Esther 8

Esther 8 - Daily Devotion - 27 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 That same day King Xerxes awarded Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai entered the king’s presence because Esther had revealed his relation to her. 2 The king removed the signet ring he had recovered from Haman and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai over the estate of Haman.

3 And once again, Esther addressed the king. She fell at his feet weeping and begged him to revoke the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews.

4 The king extended the gold scepter toward Esther, and she arose and stood before the king.

5 “If it pleases the king,” she said, “and if I have found favor in his sight, and the matter seems proper to the king, and I am pleasing in his sight, may an order be written to revoke the letters that the scheming Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces. 6 For how could I bear to see the disaster that would befall my people? How could I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?”

7 So King Xerxes said to Esther the Queen and Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, I have given Haman’s estate to Esther, and he was hanged on the gallows because he attacked the Jews. 8 Now you may write in the king’s name as you please regarding the Jews, and seal it with the royal signet ring. For a decree that is written in the name of the king and sealed with the royal signet ring cannot be revoked.”

9 At once the royal scribes were summoned, and on the twenty-third day of the third month (the month of Sivan), they recorded all of Mordecai’s orders to the Jews and to the satraps, governors, and princes of the 127 provinces from India to Cush —writing to each province in its own script, to every people in their own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language.

10 Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes and sealed it with the royal signet ring. He sent the documents by mounted couriers riding on swift horses bred from the royal mares.

11 By these letters the king permitted the Jews in each and every city the right to assemble and defend themselves, to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province hostile to them, including women and children, and to plunder their possessions. 12 The single day appointed throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar.[C]

13 A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued in every province and published to all the people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. 14 The couriers rode out in haste on their royal horses, pressed on by the command of the king. And the edict was also issued in the citadel of Susa.

15 Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal garments of blue and white, with a large gold crown and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.

16 For the Jews it was a time of light and gladness, of joy and honor. 17 In every province and every city, wherever the king’s edict and decree reached, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many of the people of the land themselves became Jews, because the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

I can only imagine the relief that the Jews must have felt when they heard about the promises that King Xerxes had made. The promise of safety, that their people would live, and the promise of protection, that they could defend themselves.

In our society we live with a promise of safety too as our government is pretty good at keeping us generally safe. But it’s nothing compared to the promise of safety we have in Christ Jesus.

In John 17 Jesus prays for his disciples. In verses 11 and 15 he prays “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.” and “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”.

We don’t need to defend ourselves because we live under the protection of the Lord Almighty. We are, for the time being, still in this world and so we’ll still face hardships and challenges, but our Heavenly Father will answer Jesus’ prayer for us. He will make sure that we will be with him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is an Assistant Minister with our Fairfield congregations.

Esther 7

Esther 7 - Daily Devotion - 26 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 So the king and Haman went to dine with Esther the queen, 2 and as they drank their wine on that second day, the king asked once more, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”

3 Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, grant me my life as my petition, and the lives of my people as my request. 4 For my people and I have been sold out to destruction, death, and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as menservants and maidservants, I would have remained silent, because no such distress would justify burdening the king.”

5 Then King Xerxes spoke up and asked Queen Esther, “Who is this, and where is the one who would devise such a scheme?”

6 Esther replied, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked man—Haman!”

And Haman stood in terror before the king and queen.

7 In his fury, the king arose from drinking his wine and went to the palace garden, while Haman stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life, for he realized that the king was planning a terrible fate for him.

8 Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Would he actually assault the queen while I am in the palace?”

As soon as the words had left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.

9 Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said: “There is a gallows fifty cubits high[B] at Haman’s house. He had it built for Mordecai, who gave the report that saved the king.”

“Hang him on it!” declared the king.

10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the fury of the king subsided.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Duc

In today’s passage, the evildoer Haman, who was already unsettled by recent events in the king’s court, is hurried off to Esther’s banquet. And there, for a third time, the king offers to grant Esther anything she asks for.

Esther isn’t aware that the tables had already been turning against Haman and, at risk to her life, bravely presents her petition. She chooses her words wisely – framing her request as a ‘distress call’ only the king could answer and riling him up in favour of her and her people. At that point, she points the finger at Haman, whose life is now at stake.

And so, Haman begs Esther to save him. But in a darkly comic scene, as the king returns from the garden, Haman falls on Esther and condemns himself. One of the attendants tells the king that Haman was planning to kill Mordecai, and so the gallows Haman had intended for Mordecai was used to hang him.

Today’s passage is a welcome reminder of God’s justice, particularly as we grieve the persecution of believers around the world – the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of justice (2 Peter 2:9).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is our Women and children’s minister.

Esther 6

Esther 6 - Daily Devotions - 25 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 That night sleep escaped the king; so he ordered the Book of Records, the Chronicles, to be brought in and read to him. 2 And there it was found recorded that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the eunuchs who guarded the king’s entrance, when they had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

3 The king inquired, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this act?”

“Nothing has been done for him,” replied the king’s attendants.

4 “Who is in the court?” the king asked.

Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to ask the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows he had prepared for him. 5 So the king’s attendants answered him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.”

“Bring him in,” ordered the king.

6 Haman entered, and the king asked him, “What should be done for the man whom the king is delighted to honor?”

Now Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king be delighted to honor more than me?”

7 And Haman told the king, “For the man whom the king is delighted to honor, 8 have them bring a royal robe that the king himself has worn and a horse on which the king himself has ridden—one with a royal crest placed on its head. 9 Let the robe and the horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them array the man the king wants to honor and parade him on the horse through the city square, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man whom the king is delighted to honor!’”

10 “Hurry,” said the king to Haman, “and do just as you proposed. Take the robe and the horse to Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything that you have suggested.”

11 So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai, and paraded him through the city square, crying out before him, “This is what is done for the man whom the king is delighted to honor!”

12 Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman rushed home, with his head covered in grief.

13 Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened. His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has begun, is Jewish, you will not prevail against him—for surely you will fall before him.”

14 While they were still speaking with Haman, the king’s eunuchs arrived and rushed him to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Duc

You might have heard the saying “all the world’s a stage and we are but actors in it.” We see this saying played out in today’s passage, where God’s invisible hand is clearly at work for the downfall of Haman.

