Have you ever gotten a hand-me-down garment? I was the oldest child, so I didn’t get much of that action, but my little brother sure did! Well, wearing hand-me-downs from your big brother or sister may not be cool, but what if they were from someone really famous? What if it they were personally given you by your favorite recording artist? During biblical times, receiving a garment from a king meant you shared in his royalty… in effect, it permanently changed the way you were to be treated. YOU were now recognized as royalty.
In the book of Esther we read of a Jew named Mordecai who was to be hanged. A plot had been laid by Haman, an evil member of the king’s court who secretly hated Jews. In fact, Haman already had gallows built to hang Mordecai. Miraculously, the King couldn’t sleep and asked that the chronicles of his reign be read to him. All of a sudden, he realized from the chronicles that a Jew named Mordecai had done something wonderful for the kingdom quite some time ago, and had never been recognized for it. Ironically, the King had Haman summon Mordecai so he could honor him…
“Now Haman thought to himself, ‘Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?’ So he answered the king, have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head… ‘Go at once,’ the king commanded Haman. ‘Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew'”… Esther 7:6b-10
Later, Haman fell into his own trap and he was actually hung instead of Mordecai. Here’s the analogy to our lives.
We are Mordecai, handed a death sentence for our sins – Romans 3:23 Haman is Satan, laying a trap for us and wishing us dead (Satan, of course, winds up loosing) – John 10:10 The King, is our heavenly Father who offers us the righteousness of Christ, His only Son and sinless sacrifice for our sins – Phillippians 3:9
We, being freely offered royalty, put on the righteousness of Christ by accepting his sacrifice as our only hope for salvation – Romans 13:14 and 10:9-10
In Christ,
PastorJimKilby @Kilbin8er Jim@JamesKilby.com