Are You in Just the Right Time and Place?

Esther 1-10

"And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this." Esther 4:14b

The sovereignty of God is written on every page of this fascinating story. Watch God's hand move the characters.

King Xerxes knew how to throw a party. He gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials, the military leaders of Persia and Media, and the princes and nobles of the provinces. Everybody who was anybody was there. For one hundred eighty days he displayed the wealth and glory of his kingdom. He ended his revelry with a banquet in a beautifully decorated garden area of the palace. The wine was flowing in abundance. The king had shown off everything else in his kingdom. He decided to send for Queen Vashti and display her beauty to his drinking buddies. But Vashti refused to come! This made the king furious.

King Xerxes consulted his advisors to help him decide what he should do about the queen's refusal. One of them said Xerxes should ban the queen from his presence and get a new queen. Otherwise all the wives in the kingdom would be following Vashti's example and refuse to obey their husbands. Xerxes thought this was sound advice.

The king had many beautiful young women brought to the palace . One of these women was a Jewish girl named Esther. Her parents were dead, and she had been raised by a relative named Mordecai. She was Mordecai's uncle's daughter. He had instructed her carefully not to reveal the fact that she was Jewish to anyone. King Xerxes chose Esther to be his new queen.

Mordecai discovered a plot to assassinate the king and told Esther, who reported it to the king. This deed was recorded in one of the books recounting events in the kingdom.

King Xerxes promoted a man named Haman to the highest position of his nobles, and everyone in the kingdom knelt down and honored him except Mordecai. Haman was furious. He found out Mordecai was a Jew and decided to try to wipe out not only Mordecai but all of his people. He talked the king into sending out a decree to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom, saying their customs were different and they did not obey the king's laws. A day was set for all of the Jews to be annihilated.

Esther heard that Mordecai was in sackcloth and ashes, a sign of mourning. When Esther sent someone to inquire why, Mordecai sent word to her about the king's edict and told the emissary to instruct her to go to the king and beg him for mercy for her people. She sent back a reminder to Mordecai that anyone who approached the king without being summoned would be put to death unless he held out his gold scepter to them. It had been thirty days since the king had called for Esther. Mordecai reminded Esther that she would be killed with all the other Jews, and then he said, "And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" Esther agreed to go before the king,saying "If I perish, I perish." Esther 4:16b

The Jews fasted and prayed for Esther for three days. When she went into the king, God gave her favor in his sight, and he held out the golden scepter to her. She invited the king and Haman to dine with her. Haman bragged to all his friends about being invited, but in the meantime he had a gallows built to hang Mordecai.

That night the king could not sleep. For entertainment he had someone read to him out of one of the books that detailed kingdom events. God caused the reader to select the very book and the very passage that told how Mordecai had revealed the assassination plot. The next morning Haman came to ask the king's permission to hang Mordecai, but the king instructed him to honor Mordecai. Then the queen revealed that Haman's plot to kill the Jews would include her death also. King Xerxes had Haman hanged on the gallows he had built to hang Mordecai! What poetic justice. The Jewish nation had been saved because Esther fulfilled her purpose in the time and place where God had put her.

God has put you in just the right time and just the right place to fulfill His purposes through your life.

Father, may we be faithful and courageous to fulfill the purposes You have for us where You have placed us. Amen.

Do You Get the Job Done?

Nehemiah 1-6

"They said to me, 'Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.' When I heard these things I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven." Nehemiah 1:3-4

Nehemiah was a Jew who lived in Babylon. He was the cupbearer for King Artaxerxes. When some men came to Babylon from Judah, Nehemiah questioned them about the exiles who had returned to Jerusalem and about the conditions in the city itself. The news was very bad. Although the temple had been rebuilt, the exiles were struggling, the wall of the city was broken down, and the gates had been burned, giving invaders easy access to attack the city. This news caused Nehemiah to mourn, fast, and pray.

One day when Nehemiah took some wine into the king, he allowed his face to show sadness over the situation in Jerusalem. The king asked Nehemiah why he was sad, and Nehemiah told him what he had learned about Jerusalem and asked the king's permission to go rebuild the wall. The king granted Nehemiah permission, gave him letters to people who could help him, and provided soldiers to escort him safely.

Three days after his arrival in Jerusalem, Nehemiah went by night to inspect the damage to the wall. Then he met with some of the Jews, priests, nobles, and officials and told them about his trip from Babylon. He enlisted them to help rebuild the wall. Their reply was, "Let's get started."

Whenever we step out for God, enemies seem to surface. Nehemiah and his workers had enemies, especially three men named Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, officials who wanted to keep the Jews weak and vulnerable. They mocked and ridiculed the Jews the whole time they were working on the wall. Tobiah said that the wall would be so feeble it would crumble if a fox walked on it.

