Living & Leading In A Dark Winter
For such a time as this? Even in a dark winter?
Recently, a national politician spoke of America living in a “dark winter.” He promised Americans that he was born for such a time as this and is able to lead the nation in this dark time. With the seeming death of virtue in America and the continuing decline of Christian orthodoxy, two questions must be asked: WHO can lead the church at this time; and WHAT will be required of them to lead? For answers, we look to a very dark winter in the history of the people of God, and to the most unlikely of heroes. May her story inspire heroes of the faith in our day. After the story, consider five brief but critical applications for Christian leaders.
The book of Esther is both an historical narrative and a work of prophecy that speaks to the times in which we live. Because of its particular relevance for this moment in time, let’s look at the story and then consider its applications for today.
The book of Esther is one of only 2 books in the Bible in which the name of God never appears. Yet the hand of God could not be clearer in the Book of Esther. The story of Esther takes place in Persia between 480 and 470 BC. Israel is in exile in first the Babylonian Empire, then the Persian.
For context, a brief timeline:
586 BC: Israel strays from God, so God allows Babylonians to conquer them and take them back to Babylon as slaves. Exile.
540 BC: King Cyrus and the Persians conquer Babylon. The Babylonian empire ends, the Persian empire begins.
538 BC: God uses Cyrus to issue decree allowing Jews to return to Israel
536 BC: The first Jews arrive back in Jerusalem under Zerubbabel who was the head of the tribe of Judah at the time. But many remain.
478 BC: Esther becomes queen of Persia
473 BC: Esther saves the people of God from mass slaughter
455 BC: Ezra and 40,000 exiles return to Israel
445 BC: Nehemiah returns to Israel and launches the real rebuilding of Jerusalem and the nation.
The book of Esther is a picture of life for the Jews who remained in Persia rather than return to Palestine when King Cyrus of Persia issued his decree allowing the Jews to return to their homeland.
THE NARRATIVE
Chapter by Chapter . . .
Chapter 1:
In the third year of his reign, King Xerxes (Ahasuerus in the language of Persia), gives a great feast that lasts six months. The rulers of all the provinces of the Persian Empire attend, rulers from lands stretching from India in the east to Ethiopia in the west.
Near the end of this feast, King Xerxes calls for his wife, Vashti. His purpose in requesting her presence is not that she enjoy the feast, but that he may show the renowned beauty of his queen to his governors. Queen Vashti refuses. The king banishes her from his presence forever.
Chapter 2:
Requiring a new queen, Xerxes launches a nationwide search, an early “Persian Idol” or “Miss Persia” pageant. This campaign lasts four years, not only because of the extensive search, but because Persia is at war with the Greek Empire. The war requires at least some of the king’s attention.
Among the many young women brought before the king is a Jewish girl named Hadassah. We know her better as Esther. Apparently, an orphan, she has been raised by her uncle, Mordecai.
Esther wins favor with those in charge of the nationwide search for a queen, but, following the advice of her uncle, she does not disclose the fact that she is Jewish.
Esther wins the heart of King Xerxes, who selects her as his new queen.
Chapter 3:
Soon after Esther becomes queen, Xerxes appoints a new prime minister of Persia, an arrogant and vicious man named Haman, of a people called the Amalekites. The Amalekites had been bitter enemies of the Jews ever since the two peoples met in battle just after Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea during the Exodus.
Prime Minister Haman commands that everyone in the kingdom not only bow to the king, but to him as well. He learns, that Mordecai has refused to bow to him. He also learns that Mordecai is a Jew, and so to Haman, a mortal enemy.
So great is Haman’s anger that he decides to use the incident to destroy Mordecai, but to destroy all of the Jews. He deceives the King into approving a plan to kill all the Jews in the kingdom of Persia. In his evil joy, Haman plays with the idea of the Jews’ destruction. He casts lots – dice call “pur” – to select the date of their destruction: February 28th.
Emissaries are sent across the land. They announce that on the succeeding February 28th, every Jew in the kingdom will be put to death. Haman concocts a plan to personally see to the hanging of his enemy Mordecai.
