For Such a Time

Published on 19 November 2024 at 23:06

 

Do you have any defining moments in your life? Moments that you can look back on and see how it changed the trajectory of your life? I WAS heading toward . . . ., but then . . . . and now I am  . . . . .

We can look back on career choices, spouse choices, childbirth, job changes, divorces, moves to another state or city or country, etc.  We can see these decisions or changes and see that they impacted our lives. But outside of those “normal” decisions or changes, is there anything that stands out to you that defined you?

Esther is one of my favorite books in the Bible. I even have one of the verses from Esther hanging in my home – where my kids could see it because I knew that what Esther did took courage, and our kids need a lot of courage to face this world today, especially if they are Christians trying to make good choices.

The setting for Esther is in Persia, what was once Babylon. Esther was a young Jewish woman living in Persia after the Israelites had been exiled to Babylon. These Israelites were supposed to be foreigners in this land of Persia – but they had made Persia their home – they assimilated and took on the cultures of Babylonians – which was a pagan culture. Years prior, Israel had been taken captive by the Babylonians – and God had allowed it because the Jewish people – His people – were not obeying Him. They continued to worship other gods and to drift away from Him. This is the same exile that found Daniel being taken into Babylon’s court where his commitment to God, along with his friends’ commitments to God, found them in the lion’s den and in the fiery furnace.

Then King Cyrus had issued a decree lifting the captivity and allowing the Israelites to go home. Only a lot of them didn’t.  They stayed.  Babylon had become home to them. They were comfortable here. And that was a problem.

Let’s look at the circumstances up to this point.

God’s chosen people had been disobedient, and as a result found themselves exiled to Babylon. Disobedience = Exile. They were separated from their beloved Promised Land.  What is that for us? Disobedience to God – sinning – STILL equals exile. Oh, we don’t typically get exiled to a foreign country – but we can 100% find ourselves exiled into a place foreign from God. Sin will always = separation. Choosing to disobey God will get you feeling far from God. Continuing to sin – disregarding the separation – leads to the next piece.

Living with foreign people = assimilating to their culture. You spend enough time separated from God – and you will find yourself with a lifestyle of sin. You spend enough time away from God and it gets hard to find anything godly in your life. How assimilated are you to this world? To worldly? The things we do, where we invest our time and our money, the things we say, see, hear, think on – are they Godly? Or worldly? How assimilated are you?

The Jewish people had gotten really comfortable in their new land. They had assimilated to the Persian lifestyle, and it was home now – so why go back? Well besides the fact that God wanted them to only worship Him and that their homeland was the promised land given to them by God, so if serving only God was not at the top of their priority list, then going back to the land provided by God would not rank high either.

Where are your priorities today? What is next on your list of acquisitions? Is drawing closer to God on your priority list? And if so, at what cost? Are you willing to forsake your assimilation – your comfort in this foreign land – to draw nearer to Him? Are you willing to change anything to experience God?

Esther was an orphan who had been raised by her cousin Mordecai. Due to extensive partying and drunkenness, the king of Persia – Xerxes – found himself without a queen. (and it was all his fault) He threw a big beauty contest to find himself a new queen, to which Mordecai convinced Esther to participate. She was beautiful. But he told her to not disclose that she was a Jew. She wins this contest and becomes the queen, again, without anyone knowing she was Jewish.

Outside of the palace, Mordecai is creating tension with the king’s second in command – Haman. Haman does not take kindly to Mordecai’s refusing to kneel to Haman, so he convinces the King to issue a decree sentencing all of the Jews to death. Mordecai reaches out to Esther for help in convincing the king to change his decree.

Since no one in the palace knows that Esther is Jewish, Haman has no clue that he has just pushed for a decree that will kill the queen.

When Mordecai finds out about this order, he sends word to Esther that she has to reach out to the king to stop the order.

She realizes that her life is at risk either way. And we have Esther 4:14 with Mordecai saying “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

Only Esther knows there is a law that says unless the king summons you, you do not approach the king – or risk death. She sends word to Mordecai about this, and he tells her that she is at risk of being killed too. So she sends word back telling Mordecai to have all of the Jews fasting and praying for 3 days. And she tells him – if she perishes, she perishes. If I die, I die.

I’m not sure what you all believe, but I am not a big believer in coincidence.  I believe God orchestrates things to work out what will be accomplished.  I believe Esther was handpicked by God, and that he orchestrated her being chosen.  Maybe He allowed a big pimple to appear on the next most beautiful person, or her skin to appear dry or oily or whatever. But somehow, Esther is exactly in the position to do exactly what will happen in the next chapters.

And Mordecai’s challenge to her hits home. And she DOES approach the king, and he of course raises his golden scepter to invite her to approach. Esther then invites her king husband and Haman to her rooms for a dinner banquet. They come to eat, and she invites them back again the next day. And they come back. When they come back, the king asks her what she is wanting – and she tells him to please spare her and her people from this terrible annihilation. The king asks her who has declared this, and she tells him the vile Haman. The king is furious, steps out into the garden, and at this point Haman begs Esther to spare his life – but he does it in a way as to fall upon Esther right at the time the king walks back into the room. He becomes even more furious –as the scene appears Haman is assaulting Esther. Haman gets executed and Mordecai gets honored and promoted.

That is the very fast version, and there are all kinds of interesting details in this book.

But – to get into the meat of this – we have Esther hiding away in the palace because that is what Mordecai told her to do – until he needed her to be brave and step out.

Esther could have gone the rest of her life without admitting she was a Jew, and though her people and even her cousin would have been killed, she likely could have gone on as she was. But she was an honorable person – and she had to step up, courageously and try to save her people, and her cousin.

Her statement – if I perish, I perish, shows that she knows the risk and sees the risk as necessary. God has her in the place for this purpose, but Esther doesn’t really know how things will play out. She just does what is right. And God uses her to save His people.

I started this off asking about your defining moments. There are decisions behind us, and there are still decisions ahead of us. Your most defining moment may be in front of you. And it may require a lot of courage. But if this is what God has called you to do, you can be at peace that He will equip you for your purpose.

Esther found herself in a scary season – and she faced it with fear, but with determination. She trusted God – and she acted with courage.

God had Esther in the place, in her position, with those people, for such a time as this.

See – the Creator of this universe – is your Father.

The God who parted the red sea? The same one that created you to be in your season right now – for some purpose.

The God who walked on water? The same One that loves you dearly – passionately.

The God that forgave David and Bethsheba when he stole her from her husband and had him killed – forgives you.  

He knows your thoughts. He knows your fears. He knows what is on your mind right now.

Your Father is the King of the Universe. And He wants you to love Him and trust Him. He wants you to believe Him when He says – He knows your name and will NEVER forsake you.

Do we live like the daughter of the King?? What does that even look like?

Can you just picture yourself? Do you KNOW who my Father is? Because My Father is the King of the Universe. He can part the Red Sea and walk on water so I KNOW He can ____________! ;) You really can say that! J

Do you think your purpose should be easy? We are not called to easy lives – but to purposeful lives.

What if whatever you are facing right now is the calling of the purpose in your life?

Esther was called to stand courageous for her people.

We are called for some purpose.

And Sister, You are called.  Who knows if you aren’t in this position or season for such a time as this. 

 

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