One thing that I love about reading through the Bible is how you can see the main storyline develop. We encounter the same themes over and over, in different settings. It reinforces the truth that the Bible truly has one central message. In today’s text, we are going to see how God turns what looks to be a bad situation into something for His glory by saving some of the unsaved.
Yesterday, we saw how Haman’s anger and discontentment caused him to lose his life. As great as that is, there is still a problem. The king signed the decree saying that people could kill the Jews on the 13th day of Adar. Since the law of the Medes and Persians can’t be altered, the Jews were still in great danger even though Haman was no longer around. However, queen Esther is able to convince her husband the king to write a second decree. This second decree allowed the Jews to defend themselves against anyone who would come after them. Not only was God protecting His children as He promised He would, but He had another reason for this as well. We see it in Esther 8:17, “And in every province and city, wherever the king’s command and decree come, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because the fear of the Jews fell upon them.” Not only did God save His children, He saved many who were previously far from Him. I see at least two important lessons in this text.
First, we must learn to trust God with every aspect, and every detail of our life. We may not see what God is doing in the moment. It may not always make sense. It may not always be comfortable. But God is always working His plan out for His glory and our good. The other lesson I see in the text is that how we as God’s children suffer matters. Here is the thing, it doesn’t just matter for us, but it also matters to those around us who are not saved. I think of James 1:2 which says in part, “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials.” James goes on to say that trials produce patience and endurance which makes us a more spiritually mature Christian. However, when people see Christians joyfully suffer, and praising God through their various difficulties in life, it does make a difference. God can use what you and I are going through to draw other people to faith in Himself. On the other hand, when they see us moaning, grumbling, and complaining about everything; it does cause people to question the power of God, especially when we talk about how good God is and that He is a comforter to the afflicted. We have to be careful to make sure that we are not just talking the talk, but that we are also walking the walk. When we do that, God can and will work in us and through us in amazing ways. It doesn’t make suffering fun or easy, but it does remind us that there is a purpose that is bigger than us.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin