For Such a Time as This

It's a phrase that calls to mind the Biblical story of Esther.  It's the statement of encouragement that Mordecai, Esther's older cousin and adoptive father, declared to her as he urged her to plead with a pagan king for the life of the Jewish people living within his empire.  It's a declaration of purpose:  the humble acceptance of God's sovereign will and direction upon a life.

This deeply meaningful phrase has always resonated with me when I read through the story of Esther.  Until my recent in-depth study of the book, however, I hadn't fully absorbed the truth that Esther was not the only individual placed within the Medo-Persian empire "for such a time as this."  I should have known it wasn't that simple.  God's workings are rarely singular or linear; they are a complex weaving together of lives for His divine purposes.

What were the Jewish people doing living in a pagan empire far away from home, anyway?  They had been carried away into exile by the Babylonians during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar.  God had warned them what would happen if they refused to live by His commandments.  They persisted in their sin, and God's word came to pass:  they were taken captive and deported.  Years later, the Babylonian empire was conquered by the Medes and the Persians.  This is the Medo-Persian empire within which Mordecai and Esther lived.

But here's the twist in the story:  some of the Israelites had left that empire and returned home years before.  So, why were Mordecai, Esther, and many other Jews still living in a foreign land?

The Jewish temple was one of many things demolished during the Babylonian invasions of Judah.  Between the rule of Nebuchadnezzar and the rule of Xerxes (who was the king in power during Esther's time), there ruled a Persian king named Cyrus.  He was a pagan king and did not personally know the God of Israel.  However, God used Cyrus to accomplish His own purposes.  2 Chronicles tells us that God moved Cyrus to declare that the Jews in captivity within his kingdom could return to their homeland to rebuild God's temple.  Talk about a "get out of jail free" card!  Not only were they allowed to go back home, but they were allowed to rebuild the temple that was the center of their spiritual life.

Interestingly, not all the Jews returned.  Ezra 1:5 tells us that "everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up..." returned to build the temple.  Not everyone, period, but everyone whose spirit God had stirred.  Some Jews remained in the Persian empire because God had chosen not to stir their spirits.  Why?

Only God can answer that question, He is the Master Weaver.  However, I believe the book of Esther gives us a glimpse into why He didn't call everyone to return.  Mordecai's family (and by extension, Esther) were among those who stayed. Had all the Jews gone back to Jerusalem, there would have been no Mordecai to anger Haman.  There would have been no Jews for Haman and Xerxes to place under a decree of mass genocide.  There would have been no young, Jewish girl crowned queen to plead with the heart of the king.  The whole book of Esther would evaporate.  Arguably, that may have been a win for the Jewish people and their mental health, but it most certainly would have been a loss for us.  How much we learn about God's character and sovereign workings from the book of Esther!  God had a story to write within the Medo-Persian empire during those years; He was not yet finished with the Jews who lived there.

So, what of us?  God's Spirit still moves within the hearts of men.  God still calls His people out for "temple-building" missions.  I have learned, however, that God also calls some to remain.  Our hearts are not all stirred in unison; such is the multifaceted purpose and glory of God.  Those Jews who returned to Jerusalem were answering the call of God in their hearts, and it was good.  Those Jews who remained in Medo-Persia were also within the will of God, and it was good.  God had more than one story to write through those years.  Likewise, our hearts will not always be stirred in unison with the believers around us.  We each must evaluate our own hearts:  are they soft and open to the leading of the Holy Spirit?  If so, then we can rest content in our individual callings.

We dare not look in judgement upon the calling and mission of another believer.  God is writing a whole heavenly library worth of stories with our lives.  What an awesome Savior!