God Is Up To Something (2)
Grace placed her in the palace. In the natural, she was a slave girl. There were many like her, but this one was different. She was not only beautiful, there was a certain air around her. You just fell in love with her, and you wanted to do her good. Hegai, the king’s eunuch could not help but favour her. She was a young girl who needed to be guided; her parents already died, so it fell on Cousin Mordecai to do the guidance.
For a brief moment, she forgot that she was one on a mission. Cousin M had to remind her. The palace did not guarantee safety; God always had alternatives. God could and would consistently deliver when we called on Him. No matter how much you tried to forget, your identity remained your identity. A black man cannot become white just by bleaching his skin.
Having been woken out of slumber, she took on the crusade, asked for help and back up from her kin. Esther, our dear deliverer, was in the palace and there was a sentence of death hanging over her and her kin. She could choose to ignore it; after all, she was in the palace, and no one knew she was a Jew. Really? Her uncle quizzed. Suppose the reason for her existence was for that critical time? Did she think beauty was enough?
She heard Mordecai and understood well what he was getting at. The Jews were covenant people. To be enlisted in the army of deliverers was a rare privilege. To be used of God in the life of His people was uncommon grace. To pass on such privilege was to sign your death sentence. Esther chose to face death, and through looking death in the eye, she found real life. Her people were free. Her enemies got what was coming to them.
Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why. So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people. Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.” When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions. (Esther 4:5-17)
Esther's story continued... What do we learn from her story?
* • God will depose kings and nobles just to give His people a chance.
* • God packages big things in small doses.
* • We are in our particular location on purpose.
* • There is an assignment for everyone.
* • Fortified walls do not guarantee safety.
* • Enemies of God's people will not give up unless they see God's hand.
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