be renewed in the spirit of [our] mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth."

Yet, it is our very shift to begin to "put on the new self" that "flags" us for the anti-Christ spirit to being zeroing in on us. In 2 Timothy 3:12, Paul tells us that "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." We need not think this will improve over time. In fact, Paul warns in the next verse that "evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." (Emphasis added.) I don't think any of us will have a problem believing that this is happening!

Yet, in the next verse, Paul exhorts Timothy and us that we should "continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them." (2 Timothy 3;14, emphasis added.) If we have not truly "become convinced of" these truths, we will not be able to continue in them when the persecution comes and our faith is continually tried. If we have "become convinced," then we no choice but to "continue in" them!

Before pulling this to a close, let me emphasize that the anti-Christ spirit is after brining down the universal Church - the corporate body of believers wherever they live around the globe. He seeks to discredit it in any and every way possible and he seeks to annihilate its individual members.

The point is that the anti-Christ spirit attacks the Church as an entity - and its members as individuals. It particularly goes after key leaders, even as Satan sought to stop Jesus when He was here in the flesh. Satan first sought to stop Him through sin. When that failed, he killed Him. Fortunately for us, instead of stopping the plan of salvation, that led to its completion through Christ's death and resurrection. Hallelujah!

Satan's tactics through the anti-Christ spirit are the same for us. He will try to get us to turn from a life of righteousness and holiness to sin. When it become apparent to him that we are not "going there," he will try other means to "take us out" - either to discredit us before others in some way that will neutralize our effectiveness or even try to kill us.

In my own, personal experience, I have had two car wrecks that I firmly believe were both orchestrated by the enemy with the full intent of "taking me out" physically. One was in 1974; the other in 2004. In both cases, the situation causing the wreck was just too bizarre. In both cases, the car I was driving was "caved in" around the drivers seat. By all natural reasoning, the one in 1974 should have killed me. The one in 2004 should have, at a minimum, severely injured me. While I did sustain injuries in both, I also "walked away" from both. That was God's protection!

I am not pointing out the workings of the anti-Christ spirit against us to instill fear in anyone. Instead, I hope to offer encouragement to those who "feel the pressure" of the constant attacks and to exhort us all to be on our guard. Paul sums it up for us in Ephesians 6:12-18.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. [NKJV, emphasis added.]

Also, remember that James tells us that "If any of [us] lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5, NKJV) May we learn to always seek His wisdom for how to handle these situations.

I will leave you with two more promises we have from God's Word.

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.
The way of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know over what they stumble.
(Proverbs 4:18-19)

Arise, shine; for your light has come,
And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
For behold, darkness will cover the earth
And deep darkness the peoples;
But the LORD will rise upon you
And His glory will appear upon you.
Nations will come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
(Isaiah 60:1-3)

Let us not worry about how dark it becomes around us or how much we are attacked. Instead, let us be sure we remain in Him so that our path continues to get brighter and brighter and we continue to radiate His glory to the nations!