Nehemiah was an excellent foreman. He gave specific sections of the wall to specified groups of people. They would be encouraged as they saw the progress they were making on their part of the wall.

As the wall went up, the opposition increased. Nehemiah's enemies tried to frighten and intimidate Nehemiah, but he refused to give in to their attempts. He trusted God instead. When the Jews heard that their enemies planned to attack them, half of the men worked on the wall, and the other half armed themselves and guarded the workers. Nehemiah and his fellow Jews stood firm in their faith, but they were also prepared to fight if necessary.

The completion of the wall was a great victory for the Jews and a testimony to the power and protection of God. Nehemiah 6:16 gives this commentary, "When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God."

The wall had been torn down for 142 years, and nobody had done anything about it. When Nehemiah came with a vision to rebuild it, the wall was completed in 52 days. Nehemiah is an amazing example of a godly leader. He was a man of prayer. He prayed first, but he was also a man of action. He planned his steps carefully, but when the time came he moved out courageously. Most of all Nehemiah cared. He cared enough to ask about Jerusalem, to weep over the destruction that had taken place, to pray for God's direction, and then to go himself to get the job done.

Abraham cared and rescued Lot. Esther cared enough to risk her life to save her people. Paul cared and spread the gospel throughout the Roman Empire. Jesus cared and died on the cross for us. God is always looking for people who will care and pray and move out. Are you and I willing to be such people?

Father, may we care and pray and plan wisely and then move out with courage, trusting You to carry out Your will through us. Amen.

Are You Influencing the Future?

2 Chronicles 34-35

"He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or the left." 2 Chronicles 34:2

Josiah's grandfather, Manasseh, was deep into idol worship. He rebuilt the high places where idols were worshiped and which his father, Hezekiah, had torn down. He built altars to the false gods, the Baals, and made Asherah poles to worship other idols. He worshiped the stars and threw his children into the fire as sacrifices. He practiced witchcraft and consulted mediums. God allowed him to be captured and taken to Babylon in bronze shackles with a hook in his nose. Then he humbled himself before God and prayed. God heard his prayer and restored him as King in Jerusalem. The last part of 2 Chronicles 23:13 says, "Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God."

Afterward, Manasseh did an about face. He got rid of the foreign gods and threw out the altars that had been built to worship them. Then he restored the altar of God and sacrificed fellowship and thank offerings to the true God.

Manasseh's son, Amon, succeeded his father as king. He worshiped and sacrificed to idols as his father had originally done. After Amon's death, his eight year old son, Josiah, became king. Josiah followed in the footsteps of King David. When he was sixteen, he began to seek the God David had worshiped. When he was twenty, he began to purge Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles, the altars of Baal, and idols. Then he sent men to repair the temple.

While the temple was being restored, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of Moses. Shaphan, the secretary, took the book to King Josiah and read part of it to him. King Josiah tore his robes, humbled himself before God, and wept because he realized how greatly his ancestors had disobeyed God. King Josiah called all the people together and read to them from the book of the law. Then the king renewed the covenant to follow God and keep His commandments, and he had all the people renew the covenant as well. Josiah removed all the idols in his kingdom, and, as long as Josiah lived, the Israelites in Judah followed the God of their ancestors.

The story of Josiah shows us the tremendous power and influence of leadership. He turned his whole kingdom from idol worship to the worship of God.

Why would a young king choose to worship God rather than the idols his father worshiped? I have to believe that there was a strong godly influence in his life. It could have been his grandfather, who turned from idol worship, or a godly mother or godly advisors, but there must have been someone in his life who counteracted the evil influence of his ungodly father.

What about you? Who has been a godly influence in your life--a parent, a grandparent, an aunt or uncle, a teacher, a minister, a friend or a neighbor? Think about the young people in your circle of acquaintances--children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews, your friend's children, children in your neighborhood or church. Will you ask God to give you opportunities to be a godly influence in their lives, to help guide them to Him?

Father, may we be aware of the young people with whom we are acquainted. May be seek opportunities to influence them for You. Amen.

God Sent Jonah to Nineveh

Jonah 1-4

"When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you..." Jonah 2:7a

God told Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and preach to the people there because of their wickedness.  Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh.  It was in Assyria, and the Assyrians were enemies of the Israelites.  Jonah didn't want to warn the Assyrians about their evil ways.  He was afraid they might repent, and God might forgive them, and Jonah wanted God to punish them.  Have you ever felt like that about your enemies--hoping something bad would happen to them?  Thinking that they deserve punishment--they've got it coming to them they deserve it, and the sooner the better, give it to them, God?  You surely wouldn't want them to repent of their wrong behavior and be forgiven, would you?

Jonah tried to run away from God, but God is everywhere.  There is nowhere we can go to escape Him.  Jonah boarded a ship bound for Tarshish, which was in the opposite direction from Nineveh.

