Weekly Scripture Reading: Esther 1-Job 7
Well, this week's reading had PLENTY of technical difficulties. Camera falling 3 times in the first 5 minutes, switching to a laptop instead of my phone, and my daughter even woke up and joined me for the last 10 minutes of reading. But thankfully none of these things can diminished the beautiful scripture we read! Incase you missed it - we were able to read the entire book of Esther - one of my favorites - and start the book of Job - one that I've been wanting to study more in depth.
I was struck by how beautifully the main themes of these two books compliment each other, and that is what I want to focus on in my reflections today.
Esther was also taken to the palace and placed under the care of Hegai, the custodian of the women. And the young woman pleased him and obtained his favor, so he quickly provided her with beauty treatments and the special diet. He assigned to her seven select maidservants from the palace and transferred her with them to the best place in the harem. Esther 2:8b-9
Something we see happening over and over throughout the story of Esther is God's hand being on her so that she obtains favor in the sight of everyone around her.
And the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she found grace and favor in his sight more than all of the other virgins. So he placed the royal crown upon her head and made her queen in place of Vashti. Esther 2:17
It seems like everything Esther does in this book is blessed. God honors all her efforts, and goes before her when she is finds herself in unwanted or difficult circumstances.
Isn't that the life we all want? One that has the hand of God on it? One where we find favor in the sight of those who God puts in our path even if they are incredibly wicked people? Of course, we all want that story, one of success and favor - one where it all works out in the end - but let's not forget that these successes were not without hardship. In fact, Esther had many difficulties despite the fact that she was Queen. Perhaps the most difficult hardship was when she chose to face possible death in order to save her people. At first, she was not prepared to put her life on the line...
Then Esther spoke to Hathach and instructed him to tell Mordecai, “All the royal officials and the people of the king’s provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned—that he be put to death. Only if the king extends the gold scepter may that person live. But I have not been summoned to appear before the king for the past thirty days.” When Esther’s words were relayed to Mordecai, he sent back to her this reply: 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 house will perish. And who knows if perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:10-14
Something you may or may not know about the book of Esther is that the name of God is never mentioned. However, we see God constantly in the background, working to orchestrate His plan! This text is a perfect example of that. Mordecai doesn't respond to Esther's fear by saying "God will raise up salvation from another place." But it is clear that that is what he is referring to. We can see that Mordecai knew the prophecies, like this one, from Ezekiel...
“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. Ezekiel 36:22-27
You see, all throughout the Old Testament God continually reminds the Jews that He is not going to let them be utterly destroyed - but rather He will preserve them all for one purpose: for the sake of His name!
God allowed Esther to go through difficulties and trials SO THAT God could make His name great by the deliverance of the Jews!
So how does this compliment what we are reading about in Job?
There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And this man was blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man of all the people of the East. Job 1:1-3
At this point in Job's life, he was probably feeling as favored as Esther! The LORD had richly blessed him...but that story quickly changes.
One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. “Where have you come from?” said the LORD to Satan. “From roaming through the earth,” he replied, “and walking back and forth in it.” Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil.” Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not placed a hedge on every side around him and his household and all that he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out Your hand and strike all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.” “Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “Everything he has is in your hands, but you must not lay a hand on the man himself.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. Job 1:6-12
Wait a second, do I have this right...Satan didn't mention Job to God - rather it was God that brought Satan's attention to Job??!?!?! That CANNOT be right!!! Yet that is exactly what the Word of God says. God is so proud of His servant Job that He mentions him to Satan. And Satan responds with a request to smite Job SO THAT Job will curse God to His face!
And God grants Satan his request.
You see, God's purpose in allowing Job to fall from favor with everyone, including his friends and his wife, was the same purpose that allowed Esther's favor. Both Esther and Job had highs and lows. Both of them didn't know how their circumstances would work out. Both of them didn't understand why they were in the situation that they were in. But Esther is blessed with favor in those dark times, and Job is seemingly abandoned.
However, in both circumstances, God was in control and He was allowing the suffering of His people for the sake of His name!
We haven't finished Job yet, and in case you haven't read it in a while or maybe ever before - I don't want to spoil the ending. But I want to leave you with this encouragement. No matter the trial we are going through, the stories of Esther and Job teach us that God is sovereign and in control. That no matter how dark it gets, and no matter how favored or abandoned we feel in that darkness - God has a bigger purpose at play...
That we would make the name of the LORD great, both to those around us and to those unseen enemies - the spiritual forces around us!
My prayer for us this week is that our lives be ones that sound the message of God's great name into the world around us, no matter how difficult our circumstances.
Comments