Read: Ezra 6:14b- 22; Esther 1-4
Finally, the Temple is completed and they dedicated it to the Lord with much sacrificing and joy. It was finished right in time for Passover. Everything went well for a few years till King Xerxes came to power.
The tale of Esther is a fascinating story that is too detailed to retell here so I’m going to touch on the things that stood out to me. Xerxes was a pawn in the hands of his friends. They got him to severely punish his wife so that it would make their wives respect them. Xerxes fell for it. Then when he regretted it, his friends had to come up with a way to appease him. This is the way the world acts. It is all about pleasure and comfort and putting yourself first.
Mordecai was the complete opposite. He unselfishly took in his brother’s daughter, Esther, and raised her as his own. When she was taken to the palace for the harem, he got a job watching at the palace gate so he could find out how Esther was doing and advise her. While there, he overheard of a plot to kill the king. I would think he would liked to kill that king himself for taking his niece by force from him, but instead he did the right thing and reported it to Esther. He let the circumstances God placed in his lap play out instead of fighting them. He got no recognition immediately and instead of demanding attention, he kept living his life as before. God was setting a stage and they were key players.
It became obvious to Mordecai why they were there when Haman’s decree against the Jews went out. Now their faith was on the line.
I wonder how many times God wants to use our adverse circumstance for something much bigger and all we can do is complain and fight against God. I have been doing that until last week-end, when I finally gave it to the Lord. Now I am seeing him work in the middle of the mess I kept trying to sweep up. God is not afraid of messes and chaos. He will turn the mistakes and chaos into beauty and order.
Lord, thank you for your plan. Your ways are so much higher.
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