A fierce storm arose at sea, and the sailors were afraid the ship would be destroyed.  They decided to cast lots, like drawing straws to see who gets the shortest straw.  They were trying to determine who was the cause of this storm.  The lot fell on Jonah.  He had already told them he was running away from God.  Now they asked him what they must do to make the sea calm down.  Jonah 1:12 gives us his answer,  "'Pick me up and throw me into the sea,' he replied, 'and it will become calm.  I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.'"

The sailors didn't want to throw Jonah overboard, and they tried their hardest to row to shore, but to no avail.  In fact, the storm grew even worse.  Finally they threw Jonah overboard, and the stormy sea became calm.

You would expect Jonah to drown, but God had prepared a great fish which swallowed Jonah.  Jonah was in the belly of this fish for three days and three nights. Imagine how dark and smelly and frightening that must have been.

Jonah did what I think many of us would have done in such a situation.  He prayed, and he promised to obey God.  He said he would go to Nineveh and preach.  Then God caused the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land.

Jonah went to Nineveh and told the people there that the city would be overthrown in forty days.  The people believed the message that God had sent, and they fasted and repented.  When God saw that they had turned from their wicked ways, He relented and did not destroy them.  You would think that Jonah would be happy that they had repented and God had forgiven them.  But Jonah was very angry instead.  He said he tried to keep this from happening by fleeing to Tarshish.  Listen to God's attributes that the sullen prophet criticized.  He said ,  "I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity."  Jonah 4:2b  Can you believe that Jonah was so mad at God for forgiving these people that he wanted to die? What a contrast with those in heaven who rejoice at the salvation of every sinner!

Jonah left the city and sat down on the outskirts.  God made a leafy plant grow up and give him shade.  Jonah was happy to have the plant, but the next morning God sent a worm to chew the plant so that it died.  God told His sulking prophet that, if Jonah was concerned about this plant, shouldn't God be concerned about the more than one hundred twenty thousand people in Nineveh?

How often do we major on the minor things of life, like our comfort, rather than having concern and compassion for sinners who need to hear the message of God's love and forgiveness?

Father, give us hearts of compassion for those who need to repent and turn to You.  May we be available to help send out the message that You are a gracious, loving, compassionate God Who forgives.  Amen.

Who Are You Influencing?

2 Kings 17

"As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord as the heart of David his father had been."  1 Kings 11:4

Remember that King Solomon, who started well by asking God to give him wisdom to govern the people and who built a magnificent temple for God in Jerusalem, did not finish well.  He acquired seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines.  Many of those were foreign women from lands where God had forbidden the Israelites to intermarry.  God had warned His people that these foreigners were idol worshipers and would influence the Israelites to worship their false gods.  This is exactly what happened.  Solomon himself participated in the idol worship.

After Solomon's death, God took all of the kingdom except the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and gave it to Jeroboam to rule.  Jeroboam thought that, if the Israelites went to worship at the temple in Jerusalem, they might switch their allegiance to Rehoboam.  So Jeroboam made two golden calves and set one up in Dan and one in Bethel.  He told the people it was too much for them for them to return to Jerusalem to worship.  He said,  "Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt."  I Kings 12:28b  Jeroboam led the people in idol worship by making sacrifices to these golden calves and by building shrines to other idols.

The wicked influence of these two men was widespread throughout the kingdom of Israel.  One king after another followed in their footsteps.  There were twenty kings in Israel during this period, and none of them worshiped the true God.  They were all idol worshipers.

Each person has a sphere of influence--those people who know you or know your reputation.  This would include our family members, fellow church members if we attend a church, business associates, friends, and acquaintances.  We are responsible to God for the kind of influence we have on the other people in our lives, especially those who will try to follow in our footsteps.

God had sent prophets to warn the Israelites, and particularly the kings who led the people, to put away all their idols and worship only Him.  But God's people refused to listen to His warnings.  So, in 722 B.C., God sent the Assyrians to defeat the northern kingdom of Israel and take many of them back to Assyria as captives.

There were twenty kings in the southern kingdom, Judah, also.  Most of them indulged in idol worship, but there were several kings who led the people to worship the true God.  Because of their leadership, God spared the southern kingdom until 586 B.C., when the Babylonians overran them, destroyed the temple and Jerusalem, and carried many people as captives to Babylon.  God will give people many warnings, but those who ignore them will eventually receive God's punishment.

We don't need to feel puffed with pride because we do not worship images made from gold, silver, wood or stone today.  Anything that takes first place in our lives other than God is an idol.  Today we idolize things like wealth, power, fame, beauty, prestige, youth, athleticism, and material possessions.  But only God, the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of mankind, only He Himself is worthy of worship--He and He alone.

Father, may I heed your warnings and realize they are actually for my benefit. May You be the center of my life, my love, and my worship.  Amen.