“For such a time as this …” – Part 1

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14

I love this season of Purim.  The atmosphere here in Israel is filled with music and smiles; great food is all around, people send mashloachay manot (gift baskets) to each other and to the poor (Esther 9:22); and perhaps most enjoyable are the costumes that people dress up in!  I especially love seeing my children so exited about this holiday… my son woke up at 5:30 AM with excitement just to get in his costume for school; what a joy!

As much as I enjoy the festivities of this holiday, however, it is important that we not lose sight of the very important message that God has for us in His story, from the book of Esther.

In this blog entry, I would like to simply remind all of us Followers of Messiah wherever we may be, of God’s important call on our lives.   The words, “For if you” which appear at the beginning of the above verse, are very important words; they imply that we have a choice to understand God’s call on our lives and to follow through with obedience.

God has always had a plan to redeem His children, Israel.   And so I put forth a very important question for all of us who are followers of Messiah Yeshua: Do you want to be a part of God’s plan for Salvation to the Jewish people, and the rest of the world, or not?  The answer is very simple; if you remain silent and idle in your actions, then you are not.   His plan will go through with or without us . He will bring deliverance from other sources if we choose to stay quite.   But let’s not underestimate the results of our disobedience! Our disobedience has consequences not just for ourselves, but for those around us…“but you and your father’s family will perish.”

The last point I would like to make is this:  The gift of salvation is free unto us, but very costly for Him who offers it.  The reason that God brought us into His royal family, like He did for Esther, is not for our benefit alone.  God has chosen us “for such a time as this” so that through us His light can shine forth, and ultimately fulfill His plan of redemption of the world.  Just as God sovereignly worked through Esther to save the Jewish people those many years ago, He is working through you and me today to proclaim salvation through His Son, Yeshua, so that the world may be saved.

Will you answer His call?

Shabbat Shalom,

Moran