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.