There is obvious irony in the events which reverse Haman’s fortunes: the king’s insomnia, the king’s reading of a book which records Mordecai’s exposure of a plot against him, Haman’s appearance right after that, the king’s ambiguous question to Haman and Haman’s wrong assumption – all of this works against Haman and for Mordecai. And with this reversal in fortunes, God’s people can also hope. In God’s providence, he uses the initiative of Mordecai and Esther to punish Haman the evildoer and to protect his people.

The Bible presents this ‘coming together’ of human and divine activity at many points. At Pentecost, Peter tells the Jews that they had put Jesus to death, but only in accordance with God’s saving plan (Acts 2:22-23). Elsewhere, we are encouraged to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph 2:10). Praise the God whose ways are higher than ours, as we faithfully and obediently live out lives in accordance with his good and perfect will.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is our Women and children’s minister.

Esther 5

Esther 5 - Daily Devotions - 24 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 On the third day, Esther put on her royal attire and stood in the inner court of the palace across from the king’s quarters. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom, facing the entrance.

2 As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she found favor in his sight. The king extended the gold scepter in his hand toward Esther, and she approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

3 “What is it, Queen Esther?” the king inquired. “What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given to you.”

4 “If it pleases the king,” Esther replied, “may the king and Haman come today to the banquet I have prepared for the king.”

5 “Hurry,” commanded the king, “and bring Haman, so we can do as Esther has requested.”

So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared. 6 And as they drank their wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”

7 Esther replied, “This is my petition and my request: 8 If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, may the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question.”

9 That day Haman went out full of joy and glad of heart. At the king’s gate, however, he saw Mordecai, who did not rise or tremble in fear at his presence. And Haman was filled with rage toward Mordecai.

10 Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home. And calling for his friends and his wife Zeresh, 11 Haman recounted to them his glorious wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored and promoted him over the other officials and servants.

12 “What is more,” Haman added, “Queen Esther invited no one but me to join the king at the banquet she prepared, and I am invited back tomorrow along with the king. 13 Yet none of this satisfies me as long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

14 His wife Zeresh and all his friends told him, “Have them build a gallows fifty cubits high,[A] and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go to the banquet with the king and enjoy yourself.”

The advice pleased Haman, and he had the gallows constructed.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Duc

Growing up in an Asian home, I always showered at night. I had ‘home clothes’ and always took my shoes off at the door. These were ‘protocols’ or rules that I had to follow as a member of the household.

Esther, as queen to the Persian king Xerxes, was well aware of the many protocols that shaped her life in the royal court. In today’s passage, Esther devises a plot, using the rules of court, to entice the king. If she fails, she dies and so do all her people. But…it works! The king extends his scepter toward Esther and asks for her request. But instead, Esther coyly invites him and Haman to feast with her – not once, but twice – sparking his curiosity and drawing him in.

In a world of political intrigue and to rescue her people, Esther is brave and shrewd in dealing with the king. Is shrewdness a bad trait? It can be. But Jesus taught the parable of the dishonest manager (Lk 16:1-13) and called his disciples to be ‘wise as serpents’ (Matt 10:16) so that we, like Esther, might be shrewd in our earthly dealings even as we set our mind on things above (Col 3:2).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is our Women and children’s minister.

Esther 4

Esther 4 - Daily Devotion - 22 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 When Mordecai learned of all that had happened, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the middle of the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. 2 But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because the law prohibited anyone wearing sackcloth from entering that gate.

3 In every province to which the king’s command and edict came, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and lamented, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

4 When Esther’s maidens and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, the queen was overcome with distress. She sent clothes for Mordecai to wear instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them.

5 Then Esther summoned Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs appointed to her, and she dispatched him to Mordecai to learn what was troubling him and why. 6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square in front of the king’s gate, 7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money that Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury in order to destroy the Jews.

8 Mordecai also gave Hathach a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for the destruction of the Jews, to show and explain to Esther, urging her to approach the king, implore his favor, and plead before him for her people.

9 So Hathach went back and relayed Mordecai’s response to Esther.

10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and instructed him to tell Mordecai, 11 “All the royal officials and the people of the king’s provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned—that he be put to death. Only if the king extends the gold scepter may that person live. But I have not been summoned to appear before the king for the past thirty days.”

12 When Esther’s words were relayed to Mordecai, 13 he sent back to her this reply: “Do not imagine that because you are in the king’s palace you alone will escape the fate of all the Jews. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows if perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day, and I and my maidens will fast as you do. After that, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish!”

17 So Mordecai went and did all that Esther had instructed him.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

Three things stand out to me from this chapter. Firstly, Mordecai’s faith is in God, not Esther. He is confident God will deliver his people without Esther if she remains silent. So our confidence should be in God, not in any human, no matter how impressive or powerful.

Secondly, Esther’s prayerful courage. She’s in the King’s bad books for some unknown reason. He hasn’t summoned her for the past thirty days. To approach the king without being summoned attracted the death penalty unless the king showed mercy. But she decided to do it anyway with no guarantee that she would come out alive. But it wasn’t a self-reliant courage, it was a God-reliant courage. She asked all the Jews to pray and fast for her for three days. May God give us such God-reliant courage when we are afraid.

And thirdly, God’s sovereign control of all events. Mordecai’s question to Esther gets to the heart of the book: ‘Who knows if perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’ That’s precisely what God has done. He has brought Esther to the throne at just the right time so she can save his people. The same is true in our lives. God works all things together for the good of those who love Him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is an Assistant Minister with our Bossley Park morning and Fairfield early congregations.

Esther 3

Esther 3 - Daily Devotion - 21 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him to a position above all the princes who were with him. 2 All the royal servants at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had commanded that this be done for him. But Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage.

3 Then the royal servants at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the command of the king?”

4 Day after day they warned him, but he would not comply. So they reported it to Haman to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, since he had told them he was a Jew.

5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or pay him homage, he was filled with rage. 6 And when he learned the identity of Mordecai’s people, he scorned the notion of laying hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he sought to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the kingdom of Xerxes.

7 In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, the Pur (that is, the lot) was cast before Haman to determine a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.

8 Then Haman informed King Xerxes, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples of every province of your kingdom. Their laws are different from everyone else’s, and they do not obey the king’s laws. So it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will deposit ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury to pay those who carry it out.”

10 So the king removed the signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 “Keep your money,” said the king to Haman. “These people are given to you to do with them as you please.”

