For Such A Time As This

The story of Esther is a story of Gods deliverance of the Jews that were dispersed throughout all the kingdom of King Ahasuerus, whose kingdom reached from India to Ethiopia. A vast kingdom that included 120 provinces.

This story tells how that God made plans for the deliverance of his people, the Jews, even before they were in danger. God placed all of the players in their proper positions. Every player was in his or her proper place even before the story unfolded. God had a perfect plan. Everything unfolded just as God had planned.

King Ahasuerus had a great feast for his princes and principle men throughout his kingdom. This celebration lasted for many days. 

The Queen whose name was Vashti, made a great celebration for the women, the wives of these great men. 

One day when the King was nearly drunk, he called for the Queen Vashti to come to the palace, to the Kings royal chambers, dressed in her royal attire, and with her royal crown so that the King could show off her great beauty. 

The Queen refused to go amidst this drunken party of men. And after she continued to resist the Kings commandment, the King became furious and counseled with his chief councilors as to what could be done with the queen according to the law of his kingdom.

They told him that this was a serious matter. If the Queen could get away with disobeying the Kings commandment, then all the women of the provinces would rebel against their husbands.

So the councilors told the King that he should divorce Queen Vashti, and select officers in all the 127 provinces to search out choice virgins, and bring them to the palace and be put in the care of the Kings chamberlain, that was in charge of the women for purification, and after their purification they would go in one by one unto the king. The one that the King favored would be his Queen. This pleased the King very much, and the young virgins were taken into the King one by one each evening until he made his choice. The ladies were given anything that they needed to look beautiful and desirable when they went in to the King. One by one, day after day, they went to spend the night with the King. In the custom of the Kingdom in that day, they were all considered to be married to the King. They were all considered to be his wives; they only spent one night with the King unless the King called for them by name.

When it came time for Esther to go in before the King, she was such a beautiful girl that she needed nothing, no makeup at all. Her natural beauty was all she needed.

The Bible says that when the King saw Esther that he loved her, and chose her to be his Queen over all the rest of the young virgins. 

The King made a great feast for Esther, for he loved her very much.

Esther was a Jewish girl that was raised by her uncle, or cousin, because her parents were dead. Mordecai raised and cared for Esther as his own child. Mordecai told Esther to not let it be known that she was a Jew, so Esther kept it a secret as to who her people were. God was positioning Esther for a time when she would be needed for the salvation of her people.

I believe with all my heart that God has positioned great men and women for the same purpose as he positioned Esther as Queen. And if they will fast and pray as Esther and Mordecai and the Jews that were in Shushan did; God will bring a great deliverance for His people today. God told me to do this and send it to as many as possible that were in a position to reach the masses. God told me as He told Ezekiel; tell them for me, whether they will hear or whether they will forebear. God told Ezekiel if he would warn the nation of Israel that the righteous sin not, that He would deliver his soul. But if when I say to the wicked, thou shalt surely die; and you don't give him warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked ways, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity but his blood will I require at thine hand. Ezekiel 3: 17-21, Ezekiel 18 1:32, Ezekiel 33:1-20. God wants the church to know this, but they won't know it if the watchman failed to warn them. Consider what a position God has put you in, but it is up to you, just as it was left up to Esther. 

Haman was the Kings favorite officer; his power was second to the King. Mordecai was one of the guards that was security for the King, and one night he overheard two other guards plotting to do the King harm; so Mordecai told Esther about the plot to possibly assassinate the King. Esther told the King about the plot. Esther had it logged in the Kings journal in Mordecai's name. It went on record that Mordecai saved the Kings life.

Haman went past Mordecai every day; the custom was that when Haman went in and out of the palace that the security guards were supposed to bow to him. Mordecai, being a Jew, refused to bow. He got by with it until the other guards told Haman that Mordecai the Jew refused to bow; they wanted to know what could be done about it. So then Mordecai was in trouble when he refused to bow.

Haman went before the council and before the King and asked that a decree be signed and sealed with the Kings ring; that all the Jews in all the provinces should be killed, destroyed in one day in the month Adar, which was 12 months from that time. The decree was sent out by mail to every province throughout all the provinces, that all the Jews should be killed, destroyed in one day. Even women and children. 

When Mordecai heard that the decree had been sent out, he came before the Kings gate in sackcloth and ashes. When Esther saw him, she sent him some proper clothing, but he refused them. The Jews were weeping and wailing throughout all the 120 provinces, in sackcloth and ashes.

Mordecai sent a letter to Esther asking her to go before the King and beg for the lives of the Jews. 

Esther sent a letter back to Mordecai that said, it is against the law for any one, even the Queen to go before the King uninvited. She could be killed if the King did not hold out the golden scepter to her. 

Mordecai wrote a letter back to Esther, saying and commanded the courier to answer Esther. Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the Kings house more than all the Jews. For if thou all together holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance come from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed; and who knoweth whether thou are come to the kingdom for such a time as this.