Chapter 4:
Hearing this news, the people of God go into mourning, fasting and crying out to God for deliverance. Many pray face down on the ground in sackcloth and ashes.
Mordecai speaks with his niece Esther, telling her she must intercede for the lives of the Jews before the King or she and her people will perish.
Esther reminds Mordecai that even though she is queen, she is not permitted to do this. She is forbidden to come before the king without His invitation.
Mordecai, reminds her of the impending doom that hangs over the people of God and urgently presses her to reconsider. He reminds her of three facts:
- “In the face of the impending disaster to the people of God, if you are silent at this time, deliverance for many will arise from another place
- “But you and your father’s house will perish.
- “Who knows you have not come to kingdom for such a time as this?
Convicted in her heart, Esther consents to go before the king, telling Mordecai: “Go, gather all the Jews in Shushan, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for 3 days and nights. My friends and I will fast also. I will then go to the king and if I perish, I perish!”
Because this is the pivotal moment of the story, let’s stop for a minute and understand just where Esther and the people of God stand:
Mordecai has just identified the situation facing God’s people in this foreign land: the people of God face extermination. He appeals to Esther as someone whom God has put in position to make a difference in the nation and for the people of God.
Esther rightly identifies the problem with this course of action: the king will punish anyone who breaks the rules. The king will do to Esther what he did to Vashti. Or worse, he could even kill Esther for breaking the rules.
Mordecai reminds Esther, “Yes, you MAY suffer and die if you speak, but hear this: if you don’t, the people of God WILL suffer and die.” He calls on her to weigh her personal challenge against challenge before the people of God and the nation.
Prophetically, he speaks to her: “Who knows whether you have come into the kingdom FOR such a time as this.”
What if God created you expressly FOR the challenges of these times?
What if God commissioned you a queen FOR the challenges of these times?
What if God called you to stand as His voice FOR the challenges of these unparalleled times?
Esther’s response is swift and sure (chapter 4.16):
“I will go.” I will obey. I will fulfill my creation, commission, and call.
“Go with me.” I will do my part, but only as a part of the whole. Let each one go with me by doing his part to meet this challenge. If I am to lead in the way in our defense, I need the participation of EVERYONE.
“Go without.” Fast for me. Go without food or water for three days. All God’s people have a right to live their lives as they would, but the challenges of the time demand each of us act. If all of us are to be saved, each of us must do his part. I will do my part, but my part will be useless unless all of our people do their part before God as well.
Mordecai and the Jews respond: the people of God will do their part. Across the nation, will fast and pray with Esther.
For her part, Esther goes to her chambers where she and her friends fast and pray for three days seeking God and preparing herself for the mission ahead.
Chapter 5:
Three days later, Esther is ready. She knows she has come into the kingdom for this moment. She was born for this day. God had given her life for what she would do with the breaths and heartbeats of her next 24 hours.
Uninvited and acting against the clear dictates of the king’s law, she enters his inner court; she dares to enter the king’s presence.
Amazingly, the king receives her with favor, promising to give her anything up to one-half of his kingdom.
Esther’s request, however, is a simple one: would the king attend a banquet in his honor the next day and would the king bring Haman, his prime minister, as well. The king is pleased by her request and says he will attend
Chapter 6
That very night, the king is unable to sleep. He calls for a servant to randomly select a volume of official court records and read it aloud to the king.
As the servant reads, he comes across the story of when Mordecai, the uncle of Esther, had saved the life of the king. Xerxes had forgotten the episode. A search of the records is made and Xerxes learns that he had done nothing to honor Mordecai for saving the king’s life.
Earlier the same evening, Prime Minister Haman had come to the king to obtain his blessing on his plan to hang Mordecai the next day. But before Haman could make his request, Xerxes asks Haman what he should do for a man to whom he wishes to give highest honors.
Thinking the king wants to honor him, Haman responds: “Why not a fabulous parade through the capital in which the honored one rides king’s horse, wearing the king’s own robe and crown?
Xerxes likes the idea and tells Haman to make all the necessary arrangements.