12 On the thirteenth day of the first month, the royal scribes were summoned and the order was written exactly as Haman commanded the royal satraps, the governors of each province, and the officials of each people, in the script of each province and the language of every people. It was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the royal signet ring.

13 And the letters were sent by couriers to each of the royal provinces with the order to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and children—and to plunder their possessions on a single day, the thirteenth day of Adar, the twelfth month.

14 A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued in every province and published to all the people, so that they would be ready on that day. 15 The couriers left, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was in confusion.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

In this chapter we see the emergence of a powerful enemy of God’s people – Haman the Agagite, that is, a descendant of Agag. Agag was the king of the Amalekites whom King Saul had defeated centuries earlier. At that time, the prophet Samuel had executed King Agag. God had commanded Saul to destroy the Amalekites because they had attacked the Israelites in the desert when they first came out of Egypt and were exhausted. This explains Haman’s intense hatred of the Jews and why he wanted to destroy all of them in Xerxes’ kingdom. And because Haman was Xerxes’ trusted right hand man, he had the power to do it. This reminds us that we too have a powerful enemy – Satan. He prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. He is too powerful for us to fight on our own.  But when we resist him, firm in our trust in God to defeat him, he flees away.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is an Assistant Minister with our Bossley Park morning and Fairfield early congregations.

Esther 2:15-23

Esther 2:15-23 - Daily Devotion - 20 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

15 Now Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle from whom Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter. And when it was her turn to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the king’s trusted official in charge of the harem, had advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of everyone who saw her.

16 She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

17 And the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she found grace and favor in his sight more than all of the other virgins. So he placed the royal crown upon her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.

18 Then the king held a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his officials and servants. He proclaimed a tax holiday in the provinces and gave gifts worthy of the king’s bounty.

19 When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. 20 Esther still had not revealed her lineage or her people, just as Mordecai had instructed. She obeyed Mordecai’s command, as she had done under his care.

21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, grew angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

22 When Mordecai learned of the plot, he reported it to Queen Esther, and she informed the king on Mordecai’s behalf.

23 After the report had been investigated and verified, both officials were hanged on the gallows. And all this was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles in the presence of the king.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

Two things stand out to me from this passage. Firstly, God is working out all things for the good of his people. He raises up Esther to be queen because he knows a great threat is coming to his people and his plan is to use Esther to save them. The same is true for each of us. God has placed each of us right where he wants us in order to work out his good purposes through us.

Secondly, in contrast to Queen Vashti, notice the sensible way Esther follows the advice of wise people and obeys those over her. She takes the advice of the king’s trusted official Hegai on what to take with her when it’s her turn to go to the king. And she obeys her adoptive father’s Mordecai’s command not to let on that she is a Jew. Let’s thank God for the wise people he has put over us and listen to their advice and obey them as appropriate.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is an Assistant Minister with our Bossley Park morning and Fairfield early congregations.

Esther 2:1-14

Esther 2:1-14 - Daily Devotion - 19 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 Some time later, when the anger of King Xerxes had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, and what had been decreed against her.

2 Then the king’s attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king, 3 and let the king appoint commissioners in each province of his kingdom to assemble all the beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the women, and let them be given beauty treatments. 4 Then let the young woman who pleases the king become queen in place of Vashti.”

This suggestion pleased the king, and he acted accordingly.

5 Now there was at the citadel of Susa a Jewish man from the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish. 6 He had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon among those taken captive with Jeconiah king of Judah.

7 And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah (that is, Esther), the daughter of his uncle, because she did not have a father or mother. The young woman was lovely in form and appearance, and when her father and mother had died, Mordecai had taken her in as his own daughter.

8 When the king’s command and edict had been proclaimed, many young women gathered at the citadel of Susa under the care of Hegai. Esther was also taken to the palace and placed under the care of Hegai, the custodian of the women. 9 And the young woman pleased him and obtained his favor, so he quickly provided her with beauty treatments and the special diet. He assigned to her seven select maidservants from the palace and transferred her with them to the best place in the harem.

10 Esther did not reveal her people or her lineage, because Mordecai had instructed her not to do so. 11 And every day Mordecai would walk back and forth in front of the court of the harem to learn about Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her.

12 In the twelve months before her turn to go to King Xerxes, the harem regulation required each young woman to receive beauty treatments with oil of myrrh for six months, and then with perfumes and cosmetics for another six months. 13 When the young woman would go to the king, she was given whatever she requested to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. 14 She would go there in the evening, and in the morning she would return to a second harem under the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he delighted in her and summoned her by name.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Vincent Chan

Today we meet two of the other central characters: Esther and Mordecai. Two things stood out for me.

Firstly, many times we’re told that Esther was a beautiful looking woman. In fact, out of all the women that receive beauty treatment, Esther outshines them all in this beauty contest! That is no easy feat!

On the other hand we also meet Mordecai her adoptive father. The thing that stands out immediately is Mordecai’s wisdom. He recognises that their Jewish nationality might be a danger to them and shrewdly warns Esther not to reveal her nationality.

Wisdom and beauty are two things prized by this world. They aren’t bad things, but the wisdom and beauty that God values are different. It’s the wisdom to know that despite what may appear foolish to the world, the wisest thing is trusting in Jesus the crucified King. And rather than the outer beauty being the emphasis, what’s of even greater worth is the inner beauty of godliness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vinno is an Assistant Minister with our Fairfield congregations.

Esther 1:13-22

Esther 1:13-22 - Daily Devotion - 18 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

13 Then the king consulted the wise men who knew the times, for it was customary for him to confer with the experts in law and justice. 14 His closest advisors were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media who had personal access to the king and ranked highest in the kingdom.

15 “According to law,” he asked, “what should be done with Queen Vashti, since she refused to obey the command of King Xerxes delivered by the eunuchs?”

16 And in the presence of the king and his princes, Memucan replied, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king, but all the princes and the peoples in all the provinces of King Xerxes. 17 For the conduct of the queen will become known to all women, causing them to despise their husbands and say, ‘King Xerxes ordered Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she did not come.’

18 This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard about the queen’s conduct will say the same thing to all the king’s officials, resulting in much contempt and wrath.

19 So if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree, and let it be recorded in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti shall never again enter the presence of King Xerxes, and that her royal position shall be given to a woman better than she. 20 The edict the king issues will be heard throughout his vast kingdom—and so all women, from the least to the greatest, will honor their husbands.”

