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AUGUST 2
God’s grace by faith alone (3:22, 25; 4:1–25). Sanctification, the work of God by which He makes
righteous those whom He has already justified, is distinct from justification but without exception
always follows it (8:30).
“Justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Justification is a
gracious gift God extends to the repentant, believing sinner, wholly apart from human merit or
work.The imagery behind the Greek word for “redemption”comes from the ancient slave market.It
meant paying the necessary ransom to obtain the prisoner’s or slave’s release. The only adequate
payment to redeem sinners from sin’s slavery and its deserved punishment was “in Christ Jesus”
(1 Tim. 2:6; 1 Pet. 1:18,19) and was paid to God to satisfy His justice.
“Whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood”(v.25).This great sacrifice was not accom-
plished in secret, but God publicly displayed His Son on Calvary for all to see. Crucial to the signifi-
cance of Christ’s sacrifice, a propitiation carries the idea of appeasement or satisfaction—in this
case Christ’s violent death satisfied the offended holiness and wrath of God against those for whom
Christ died (Is. 53:11; Col. 2:11–14). The Hebrew equivalent of this word was used to describe the
mercy seat—the cover to the ark of the covenant—where the high priest sprinkled the blood of the
slaughtered animal on the Day of Atonement to make atonement for the sins of the people. In
pagan religions, it is the worshiper—not the god—who is responsible to appease the wrath of the
offended deity. But in reality, man is incapable of satisfying God’s justice apart from Christ, except
by spending eternity in hell.

9 So Haman went out that day joyful and with
AUGUST 2 a glad heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in
the king’s gate, and that he did not stand or
tremble before him, he was filled with indigna-
Esther 5:1–6:14
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tion against Mordecai. Nevertheless Haman
Now it happened on the third day that Es- restrained himself and went home, and he
5 ther put on her royal robes and stood in the sent and called for his friends and his wife
inner court of the king’s palace, across from Zeresh. Then Haman told them of his great
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the king’s house, while the king sat on his riches, the multitude of his children, every-
royal throne in the royal house, facing the thing in which the king had promoted him,
entrance of the house. So it was, when the and how he had advanced him above the offi-
2
king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, cials and servants of the king.
that she found favor in his sight, and the king 12 Moreover Haman said, “Besides, Queen
held out to Esther the golden scepter that was Esther invited no one but me to come in with
in his hand. Then Esther went near and the king to the banquet that she prepared; and
touched the top of the scepter. tomorrow I am again invited by her, along
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3 And the king said to her, “What do you with the king. Yet all this avails me nothing,
wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the
shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!” king’s gate.”
4 So Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, 14 Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said
let the king and Haman come today to the ban- to him, “Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high,
quet that I have prepared for him.” and in the morning suggest to the king that
5 Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with
that he may do as Esther has said.” So the the king to the banquet.”
king and Haman went to the banquet that Es- And the thing pleased Haman; so he had the
ther had prepared. gallows made.
6 At the banquet of wine the king said to Es- That night the king could not sleep. So one
ther, “What is your petition? It shall be grant- 6 was commanded to bring the book of the
ed you. What is your request, up to half the records of the chronicles; and they were read
2
kingdom? It shall be done!” before the king. And it was found written that
7 Then Esther answered and said, “My peti- Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two
tion and request is this: If I have found favor of the king’s eunuchs, the doorkeepers who
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in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.
king to grant my petition and fulfill my 3 Then the king said, “What honor or dignity has
request, then let the king and Haman come to been bestowed on Mordecai for this?”
the banquet which I will prepare for them, and And the king’s servants who attended him
tomorrow I will do as the king has said.” said, “Nothing has been done for him.”

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