A Time As This

Posted by Dion Todd January 21st, 2024 3,109 Views 0 Comments

As Time As This from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

In the ancient empire of Persia, around 479 BC, a high-ranking official named Haman was driven by a deep-seated grudge and plotted to exterminate all the Jewish people in the empire. His hatred was sparked by Mordecai the Jew, who refused to bow to Haman as he passed by. 

So Haman, consumed by his vengeful pride, cunningly convinced King Xerxes, who was unaware of Haman's personal vendetta, to issue a decree for the destruction of Mordecai and his people. Haman even built an enormous gallows seventy-five feet high, especially to hang Mordecai from so everyone could see what happens when you disrespect his authority. His life appeared to be going great.

Meanwhile, Esther, a young Jewish woman of remarkable beauty, had recently been crowned as the new Queen of Persia. It was a strange set of events that included an elaborate royal beauty contest that had brought her to the kingdom. 

What Haman didn't know was that Esther was Jewish, and she was not just Mordecai's first cousin; she was also his adopted daughter, having been raised by him after the loss of her parents. So Haman was unknowingly plotting to kill the Queen and hang her Dad.

When Mordecai discovered Haman's sinister plot to massacre the Jewish people, he reached out to Esther and asked her to speak to the King. That wasn't an easy task because it was a death sentence to enter the King's court without being invited unless he held out his scepter and spared you. So when Esther hesitated, Mordecai told her this:

(Esther 4:13–14 NKJV)  And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: "Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

The Lord had silently prepared a secret agent equipped with all the tools and skills needed to do the job, and put her in a position for such a time as this: the young and stunningly beautiful Esther. You never catch the Lord by surprise, but Haman certainly was... 

Esther invited the King and Haman to a banquet she had prepared, and the King asked what was troubling her, so Esther told him about the plot. When the King found out that Haman had tricked him into signing a decree to kill his Queen, her Dad, and their people, he was thoroughly furious.  

(Esther 7:5–6 NKJV)  So King Ahasuerus answered and said to Queen Esther, "Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?" And Esther said, "The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!" So Haman was terrified before the king and queen.

The rest was pure poetic justice. The King left the room in a rage, and when he returned, Haman was lying on the couch with Esther, begging for his life. It must have looked compromising, for it enraged the angry King even more:

(Esther 7:8 NKJV)  When the king returned from the palace garden to the place of the banquet of wine, Haman had fallen across the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, "Will he also assault the queen while I am in the house?" 

Then, someone spoke up and said, Look! Haman built a gallows seventy-five feet high to hang Esther's Dad on... So the King said, "Hang him on it!" And that was the end of Haman. He went from hero to zero, a truly spectacular fall from seventy-five feet, interrupted by a shorter rope. 

We are here for such a time as this. Embrace it. Nothing catches the Lord off guard, for He is always prepared for tomorrow. 

For every Haman, there is an Esther.

For every Pharaoh, there is a Moses. 

For every Goliath, there is a David. 

For every Nebuchadnezzar, there is a Daniel.

For every Jezebel, there is an Elijah.

The Lord can see the end from the beginning:

(Isaiah 46:9–10 NKJV)  ... For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done...

That is why Jesus could sleep peacefully in a sinking boat being battered by a horrible storm while the disciples ran about screaming, "Master! We perish!" He knew He wasn't going to drown at sea. Jesus taught us this:

(Matthew 6:31–34 NASB)  "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Don't stress about what may come tomorrow, for you will find that the Lord has already prepared you for it. You just don't know it yet. We are truly here for such a time as this.

You can pray this with me if you like: 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You so much for another day. Please help me focus on the positive, cling to what is good, and flee from the things I should. Speak to me and through me. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!