21 The king and his princes were pleased with this counsel; so the king did as Memucan had advised. 22 He sent letters to all the provinces of the kingdom, to each province in its own script and to each people in their own language, proclaiming that every man should be master of his own household.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Vincent Chan

Today’s passage continues to set the scene for the rest of the book. Although we get a range of characters so far, only King Xerxes will play a significant role in the following chapters. Unfortunately for Queen Vashti, this will be the end of us seeing her.

One thing that stood out for me was the dynamic of the King and Queen. It’s a side point of today’s passage, but I was struck by how difficult it is for women in many cultures. The wisemen think this is the best move to act decisively and heavy handedly so that wives will learn to honour their husband (vs. 20). Sadly, what we see in today’s chapter was perfectly normal back then and in many parts of the world today. The way that men ‘ruled’ their wives was through power and might.

The Christian marriage is called to something radically different. Because ultimately the true picture of marriage is of Jesus (the groom) and his church (the bride). Jesus loves his church and the way that he serves his church is by laying down his life for her. No wonder why in the Christian marriage, husbands are called to lead their wives, by service and laying down their lives (Ephesians 5:25). May we be reminded to look through our relationships today through the lens of Jesus.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vinno is an Assistant Minister with our Fairfield congregations.

Esther 1:1-12

Esther 1:1-12 - Daily Devotion - 17 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

Today, we begin a new Daily Devotion series in the book of Esther. This story takes place during the reign of King Xerxes, the ruler of the Persian Empire. The Jewish people had originally been exiled under Babylonian rule, but with Persia now in power, they found themselves living in uncertain times. As a minority group, they were often viewed with suspicion, raising difficult questions about God’s faithfulness: Would His chosen people survive? Was He still in control?

One of the most striking aspects of Esther is that God’s name is never mentioned—not even once! The people pray and fast, yet there are no direct references to God. However, this literary choice actually highlights a key theme of the book: God’s hiddenness does not mean His absence. Though His presence isn’t explicitly stated, His sovereignty is evident. Even in the midst of evil actions and powerful enemies, God is at work, orchestrating events in ways His people could never have expected.

But beyond its deep theological themes, Esther is also an incredibly engaging story. This ten-chapter narrative is filled with twists and turns that keep you guessing to the very end. In Jewish tradition, the book is often acted out, with audiences encouraged to “boo” at the villains! With that in mind, you may find it especially enjoyable to listen along to our podcast version as we journey through the book together.

1 This is what happened in the days of Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces from India to Cush. 2 In those days King Xerxes sat on his royal throne in the citadel of Susa.

3 In the third year of his reign, Xerxes held a feast for all his officials and servants. The military leaders of Persia and Media were there, along with the nobles and princes of the provinces. 4 And for a full 180 days he displayed the glorious riches of his kingdom and the magnificent splendor of his greatness.

5 At the end of this time, in the garden court of the royal palace, the king held a seven-day feast for all the people in the citadel of Susa, from the least to the greatest. 6 Hangings of white and blue linen were fastened with cords of fine white and purple material to silver rings on the marble pillars. Gold and silver couches were arranged on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and other costly stones.

7 Beverages were served in an array of goblets of gold, each with a different design, and the royal wine flowed freely, according to the king’s bounty. 8 By order of the king, no limit was placed on the drinking, and every official of his household was to serve each man whatever he desired.

9 Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.

10 On the seventh day, when the king’s heart was merry with wine, he ordered the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas— 11 to bring Queen Vashti before him, wearing her royal crown, to display her beauty to the people and officials. For she was beautiful to behold.

12 Queen Vashti, however, refused to come at the king’s command brought by his eunuchs. And the king became furious, and his anger burned within him.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Vincent Chan

Our reading today introduces us to King Xerxes and his wife, Queen Vashti. Xerxes was a powerful and influential ruler, but what we see in this opening chapter is his arrogance and egotism. He becomes furious when his unreasonable demands aren’t met, revealing a ruler who expects absolute obedience. In many ways, this was the norm for kings of that time—power was wielded to command and control.

This makes the contrast with Jesus all the more stunning. While Xerxes used his power for his own pride and pleasure, Jesus, though possessing absolute power, chose to use it to serve others. His rule is marked not by self-interest but by self-giving love.

As we explore Esther together, may we be reminded that even when God seems hidden, He is never absent. He is always at work, bringing about His purposes in ways we may not yet see.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vinno is an Assistant Minister with our Fairfield congregations.

Leviticus 27:16-34

Leviticus 27:16-34 - Daily Devotion - 15 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

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16 If a man consecrates to the LORD a parcel of his land, then your valuation shall be proportional to the seed required for it—fifty shekels of silver for every homer of barley seed. 17 If he consecrates his field during the Year of Jubilee, the price will stand according to your valuation.

18 But if he consecrates his field after the Jubilee, the priest is to calculate the price in proportion to the years left until the next Year of Jubilee, so that your valuation will be reduced. 19 And if the one who consecrated the field decides to redeem it, he must add a fifth to the assessed value, and it shall belong to him.

20 If, however, he does not redeem the field, or if he has sold it to another man, it may no longer be redeemed. 21 When the field is released in the Jubilee, it will become holy, like a field devoted to the LORD; it becomes the property of the priests.

22 Now if a man consecrates to the LORD a field he has purchased, which is not a part of his own property, 23 then the priest shall calculate for him the value up to the Year of Jubilee, and the man shall pay the assessed value on that day as a sacred offering to the LORD. 24 In the Year of Jubilee the field shall return to the one from whom it was bought—the original owner of the land. 25 Every valuation will be according to the sanctuary shekel, twenty gerahs to the shekel.

26 But no one may consecrate a firstborn of the livestock, because a firstborn belongs to the LORD. Whether it is an ox or a sheep, it is the LORD’s. 27 But if it is among the unclean animals, then he may redeem it according to your valuation and add a fifth of its value. If it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your valuation.

28 Nothing that a man sets apart to the LORD from all he owns—whether a man, an animal, or his inherited land—can be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy to the LORD.

29 No person set apart for destruction may be ransomed; he must surely be put to death.

30 Thus any tithe from the land, whether from the seed of the land or the fruit of the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. 31 If a man wishes to redeem part of his tithe, he must add a fifth to its value.

