-August 17, 2022-
Good morning, happy Wednesday,
“For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
(Esther 4:14).
The Book of Esther is the only book in the Bible where God is not mentioned. Though this is the case, God is present and working in the lives of His people in exile. Esther’s Hebrew name was Hadassah. She was the the cousin of Mordecai, who took her in and raised her when both of her parents died. He loved her like a daughter and she loved him like a father.
King Ahasuerus chose Esther to be queen among all the young virgins in realm to take the place of Vasti, who had rebelled against him and his kingdom. It was all in keeping with God’s will. Mordecai refused to bow down to wicked Haman who plotted against the Jews and encouraged the king to issue an irrevocable edict that all the Jews in his kingdom be killed on the thirteenth day of the twelve month of Adar. Mordecai had previously told Esther not to reveal her people, but now it is a time of desperation, fear, and catastrophe. Now is the time to speak up and intercede to the king for her people.
Esther had not been invited to come in the presence of the king for thirty days. She was well aware if she went before the king uninvited, though she was queen, she could be put to death. She was caught between a rock and a hard place: her personal safety and the deliverance of all her people. Esther 4:15-16 says, “Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, ‘Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go up to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.’”
This reminds me of the situation Jacob was in. One of his sons, Simeon was held in custody in Egypt and he had to send his youngest son Benjamin with his brothers back to Egypt to secure his release and acquire food for their survival during a great famine. He finally agreed and told his sons, “Take your brother also, and arise, and go back to the man. And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved” (Genesis 43:13-14).” He was also caught between a rock and a hard place. Little did he know Joseph was the man and there was a great deliverance; and he got to see and be with him for the last seventeen years of his life.
There are times we must make difficult decisions between two potentially bad outcomes. This is when we need to pray and fast, seeking God’s will and doing it. We must be courageous and act as Esther and Jacob did. Both ended with great deliverances and blessings. Esther spoke to the king, Haman was put to death, and all the Jews were delivered and given the opportunity to kill their enemies, which they did. God gave them the victory. The Jewish feast of Purim is celebrated yearly as a result.
Many times we expect the best, but fear the worst. Often, God has another plan for us, resulting in our good and His glory. God answers prayer and does great things for us. We should ask in prayer, believing and commit ourselves to His will and surrender fully to Him. God did put Esther in her role as queen for such a time as this. There was no coincidence in any of this. God uses people, circumstances, and other factors in just the right way and at just the right time.
Have a blessed day, being strong and courageous, trusting in the Lord and praying. He will work things out for us, even between a rock and hard place. Stay safe and healthy.
In humble dependence on God,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 