Based on Esther 10:1-3
By Pastor Glenn Pease

Great leaders are often providentially preserved from what ought to have been certain death. This happens before they rise to a level where they are a blessing to many people. In the history of the Jews, Mordecai is one of these leaders. He came within minutes of being hung on a gallows, and instead, became a powerful leader for the good of his people.You can go to Iran yet today, and in Hamadan, North East of Baghdad, you will find the tomb of Esther and Mordecai. Their dark hardwood coffins stand side by side, and the Hebrew inscription craved along the upper edge is Esther 10:3. God's providential protection of Mordecai changed the course of history, and the Jews have celebrated the event every year since, on the holiday called Purim.

The fourth of July brings us to the place where we see history repeating itself. We celebrate this day for the same reason the Jews celebrate Purim. It is a day of celebration for America, because God just as clearly delivered our nation as He did the nation of Israel. It was a matter of providence, just as sure as that we see in the book of Esther. As we look at it, we soon see why it is that history repeats itself. It is because God just loves to repeat a good story, and the stories of the weak conquering the strong, and the simple outwitting the wise, are His favorites.

George Washington, the father of our country, was one of the most godly leaders in history, and God's providence in his life has blessed all Americans, just as that in Mordecai's life has blessed all Jews. We can't begin to share them all, but let me give you a taste. In the battle of Monongahela, Washington was a young officer in the Virginia Militia. In that battle this 23 year old officer had two horses shot out from under him, and 4 musket balls passed through his coat. The Indians, who were expert marksmen, were so impressed with his survival that the chief prophesied he would be a famous leader, for the Great Spirit protected him. The chief shared that with Washington himself years later. Washington was not surprised, for he sensed the hand of God on him also. He wrote to his brother after the battle, "Death was leveling my companions on every side of me, but by the all-powerful disposition of providence, I have been protected."

It was no accident that Washington with his weak, untrained, and outnumbered frontier farmers whipped the strong, and well trained British soldiers. They were the best army in the world of that day. It is the most common story of God's providence. It is David and Goliath all over again. It is Mordecai and Haman again. Haman is the next most powerful man next to the king. He had almost absolute power. If he abused it, no questions were asked. He could do as he pleased. Mordecai, on the other hand, was a Jew, and had no power at all, in comparison. It was like the 13 colonies challenging the mighty power of England. They didn't have a chance. But the beauty of history is that it is not left to chance. God steps in, time and time again, and the little guy wins.

By the providence of God, David won over Goliath, and went on to become king of Israel. By the providence of God Mordecai won over Haman, and went on to become a key leader in Persia. By the providence of God Washington led the 13 colonies to victory over the British, and went on to become the 1st president of the United States. It is not coincidence that the pattern keeps repeating itself in history. It is providence, because it is the way God loves to work, so we can see His hand in history.

Let me share another parallel between the providence in Mordecai's life, and that in the life of Washington. Mordecai's life was spared because of some obscure servant opening the book of records to the account of his saving the kings life. God has used books to change the course of history for millions of people and many nations. We see it in Washington's life as well. The British had held Boston for a year and a half. They were secure there, with British ships in the harbor. They were ready to blow anyone off the map who dared to come near. Washington, on the hillside over looking Boston, knew he did not dare to even fire a shot. Washington went with his officers to try and figure out a way to retake this key city. It seemed hopeless, and no idea stood a chance of succeeding.

That night, Rufus Putnam, a young amateur engineer, was passing by General Willis Heath's quarters, and decided to pay him a visit. While there he saw a book on the general's shelf on field engineering. That discovery was a trivial thing, but it changed the course of history. In that book Putnam found plans designed by the French for a defensive weapon that would eliminate the threat of the British cannons. It was a large wood frame filled with hundreds of bundles of tightly bound sticks and dirt. He ran to share this discovery with Washington. He saw the value of it immediately, and commanded 800 men to work through the night constructing them. At dawn, the British were stunned by what they saw. When the cannon balls hit these barricades they bounced back doing no damage whatever. The Americans in one night neutralized the enemies key weapon. Now the Americans had the advantage, and so the British pulled out of Boston. Washington marched in taking the city without the loss of a single life.

Was that stumbling across an idea in a book a mere accident, or was it the providence of God? Those who were there praised God. If there is one word that stands out more than any other, when you read the history of the Revolutionary War, it is the word providence. It was in the vocabulary of nearly all who wrote of it. When Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson drew up the draft of the Declaration of Independence, the congress insisted that these words be added. "And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our Sacred Honor!" Those men who signed the Declaration risked everything to do so. Many of them paid the price, and it was everything.

That is why the first vote was only 9 of the 13 colonies in favor. The debate was hot and furious, and good men differed greatly on their views of what was wise and right. They needed a unanimous decision, and so the debate went on. There were many parallels with the conflict we see in Esther. Haman hated Mordecai and his religion. Britain hated the Americans for their religious liberty, and for starting so many churches not loyal to the Church of England. British troops turned many of the churches into barns for their horses, or bars and grog shops. The pews and pulpits were burned. More than 50 churches were totally destroyed, and many others damaged severely. The spiritual conflict played a major role, and those Americans who believed in religious liberty were the ones who finally persuaded the others that the Declaration of Independence had to be passed.

