Esther is one of the more exciting yet curious books in the Bible. The story is set over 100 years after the Babylonian exile of the Israelites from their land. While some Jews did return to Jerusalem, many did not. The book of Esther is about a Jewish community living in Susa, the capital city of the ancient Persian empire. The main characters are two Jews, Mordecai and his niece Esther. Then there is the king of Persia and the Persian official Haman, the cunning villain.
This is a curious book because God is never mentioned, not once. This may strike you as odd because the Bible is supposed to be a book about God. However, this is a brilliant technique by the anonymous author. It’s an invitation to read the story looking for God’s activity, and there are signs of it everywhere. The story is full of odd coincidences and ironic reversals that force you to see God’s purpose at work behind every scene.
Have you ever wondered why you are in a particular situation at a particular time? You may have found yourself caught in the middle of a conflicting relationships. Or you may have found yourself in a highly dysfunctional environment.
Esther finds herself in such a position; we read, “Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? Esther 4:14
It’s hard to imagine a more stressful position than Esther’s. She rose from obscurity into a position of power and prestige. Yet whatever glitz and glamor she may have enjoyed it quickly turned to terror when she learned of a plot to kill her people. Esther faced a dilemma: should she risk her life, revealing her true identity in order to save her people? Or should she preserve her life while her people perished? Her cousin Mordecai suggested that she may have placed her in a position of authority especially to save her people.
Where you are is no accident. God has placed you there for a purpose! Granted, your setting may not be as dramatic as Esther’s, but God’s purposes are no less significant. You might be in a position to speak the very words a someone else needs to hear today. You might mediate a conflict that has been brewing for weeks. You might be the one who helps an another reach their full potential. For the disciple of Jesus, God who has chosen us and continues to choose us to do his work!
Sovereign God, thank you for placing us where we are today. Reveal to us how we might be an instrument of your sovereign will. In Jesus, Amen.
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