We all know the story of Esther and how she replaced Queen Vashti who would not appear before King Ahasuerus during his feast while entertaining all his nobles and princes in the Provinces of his kingdom.
After Esther is settled into her duties as Queen for about seven years, trouble arises. The King decides to promote Haman, the Agagite, to be second in command and he despises Mordecai, Esther's older cousin, because he would not follow the command to bow and also because he was a Jew. Haman was a descendant of the Amalikites who are descendants of Esau and they were enemies with the Jews since the book of Genesis, and this mutual contempt carries on today.
Esther 3:5 says that when Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow or pay him reverence, he was filled with wrath! Once wrath and bitterness enter into a person's heart, if not taken care of immediately, that person can come under a bondage that festers and controls every thought and imagination of vengeance until that anger is pacified. For a whole year, Haman, his family and friends schemed a plan of revenge towards Mordecai and his people. Revenge never just affects one, but it reaches to everyone around us and can eventually destroy the person who harbors it.
Finally, Haman presents his deceptive plan to the King. But he doesn't name names, he just informs the King that there were "certain people" who didn't keep his laws and they should be destroyed. Of course the King is going to agree. Kings have always feared takeover of their kingdoms. They surround themselves by trusted friends and counsellors in order to protect their thrones.
The plan is put into action and proclamations are distributed throughout the entire Province which was most of the Middle East into Africa and north to Greece. The really heartbreaking thing is this action was proclaimed publicly on the day before Passover, the Jews’ most holy time of remembrance celebrating their deliverance and freedom from captivity under Egyptian rule. What a horribly cruel punishment this must have felt like to them. Here they are getting ready to celebrate freedom only to find out their lives could be snuffed out in a few months.
We will soon be celebrating Independence Day when our country declared separation from Great Britain. There was so much fighting and warring between our two countries that it was inevitable something had to give, and our forefathers crafted the Declaration of Independence which was adopted July 4, 1776. Every person that signed that document paid a price but they had to stand for freedom for themselves, their families, and for the future of this country.
We are living in such perplexing and unpredictable days with worry and anger all around us, It looks like the enemy is winning. I wonder if this is how they felt in Esther's day. Even though they were far away from their homeland and settled into the culture to which they were accustomed to living, they were making the best of their circumstances, and then the ax falls only to remind them this isn't home. The prophets had prophesied that one day the Jews would be back to their promised land and they would one day be free of their adversaries. This hope was passed on from one generation to the next. They did not give up hope because they knew their God was a covenant keeper and never went back on His promises.
We know Esther goes before the King after she asks her people to fast and pray for three days. Her daring words in Esther 4:17 "...if I perish, I perish" have gone down in infamy. Because of her bravery, her people were delivered and set free from their enemy and they celebrate every year still to this day the Feast of Purim commemorating their victory and what God did for them.
God has positioned us in this time of history and has placed in each and every one of us His glorious Spirit. I am reminded that this world is not our home, it's only temporary until He takes us to our heavenly home that He is preparing (John 14) located in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21). He has entrusted us to fulfill His plan in this dark hour to be the light wherever we are. Esther had no idea what she was walking into when she became Queen. Vashti lost her position when she refused to appear before the King and now Esther was making her appearance without pre-approval. She knew her life was on the line, but what else could she do? She made a choice. The King not only granted her favor by holding out his scepter, but he also helped to turn their dire situation around. We have to make a choice and know that we're in God's favor and trust that He's got our back!
When Haman's proclamation was stamped with the King's ring, it could not be reversed. Today's circumstances are not permanent for the Child of God. It may not look that way but our God has a plan and it is stamped with His ring of approval and nothing can reverse it!
John 8:36: If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
The trouble that is going on around us is the result of sin and bondage. The enemy knows his time is short and is working overtime to pull everyone into his snare hoping that even God's people will get all caught up into his trap of hate and division. I have news for him, our God has set us free from his power and he has no hold on us. If we will keep seeking God's face and continue sharing His Word, we will see others delivered from the enemy's grasp. We can stand on God's Word and know He has everything under control.
Isaiah 54:17: No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
Freedom didn't come for Esther and her people just because she was queen, it came because she took a stand for the sake of her people and followed a plan of action. Freedom didn't just show up in this country on its own, but brave men and women had a plan of action and stood and fought to protect the rights that we hold dear today. Jesus Christ stood for the sake of His Kingdom and followed a plan of action to set the world free from sin by His death, burial, and resurrection. We too must take a stand for the sake of our world and follow the plan of action by speaking God's Word into people's lives and fighting our spiritual enemy wherever we are.
Ephesians 6:12-13: For we wrestle not against fl
-Written By: Becky Spann
