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Jun 20, 2007

Life's Not always Fair but God is in it with you

Background: Esther 1 and 2 tells us an account of Queen Vashti and King Xerxes. The king and queen both give their individual banquets and when the king is drunk he calls for wife to come and be a showpiece before his friends and then later on takes advice from his friends on how to deal with his wife for having disobeyed him. In chapter 2 the king's anger has subsided yet he had not forgiven his wife Vashti. Then to imagine that Esther would be chosen to be queen with such a king like him.


Lessons I learnt

  • Unfair events in life-King Xerxes doesn't exactly pose a picture of a wonderful husband. He seems like he doesn't have a mind of his own regarding his relationship with his wife and is found taking suggestions from his court people. What a guy!!! Moreover, it looks to me like this guy thinks people are like things when one doesn't work well for him, get a new one. So he plans to do as per someone else's proposal and orders all maidens in his kingdom to be brought to him and be placed in the care of a guy named Hegai so that he may give them all forms of beauty treatment and the best among them would be made the new queen instead of Vashti. Would you ever want to be a part of such a program??? I know I wouldn't. "8So when the king's command and his decree were proclaimed and when many maidens were gathered in Shushan the capital under the custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken to the king's house into the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women." (Est 2:8). Esther got no choice. Now Esther had already lost her parents all she had was her cousin Mordecai who cared for her like a father and now she was taken away from him to the king's harem for the king's pleasure. Probably not the way she had imagined life would be for her to be a woman for such a king like him.

  • Fear in the situation-"10Esther had not made known her nationality or her kindred, for Mordecai had charged her not to do so. 11And Mordecai [who was an [a]attendant in the king's court] walked every day before the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what would become of her." They don't know what will happen tomorrow. What if the king doesn't like her and has her killed? What if they came to know she was a Jew and not from their country? There were a lot of unknowns for Esther and Mordecai in this situation and surely there would be a lot of fear involved.
How did Esther handle this?
  • Continued in the situation-Though there were many unknowns in her situation Esther continued in the situation and did just as was asked of her. She didn't try to fight it or resist it. 1 Corinthians 7:20 "Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him." Also I remember "Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Too many times when we are in a testing time, we try to fight it and change it and get frustrated by it because nothing seems to be happening. Since its about the lives of God's people will He not care for His people? Can He not change our situation? He sure can and it will in due time. In the mean time we must continue with our duties listening closely to God, for His directions.
  • Obedient to all authority- Esther was brilliantly obedient to the people in authority over her and God made sure nothing irreverent was ever asked of her to do. She obeyed in the fear of the Lord as the Amp Bible says "20Now Esther had not yet revealed her nationality or her people, for she obeyed Mordecai's command to her [[b]to fear God and execute His commands] just as when she was being brought up by him." (Est 2:20) I have seen that too, when you're obedient to authority in the fear of the Lord, He makes sure you are never made to do what is not right. Yet there could be times when you have to say "no". This obedience won her the favor of Hegai the man incharge. Even as she obeyed him in taking with her the gift he had asked her to take before the king and she won everyone's favour, who saw her.

Conclusion:Though we don't see the deliverance right here and now in this chapter, we know how even through such an uncomfortable situation full of fear of an unknown future, God used Esther in the deliverance of His people the Israelites. Along with bringing her and Mordecai many blessings and elevating them to a position of authority as they worked through their respective situations with reverence to God. We have such a God, One who cares and watches, when life brings about unfair things, situations that trigger fear of tomorrow He already has a glorious future planned out through the unknowns of tomorrow and we can make our walk through this unknown season of life with obedience to whoever is in authority as a reverence to God and God will make sure that everything else is made perfect for those who love Him.

1 comment :

Sista Cala said...

When we humble ourselves before the Lord, He will elevate us.

Keep up the good work here. God bless.