Esther 1-10 – September 22 & 23

In the book of Esther there are some very intense moments for the Jewish people; by reading the book, we are able to see the whole picture and see God had a plan that started before anyone ever knew there was a problem. God orchestrated for a young Jewish girl to become Queen so she could intercede for her people before the King at the right moment. The LORD knows the trials that are approaching and coming on the earth and He is positioning intercessors’ before Him to bring forth another great deliverance!

Mordecai said to Esther in chapter 4, verse 14: “If you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" There is a truth here for everyone who is in the “kingdom” (a child of God), but there is a more specific application for these end days. Scripture tells us that the Jewish people will be hated and hunted and righteous Christians will stand up for them in faith. To pray for them, yes, but also to put their necks on the line to protect them – even as Corrie Ten  Boom did during World War II.

Read a short synopsis of her life here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrie_ten_Boom
Or listen to her testimony at the end of this post.

Only God could orchestrate the events of chapter 6. If Haman wasn’t so drunk on his pride, he may have seen the hand of God in what happened in this chapter and quickly backtracked on his plan to kill all the Jews before it was too late. Pride and hatred blinded Haman’s eyes just as does people today. The antichrist and those who side with him in the last days will have a hardened heart just as Pharaoh did when he continued to try to keep the Israelites as slaves when his nations was falling apart from the judgments of the LORD. The enemy is good at overplaying his hand.

In chapter 7, Haman was hanged on the gallows he made for Mordecai. The gallows were 50 cubits high (75 feet) which was over 6 stories high.

When the Jews were given the right to defend themselves it says in Esther 8:17, “Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them.” Not only were the Jewish people saved, but God’s people were increased with people from other nations. It looked bleak but, this was God’s plan from the beginning.

As I read this book I think to myself, God has a plan for these last days and it’s better than I can ask or think. It will require faith that intercedes before the King, and faith that is willing to give its life.