Sermon # 33 - With God We Will Win Series

We read in Isaiah 54:17, "People will make weapons to fight against you, but their weapons will not defeat you. Some people will say things against you, but anyone who speaks against you will be proved wrong." The LORD says, "That is what my servants get! They get the good things that come from me, their LORD.”(ERV)

These words are assurance from the Lord Himself to His own, that no weapon formed against them will prosper. If people are still in enslavement to money, position, material things, and some even to people, it simply implies that the enemy has overcome them in some way. The reason for their bondage is that they fell prey to Satan’s attacks and cunning devices, thereby have gotten themselves trapped into some form of bondage.

There are two types of weapons mentioned in the above verse that can come up against us. One is the physical weapon, and the other is the deceitful use of words to speak against someone. Most people today will not dare to use physical weapons, because they fear consequences from the law and the government. However, many use words as sharp weapons against others to damage and destroy them. An injury that is caused by use of a physical weapons can heal over time, but often the hurt that is produced by words are deep, painful and long lasting. Both these weapons are used by Satan, but the promise of the Lord is that nothing that is targeted against His children will overcome them.

How Haman used both these weapons

Haman lied to the King

We looked at the incident of Mordecai and Haman in the last message. Every time Haman saw Mordecai, he was infuriated simply because Mordecai in some way reflected the character of God, which upset Haman. Haman’s single goal was to get Mordecai out of his way, and the first thing he did to carry out his plan is found in the verse below.

We read in Esther 3:8, “Then Haman went to the king and said: Your Majesty, there are some people who live all over your kingdom and won't have a thing to do with anyone else. They have customs that are different from everyone else's, and they refuse to obey your laws. We would be better off to get rid of them!” (CEV)

Haman went to King Ahasuerus, and lied to him about the Jewish people, that they were a strange lot. Without mentioning who they were, he cleverly fabricated a case against them, lying about their practices and customs. He also accused them of not obeying the laws of the land, and thereby requested the king to punish and to get rid of them.

Many of us may have been victims of these lying tongues. We have been deeply aggrieved by those who spread false reports about us, or our families. Sometimes it is the destructive words spoken by a spouse that has caused unexplainable ache inside of some. As long as we don’t hear these deceitful rumors we are unaffected, but when it reaches our ears, it most certainly disturbs us intensely. Whatever the case may be, we have a God who can heal those bruises, and He assures us that all those dishonest allegations, will fall flat, and not harm us in any way when we are His children.

In the book of James the tongue is described as a small organ that can cause great trouble. It is compared to a spark that can set a forest on fire. We must be extremely cautious with the words that proceed out of our mouth, that they should in no way grieve another person. Many people when they are pained about a small issue, retaliate by speaking ill, and spreading false allegations about the person with whom they had an altercation.

Haman prepared the gallows for Mordecai

We read in Esther 5:14, “So his wife and all his friends suggested, "Why don't you have a gallows built, seventy-five feet tall? Tomorrow morning you can ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it, and then you can go to the banquet happy." Haman thought this was a good idea, so he had the gallows built.” (GNB)

Haman’s hatred for Mordecai was so intense, that at the suggestion of his wife Zeresh and friends, he prepared the gallows, seventy five feet tall, for Mordecai to be hung. Yet, the Lord was in control and what Haman failed to realize was that the king’s wife Esther, was related to Mordecai. The gallows that Haman prepared for Mordecai later became his own death trap.

Satan may scheme and plan his evil attacks, but the Lord reassures us that none of the weapons will prevail against us when the Lord is on our side

How to apply Isaiah 54:17 to our lives?