Esther 8:8 - “Now write another decree in the king’s name on behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring—for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.“

The ancient Persians had an unusual custom in their legal system – the king’s official decrees were irrevocable or permanent.  This created problems when the king wanted to undo something he had already decreed – he could not retract his edict (see Daniel 6:11-15 for another story where this problem arose).  This strict Persian custom brought stability in their legal system, but sometimes produced unjust results.  In the book of Esther, the only way the king can counteract his first edict is to give a second one authorizing resistance against the first edict.

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Esther 7:9-10  – “Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, ‘A gallows seventy-five feet [50 cubits] high stands by Haman’s house.  He had it made for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.’  The king said, ‘Hang him on it!’ So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.  Then the king’s fury subsided…”

Haman, the enemy of God’s people, had planned to have Mordecai killed (impaled or crucified) on a tall execution stake.  The word “gallows” in the original was actually a pole or cross to which they would impale the victim.  In an unexpected turn of events, Haman himself dies on the very execution stake that he planned to use to kill God’s servant.

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Hosea 9:1-2 – “Do not rejoice, O Israel; do not be jubilant like the other nations. For you have been unfaithful to your God; you love the wages of a prostitute at every threshing floor.  Threshing floors and winepresses will not feed the people; the new wine will fail them.”

“Do not rejoice, O Israel…” True rejoicing is appropriate for those who are actually right with God, those who are walking in faithfulness.  This is the case in Philippians 4:4, where Paul tells us tells to “Rejoice in the Lord always,” referring to people whose mature Christian character is “evident to all” (Philippians 4:5).  In contrast, Hosea 9 (like James 4:8-10) addresses hypocritical believers, backsliders, and religious phonies.  They need to repent, to get right with God, to yield completely to Him and start walking in faithfulness and obedience.

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Here is an alternative translation of “How To Enter By The Blood of Jesus” in Punjabi – also in a different format.

enter_blood_jesus_punjabipdf1

Here we summarize seven points that we have found most important for having the Holy Spirit work more freely – and more powerfully – in our midst. These are the seven concepts we most want to share with others, the points that we believe will make the most difference in your church or group.

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1 John 1:5-7 – “…This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin…”

God gives us His light by His revelation. He gives us this so that He might prepare a Faithful Church to live in His presence forever. His light is what guides us day by day to this holy and perfect destination.

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Genesis 4:3-7 – “In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.  Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it…’”

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Leviticus 8:22-24  - ”He then presented the other ram, the ram for the ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.  Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.  Moses also brought Aaron’s sons forward and put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Then he sprinkled blood against the altar on all sides.”

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Exodus 13:21 - “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud … and by night in a pillar of fire …” 

When the Lord called his people Israel out of Egypt, He called them with the intent to guard them and to deliver them completely from the hand of Pharaoh.  

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Genesis 37:31-35 – Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.  They took the ornamented robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”  He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”  Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “in mourning will I go down to the grave to my son.” So his father wept for him. 

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