Readings for today: Esther 1-5
Nothing is new under the sun. Humanity seems perpetually committed to “rinse, wash, repeat” their sinful ways. Today’s story from Esther could have just as easily been ripped from our own headlines. Lavish parties. Drunken orgies. Garish displays of wealth and excess. Sexual harassment. Abuse of power. Outrage and anger. Corrupt, political manipulation. Unjust and immoral laws. Plans for mass violence and genocide. We see it all the time. Substitute Ahasuerus for Jeffrey Epstein or Harvey Weinstein or Bill Cosby or Deshaun Watson or Vince McMahon or Mark Driscoll or Ravi Zacharias or numerous Roman Catholic priests or Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping and you begin to get the point. We are utterly broken. Given the right conditions and access to the right amount of wealth and power and we are capable of just about anything.
Thankfully, God is not blind to our condition. He knows our weak and helpless estate. He knows we are conceived in iniquity and born into sin. He knows sin’s power over us. He knows we are enslaved to our basest appetites. This is why He sets apart a people for Himself. He always preserves a remnant in order to save humanity from itself. Esther and Mordecai are just the latest players in the divine drama God has been working out since the beginning of time. They are called “for such a time as this” to serve and protect God’s people from annihilation and to confront the pagan powers of this world. It is not an easy call. It doesn’t come at a convenient time. It will potentially cost Esther her life should she fail to gain the king’s favor. However, Esther knows she is not alone. She knows God is on her side. Though He is never mentioned in the book, the attentive reader sees His presence everywhere like in the days of fasting and prayer Esther calls for as she prepares to go before the king.
Friends, God has not turned His face away from our world. He sees all the pain and suffering. He sees all the injustice and oppression. He sees all the excess and licentiousness. He is deeply aware of the evil that is continually perpetuated by the creatures He made in His own image. This is why He still sets apart a people for Himself. He preserves a faithful remnant He calls the “church” and His purpose is to work through the church to save humanity from itself. We are just the latest players in God’s divine drama of salvation. We walk in the footsteps of faithful people like Esther and Mordecai and all those who have gone before us. We are called for “such a time as this” to serve and protect the lost and most vulnerable and to confront the pagan powers of this world. It is not an easy call. It will never come at a convenient time. It will potentially cost us everything, including our very lives. But we are not alone. God is with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Even in those moments when we cannot sense His presence, He is at work to bring about His good and perfect will for our lives and for the world.
Readings for tomorrow: None