Then Esther sent Mordecai this answer, go gather together, all of the Jews that are in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day; I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the King, and if I perish, I perish.

Mordecai did as Esther said. Then after the three days were expired, Esther put on her royal apparel and went, smiling, and no doubt trembling before the King, and when the King saw her he held out the golden scepter and asked, what is it Queen Esther, and what is your petition, and it shall be given thee, even to the half of the Kingdom. Esther said, if I have found favor in the Kings sight; let the King and Haman come to the banquet that I have prepared tomorrow.

The King brought Haman and set the time for the banquet that Esther had made ready.

That evening Haman passed by Mordecai, and Mordecai did not bow to him. He went home and told his wife and his personal councilors about all his wealth, about the banquet that Esther had made, and that only he was invited besides the King. But he said, all this means nothing as long as Mordecai the Jew is alive. Haman's wife told him to have a gallows built fifty cubits high. And then go to the palace early the next morning and get the Kings permission to kill Mordecai. No doubt, while he was at the banquet with the King and Queen, that his men could go ahead and kill Mordecai and get it over with. But God had other plans.

That night the King couldn't sleep and asked for the book of records of the chronicles. The chronicles were read to the King and it was found written that Mordecai was the man that had overheard the two guards when they were plotting to harm him.

The King asked, what honor and dignity has been done to Mordecai for this? He was told that there had been none. About that time Haman was coming in from the outer court to get permission to hang Mordecai. The King asked Haman, what should be done to the man that the King delights to honor. Haman thought to himself, who would the King delight to honor more than me. Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit goes before a fall.

Haman said, for the man that the King delights to honor, let the royal apparel be brought that the King wears, and put him on the kings horse, and put the King's crown on his head, and let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of the Kings most noble princes, and that they may array the man with whom the King delights to honor, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, this shall be done to the man whom the King delights to honor. 

Then to Haman's dismay and utter horror the King told Haman, to do all this for Mordecai the Jew.  Haman had to honor the man that he hated the most. At the Great White Throne Judgment those that hated Jesus will bow to Him.

At the banquet table the King asked Esther, "What is your petition, and what is your request?" Esther said, if I have found favor in the Kings sight, give me my life, and the life of my people. For I and my people are sold and destroyed to be slain and to perish. Now if we were sold to be bondmen I would have held my peace. Although it would be a great damage to your kingdom. 

The King said, "Who is it?" and she said, it is this wicked Haman.

The King got up in a fury and went into the garden and mused over what to do. When he came back in the house Haman was lying across the same bed with Esther, begging for his life. The King came in and said, "Will you also lie with the Queen with me in the house.

The servants knew exactly what to do when they saw the Kings rage. They immediately covered Hamans face and hanged him on the gallows that he had built for Mordecai. Haman and his ten sons were hanged on this gallows.

The King couldn't change the decree that he had sent out concerning the destruction of the Jews because a decree once it had been sealed with the Kings ring could never be changed according to the constitution of the Kingdom. King Ahasueres made another decree that the Jews were allowed to gather themselves together and defend themselves against their enemy. All of the governors of the provinces helped the Jews. God wrought a great victory that day. They killed 75,000 of their enemies.

God wants to give us the same victory. Don't be afraid what man can do. God is on our side. This day has been a national holiday for the Jews unto this day. All this because Esther said, if I perish, I perish. She had to go against the established tradition of her day to accomplish deliverance for the people of God.

You have come to the kingdom for such a time as this. God is with you. There is absolutely no way you could be in your position without God's help. I know I shortened the story, but on purpose. The message is there. There is nothing impossible to you if God is with you. You must decide for yourself just as Esther had a decision to make. She saw the alternative, and said if I perish, I perish. She was saying the same thing that David said when he went before Goliath, is there not a cause? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that would dare defy the armies of the living God.

Acts 8:26-40 Phillip was sent into the desert by an angel and was told to join himself with the chariot that the Ethiopian Eunuch was riding in. Phillip obeyed and found the Ethiopian Eunuch reading from Isaiah and asked, do you understand what you are reading? And the Eunuch said, how can I, except some man guide me. Then Phillip began at that same scripture and preached to him Jesus.

We must never get to the place where we can't be guided. Never think we know it all and couldn't humble ourselves to the inspiration and revelation of the Word of God.

I believe if we will preach and teach these simple truths, that God is going to give you an anointing that you never thought possible. I believe that God plainly showed me this in prayer. God has given me this vision, and I promised that I would obey the vision. It's in Gods hands from there. I'm not responsible for the results. I am only to obey and stay on my face before God, night and day seeking God for the results. The battle is not ours, but the Lords. We supply the vessel and He does the rest. 

Oh, thank God for His great and precious promises. The Word of God is true, steadfast and sure. Forever settled in heaven; and it changes not.