Beloved: Welcome to the last week of the month of February 2020. And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the companionship of the Holy Spirit be with you both now and forevermore. Amen.
As we start this new week, I want to remind you of one of the main lessons of the book of Esther, which is that God does not put people in positions of influence by mistake; there is always a purpose to it. It all started with the mistake of a great king, Xerxes, who in his drunkenness took some terrible steps that got his queen, Vashti, deposed (Esther 1). And this, of course, opened the door for lowly but favoured Esther to become the queen of one of the most powerful kings of all times (Esther 2).
But why would God lift up a commoner like Esther to become queen in that vast empire of Xerxes, an empire of a hundred and twenty-seven provinces (states), stretching from India to Ethiopia (Esther 1:1)? Was it because she was the most beautiful or most gracious of the young virgins that contested for the position? We are not told that in the account. Instead, what we are told is that she won the favour of Hegai, the Eunuch in charge of the king’s Harem (Esther 2:8-9). That, of course, gave a little advantage over others. Then she won the favour of all the people that saw her, when it was her turn to appear before the king (Esther 2:15). Finally, she won the favour and approval of the king himself more than any of the other virgins. So, he crowned her queen in place of Vashti. (Cf. Esther 2:17)
It was God’s favour, then, not beauty that got Esther into that position of advantage. And remember that the bible says, “For promotion and power come from nowhere on earth, but only from God. He promotes one and deposes another.” (Ps 75:6-7TLB) So, regardless of what position of advantage you or anyone else may be in this life, you must never forget that you could never have gotten there without God’s aid. Yes, it is possible that you manipulated your way to where you are now, cheating, lying, killing or even getting diabolical and ruthless. Nevertheless, if God had not wanted you there, nothing could have brought you there. And if you fail to learn God’s purpose for bringing you there and begin to live up to it, someday you may perish with that position or be ruthlessly and shamefully replaced.
Well, I ask again, “Why was Esther, a commoner, lifted up to that great position of significance in that Persian empire?” Was it so that she could dress gorgeously all the time and throw very expensive parties every now and then, in the name of the king? Yes, those were part of the reasons. I mean that her office required that she did such things. But God who put her in that position had something bigger and nobler in mind. He had the salvation of her people in mind. So when the time came for her to use her position to save her people, He had to stir up her uncle (Mordecai) to talk some sense into her and show her that the salvation of her people may just be the reason she was queen at that time. Thankfully, she saw what God wanted her to see and sprang to action, even though it meant putting her life in jeopardy. And that was how she was used to prevent a total annihilation of the Jewish people in that empire and at that time. (Cf. Esther 3-9)
In like manner, God has not stopped lifting up commoners and people with no great abilities or potential to positions of advantage and influence. Unfortunately, instead for them to humble themselves under His mighty hand and allow Him to use them to comfort, lift and bless others, what we find is that many of them often function in arrogance and pride. So, they end up abusing their positions and using them in ways that are contrary to God’s purpose for them. They act like this, forgetting that there will always be greater heights to attain in life and that there is no way God can further lift them up, if He is totally dissatisfied with what they have done with where they are.
All this explains why certain individuals that some of us know seem to have reach the crest of their advancement in life, even though others around them have not stopped rising higher and higher. And perhaps it is the reason you too are no longer experiencing any tangible advancement in your life. You have been abusing that little promotion or increase you got from God the other time. So, He is now resisting you because of your pride (James 4:6; 1Pet 5:5). And if you don’t retrace your steps and begin to use that position or influence to do His will, you may never experience any real progress in life again. So, watch yourself. And may the Spirit of God help you do what is right on this note.
Do have a very pleasant week.
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