What Haman does not know is that these honors are not for him but Mordecai, the man he plans to kill: the next day, instead of facing gallows of shame and death, Mordecai is to be feted and honored as the most favored friend of the king.
Chapter 7
The next day, during Esther’s banquet in honor of the king, Xerxes again asks Esther what he can do for her, again offering up to half the kingdom
Her request is not for personal pleasure or treasure. Her request is for the life of her people. She tells the king that his government has passed judgment: she and every one of her people are to be killed that very day.
The king is stunned and demands, “Who in my kingdom would dare do this?”
Pointing, Esther replies, “My king, the man who has done this evil sits beside you; it is Haman, your prime minister.”
The king is furious. He orders the execution of Haman that very day on the very gallows Haman had prepared for Mordecai.
Chapter 8
As compensation for her suffering, or possibly in recognition of her selflessness, King Xerxes gives Esther all the estates of Haman. He gives his signet ring to Mordecai, indicating he is the new prime minister, second only to the king in authority and honor.
The decree to kill the Jews is rescinded and couriers are dispatched throughout the kingdom to make the announcement. It is too late to spare 75,000 people from execution. A tragedy, but the vast majority is spared.
The Jews are so grateful to God and to the king that they celebrate their deliverance by giving gifts to one another and helping the poor. The celebration is called Purim to signify the way Haman had use lots or “pur” to randomly select the day of the Jews’ destruction. The Jewish people still celebrate Purim today, remembering that our lives are more than chance events. As such, they cannot be destroyed by mere chance. Our lives are a gift from God. It is in His hands our lives rest.
THE POINT: God saved his people through one person who recognized three truths about her life:
- God had created her – expressly FOR the challenges of the times;
- God had commissioned her – into a position in life FOR the challenges of the times;
- God had called her – to stand as His defender of God’s people in the times;
God’s sovereign purposes were accomplished through one person who obeyed Him. God saved his people through one person who recognized, by the will of God, she had been born for such a time as this.
FIVE APPLICATIONS
For all followers of Jesus Christ, and especially those who serve Him by leading His people:
1. We live in challenging times.
It doesn’t take a Mordecai to see this.
And there will be challenges ahead. Especially for church leaders.
Once upon a time, church leaders could lead their ministries away from the challenges of society to cloistered Christian living. That time is passed. These are challenging times and every indicator tells us times ahead for the church will be even more challenging. Challenging times call for men and women of God who, like Esther, will themselves challenge the times in which they live. Men and women of God who are spiritual warriors, overcomers in Jesus Christ, soldiers of Jesus Christ who do not live in the barracks, but who fight on the front lines of faith for God, His Gospel and the people of God.
2. Know that you have been born for such a time as this
You are not a victim of the time in which you live. You know that God gave you life. Know also that God gave you life right on time, His time. Know that God gave you life in the right place. His place.
You, like Esther, are a living example of the Jeremiah 1.5 principle:
Before God formed you in your mother’s womb, He knew you,
had placed His hand on you, and appointed you to nations.
During our first itineration to go overseas as missionaries, we traveled from church to church raising the financial support needed. Along the way we met many wonderful people. But there were times when well-meaning people said things that were less than helpful. Among them, were comments made telling our very small daughters that they were little more than excess baggage in God’s call on the life of my wife and me, victim’s of God’s call on our lives. These people told my daughters that while God had called mommy and daddy, He had not called them to be missionaries; they were just along for the ride. My wife and I knew we had to address this issue head on.
We told them, not once, but many times, that they were not victims and were much more than baggage. They were the dream-come-true of God, born at just the right place and time, to be raised in just the right place with the right parents and life. Out of all the parents in all the world God in his love and wisdom had personally chosen us to be their parents. We told them that our family’s move to Europe was not just God’s call on Mommy and Daddy, but it was God’s call on their lives as well. Out of all the places in all the world where they could grow up, it pleased God that they should grow up in France and Belgium, speak French, attend French speaking schools, and have lifelong French and Belgian friends. We told them they were not victims, but were the dream-come-true of God, born for this time and place. They were born to be with us for this lifetime adventure. For such a time as this. Today, our grown daughters call those lands home and the beautiful language of French their own.
