The Tables Are Turned.

“Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews, had plotted to crush and destroy them on the date determined by casting lots (the lots were called purim). But when Esther came before the king, he issued a decree causing Haman’s evil plot to backfire, and Haman and his sons were impaled on a sharpened pole. That is why this celebration is called Purim, because it is the ancient word for casting lots.” – Esther 9:24-26 NLT

Haman, the enemy of the Jews was dead. But the royal decree he had convinced King Xerxes to implement was irreversible. So on March 7, the edict became official.That was the day that Haman had set aside for every Jew in the land of Persia to be killed. But because of the efforts of Mordecai and Esther, another royal decree had been issued, giving the Jews permission to defend themselves against any and all who would try to harm them. So when March 7 came, the Jews went on the offensive. They “struck down their enemies with the sword. They killed and annihilated their enemies and did as they pleased with those who hated them” (Esther 9:5 NLT). Across the country of Persia, they killed hundreds of their enemies, including the ten sons of Haman. No one could stand against them because they were afraid of them. And as a result of this unlikely victory, the Jews instituted an annual festival called the Feast of Purim This day was set aside each year as a memorial and a celebration of God’s deliverance of them from their enemies.

God had used two unknown individuals, Mordecai and his adopted niece, Esther, to help save an entire race of people from complete annihilation. He had orchestrated the whole affair long before either Mordecai or Esther were even deported to Babylon. God knew what was going to happen and who He would use to bring about His divine plan for protecting His people. These two individuals were instruments in His hands, faithfully answering His call when He needed them. Both did their part. They stepped up and risked their own well-being and comfort in order to be used by God to accomplish His will for His people. They could have easily come up with excuses or hidden their heads in the sand, ignoring what was going on around them. But instead, they recognized that they were uniquely positioned by God to make a difference. They understood that the events surrounding their lives were not just happenstance or luck, but were part of a divine appointment scheduled from the very throne room of God.

Even after these events passed, Mordecai and Esther continued to use their positions for the good of the people. We’re told that Mordecai became the second-highest ranking official in the kingdom. “Mordecai the Jew become the prime minister, with authority next to that of King Xerxes himself. He was very great among the Jews, who held him in high esteem, because he continued to work for the good of his people and to speak up for the welfare of all their descendants” (Esther 10:3 NLT). This man rose from obscurity to power, but never seemed to lose sight of the fact that his position was God-ordained, not earned. He was where he was by the sovereign will of God, not because he was special. Rather than use his position for his own benefit and to see it as an excuse for self-centeredness, he chose to use it as a platform for good. What if each of us saw our role here on this planet from the same perspective? What if we understood that we are here for a reason greater than our own good or our own personal profit? Paul reminds us, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT). We have been placed on this planet for a reason. We have been redeemed by the blood of Christ for a reason. We remain on this earth after salvation for a reason. God has a job for each of us to do and He has uniquely positioned us to make a difference for His kingdom. May we have the same attitude that Mordecai, Esther, Paul, Joseph, Daniel and so many other saints of the past had. We were born for just such a time as this!

Father, as believers we should never wonder what our purpose in life is all about. We have so much to do for You. We have so many opportunities every day to accomplish great things for You as You reveal situations and circumstances in which we can step in and make a difference. Open our eyes and help us see Your agenda instead of ours. Forgive us for our self-focus and self-centeredness. Let us see what You are doing behind the scenes and step alongside Your work. Give us an eternal perspective that is bigger than us. Thank You for the story of Mordecai and Esther, but also for the reminder that it is always You who are working behind the scenes to accomplish the impossible in the lives of men. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

You Can’t Make This Stuff Up.

