Uzziah was a great king and was greatly blessed of the Lord. At the peak of his strength, he began to trust in himself. His strength led to his fall. It is often in times of perceived strength that saints of God become most vulnerable.
One revival or restoration is never enough for the people of God. God’s people follow the natural lines of spiritual degeneration. They will naturally slide backwards toward the ways of the world. They require periodic revivals in order to remain close to the Lord. When the revivals cease, the people will fall further and further away from the Lord.
The first two chapters of Esther gave the background of the story of Esther. Chapter three reveals the true conflict of this Bible story. Haman is established as the chief of the princes of the Persian Empire. Then Haman, in his hatred of Mordecai, lashes out at the entire Jewish race within the realm of the great Persian Empire. They are to be completely destroyed.
The Book of Jonah is a battle of wills. If there ever was a book of the Bible that dealt with a man matching his will and wits against the Lord, it’s the Book of Jonah. You don’t have to read very far to realize the fruitlessness of that endeavor! Have you ever battled the Lord over anything?
These chapters look prophetically to the day of the Lord. This will be a day when God will come in wrath and will judge the wicked. However, all is not lost. Those who fear the Lord will be remembered and will be spared. To them, the Sun of righteousness will rise will healing and will care for them as calves that are brought up in the stall. In closing, they are told to look backward to the law of Moses and forward to the coming of Elijah as the herald of the day of the Lord and the Messianic Kingdom to follow.
