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Esther, March 1
Heroes for God
And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such
a time as this?
Esther 4:14
A certain day was appointed on which the Jews were to be destroyed
and their property confiscated. Little did the king realize the far-reaching
results that would have accompanied the complete carrying out of this
decree. Satan himself, the hidden instigator of the scheme, was trying to
rid the earth of those who preserved the knowledge of the true God....
But the plots of the enemy were defeated by a Power that reigns
among the children of men. In the providence of God, Esther, a Jewess
who feared the Most High, had been made queen of the Medo-Persian
kingdom. Mordecai was a near relative of hers. In their extremity
they decided to appeal to Xerxes in behalf of their people. Esther was
to venture into his presence as an intercessor. “Who knoweth,” said
Mordecai, “whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as
this?”
The crisis that Esther faced demanded quick, earnest action; but both
she and Mordecai realized that unless God should work mightily in their
behalf, their own efforts would be unavailing. So Esther took time for
communion with God, the source of her strength. “Go,” she directed
Mordecai, “gather together all the Jews that are present 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,
which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”
To every household and every school, to every parent, teacher, and
child upon whom has shone the light of the gospel, comes at this crisis
the question put to Esther the queen at that momentous crisis in Israel’s
history, “Who knoweth whether
thou
art come to the kingdom for such a
time as this?”
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