Summoned: Answering a Call to the ImpossiblePrøve

### Summoned to Sift the Scriptures Yesterday, we watched as the Jews in the city of Susa began to throw off their burden of living in fear. They rose up and conquered their enemies, people groups who would have eliminated them. Have you heard the saying “kill or be killed”? Well, that was pretty much the reigning sentiment across the Persian Empire. Remember, the empire was only slightly smaller than the entire United States (2.9 million square miles vs. 3.7 million square miles). For God's people to be saved, they would have to take up arms and defend themselves. This would, without a doubt, be a scary endeavor. But nonetheless, God’s people picked up arms and fought their enemy. Seventy-five thousand people is an immensely high casualty count. The number is somewhat shocking. The text also denotes that those who were killed “hated” the Jews. Again, considering that the Jews were on the defense and not acting as the aggressors, this text is painted in favor of God’s mercy. Our God is an evangelistic God. In the last chapter, we were told that many people “declared themselves Jews.” Those who wanted mercy, received mercy. There were those whom God embraced and welcomed into His family. And here’s the truth in this text. God protects His chosen children and He keeps His promises to them. As we’ve seen before, God has promised to bless the nations through the line of Abram. Eventually, God would change Abram’s name to Abraham and, through his line, would bring Jesus into the world to reconcile it to Himself. God could not allow His people to be wiped from the face of the earth, because He cannot and will not break His promise to His people. He promised to preserve them, and preserve them He does.