32 Every tenth animal from the herd or flock that passes under the shepherd’s rod will be holy to the LORD. 33 He must not inspect whether it is good or bad, and he shall not make any substitution. But if he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute shall become holy; they cannot be redeemed.’”

34 These are the commandments that the LORD gave to Moses for the Israelites on Mount Sinai.

REFLECTIONS

Today’s passage ends with exceptions to yesterday’s rules on consecrating things to God. There were some consecrated things that could not be redeemed or bought back – they belonged to God completely and forever. And there were some things that couldn’t be devoted to God in the first place – because they already belonged to God, completely and forever.

After yesterday’s passage about thankful devotion to God, Leviticus’s last words made me realise something strange. My life is not something I can devote to God. I can’t decide one day, “Lord, for the next five whole years, I am going to devote my life completely to you.”

Because I am already his. You are already his. Completely and forever. Jesus has already consecrated us, completely and forever to God. “You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body” (1 Cor. 6:19-20) – not for the next 5 years, but completely and forever.

You are wholly holy. Thank you, Lord Jesus!

Leviticus 27:1-15

Leviticus 27:1-15 - Daily Devotion - 14 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

Leviticus 27 can be a bit confusing, so first, a bit of background. The chapter is explaining what should happen when any Israelite decided to dedicate or consecrate something specially to God – an animal, a field, or even themselves or a family member. They might make a vow to give it to God in the future, or do it on the spot. But there was also the possibility – sometimes – of redeemingthe thing they had consecrated to God. That might mean buying it back from the priests in the sanctuary, or paying for its value (+20%) instead of giving the physical object.

We’ll look at these rules today and tomorrow – and that will bring us to the end of Leviticus!

Leviticus 27

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘When someone makes a special vow to the LORD involving the value of persons, 3 if the valuation concerns a male from twenty to sixty years of age, then your valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel. 4 Or if it is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels. 5 And if the person is from five to twenty years of age, then your valuation for the male shall be twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels.

6 Now if the person is from one month to five years of age, then your valuation for the male shall be five shekels of silver, and for the female three shekels of silver. 7 And if the person is sixty years of age or older, then your valuation shall be fifteen shekels for the male and ten shekels for the female. 8 But if the one making the vow is too poor to pay the valuation, he is to present the person before the priest, who shall set the value according to what the one making the vow can afford.

9 If he vows an animal that may be brought as an offering to the LORD, any such animal given to the LORD shall be holy. 10 He must not replace it or exchange it, either good for bad or bad for good. But if he does substitute one animal for another, both that animal and its substitute will be holy.

11 But if the vow involves any of the unclean animals that may not be brought as an offering to the LORD, the animal must be presented before the priest. 12 The priest shall set its value, whether high or low; as the priest values it, the price will be set. 13 If, however, the owner decides to redeem the animal, he must add a fifth to its value.

14 Now if a man consecrates his house as holy to the LORD, then the priest shall value it either as good or bad. The price will stand just as the priest values it. 15 But if he who consecrated his house redeems it, he must add a fifth to the assessed value, and it will belong to him.

REFLECTIONS

After I read this, I thought: Why do I find this passage strange? It’s complicated, yes. But I realised that one other reason is because I’m used to thinking of the offerings in Leviticus as compulsory. If you touch a dead animal, you have to offer an animal sacrifice, and so on. But the offerings in chapter 27 are … well, freestyle. You just decide to dedicate, say, a whole HOUSE to God.

Why would anyone do that? Well, you might if your heart is overwhelmed with thankfulness to God. Or because you want to not just bring your needs to God in prayer, but also express practically how much you love him and are devoted to him.

In fact, maybe there’s a reason this comes after chapter 26 – when God’s people have been rescued from exile and their hearts have been transformed, then they will devote all kinds of things to him out of overflowing love and thankfulness.

What a beautiful picture – and what a challenge to us! This won’t necessarily look the same for us in practical terms. But we’ve received the greatest rescue and heart-transformation through Jesus. Use today’s passage to guide you in asking God to fill that transformed heart with a thankful response of practical devotion to him.

Leviticus 26:27-46

Leviticus 26:27-46 - Daily Devotion - 13 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 But if in spite of all this you do not obey Me, but continue to walk in hostility toward Me, 28 then I will walk in fury against you, and I, even I, will punish you sevenfold for your sins. 29 You will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters. 30 I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and heap your lifeless bodies on the lifeless remains of your idols; and My soul will despise you.

31 I will reduce your cities to rubble and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will refuse to smell the pleasing aroma of your sacrifices. 32 And I will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who dwell in it will be appalled. 33 But I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out a sword after you as your land becomes desolate and your cities are laid waste.

34 Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths all the days it lies desolate, while you are in the land of your enemies. At that time the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. 35 As long as it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not receive during the Sabbaths when you lived in it.

36 As for those of you who survive, I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies, so that even the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. And they will flee as one flees the sword, and fall when no one pursues them. 37 They will stumble over one another as before the sword, though no one is behind them. So you will not be able to stand against your enemies.

38 You will perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies will consume you. 39 Those of you who survive in the lands of your enemies will waste away in their iniquity and will decay in the sins of their fathers.

40 But if they will confess their iniquity and that of their fathers in the unfaithfulness that they practiced against Me, by which they have also walked in hostility toward Me— 41 and I acted with hostility toward them and brought them into the land of their enemies—and if their uncircumcised hearts will be humbled and they will make amends for their iniquity, 42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.

43 For the land will be abandoned by them, and it will enjoy its Sabbaths by lying desolate without them. And they will pay the penalty for their iniquity, because they rejected My ordinances and abhorred My statutes.

44 Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject or despise them so as to destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. 45 But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their fathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD.”

46 These are the statutes, ordinances, and laws that the LORD established between Himself and the Israelites through Moses on Mount Sinai.

REFLECTIONS

This chapter of Leviticus started off sounding like a hypothetical scenario – “If you obey, things will go well, but if you disobey, I will judge you.” But as the “disobedience” half goes on, it gets more and more specific. Because this wasn’t just a hypothetical possibility. God knew that his people would abandon the covenant and all these things would happen, because their hearts were still “uncircumcised” (v 41).

But the thing I love most about the passage is that God’s judgment is not the end of this awful story, because God had committed himself from the very beginning to bring renewal and blessing – not just to Israel, but to the whole world. God would be faithful to his covenant with Abraham (v 42) – and God has been faithful! He brought Israel back from exile, and then sent Jesus to open to the way to salvation and blessing for all people.

