God, The Rescuer
Every day we’re asking four questions about part of the Bible. Today Liz Nixon answers:
What did I like about today’s passage?
How things have changed for Haman! He had just been promoted higher than any other official with people bowing to him but now, he suffers the humiliation of having to parade Mordecai around the city on a horse!
Whilst enjoying himself at a second banquet, where he thinks he’s been invited as guest of honour, Haman is revealed to be the enemy of Esther’s people. Haman begs the Queen for his life but somehow, embarrassingly falls down on the couch where she is sitting – the King walks in at that exact moment and thinks Haman is trying to molest her! He is sentenced to death upon the very gallows he had built for Mordecai. Not a good day, but this villain has got what he deserved!
I also like how things turn out for Esther - the Bible tells us she has had a challenging start to life: she was living in exile and her people were scattered across the Persian empire; an orphan, raised by her cousin; taken to the palace, most likely without her consent; had to sleep with the King to see if she was suitable for marriage; faced life as a concubine, stuck in the palace and unable to marry, available only to the King whenever he wanted; risked execution for asking to meet with the King.
Esther starts the book as a captured sex slave, the property of the king, but by the end, she has helped saved God’s people, has power and authority to issue her own decree about the celebration of Purim and a book of the Bible is named after her!
What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?
Firstly, God is sovereign. I can trust that God is always at work, often in unseen ways, to save His people. He sees the evil that is carried out on the earth and does much to stop it and punish the evildoer. His eye is on those whose hearts are soft and He chooses to partner with ordinary people to fulfil His extraordinary purposes and plans.
The book of Esther is a mini version of the whole of God’s story and it’s a reminder that God is about rescuing and saving people. That’s His heart in every story, including mine.
Secondly, it reminds me that God has a history of raising up His “ordinary” people into incredible positions of power within foreign, ungodly nations – think of Joseph as Prime Minister of Egypt; Moses as Prince of Egypt; Daniel as Chief Minister; Esther as Queen of Persia; and finally, Mordecai is promoted to second in rank only to King Xerxes.
What am I going to do differently as a result?
I want to pray for more people of faith being raised into positions of power and authority. The world needs men and women who are compassionate, just, and full of God’s wisdom to lead and make decisions.
Who am I going to share this with?
My family.