“For Such a Time as This…” The Providence of God
The Pause before the Go: Finding the Presence and Faithfulness of God in Hard Times
Lesson 1: “For Such a Time as This…” The Providence of God
(14) For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (15) Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:14-15
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go…”Matthew 28:18-19a Read and study the Book of Esther, the Great Commission (Matthew28:18-20) and Ephesians 3 for this lesson.
March 4th, 1933: in the darkest days of the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his Inaugural Address at the Nation’s Capital. Roosevelt was a man already acquainted with great hardship and personal loss. A survivor of Polio with limited use of his legs; he gripped the podium with his strong arms and delivered these words to an uncertain nation:
“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is...fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. And I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.” (FDR Inaugural Address 1933, Wikipedia)
FDR was asking the people for faithfulness as they began a long road of financial recovery and he would ask them for faithfulness again as they faced the obstacles of World War 2… A faithfulness that the American people delivered; where does such faithfulness come from? When one is surrounded by the terror by night, and the arrows that fly by day, by the uncertainty of overwhelming circumstances how can one find faithfulness? The answer is printed everywhere, all over Washington DC, and in public places (still). If you open up your wallet you just might see it… No, it is not your money… but what is printed on it: “In God we Trust.” As Americans (specifically Christian Americans) from that generation showed us- we are faithful because God Himself has first been faithful to us and His creation as seen in scripture and our belief in His Word and the testimony and promises He has provided.
We find ourselves in unprecedented times. We are in the midst of a great pause in our daily living, as we face fear itself. We question what the future holds, we dread disease and pestilence, financial ruin and upheaval, and we know that no one is immune from suffering and personal loss. How will we find the courage and confidence to continue; to move from pause to go? How do we plan to live the life of “salt and light” as Believers that we were created for? The answer is the faithfulness of God. Oh, but Darrin I know that God is faithful! Yes, there is “a knowing” that God is faithful and there is “a coming to know” (finding) that God is faithful. The first is based on history and the testimony of others, the latter is based on ongoing real time personal experience and obedience AS one trusts God and takes Him at His Word in the midst of uncertainty. This is the practical definition of our “Faith”; what it means to have faith in God as a Believer.
Last Sunday we talked about how Elijah the Widow of Zarepath and Obadiah had the past testimony of God’s faithfulness to secure and found their courageous obedience in living, and facing King Ahab. This week we will look at Esther and Mordecai and God’s divine providence that led them to actions that secured a future and a hope for the survival of the Jews and the coming of the Messiah. Just as Elijah’s faith found confidence in an established Testimony of God and His Word, a different starting place for confidence in God’s faithfulness had to be found for Esther and Mordecai; a confidence in God’s providence that could and would lead them to an understanding and trust in God’s faithfulness- let me explain…
Esther is one of only two books in the entire Bible where God’s name is not mentioned or directly used. Neither do we find in this Old Testament book any direct (though there are many indirect) references to God’s Word, the Pentateuch (the Book of the Law) or the writings of the early prophets. Neither prayer, nor the request of prayer, faith, holiness, or repentance is mentioned in Esther (just fasting). Nor do we find any mention of Jerusalem, Israel, the Messiah, God’s Commandments, or His Promises to the Children of Israel. The book is thoroughly secular: Xerxes name is referenced 175 times in 10 chapters, and we learn a lot about Persian, and Jewish customs and ethnic animosities in the era of Second Temple Judaism. Neither Esther nor Mordecai nor the Jews living in Susa seem to ever fully reverence God, though Mordecai goes a long way in not being irreverent to God (by refusing to grovel before Haman) and Esther shows selfless and courageous nobility on behalf of her people and honoring her religious upbringing. Why is this “noble” secularism the case instead of a strong faithfulness and confident encouragement in God and the fear of His name?
A lot of it, like today in our nation, has to do with the times and how far away God’s own people were from Him. The Exile from Israel was over, the Jews could return to Israel, but many of them stayed in Persia or were reluctant to leave and face the hardships of building the new Temple under Ezra, and Jerusalem and its walls under Nehemiah. The Jews in Susa had a basic and good upbringing understanding of their Jewish heritage and faith, but it was far from vibrant and real in their lives. They were not meditating on God’s Law like David in Psalm 1, nor were they in love with God and His Word as expressed over and over again in Psalm 119. For the Jews in Susa during Esther’s day, God was real but distant. God was moving but unseen. God was up to great plans (like the redeeming of His people, and the coming of the Messiah) but the people had no understanding. As the people would come to know, understanding comes from seeking God.
Yet, in Esther we see the depths of the grace and loving kindness of Father God… He is moving, He is redeeming, and He is mighty to save- and especially for Esther- placing her “at such a time as this!” In gentleness, God was starting over again with His people- meeting them where they were and leading them where they needed but were unaware they had to go. John MacArthur compares the providence of God in the book of Esther to a great chess match; where kings, and queens, lords, and pawns are moved expertly across the board for the welfare, preservation and salvation of many lives, both physically, and later for eternity through the coming of Christ Jesus our Lord. God is the almighty unseen hand at work! Esther through her courage and Mordecai through his tenacity were taking the fledgling steps that would lead them from merely recognizing God’s providence to understanding the zeal of God’s faithfulness and the depths of His love for His people. As J. Vernon McGee states: “God’s providence is how He moves and accomplishes His will with a stubborn people that refuse to be moved. God swings the great doors of His faithfulness on little hinges.” God’s providence in Esther is a starting place for us to understanding and coming to know His faithfulness but it’s not the place we want to live our lives in as His Followers! Paul’s prayer for us in Ephesians 3 is a much better place for us to be- to know the depths of God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord… And all of Christ’s authority in heaven and on Earth by which we spread the Truth and love of His Gospel! That’s where we want to be positioned in this pause before the Go!
Bringing it home, how would you define the difference between belief in divine providence and “saving faith” -belief in God? (Hint: look at Romans) How can you help your unsaved neighbors see God’s providence? How can that providence be a good starting place for explaining what it means to have faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and LORD? What are the “teachable moments” that God is revealing to His people and the church through the Corona Crisis? How can we be good witnesses to our neighbors of God’s love and the Truth of His Word in this time? Our understanding of God’s movements is limited, but according to Ephesians 3 what role is understanding to play in our knowledge of God’s love and faithfulness? How can we grow in this understanding? How are you growing in your understanding of God’s love and faithfulness presently? As a Believer, and with your life experiences, your church family, and the spiritual giftedness God has given you in combination with others… How do you feel God has prepared you and wants to use you and your church for “such a time as this?” I love all of you and am praying for you especially now! Let us continue to pray for one another, encourage and love each other, and reach out to others around us especially those who don’t know Christ! Please be safe, wash your hands, practice social distancing while at the same time drawing nearer to our precious LORD (I think there’s a hymn there… Am I right? Draw Me Nearer Precious LORD) May God protect us and use us mightily in His work! Yours in Christ, and missing you! Looking forward to when we can be together again! Songs and Nothing Bundt Cake Funfetti for everyone! Darrin.