For Such a Time as This
Tonight, Purim begins on the Hebrew calendar, a story about not capitulating to those who want to destroy the people of God, of divine providence, and of the importance of heeding the call of God.
The wicked Haman wanted to see the Jewish people exterminated when the Jewish Mordecai refused to bow to him.
As a man of faith, Mordecai would only bow to one, that being the One True God of Israel.
Every single event in the Purim story, from Xerxes making Vashti ashamed for not appearing before the people wearing only a crown (and nothing else, oddly enough), or the call for a new wife for King Xerxes, God had established, leading to the rise of Esther to save the Jewish people.
Eventually, a sinister plot to destroy the Jewish people came to light, causing Yahweh to have Esther stand in to save her people from the wicked schemes of Haman.
One of the most famous passages of Scripture can be found here:
“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 [ESV]).
This verse proves to us two things. One, God is in control of when we are born and the places we end up, with everything serving His ultimate plan.
Two, God appoints people to certain roles in pivotal moments in history.
If Haman’s scheme went forward, it would have been equivalent to Hitler’s Final Solution in the ancient world.
However, God promised the sceptre would never depart from the tribe of Judah, meaning the Jewish people would have to exist as a people for all time. It is through Judah that the LORD brought the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Thinking about it logically, we can conclude with full confidence God’s plans are always established. Haman’s wicked plot was exposed, and Xerxes took Esther as his queen, saving the Jewish people from certain doom.
Xerxes orders Haman’s death, fulfilling God’s wrath upon Haman.
This story can be seen as a type and foreshadow of the defeat of the Antichrist in the last days, who will once more attempt to eliminate the Jewish people, as well as Christians. The Righteous King, with a Hebrew bride, shall judge the enemy and slay the wicked.
Purim is never commanded in the Scriptures, but it helps remind us of God’s sovereign power.
God’s plan can never be stopped by human agency. It is impossible for a mere man or woman to thwart the plans of the Almighty King.
In your own life, there may be something you are called to do which only you can accomplish for God. Perhaps he gave you the skill of music, smooth speech, or flying a plane.
Whatever it may be, He intended it for His ultimate glory and purposes.
The world is in rough shape right now.
But God willed whomsoever was born in this generation to live through it, meaning from before time began, He decided we are the ones meant to live through this time.
The world is going to become quite rough in the years ahead, progressively getting worse until Jesus returns in whichever generation He chooses.
What is it the LORD would have you do in your time?
Submit to His will, and what He wants for your life, and, like Esther, you can accomplish incredible things that help other people thrive in a hellish time.
There’s also a blood moon tonight, coinciding with Purim. Is it a sign? Maybe.
But looking at that wonderful moon tonight would be a decent time to ponder what our ultimate purpose is.
Remember, you were placed here for such a time as this.
