Saul died because he was not faithful to the Lord. Saul did not obey the Lord’s word. Saul also went to a medium {\cf2\super [108]} and asked her for advice
So Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of King Xerxes’ kingdom. Mordecai told the people that the holiday should bring peace and make people trust {\cf2\super [32]} each other.
So God’s people became dirty with the sins of those other people.\par God’s people were unfaithful to their God\par and did the things those other people did.\par
“Be careful not to make any agreements with the people who live in that land. If you do this, then you might join them when they worship their gods. Those people will invite you to join them, and you will eat their sacrifices. [344]
My Master says, “These people say they love me. They show honor to me with words from their mouths. But their hearts are far from me. The honor they show me is nothing but human rules they have memorized.
You have put those wicked people here.\par They are like plants with strong roots,\par they grow and produce fruit.\par With their mouths, they say that you are near and dear to them.\par But in their hearts, they are really far away from you.\par
Lord, you are the hope of Israel.\par Lord, you are like a spring of living water.\par If a person quits following the Lord,\par then his life will be very short. {\cf2\super [139]} \par
You will be able to look at these tassels and remember all the commands that the Lord has given you. Then you will obey the commands. You will not do wrong by forgetting about the commands and doing the things that your own bodies and eyes want.
Yes, at one time you were far away \{from God\}. But now in Christ Jesus you are brought near to him. You are brought near \{to God\} through the blood (death) of Christ.
Christ came and preached peace to you people (non-Jews) who were far away \{from God\}. And he preached peace to the people (Jews) who were near \{to God\}.
So you people are not faithful to God! You should know that loving the world is the same as hating God. So if a person wants to be a part {\cf2\super [18]} of the world, then he makes himself God’s enemy.