Scripture I'm Reflecting On: Esther 9:1
"So on March 7 the two decrees of the king were put into effect. On that day, the enemeies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but quite the opposite happened. It was the Jews who overpowered their enemies."
Reflection:
Posting something a little different this time, not really a reflection, but just paying tribute to one our great Bible stories on the anniversary of its most notable event. March 7th isn't a date that many (if any) of us would think of as a day to remember, like Christmas, Passover, etc. Maybe coincidentally, or maybe through grace, I actually just happened to read the story of Esther this morning in my chronolgical reading or I probably wouldn't have remembered the date in the story at all. It's easy to forget about the history in the Bible, particularly shorter stories like Esther, which is why I felt remembering this date in our history would make for a good reminder opportunity.
I'm sure everyone has read the story of Esther at some point, so I won't go through a book report style summary. But I think it's one we should all consider giving a re-read for a truly inspirational story. There are many great messages we can take from this story. It offers a great inspirational story for women, with Esther basically saving an entire race of people. There's a warning for us in the life of Haman, to not let our desire for approval and popularity drive us into immoral actions. As we find ourselves obtaining more power in life, through promotions, parenthood, age, or occupation, this becomes especially more important to remember, as the temptations only grow as we obtain more power and wealth.
I think the best reflection on the story of Esther however, is just another example of how great and loving God is, and how he can bring any of us who are faithful to do amazing things. Esther and Mordecai were ordinary people, maybe just like you and me. They were part of a group of people that were far from the most beloved race of people in the time of this story, a group that was probably mocked and persecuted regularly under the reign of Persian kings. Yet, they remained faithful to God. And God repaid them in a great way. An extraordinary way. A divine way. Esther became queen, with enough power to get King Xerxes to allow her to issue orders. When you stop and just think about that for a second, you realize how remarkable that is, especially when you consider the time period that happened. God also rewarded Mordecai's actions (stopping an assassination) and his faith, by guiding him to become the Prime Minister to the King.
Bottom Line: Esther and Mordecai kept their faith in dark times. They didn't live in fear. And God made the impossible happen. We need to remember this when we start feeling fear: fear of an illness, fear of an interview, fear about a grade, fear about a loved one. Throw away the fear and show your faith in God by believing he is going to turn it all around, maybe even make the impossible happen in your life.
Final Thought:
It's easy to read these Old Testament stories almost like were reading fiction. I battle this thought in my own head all the time. The times were so different. The actions were so long ago. But we should try to remember that this was how we got to where we are now. These stories are why we have the Word. These stories are reminders of real actual examples of God's greatness, of God's glory. Remembering stories, like this one, are not only important to demonstrate our faith, but our a great reminder and inspiration to just how great we have it living under God's grace.
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