For Just Such a Time as This
Tony Nester
Esther 4:13-16
The story of Esther is a favorite Bible passage,
especially for women who find in her a role model for
courage, inventiveness and faithfulness.
Esther was the Jewish queen of a Persian king history
knows as Xerxes. She faced the defining moment of her
life when she had to decide whether or not to risk her
life to save the Jewish people who were about to be
exterminated. At great risk to herself she acted with
courage and faithfulness and her people were delivered
from destruction.
Esther had been orphaned as a young girl and raised by
her older cousin Mordecai. Esther's family had been
carried into captivity into Persia around 600 B.C.
Her Jewish name was Hadassah, when means "myrtle"
(Esther 2:7).
How did an orphaned Jewish girl end up as the Queen of
Persia? The Book of Esther is in our Bible as a
testimony that God is at work behind the scenes,
inside the circumstances, and through the twists and
turns of history, to accomplish his purposes.
St. Paul says it best:
(Romans 8:28 NRSV) "We know that all things work
together for good for those who love God, who are
called according to his purpose."
This is an accurate translation of Paul's writing, but
the meaning of the verse can be missed. It sounds as
though all things are just going to work out by
themselves for good. But God is the implied subject
of Paul's statement.
That's why I prefer the New International Version's
translation of Romans 8:28 which reads:
(Romans 8:28 NIV) "And we know that in all things God
works for the good of those who love him, who have
been called according to his purpose."
You see, don't you, that it's not that all things work
out by themselves for good, but that God himself is at
work in our circumstances bringing about good.
Esther's story is a case study of God working all
things for good. Here's how it happened.
The K ...
Tony Nester
Esther 4:13-16
The story of Esther is a favorite Bible passage,
especially for women who find in her a role model for
courage, inventiveness and faithfulness.
Esther was the Jewish queen of a Persian king history
knows as Xerxes. She faced the defining moment of her
life when she had to decide whether or not to risk her
life to save the Jewish people who were about to be
exterminated. At great risk to herself she acted with
courage and faithfulness and her people were delivered
from destruction.
Esther had been orphaned as a young girl and raised by
her older cousin Mordecai. Esther's family had been
carried into captivity into Persia around 600 B.C.
Her Jewish name was Hadassah, when means "myrtle"
(Esther 2:7).
How did an orphaned Jewish girl end up as the Queen of
Persia? The Book of Esther is in our Bible as a
testimony that God is at work behind the scenes,
inside the circumstances, and through the twists and
turns of history, to accomplish his purposes.
St. Paul says it best:
(Romans 8:28 NRSV) "We know that all things work
together for good for those who love God, who are
called according to his purpose."
This is an accurate translation of Paul's writing, but
the meaning of the verse can be missed. It sounds as
though all things are just going to work out by
themselves for good. But God is the implied subject
of Paul's statement.
That's why I prefer the New International Version's
translation of Romans 8:28 which reads:
(Romans 8:28 NIV) "And we know that in all things God
works for the good of those who love him, who have
been called according to his purpose."
You see, don't you, that it's not that all things work
out by themselves for good, but that God himself is at
work in our circumstances bringing about good.
Esther's story is a case study of God working all
things for good. Here's how it happened.
The K ...
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