Celebration is a gift of God - Esther 6-10

In this section we see the Jews triumph over an enemey - many enemies. As a result of God's control and God's grace they were able to find victory over not just the evil Haman and his family, but over all the enemies in the land. God used this time to florish the Jews and, eventually, produce the Messiah. After the victory it was time to celebrate. The art of celebration in our society has been reduced to a six-pack and sunglasses. We indulge ourselves and rejoice over ourselves. True celebration, as the book of Esther shows us, is the art of worship to God for His greatness to us. I suppose it is a "kill joy" who focuses celebration on the central figure of Christ. We are content to simply go brain dead and rejoice in our man-made accomplishments and celebrate "our" greatness. As I write this our military are returning home from Iraq. I have enjoyed watching the reunions and the "celebrations." As an ex-military man I too rejoice in the courage and the strength of our warriors. But, don't think for a minute that it is our might that was successful. The ONLY reason for our success on this earth is the grace of God through our acts of faith. We need to celebrate His work among us and with us. In this little book we have an historical event that the Jews still celebrate today. It is there time to reflect on God's great deliverance. We, too, ought to celebrate. But, let's not mistake a bad party for a celebration of God and His great work.