God worked in other providential ways, and when the next vote was cast, it was 12 for and 1 abstaining. It was unanimous, and the U. S. was born. The people of the colonies celebrated just like the Jews celebrated Purim for their deliverance. The Americans will celebrate the 4th of July until Christ comes again, just as the Jews will celebrate Purim, for they both stand for the providence of God in history.

John Adams, who fought for the Declaration, and later became president of the U.S., wrote to his wife after it passed, and in that letter he said of that day, "It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward and forevermore." That sounds just like the words of Mordecai in chapter 9, where Purim is to be celebrated by all Jews of all time forevermore.

As Americans we have experienced the providence of God just as the Jews did in Esther. And as Baptists, we have experienced a double dose. Few Baptists realize it, but in the thirty year period from 1770 to 1800, when all the great events of the American Revolution took place, the Baptists grew like wildfire. In that short time they went from a place of relative obscurity to become the largest denomination in America. Other churches were dying, and in a state of decline, but when the Revolution was over the Baptists had twice the number of people as the next largest denomination. In a very real sense, the birth of our nation, and the birth of the Baptist denomination went hand in hand, and this too was clearly providential.

The Baptists had only a handful of churches in the 13 colonies in 1740. How did they grow so fast? It was because Baptists were democratic in their form of church government. The very principles that were driving the colonies to seek independence from the oppressive authority of England were already seeing in operation in the Baptist church. Most all other churches were run from the top down. The people did not have the freedom to decide. Many were still run by the state church in England, and others by a powerful higher hierarchy. The Baptists alone were free and democratic. As American people felt the need for freedom from political oppression, they felt it also in the realm of religious oppression. New leadership in the Baptist churches were sick and tired of mere survival within the Puritan system. The Puritans did not allow for religious liberty, but the Baptists became bold and aggressive, and were determined that America would be the land of the free, where people could worship with complete religious liberty.

Issac Backus, the Baptist leader in New England, began to write tract after tract dealing with the folly of mixing the church and state. People came to America to escape that sort of thing in England and Europe. They came here to get away from a state controlled church. He insisted that the state should have no control over the church. The cry for religious liberty within the colonies became the cause of Baptists. The Baptists were the most consistent people in their longing for liberty, for they wanted it, not only from England, but from the oppression in New England. Baptists were taxed in the colonies to support the Puritan churches. They were experiencing taxation without representation right here. The Baptists, therefore, had a war going on two fronts. They fought for civil liberty from England, and religious liberty within the colonies.

Roger Williams was the founder of the first Baptist church in America. He didn't seem to have a chance. The law was against him, and the church was against him, and the political leaders were against him. It was the most spectacular trial in American history to that point, when he was taken to court because of his fight for religious liberty. He was found guilty and sentenced to banishment. Americans were not yet ready for such radical liberty, and they wanted this man out of the country. Fourteen men were hired to surprise him in the night, and drag him to a ship where he would be carried into exile. Governor Winthrop, who was his secret friend sent him a warning. He kissed his wife and new born baby, and fled into a blinding snow storm. For weeks he survived without bread or any weapon. He ate roots and nuts, and was finally rescued by friendly Indians.

It was only by the providence of God that his life was spared, and that is why when he established a permanent home he called it Providence, Rhode Island. It was the first place on earth where there was total religious freedom, and separation of church and state. He founded the first Baptist church of America there in 1639. His marble statue stands in the Hall of Fame in the Capital building in Washington D.C. More biographies of Roger Williams have been written than of any other American next to Benjamin Franklin. What he did laid a foundation for religious liberty for the rest of our history.

The Baptist church had a spirit of liberty, which gave it a built in appeal for an nation ready to fight for liberty. Baptists were so clearly in tune with the temper of the times that people began to regard the Baptists as the truly American church. The result was, people flocked to the church of liberty, and the Baptists came through the Revolution, the largest denomination in this new nation of liberty. Ever since the Baptists have played a major role in the history of our land. Samuel Francis Smith, a Baptist pastor, wrote one of our finest patriotic hymns: My County Tis Of Thee. Francis Bellamy, another Baptist pastor, wrote The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Mark Watkinson, still another Baptist pastor, inspired the Secretary of the Treasury in 1861 to get congress to approve putting, "In God We Trust," on U. S. coins. Baptists played a key role in getting the Bill of Rights into the Constitution, and have been the major force in maintaining the separation of church and state.

The point of all this history is to illustrate that we celebrate the 4th of July for the same reason the Jews celebrate Purim. It is a day to look back and see the providence of God in our history. It is a day to recognize that we are a blessed people, because God does put His hand into history and give victory to those who honor Him. It is great to be an American, but greater yet to be a Christian of any land, for the greatest liberty of all is to be set free from the power and penalty of sin. All other freedoms are of little worth without freedom in Christ. "If the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed."