Examining The Scripture LXXI: A Time Such As This

Esther 4:14 Is that key verse of Esther and it hammers home an attribute of God that is nearly imponderable and hard for humans to truly get a grip on. As many will rightfully point out, God is not directly mentioned anywhere in the book. It is clear though that anyone with half an iota of sense will see God all over the book in the background acting providentially through the lives of the main characters. Especially Esther and especially because of the "times such as these" mentioned by Mordecai. To keep the following comment in context it must be understood that Haman had been plotting to exterminate the Jews (a la Hitler). For more on this see previous post Examining The Scripture LXXII: Haman, What's Your Problem?

"For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14

What we see is an awesome confession of Mordecai’s faith. He trusts that God has given Esther her position and power within the kingdom...for a specific reason. It is clear God is working behind the scene to make sure that the right people are in the right place at the right time. We also see a tremendous example of faith in Esther and it is a faith personified or acted out (i.e. Esther: “If I perish, I perish” in verse 16).We as believers can all walk away from this Scriptural passage with something that applies directly to us. No one and nothing is an accident regardless of what Planned Parenthood, evolutionists or abortionists will tell you. We all have our purpose for being alive in the “here and now”. Primarily, we are here to live our lives to the glory of God and to offer ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1) but within this context our duties as believers may go even deeper and to a more exhilarating place as is the case with Esther. To those “to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” Luke 12:48 and to a lesser extent Matthew 13:12.

God knows all and can do all (and a few other “alls” not listed). Esther 4:14 speaks to this and also speaks to the fact that when God chooses to act in history He nearly always chooses to do it through humanity. David in one of his Psalms 139 talks about God “forming my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb” and “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” What David was saying here is that God knew what was going to happen and His effect in all of our lives including those in Bible narrative.

Depending on your theological stance on predestination this directly speaks to Romans 8:28

“…we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Mordecai and Esther are clearly faithful believers and it is clear God has absolutely no intention of allowing the Jewish people to be killed off as it will be the Jewish race that produces the Messiah from the line of David. Jesus will be the Lion of the tribe of Judah. God knew what was going to happen here and worked through the actions of humans to bring about what did happen. Esther was at the kingdom, at this point in time to affect a change that would have profound implications of Jews and that would allow for the Jews to gain the upper-hand against Satan at least temporarily so that they could have Jesus come from one of their tribes, Judah.

Regardless, Mordecai is clearly advocating that Esther act of her own accord to affect a change in the king and to help avoid a mass slaughter and horrendous injustice on the scale of the Holocaust. At the same time there is nothing within this text that would prevent me from believing that God is providentially working behind the scenes. Much was given to her, and much was expected also. She stepped up to the plate and did what was right and in the end glorified the Lord that much more. Praise God! I can only hope when my time comes I will do the same.