“The Jews were filled with joy and gladness and were honored everywhere. In every province and city, wherever the king’s decree arrived, the Jews rejoiced and had a great celebration and declared a public festival and holiday. And many of the people of the land became Jews themselves, for they feared what the Jews might do to them.” – Esther 8:16-17 NLT

The wicked Haman has plotted to annihilate all the Jews living in Persia. He has convinced the king to issue a decree declaring a day on which every man, woman and child of Hebrew heritage will be killed. Mordecai informs Queen Esther of the plan and encourages her to do whatever she can to help stop it. Esther, knowing the risks to her own life, agrees to go before the king, even though it means she must reveal to him for the first time that she too is a Jew.

In the meantime, the king has insomnia one night and in an attempt to make himself drowsy, has his attendants read to him out of a book containing the history of his reign. While doing so, they happen to read how Mordecai foils an attempted assassination plot on the king. When Xerxes discovers that nothing had been done for Mordecai, he decides to ask Haman for advice. When the king asks Haman, “What should I do to honor the man who truly pleases me?” (Esther 6:6 NLT), Haman mistakenly thinks the king wants to honor him. So he comes up with the perfect idea. “…he should bring out one of the king’s own royal robes, as well as a horse that the king himself has ridden—one with a royal emblem on its head. Let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. And let him see that the man whom the king wishes to honor is dressed in the king’s robes and led through the city square on the king’s horse. Have the official shout as they go, ‘This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!’” (Esther 6:8-9 NLT). The king loves Haman’s idea and instructs him to put it immediately into effect, commanding him to do everything he suggested – for Mordecai – Haman’s enemy! As a result, Haman is humiliated.

But wait, it gets worse for Haman. He is invited back to the palace for a second banquet hosted by Esther for he and the king. This time Esther reveals Haman’s plot and that her own life is at risk because she too is a Jew. The king leaves the room in a rage, only to walk back in and see Haman begging Queen Esther to spare his life. To the king it appears as if Haman is accosting the queen right there in the royal palace. This seals Haman’s doom and he is impaled on the very pole he had had erected in his own courtyard and on which he had planned to murder Mordecai. His property is given to Queen Esther and the king’s signet ring, which Haman had worn, is given to Mordecai. And in an attempt to reverse the decree that Haman had convinced King Xerxes to sign, the king gives Mordecai the power and authority to write a new decree giving the Jews permission to defend themselves against anyone who might try to harm them. This second decree is sent throughout the land and the impact of it is significant. The people of Persia not only decide to leave the Jews alone, but many of them convert to Judaism out of fear for what the Jews might do to them.

What had been planned as a plot to destroy the people of God had been used by God to bless them. He had taken the plans of men and used them for His own glory and His peoples’ own good. Haman was no match for God. And Mordecai and Esther were uniquely and divinely positioned to be used by God to accomplish His will on behalf of His people living in the midst of a pagan nation. This story, like all the others in the Bible, is not really about Esther or Mordecai. It is about God. To a Jew reading this historical event, the presence and power of God would have been readily apparent. His hand is all over this story. It was God who planned for Mordecai and his adopted niece to end up as exiles in Babylon. It was God who had arranged for Mordecai to adopt Esther when her parents had died. It was God who predetermined that Esther would become queen. It was God who orchestrated Mordecai’s job working as a gatekeeper at the palace. Every step along the way, God was working behind the scenes, using unlikely individuals like Esther and Mordecai, and ungodly individuals like Haman and Xerxes, to accomplish His divine will. Our God is in control.

Father, why do we doubt You? You have proven over and over again Your ability to control circumstances and accomplish Your will in the face of the greatest challenges and odds. Sometimes we have a hard time seeing Your hand at work. The situation can look dire and the prospects bleak, but we need to continue to remind ourselves that You are not done yet. And we need to remember that You have chosen to work through people like us. So help us to see what it is that You might want us to do to make a difference. Never let us lose hope. It is never too difficult or too late for You to work. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

For Such A Time As This.

“If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” – Esther 4:14 NLT

Through a series of strange, yet sovereign circumstances, Esther, the young Jewish girl, has become queen of one the most powerful nations in the world. What could easily appear as luck or fate was actually the hand of Almighty God. This dramatic change in the circumstances of this young woman’s life had not just happened, but had been orchestrated by God. As you read the account of Esther, you can’t help but be reminded that God is always working behind the scenes in ways that we often overlook or simply cannot see. As Esther was adapting herself to her new role as Queen, her uncle Mordecai was performing his new job on the royal payroll as a gatekeeper. Both of these people were now in positions where God was going to use them to do something incredibly significant for Him.

After learning that Haman had convinced the king to issue a royal decree to have all the Jews living in the land summarily executed on the same day, Mordecai went into a time of mourning and fasting. As the news spread across the nation, mourning broke out among the people of God. This was devastating news and they were powerless to stop it. Mordecai’s mourning and presence just outside the palace gates seemed to have been an embarrassment to Esther. The king was still unaware of her Jewish heritage and I am sure she feared that Mordecai’s presence and the appearance of her uncle walking around in burlap just outside the palace gates was going to let her secret out of the bag. So she sent Mordecai a change of clothes in the hopes that he might break his fast and stop his mourning. But he refused. Instead, he asked her to go before the king and beg for mercy for the people of Israel. This posed two serious problems for Esther. First, she would have to admit to being a Jew. This was a huge risk for her. She would also have to come before the king uninvited, which could end in her death. But Mordecai sent her a sobering message and a reminder: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed” (Esther 4:13 NLT). Her position as queen would not guarantee her safety once the decree went into affect. The law required that every single Hebrew man, woman and child would be killed on the same day – no questions asked, no mercy given Mordecai went on to remind Esther that if she chose to remain silent and do nothing, God would simply raise up someone else to do His will. Mordecai knew that her refusal to get involved would not prevent God from rescuing His people, but he also seemed to know that God had placed her where she was for a reason. He believed she had a divine appointment, a God-given responsibility to use her new position as queen to intercede on behalf of the people of God. He told her, “Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14b NLT).

There is a certain sense in which Mordecai or Esther could not know conclusively if God had placed Esther in her role as queen specifically for the purpose of saving the people of Israel. God had not spoken to either one of them. Mordecai had not received a direct word from God. But Mordecai knew that it would be wrong for her to refuse to use her position as queen on behalf of the people. She had to do what she could do. She was uniquely positioned to make a potentially life-saving impact on an entire nation. Mordecai seemed to understand that our existence here on this planet is not just to seek our own self-interest and to preserve our own safety and security. God had us here for a greater purpose. He wants to use us for His purposes. He wants us to make a difference in the world in which we live. Esther could have just refused to do anything and just let someone else do something about this problem. She could have just assumed that God would use someone else – someone better qualified and better suited to be a savior. But Mordecai convinced her that she couldn’t sit back and do nothing. She had to act, even at great risk to her own life. Her final words to Mordecai reveal her determination to do whatever she had to do to make a difference. “And then, though is is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die” (Esther 4:16b NLT).

Have you ever stopped to think about why you are here on this planet? Do you ever consider that there might be a more significant reason you live where you live, work where you work, are married to whom you are married, and have the children you do? Is there a chance that God has positioned you for something greater than simply making a living? Who knows if perhaps you are here for just such a time as this?

Father, give us an eternal perspective. Give us the ability to see the bigger picture and not just focus on our everyday roles. Never let us think that we are here just for our own satisfaction. You have bigger plans in store. You want to use us to make a difference in this world. Give us boldness and a willingness to be used by You, even if it is risky and we don’t feel qualified. You have placed us right where we are for reasons that we might not know right now. Help us to see what You see and do what You have uniquely positioned us to do. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Meanwhile, Back In Babylon.

“Dispatches were sent by swift messengers into all the provinces of the empire, giving the order that all Jews—young and old, including women and children—must be killed, slaughtered, and annihilated on a single day. This was scheduled to happen on March 7 of the next year. The property of the Jews would be given to those who killed them.” – Esther 3:13 NLT

Not every Jew returned to the Land of Promise with Zechariah and Zerubbabel. In fact, only a small portion of the Jews living in exile were part of those who decided to return. That left tens of thousands of Jews still living in captivity, now under the rule of Xerxes, the king of the Persians, who had defeated the Babylonians. The story of Esther is the story of God’s dealings with those who remained in exile. He had not forgotten about them. While He was busy assisting Zechariah and those who had returned to Jerusalem with the restoration of the Temple and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, He had not taken His eyes off of those who had been left behind. These first three chapters set the stage for a dramatic confrontation between God and the enemies of the Jews. It is a snap shot of what has been going on for centuries and reflects the intense hatred for God’s chosen people that has manifested itself in a variety of ways since the day God called Abram out of Ur and promised to multiply his seed and make them into a great nation.

The book of Esther is all about the sovereignty of God, yet it reflects the remarkable fact that He chooses to use ordinary people to do extraordinary things. The main heroine of the story is Esther, for whom the book is named. Esther is a young Jewish orphan living in Babylon with her uncle, Mordecai, who had adopted her after the death of her parents. In a bizarre act of fate, Esther is chosen to join in what was, for all intents and purposes, a beauty pageant. King Xerxes had banished his queen for having refused to do what he commanded her to do. King Xerxes was a powerful man who was accustomed to getting what he wanted. He was wealthy and prone to excess. He was a hedonist, who loved the finer things in life and enjoyed displaying his power and possessions any chance he could get. After banishing the queen, he set about looking for her replacement by having all the beautiful, young virgins in the land brought to his palace where they were subjected to a six-month “makeover.” Esther was one of these young women. So the story begins. A young, obscure Jewish girl suddenly finds herself living in the palace of the king. Is it luck, or the sovereign hand of God? That’s the point of the whole story.

This entire book is written to the people of God to remind them of the sovereign, protective power of God. He is ALWAYS in control. He is ALWAYS working behind the scenes in ways we can’t see or even imagine. In a miraculous turn of events, Esther passes her “audition” and is crowned the new queen by Xerxes. She went from orphan to concubine to queen in record time. Meanwhile, her uncle Mordecai had scored a job on the palace staff as a gatekeeper. One day, while on duty, he overhears two men plotting to assassinate the king. He reveals this news to Esther, who tells the king. And all we’re told is that this act is recorded in The Book of the History of King Xerxes’ Reign. Enter Haman, the second-most-powerful man in the kingdom. He is a megalomaniac who ends up with a hatred for Mordecai because he will not bow down and worship him. So in a fit or rage, he convinces the king to sign a decree setting a date one year into the future when every single Jew living in the land will be executed – on a single day. Where did this come from? How did the simple slight of a single man turn into a plan to annihilate an entire race of people?

So the stage is set. The young Jewish girl, Esther is the new queen. Her uncle Mordecai finds employment at the palace where he has a run-in with Haman, the most powerful official in the kingdom. King Xerxes signs a decree, giving Haman the power and the resources to pull off his plan to kill every single Jewish man, woman, and child living in the land of Babylon. What’s going to happen? How will this story end? And where is God in all of this? It is interesting to note that God is not referred to in the entire book. That fact caused many in the early days of the church to question whether it should be included in the canon of Scripture. But I think the absence of God’s name is purposeful. While we do not see His name in the book, we see His hands all over the events taking place in the story. We don’t have to see His name to recognize His handiwork. We don’t need to be told who it is that is causing these things to happen. It’s God. No one else could orchestrate a plot like this in order to accomplish His will. Things are looking bleak. The situation looks completely out of control. But wait. God’s not done yet.

Father, I shouldn’t have to be told that You are working. I should simply see it and intuitively know it. Your name is written on every second of every single day of human history. You are silently, yet sovereignly working Your divine plan to perfection. You know the ending of the story. You know how all things are going to turn out. Nothing is a mystery to You. So while the king and Haman sat down to drink, You were busy putting Your plan into action. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org