“Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” ~ John Flavel

Image © Erik Stenbakken from GoodSalt.com

I’m retitling this week’s lesson on Esther and Mordecai to “Hope for the Hopeless.” There are so many times in life when we simply do not know what to do. We find ourselves in difficult situations and often feel as though we are carrying the weight of the world. Esther and Mordecai have been there.

“And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.” Esther 2:7

From the first time their names are mentioned we discover two people joined by tragedy. The orphan Esther is rescued by her loving cousin Mordecai. He saw a need and met it, and this singular act of compassion would be rewarded many times over.

Before we rush on, let me say thank you to the many who have done as Mordecai did. Grandparents raising their grandchildren, aunts and uncle’s bringing other family members into their homes. The selfless guardians and mentors that give of themselves for children not their own. Although at times you may feel overwhelmed, God sees and cares.

“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25:40

Now back to our story – we find Esther in her incredible role as Queen. I can’t begin to imagine the emotions she must have dealt with as each step led her from her past to her present. A simple girl now a queen? Everything had changed but one – Mordecai’s love and care for her.

Mordecai was a good man and one that stayed true to his principles. Esther 2:21-22 reveals the convictions and courage of Mordecai by his revealing of an assassination plot against the king. He could have simply kept silent as this did not personally concern him. But we see an example in Mordecai that is worthy of emulation. We do right because it is right, not just when convenient. You must read Esther chapter 6 to see how God used this act of bravery to defend Mordecai against his avowed enemy.

The Bible reveals in countless ways how God overrules the affairs of men. And he often uses the good, selfless acts of his people to unlock doors that they could never have imagined being opened. Their aim was simply to do good even in bad situations. Ask Joseph as he languished in jail if his kindness to his fellow inmates was worth it. The answer was and always will be that it pays to serve God faithfully.

All of us find ourselves in the lion pits of life or languishing in symbolic jails against our wills. Will we be true to God during these dark times in our lives? Will we keep the flame of hope alive and continue to do the right thing when it seems we are alone? The answer must be yes. Although we may not sense His presence we must trust that God is always with us.

“If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.” Psalm 139:11-12

The climax of the Book of Esther is the plot to annihilate the Jews. This dastardly plan was concocted out of hate and jealously, those same evil twins that have threatened the lives of the righteous from Abel until today. To meet the challenge was more than Esther or Mordecai could do on their own. This was a God-sized problem.

How easy it would have been to give in to despair at that time. Neither of them had the power to change the law granting the extermination of their people. All they could do was to fast and pray. But fasting and prayer was exactly what they needed to do.

There are times when help can come from no one but God. The situations in life some are facing are beyond description. But man’s extremity has always been God’s opportunity. We must look away from ourselves to the God who rules over all and that’s exactly what Esther and Mordecai did.

We rightly applaud Esther for her bravery and Mordecai for his clear-eyed wisdom. The entire book shows the value of character and integrity. But beyond everything, the Book of Esther reveals that there is nothing too hard for God.

Here are a few Hit the Mark questions for this week’s lesson discussion:

• What does the word “providence” mean to you?
• What, if any, is the difference between providence and chance?
• Is it true that everything that happens to a believer is ultimately God’s will? Why yes or no?
• How, if at all, can one know if the path before them is a result of God’s providence or of their own choosing?
• What is the purpose of fasting?
• Is the following statement True, Mostly True, Somewhat True or Not True: The more one fasts and prays the better a Christian they will become. Explain your answer.

We close this week with words from the Apostle Paul outlining a difficult time in his life. These words could easily be said of Esther and Mordecai during that dark period in their lives.

“We don’t want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn’t think we were going to make it. We felt like we’d been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he’s the God who raises the dead! And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he’ll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing. You and your prayers are part of the rescue operation—I don’t want you in the dark about that either. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God’s deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part.” (2 Corinthians 1:8-11 The Message)

Until next week, let’s all continue to Hit the Mark in Sabbath School!

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