Fri.’s Devo - Divine Reversal

Read: Esther 4:1-7:10; 1 Corinthians 12:1-26; Psalm 36:1-12; Provers 21:21-22 One day the Jews are living their normal life and the next day they learn that their neighbors are going to be encouraged to kill them and take their inheritance. All this happened over night with out any warning. Mordecai and many of the Jews weeped and wailed and put on sack cloth to mourn and pray. Esther lived a sheltered life in the palace but Mordecai told her what was going down and asked her to go to the king and beg for mercy for her people. When Esther shared her concern that the king had not asked for her and it might cost her her life, Mordecai gave her the famous line, “Who knows if perhaps you came to the kingdom for such a time as this.” Then he reminded her that she would not be exempt just became she was in the king’s house. If she didn’t do this, God would one day raise up another to stand for them, but they would all die. She called a fast of the Jews living in her city and after three days, she did go before the king. He held out his scepter to her, sparing her life. She invited him and Haman to a banquet that night. Xerxes gladly accepted and Haman went home bragging. One his way home, Haman passed Mordecai who refused to bow. Haman was feeling so powerful now that he had been invited to the banquet with the king that he decided once and for all to get rid of Mordecai. He told his family and friends about his invite to the banquet but also his disgust of Mordecai. They suggested that he erect a 75 foot pole in his backyard to empale Mordecai on. He did and planned to ask the king permission to do that the next day. Meanwhile, he got ready and went to Esther’s banquet. At the banquet, the king asked Esther what he could do for her and she told him she needed one more night so if they would come back the next night, she would tell them. The king agreed. That night Xerxes could not sleep so he asked that the books of his kingdom be read to him. He came to the part where it was written that Mordecai had exposed the assassination plot that saved his life. He asked his reader what had been done to reward Mordecai and he was told nothing had been done. The next morning Haman came in to ask permission to empale Mordecai. The king asked Haman what he should do for the man that he wanted to honor and Haman thought this man was surely him. So he gave the king what he would want to happen to him. He would want to wear the king’s robe and ride on the king’s horse through the main street of the city with someone crying, “this is what the king does for the man he wants to honor.” The king thought that sounded good and told him to do that for Mordecai. Haman was humiliated. He had to place Mordecai on the horse and yell his praises to Mordecai. When Haman got home and told his friends and family what had happened they changed their tune. They now said that since Mordecai was a Jew, Haman would never succeed in his plans against him. It would be fatal to oppose him. Haman went back to the second banquet a more humble man. Esther exposed Haman and his wicked plan to Xerxes. Haman was taken off to be executed on his own pole he had erected for Mordecai. Talk about divine reversals! As God’s children, we can expect God to do the same thing for us if we stand for God’s truth. In Corinthians, Paul explained how the Body of Christ works. It works just like our natural body. We have different parts that all have their special function that only they can do. When they are all working well, our bodies are healthy and able to do great things. In the Body of Christ we have all been given special abilities or gifts. Some have been given the ability to give wise advice, another may be able to give a message of knowledge only God could know. Some can perform miracles, others can prophesy, Some can discern whether a message is from the Lord and some can speak in unknown languages and interpret them. Everyone has their gift and when everyone is flowing in their gifts, the Body is complete. Lord, help us to understand that we are made to need one another. We can not function properly without other people and the gifts God has given them. May we honor You in the way we honor one another’s gifts. May we use our gifts to help others.