![]() ![]() God is sovereign and His fingerprints are all over your life. I would guess that Esther questioned her situation and wondered if God had forgotten her, but think what would have happened if she had given into those fears? Does the grass on the other side look greener?.Do you believe no matter what happens you serve a sovereign God?.Are you seeking wisdom from godly people?.Are God’s plans not matching up with yours?.Such an amazing story! But will you take a moment with me to think about your current situation? Maybe God had placed Esther as queen so that she could stand up to the king. In defense Mordecai shared with his niece probably the most popular verse from Esther, “Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this” (4:14). But believing this would mean certain death and Esther was adamantly against his advice. In chapter four, Mordecai encourages Esther to approach the King and beg for mercy and plead for the Jewish people. God Has Placed Us Where We are for a Reason God was arranging every single detail for His glory.ĥ. Was it happenstance that Esther was a Jew? Of course not. It wasn’t by mistake that Esther had “a lovely figure and was beautiful” (2:7). God was with Esther when she lost her parents and she was raised by her wise uncle. Yet God’s fingerprints are on every page. Interestingly, God’s name is never mentioned in Esther. Regardless of man’s plans, God has the final say because He is sovereign.Ĥ. Yet throughout the Old Testament, a promised Messiah was to come from Jewish lineage. Later in the story, Mordecai pleaded with Esther to set her fears aside and stand up for deliverance of the Jews.Įsther’s situation looked bleak as did the future of her people. ![]() Because he forbid her, Esther didn’t reveal her nationality (2:10). From the beginning Esther listened to her Uncle Mordecai’s wisdom. Esther 1:13 states that “it was customary for the king to consult experts in matter of law and justice.” The problem is that the advice that the king received from his “wise” men and his right-hand-man Haman led him to make very poor decisions – decisions deadly for the Jews. King Xerxes is the prime example of what happens when you don’t do this. In reading through Esther again I was struck with the importance of surrounding ourselves with wise, godly people. He reminds us in Isaiah 55:9 that His ways and thoughts are higher than our ways and thoughts. To top that off, Esther never dreamed of a situation where she would have to choose between her own life and standing up for the lives of her people, the Jews.īut none of this was a surprise to God. I have no doubt that Esther’s plans for her life didn’t include her parents’ early deaths, being taken to the live in the king’s palace, and being married to a prideful king. Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” A couple of chapters later in 19:21, Proverbs reiterates, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” ![]() But in skipping this short book, I feel I missed out on learning some amazing biblical truths points that I desire our children to learn as we study this book together.ġ. Maybe because it isn’t considered one of the “greats” alongside Noah, Moses, and Jonah. Maybe because some of the plot is for a mature audience. With my several-times-a-week as a child church attendance, you would have thought this name would have rung a bell, but for some reason my Sunday School classes didn’t include Esther in the Old Testament rotation. I was surprised to learn that Hadassah was actually a Biblical name – Esther’s birth name, to be exact. The birth announcement that I received in the mail stated the precious girl’s name was “Hadassah.” Flipping through my mental rolodex of names to search for a match, I came up empty.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |