ESTHER: GOD’S TIMING ALWAYS RIGHT
As the sordid Saga surrounding the intriguing drama of Esther’s positioning for “such a time as this” seemingly goes on and on with no good ending in sight, a lesson in “whose timing ought we be concerned about anyway” is being taught us a little at a time.
Because we have read the end of the book we know what God has in store for His people. My question is: “What has God got scheduled for you . . . for me?”
Don’t you just love the way our Lord works in and through those who are, and that which is, insignificant in the eyes of the world of fame and fortune to position those who are, and that which can be useful as His instruments, in order to accomplish His plan and purpose for His people.
Therein lies comfort and hope for we who “trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding but, in all our ways, acknowledge Him, for He has promised to direct our paths”!
Comes to mind the Apostle Paul whose insignificance in the eyes of all who hated him, and whose infirmity of the flesh was used against him, yet whose favor in God’s sight put him repeatedly in a position for carrying out the Great Commission.
Paul prayed for God to remove his “thorn in the flesh”; wouldn’t you and I? Of course! There are so many weaknesses of which I am aware in my own life that give me pause, and make me wonder how God can keep putting up with me, let alone keep using me.
In and thru it all, what we need to hear from the Lord is what Paul heard: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
It is no secret therefore that the power of Christ rests on those who love the Lord; the amazing grace of God works through us to do His Will which, after all, is why we are called to follow Christ: To be God’s and to do God’s Will, not for the praise of man but for the Lord.
God has often used unlikely leaders to deliver His people from the clutches of evil into which society devolves from time to time. Who, for example, would have thought that a carpenter’s son from an obscure village would one day become the Savior of the world and the Lord of life eternal . . . a shepherd boy with a sling and a few stones would defeat Israel’s gigantic enemy and become the king through whom the Savior would come?
Who would have thought that a young Jewish virtuoso named Hadassah to be renamed Esther would come to the Persian kingdom for “such a time as this”? Unheard of in those days of Jewish captivity when Satan’s plan for them was their extinction and eradication.
All the bad guys had strutted their stuff on the stage of the Persian Palace in the hope of getting rid of the good guy. Haman the Jew hater - mastermind of the plot to take out Mordecai and to take down the Jewish people - got the edict that he tricked the king into signing.
Then what happened? The God of Israel showed up. God’s timing kicked in. Esther’s positioning in the right place at the right time after spending a lot of time in the wrong place at the wrong time was about to become effective in a way that could only be wrought by the Lord God – Esther 4:1-3 . . .
Nowhere in the Bible is injustice exposed to a greater degree than it is here: Haman’s ruthless scheme to take out Mordecai and to take down other Jews with him has now been made public. Thousands of innocent people would be affected by an evil scheme designed to get one man. Widespread grief blanketed a nation.
If you yourself, or someone close to you or your family, or your family itself has ever wound up as the target of unjust law or schemes, in what way(s) did you respond? Did you: lament it or ignore it . . . pray about it or forget about it . . . join forces with like-minded doers of good or worldly-minded evil doers . . . act gently or violently . . . set your sights on positive or negative outcomes?
In situations like those we’ve described, emotions run high; and that’s okay – as long as respect and right thinking are maintained, as we shall see in this next passage of Scripture which highlights the emotional interaction between Esther and Mordecai – Esther 4:4-9 . . .
Money talks - so they say – and unfortunately, they are right! A huge sum of money had been promised in exchange for the destruction of the Jews.
All Mordecai could do about it was to appeal to the Queen’s heart. Yet, his appeal would be of no effect without a persuasive argument. Mordecai resorted to some rather blunt talk – Esther 4:10-14 . . .
“Young lady, don’t for one minute believe the lie that you will escape if you say nothing. Think it through. You let your people down now, you pay for it later. The time will come when you will regret it if you do not ‘stand down’ – surrender your own agenda, and that of the king’s – for a cause greater than yourself.”
Taking a stand does not always set well with significant others in our lives. So, when it is costly to do the right thing, what do we do? Each of us, in our heart of hearts, has to make up our own minds. “What would my Lord have me to do?”
For Esther, the moment of truth had come. Will it be business as usual or will it be a willingness on my part to put aside my own self-preservation to see that justice is done.
Well, as the wise foster parent that he had been through the years of her upbringing, Mordecai helped Esther decide for right over wrong with one of the all-time propositions that have ever been put to powerful persons of influence: “Who knows but that you have come to your position for such a time as this!”
Providentially the Lord God had positioned Esther in the right place at the right time for saving her flesh and blood kinfolks, God’s chosen people. The Lord had scheduled this occurrence of courage for a moment that suited God’s timing. The time was now. Would she or wouldn’t she do the right thing - Esther 4:15-16 . . .
The time had come to pray! Gather the people together wherever they are! And aren’t you impressed by Esther’s inclusion of herself and her attendants also in fasting. Pray earnestly and incessantly, then arise and meet the challenge head on, with no reservations.
When it’s clearly the right thing to do, affirmed by prayers of the saints, and commissioned by One greater than ourselves, there should be no turning back, no fear because God is near; so, press on toward the goal of deliverance for all those who trust in the Lord, and do so even though risky! “If I perish, I perish!” What an exclamation of commitment plus courage! Esther surrendered her will to do God’s Will!
Do you see here a foreshadowing of Jesus? There was no doubt in His mind about His mission after He had prayed, “Not my will but Thine be done.”
The Lord Jesus went before Pilate not with a prayer for release because His Father’s assigned Mission for Him allowed for no escape hatch. The Cross awaited Him and He chose to arise from prayer and go to Calvary to accomplish God’s goal of deliverance for all who repent and believe.
What will be the outcome of Esther’s arising from prayer and courageously going before her “Pilate” (the one who had the power to determine her fate and that of her people)? Stay tuned!
All the discussions have been held. It’s time to stop talking and start acting. All the unselfish praying by all the people affected by a horrendous edict is bound to have a positive effect, for the Lord God is at work in and through it all.
Is He about to use the persuasive power of an humble Jewish maiden who once found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time to change the course of a really bad situation? If so, get ready for the thrill of victory! Amen.
