God Does Not Abandon Us
Pastor David
The book of Esther is an interesting one in the Bible. It’s the only book in the Bible that never openly mentions God and has no reference to the Mosaic Law or sacrifices or anything to do with what we commonly find in other Old Testament books. The only real similarity is that the main character and her cousin are Hebrews. Yet, you see God’s hand at work for the Hebrew people living in Babylon through Esther and her cousin Mordecai.
By the time Haman, a man with a chip on his shoulder against Mordecai (and one who decides to take out all of Mordecai’s people (the Hebrews) because of that chip), presents his plan of killing all the Hebrews in Babylon to the king; Esther is already in a position to do something about it. So, first, you see God's hand at work by providing a way out of a problem that has not yet happened. Then you see God’s hand at work sparing Esther when she went into the presence of the King without being summoned (which in that culture, meant being put to death unless the king raised his scepter when you entered). And finally, we see God’s hand at work when Haman is put to death due to his evil intentions, and the Hebrews living in Babylon being allowed to defend themselves from their enemies.
This helps bring Jeremiah 29:11 to life: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”
This book (Jeremiah) was written to the people of Judah who were being held captive in Babylon and it was God communicating to them that they had not been forgotten. That God still had plans for them and that they still had a future. It was not God’s plan for his people to be wiped out while they were held captive in a foreign land. Although the story of Esther shows us this, the ultimate plan of God was not to save them from the Babylonians and later the Persians and then even later, the Romans. But rather God’s plan to give them a future and a hope was to save them from their own sin by sending his son to die on the cross for them. But until that happened, about 500 years later, this story in Esther is not a bad placeholder reminding Israel (and us who are able to read about Esther 2500 years later) that God does not leave us even if we are far away from home (knowing that our home is with God).
You are not alone! God is with you!