I need to ask myself: Is my heart humble before the Lord and his claim on my life (v 41)? But in the end, my assurance doesn’t rest on my own ability to obey. I rest on the fact that God always remembers and is faithful to his promises in Jesus.

Leviticus 26:1-26

Leviticus 26:1-26 - Daily Devotion - 12 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 “You must not make idols for yourselves or set up a carved image or sacred pillar; you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it. For I am the LORD your God.

2 You must keep My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the LORD.

3 If you follow My statutes and carefully keep My commandments, 4 I will give you rains in their season, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until the grape harvest, and the grape harvest will continue until sowing time; you will have your fill of food to eat and will dwell securely in your land.

6 And I will give peace to the land, and you will lie down with nothing to fear. I will rid the land of dangerous animals, and no sword will pass through your land. 7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you will pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you will pursue ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.

9 I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will establish My covenant with you. 10 You will still be eating the old supply of grain when you need to clear it out to make room for the new.

11 And I will make My dwelling place among you, and My soul will not despise you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people. 13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians. I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk in uprightness.

14 If, however, you fail to obey Me and to carry out all these commandments, 15 and if you reject My statutes, despise My ordinances, and neglect to carry out all My commandments, and so break My covenant, 16 then this is what I will do to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting disease, and fever that will destroy your sight and drain your life. You will sow your seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. 17 And I will set My face against you, so that you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one pursues you.

18 And if after all this you will not obey Me, I will proceed to punish you sevenfold for your sins. 19 I will break down your stubborn pride and make your sky like iron and your land like bronze, 20 and your strength will be spent in vain. For your land will not yield its produce, and the trees of the land will not bear their fruit.

21 If you walk in hostility toward Me and refuse to obey Me, I will multiply your plagues seven times, according to your sins. 22 I will send wild animals against you to rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and reduce your numbers, until your roads lie desolate.

23 And if in spite of these things you do not accept My discipline, but continue to walk in hostility toward Me, 24 then I will act with hostility toward you, and I will strike you sevenfold for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword against you to execute the vengeance of the covenant. Though you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26 When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will bake your bread in a single oven and dole out your bread by weight, so that you will eat but not be satisfied.

REFLECTIONS

In this chapter, God is laying out the two options Israel will have when they get to the promised land of Canaan. Option 1: they can obey all the commandments in the Law of Moses and enjoy the blessings of abundant harvests, peace, and fruitfulness. Option 2: they can reject the Lord and suffer the terrible consequences of his judgment.

I’ll reflect on the judgment part tomorrow. For today, it struck me how clearly the “blessing” part of the chapter is pointing forward, not just to Israel in Canaan, but to the new creation. Because on almost the last page of the Bible, God repeats the words of his promise to Moses in Leviticus 26:11-12. The Apostle John sees a vision of the end of this world, and he says:

“And I heard a voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away’” (Rev. 21:3-4).

When you read those images of abundance and blessing and safety for Israel in Canaan – when you see and experience good things in this life – think to yourself: “And heaven is going to be 1,000 times better!”

Leviticus 25:32-55

Leviticus 25:32-55 - Daily Devotion - 10 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

32 As for the cities of the Levites, the Levites always have the right to redeem their houses in the cities they possess. 33 So whatever belongs to the Levites may be redeemed—a house sold in a city they possess—and must be released in the Jubilee, because the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the Israelites. 34 But the open pastureland around their cities may not be sold, for this is their permanent possession.

35 Now if your countryman becomes destitute and cannot support himself among you, then you are to help him as you would a foreigner or stranger, so that he can continue to live among you. 36 Do not take any interest or profit from him, but fear your God, that your countryman may live among you. 37 You must not lend him your silver at interest or sell him your food for profit. 38 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.

39 If a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not force him into slave labor. 40 Let him stay with you as a hired worker or temporary resident; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 Then he and his children are to be released, and he may return to his clan and to the property of his fathers.

42 Because the Israelites are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, they are not to be sold as slaves. 43 You are not to rule over them harshly, but you shall fear your God.

44 Your menservants and maidservants shall come from the nations around you, from whom you may purchase them. 45 You may also purchase them from the foreigners residing among you or their clans living among you who are born in your land. These may become your property. 46 You may leave them to your sons after you to inherit as property; you can make them slaves for life. But as for your brothers, the Israelites, no man may rule harshly over his brother.

47 If a foreigner residing among you prospers, but your countryman dwelling near him becomes destitute and sells himself to the foreigner or to a member of his clan, 48 he retains the right of redemption after he has sold himself. One of his brothers may redeem him: 49 either his uncle or cousin or any close relative from his clan may redeem him. Or if he prospers, he may redeem himself.

50 He and his purchaser will then count the time from the year he sold himself up to the Year of Jubilee. The price of his sale will be determined by the number of years, based on the daily wages of a hired hand. 51 If many years remain, he must pay for his redemption in proportion to his purchase price. 52 If only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, he is to calculate and pay his redemption according to his remaining years. 53 He shall be treated like a man hired from year to year, but a foreign owner must not rule over him harshly in your sight.

54 Even if he is not redeemed in any of these ways, he and his children shall be released in the Year of Jubilee. 55 For the Israelites are My servants. They are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

REFLECTIONS

This passage raises lots of uncomfortable questions. Does the Bible really support slavery? The thing that makes it tricky is that Leviticus 25 isn’t going to answer that question for us, because it doesn’t explain the kind of slavery it’s describing. The passage is setting out rules for redeeming Israelites in the Year of Jubilee, especially if an Israelite had to sell themselves into … well, “slavery,” if that’s the right word.

When we think of “slavery,” we think of the Atlantic slave trade, which involved treating Africans as mere objects to be bought and sold, stripping them of all rights as human beings based on their race, and permitting any and every kind of brutality. The word translated “slavery” in our Bibles is not referring to that evil trade, and Israelite masters were not to treat their “slaves” in any of those ways. In most cases, “servant” would be a more appropriate word to describe it. Masters were to treat their servants kindly and provide for them.

Even verses 42-46, which say that only foreigners could become “property,” aren’t talking about modern slavery. The main difference between Israelites and foreigners is that Israelites could not become servants for life – it had to be temporary (v. 46). Even then, God later relaxed that rule and allowed Israelite servants to make their situation lifelong if they wanted to – because for some people, this kind of service was a much more happy and secure life than they would otherwise have.