Yes, leaders are made. But it is also true that leaders are born: designed by God and formed by God to go for God. Formed by God for the call of God.
3. Know that God has positioned you to make a difference in the world
Like Esther, God is calling on you to seize the reason He created you, commissioned you and called you at this moment in time.
Seize the moment by letting the challenges of the moment seize you.
Seize the moment by letting the possibilities of the moment seize you.
What if God DID bring you into this world for such a time as this? What if through you, God intends to bring deliverance to nations and peoples, in large number like Esther OR just one immortal soul?
God has positioned you to make a difference: Seize the moment God is giving you by seizing the reason for your creation, your commission and your call. Lead your church and ministry in your time as Moses led the people of God in his time. Lead your church and ministry as Paul led the people of God in his time. To be used of God in making a difference in their lives and in the world.
4. Know that God is working invisibly in the background to help fulfill your creation, commission and call.
Challenges lie ahead. Understood. We live in challenging times.
But don’t place your trust in what you see, hear or feel. While these things you see, hear, and feel may or may not be real, they are not the whole story.
Remember: even as the Jews were facing destruction, little did they know that God was at work in the background, silently, invisibly setting the stage for their deliverance.
IF they would seize their moment.
Little did they know:
God had allowed Esther to be raised by Mordecai and then placed in the palace as queen;
God had orchestrated the life of Mordecai to save the life of the king and make him forget to honor Mordecai for his heroism;
God would keep the king awake the very night before they were to be slain and require the “sleep aid” of a court history book. Or that out of all the hundreds of books available, God would direct the king’s servant to select the one volume that told the story of Mordecai saving the life of the king;
On and on, even as the Jews faced destruction, the hand of God was invisibly at work on their behalf
That hand, that often-unseen hand, is at work in your life – more real, more true than the news on your TV screen or computer, politics, or economics. You’re not walking alone, pastor. You’re not working alone, missionary. God is at work in the background of your life and ministry, invisibly and silently setting the stage to bring His purposes to pass. When your moment comes – or your moments come – be ready.
5. Know that God is working in and through you for purposes greater than you
If it were all about you and me, God would tell us to simply go grab all the treasure and pleasure we can for ourselves, but the Cross of Jesus proves it’s not all about you me.
The cross calls for more than man-in-the mirror living; it calls for all-eyes-on-Jesus living! It’s time to get up, get my eyes on Jesus, and get my feet in step with His, following Him with everything I’ve have within me, asking His help along the way.
As she went to do her part in bringing salvation to her nation, Esther told Mordecai, “If I perish, I perish.” This was not resignation or fatalism on her part. This was recognition and faith. Esther recognized that her life was not her own, but had been given her by God for greater purposes than her own life. Esther faithed forward into those purposes by trusting back into the hands of God. Godly leaders are willing to lay their lives down for purposes greater than themselves. May God give our nation leaders like these. Even more, may God give the church leaders like these, true undershepherds of the One who laid his life down (John 10.11) for His sheep – those in the fold and those yet to be brought into the fold.
FINAL WORD
Like Esther, the purpose of your creation is more than the life you see in the mirror, more than your own surviving or thriving. You are no mere spectator to these times! God has given you life that He might use you to make a difference. God has given you life that you might maximize His glory among nations, and that the people of God might be strong in their God.
Like Esther, the purpose of God’s commission in your life is about more than you enjoying your own position in life. You have been commissioned by God to take the giftings and abilities of your creation and use them in the service of Christ. You are commissioned by God to use your life for His glory, for the good of His people and the salvation of those who do not yet have a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.
Like Esther, the purposes of God’s call upon your life go beyond this moment and these times – they are eternal. God has entrusted you with the lives of those around you and those far from you. His call on your life touches on matters as great as nations and as simple as the salvation of a single soul. And it points ahead to your appointment with God after this life when God will remind us of these things and call us to give an account of what we did with them.
God has created you, commissioned you and called you.
For such a time as this, God has given you life.
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