By Allen White
On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of
Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the
enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned
and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. The Jews assembled
in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those determined
to destroy them. No one could stand against them, because the people of all the
other nationalities were afraid of them. And all the nobles of the provinces,
the satraps, the governors and the king’s administrators helped the Jews,
because fear of Mordecai had seized them. Mordecai was prominent in the palace;
his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more
powerful.
The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword,
killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated
them.
So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued
in Susa, and they impaled the ten sons of Haman.
Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king’s
provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief from their
enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of them but did not lay their hands
on the plunder. This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and
on the fourteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy. Esther
9:1-5, 14, 16-17, 19, 26
The
Jews no longer feared the people. Instead, the people feared the Jews. Rather
than the palace officials apprehending Mordecai, they were advocating for him.
In fact, many of the people who once despised the Jews, now became Jews (Esther
9:17). The tide had turned. Just days before, a Jewish identity was a death
sentence, now it was a badge of courage and strength.
The
secret weapon of God’s people has never been their prowess or their military
might. Their battles were never won on superior strategy or a show of force. The
strength of God’s people has always been their God. No one else could have
engineered a scheme to deliver them. In fact, the odds were completely stacked
against them.
If
not for God’s grace, the courage of a beauty queen, and the encouragement of
her cousin, the Jewish people would have perished that day. Instead, God’s
intervention brought victory on the scheduled day of their defeat. God was the
only explanation for their deliverance. That’s the beauty of being backed into
a corner and having no options.
When
we are completely stuck and have no answers, when we’ve tried everything that
we can think of, when we’re consulted every person that we know, when we’re at
a complete loss, then we’re ready for God to work. Now, we could certainly ask
God sooner, but many of us are not wired that way.
When
God is the only one who can deliver us, then it’s very clear that God is our
deliverer. No one else can claim the credit. No one else receives the glory. It
all goes to God.
What
corner do you find yourself backed into today? Have you exhausted all of your
ideas and all of your resources? Don’t despair. You’re in a perfect place for
God to help you. Just ask Him.
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