In fact, the thing that most struck me today was the reason why Israelites weren’t to be servants for life: because, God says, “the Israelites are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt.”

Not all service to a master is cruel and life-draining. But we all start life in the most abusive and destructive type of slavery possible: as slaves of sin. Jesus died so that through faith in him, we could be “set free from sin and become slaves to God” (Romans 6:22). And being God’s permanent, lifelong servant is … true freedom! As Paul says in the rest of that verse, it’s the only thing that leads to holiness and results in eternal life.

So when you read about slaves in the Old Testament, thank God that he set you free to serve him forever.

Leviticus 25:1-31

Leviticus 25:1-31 - Daily Devotion - 10 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 Then the LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the LORD.

3 For six years you may sow your field and prune your vineyard and gather its crops. 4 But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land—a Sabbath to the LORD.

You are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard. 5 You are not to reap the aftergrowth of your harvest or gather the grapes of your untended vines. The land must have a year of complete rest. 6 Whatever the land yields during the Sabbath year shall be food for you—for yourself, your manservant and maidservant, the hired hand or foreigner who stays with you, 7 and for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. All its growth may serve as food.

8 And you shall count off seven Sabbaths of years—seven times seven years—so that the seven Sabbaths of years amount to forty-nine years. 9 Then you are to sound the horn far and wide on the tenth day of the seventh month, the Day of Atonement. You shall sound it throughout your land.

10 So you are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and to his clan.

11 The fiftieth year will be a Jubilee for you; you are not to sow the land or reap its aftergrowth or harvest the untended vines. 12 For it is a Jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You may eat only the crops taken directly from the field.

13 In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his own property.

14 If you make a sale to your neighbor or a purchase from him, you must not take advantage of each other. 15 You are to buy from your neighbor according to the number of years since the last Jubilee; he is to sell to you according to the number of harvest years remaining. 16 You shall increase the price in proportion to a greater number of years, or decrease it in proportion to a lesser number of years; for he is selling you a given number of harvests.

17 Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God; for I am the LORD your God.

18 You are to keep My statutes and carefully observe My judgments, so that you may dwell securely in the land. 19 Then the land will yield its fruit, so that you can eat your fill and dwell in safety in the land.

20 Now you may wonder, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not sow or gather our produce?’ 21 But I will send My blessing upon you in the sixth year, so that the land will yield a crop sufficient for three years. 22 While you are sowing in the eighth year, you will be eating from the previous harvest, until the ninth year’s harvest comes in.

23 The land must not be sold permanently, because it is Mine, and you are but foreigners and residents with Me. 24 Thus for every piece of property you possess, you must provide for the redemption of the land.

25 If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his nearest of kin may come and redeem what his brother has sold. 26 Or if a man has no one to redeem it for him, but he prospers and acquires enough to redeem his land, 27 he shall calculate the years since its sale, repay the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and return to his property. 28 But if he cannot obtain enough to repay him, what he sold will remain in possession of the buyer until the Year of Jubilee. In the Jubilee, however, it is to be released, so that he may return to his property.

29 If a man sells a house in a walled city, he retains his right of redemption until a full year after its sale; during that year it may be redeemed. 30 If it is not redeemed by the end of a full year, then the house in the walled city is permanently transferred to its buyer and his descendants. It is not to be released in the Jubilee. 31 But houses in villages with no walls around them are to be considered as open fields. They may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the Jubilee.

REFLECTIONS

For Israel, the year of Jubilee every 50 years was to be a year of total rest for the whole land – a kind of year-long super-Sabbath. God meant it to be a picture of the true, heavenly rest that he has promised to all who belong to him.

I was struck by how much blessing and goodness is packed into this picture of that rest which is awaiting us. The Jubilee Year meant full redemption and freedom even for those who had become slaves. It meant everyone receiving their proper inheritance in the land – even if they had fallen on hard times. It meant safety and abundance.

And that’s nothing compared to the rest, freedom, inheritance, safety, and abundance that Jesus has stored up for us in heaven – “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade” (1 Peter 1:4)! Ask God to use that picture to give you strength and energy to face whatever you need to face today, and to do it with courage, hope and faith.

Leviticus 24

Leviticus 24 - Daily Devotion - 8 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.

3 Outside the veil of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps continually before the LORD from evening until morning. This is to be a permanent statute for the generations to come. 4 He shall tend the lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the LORD continually.

5 You are also to take fine flour and bake twelve loaves, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf, 6 and set them in two rows—six per row—on the table of pure gold before the LORD. 7 And you are to place pure frankincense near each row, so that it may serve as a memorial portion for the bread, an offering made by fire to the LORD.

8 Every Sabbath day the bread is to be set out before the LORD on behalf of the Israelites as a permanent covenant. 9 It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place; for it is to him a most holy part of the offerings made by fire to the LORD—his portion forever.”

10 Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. 11 The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse. So they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.)

12 They placed him in custody until the will of the LORD should be made clear to them.

13 Then the LORD said to Moses, 14 “Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have the whole assembly stone him.

15 And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘If anyone curses his God, he shall bear the consequences of his sin. 16 Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD must surely be put to death; the whole assembly must surely stone him, whether he is a foreign resident or native; if he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.

17 And if a man takes the life of anyone else, he must surely be put to death. 18 Whoever kills an animal must make restitution—life for life. 19 If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Just as he injured the other person, the same must be inflicted on him.

21 Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a man must be put to death. 22 You are to have the same standard of law for the foreign resident and the native; for I am the LORD your God.’”

23 Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him. So the Israelites did as the LORD had commanded Moses.

REFLECTIONS

I found the transition from the first half to the second half of the chapter jarring. But then, maybe that’s part of the point. As I reflected on it, I realised that it presents a stark picture of the difference between faith in God and defying God – it’s the difference between light and dark, joy and destruction, life and death. Perhaps that’s why there’s such a sudden shift from holy lamps and holy bread to the man who cursed God. We need to be shown the beauty of the life that God has for us in Christ, but every now and then we need the shock of the contrast.

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). Pray that knowing the contrast will help you to keep the lamp of your witness for Jesus burning continually.

Leviticus 23:23-44

Leviticus 23:23-44 - Daily Devotion - 7 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

23 The LORD also said to Moses, 24 “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly announced by trumpet blasts. 25 You must not do any regular work, but you are to present an offering made by fire to the LORD.’”

26 Again the LORD said to Moses, 27 “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. You shall hold a sacred assembly and humble yourselves, and present an offering made by fire to the LORD.

28 On this day you are not to do any work, for it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. 29 If anyone does not humble himself on this day, he must be cut off from his people. 30 I will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on this day.

31 You are not to do any work at all. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live. 32 It will be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall humble yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to keep your Sabbath.”

33 And the LORD said to Moses, 34 “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Feast of Tabernacles to the LORD begins, and it continues for seven days. 35 On the first day there shall be a sacred assembly. You must not do any regular work. 36 For seven days you are to present an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you must not do any regular work.

37 These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for presenting offerings by fire to the LORD—burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its designated day. 38 These offerings are in addition to the offerings for the LORD’s Sabbaths, and in addition to your gifts, to all your vow offerings, and to all the freewill offerings you give to the LORD.

39 On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the produce of the land, you are to celebrate a feast to the LORD for seven days. There shall be complete rest on the first day and also on the eighth day.

40 On the first day you are to gather the fruit of majestic trees, the branches of palm trees, and the boughs of leafy trees and of willows of the brook. And you are to rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. 41 You are to celebrate this as a feast to the LORD for seven days each year. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come; you are to celebrate it in the seventh month.

42 You are to dwell in booths for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must dwell in booths, 43 so that your descendants may know that I made the Israelites dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’”

44 So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed feasts of the LORD.

REFLECTIONS

Yesterday I mentioned rest and gathering to give thanks as two blessings of Israel’s festivals. Today, two more stood out to me: remembering, and rejoicing-with-food. The Feast of Tabernacles was to help Israel always remember how God had saved them from Egypt and provided for them through their journey to the promised land. It also involved seven days of feasting and rejoicing before God! (I always knew we were on the right track at St Barnabas, with all our lunches and dinners.)

We’re not under the same systems of laws as Israel. But those four things are all such good gifts, and so important for our wellbeing – resting, being thankful, remembering God’s salvation and constant provision, and rejoicing (with food!). Pray that God would help you to value and prioritise those things.

Leviticus 23:1-22

Leviticus 23:1-22 - Daily Devotion - 6 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

Leviticus 23 is about the annual calendar of festivals or feasts that God appointed for Israel. Today we will read the first half, about the festivals to be celebrated in Spring.

Leviticus 23

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘These are My appointed feasts, the feasts of the LORD that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.

3 For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a day of sacred assembly. You must not do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.

4 These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times. 5 The Passover to the LORD begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. 6 On the fifteenth day of the same month begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any regular work. 8 For seven days you are to present an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day there shall be a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work.’”

9 And the LORD said to Moses, 10 “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you are to bring to the priest a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest. 11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD so that it may be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.

12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a year-old lamb without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD, 13 along with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil—an offering made by fire to the LORD, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter hin of wine.

14 You must not eat any bread or roasted or new grain until the very day you have brought this offering to your God. This is to be a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live.

15 From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you are to count off seven full weeks. 16 You shall count off fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD.

17 Bring two loaves of bread from your dwellings as a wave offering, each made from two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with leaven, as the firstfruits to the LORD.

18 Along with the bread you are to present seven unblemished male lambs a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

19 You shall also prepare one male goat as a sin offering and two male lambs a year old as a peace offering. 20 The priest is to wave the lambs as a wave offering before the LORD, together with the bread of the firstfruits. The bread and the two lambs shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.

21 On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly, and you must not do any regular work. This is to be a permanent statute wherever you live for the generations to come.

22 When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap all the way to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident. I am the LORD your God.’”

REFLECTIONS

Today’s section was a helpful reminder to me that rest is such a good gift from God. Protestant Christians tend to be suspicious of commands, which means sometimes we can get a sense that the Sabbath command must have been a burden for the Israelites to obey. But it was, quite literally, the opposite of a burden. It was about the double blessing of rest and a designated space in their lives to gather and be intentionally thankful to God. I needed the reminder of both those things.

Leviticus 22:17-33

Leviticus 22:17-33 - Daily Devotion - 5 March 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

17 Then the LORD said to Moses, 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites and tell them, ‘Any man of the house of Israel or any foreign resident who presents a gift for a burnt offering to the LORD, whether to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, 19 must offer an unblemished male from the cattle, sheep, or goats in order for it to be accepted on your behalf. 20 You must not present anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.

21 When a man presents a peace offering to the LORD from the herd or flock to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without blemish or defect to be acceptable. 22 You are not to present to the LORD any animal that is blind, injured, or maimed, or anything with a running sore, a festering rash, or a scab; you must not put any of these on the altar as an offering made by fire to the LORD.

23 You may present as a freewill offering an ox or sheep that has a deformed or stunted limb, but it is not acceptable in fulfillment of a vow. 24 You are not to present to the LORD an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn, or cut; you are not to sacrifice them in your land. 25 Neither you nor a foreigner shall present food to your God from any such animal. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and flawed.’”

26 Then the LORD said to Moses, 27 “When an ox, a sheep, or a goat is born, it must remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as an offering made by fire to the LORD. 28 But you must not slaughter an ox or a sheep on the same day as its young.

29 When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, offer it so that it may be acceptable on your behalf. 30 It must be eaten that same day. Do not leave any of it until morning. I am the LORD.

31 You are to keep My commandments and practice them. I am the LORD. 32 You must not profane My holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy among the Israelites. I am the LORD who sanctifies you, 33 who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD.”

REFLECTIONS

Verses 26-28 took me by surprise – the commands not to take a calf or lamb from its mother before the eighth day (not even to offer to the Lord), and not to slaughter both a mature animal and its young on the same day. The thing I’ve always thought of is how much more valuable and important human lives are in God’s sight than the lives of animals – and I still think that’s right. After all, how many animals were sacrificed, at God’s command, to save people from judgment in the Old Testament?

But that doesn’t mean God doesn’t value animals at all, and it certainly doesn’t justify cruelty to animals. In fact, when I looked into it, I discovered there are more verses than I realised that command people to show kindness to animals, even wild animals and birds (Exodus 23:5, 10-12; Deuteronomy 22:6-7; Proverbs 12:10). I guess it’s no surprise that God cares about all of his creatures – and I should too, since they belong to him.