For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there, enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? – Est. 4:14 KJV
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Mordecai had done everything to ensure that Esther who was his late uncle’s daughter successfully replaced Queen Vashti as the new Queen of King Ahasuerus but when Haman was elevated as head of all the Princes in the palace, he expected everyone to reverence him following the directive of the king concerning him. That directive did not go down well with Mordecai who was not ready to show any reverence for Haman, a decision that infuriated Haman and he decided to hit back at Mordecai by getting the king to sign an order directing that Jews should be killed.
Mordecai decided to solicit the help of Esther in getting the king to reverse this decree but Esther knew that approaching the king uninvited had only one penalty which was death and she conveyed this to Mordecai. The response of Mordecai is the scripture for today’s devotion. He drew her attention to the following:
1. That it was possible for God to raise a helper from another source.
2. That all her people including herself could be destroyed if she refused to help.
3. That it was possible that God allowed her to get to that position because of the situation he was drawing her attention to.
4. She did not have to be self-centred by thinking of her safety alone.
This reminder by Mordecai triggered Esther to act but not before asking for prayers seeking the support of God in accomplishing the task before her. She eventually succeeded and was able to save her people from the mass genocide planned for them by Haman.
Many people today, Christians alike occupy positions of influence that bestows no advantage on anyone but themselves and family members only. Some give the excuse that they are too lowly positioned to be able to render any help to any one whereas the real reason is that they have no intention of helping anyone. Here was Mordecai who was probably a slave serving in the king’s palace (Est. 2:5-6), still able to identify an opportunity for his late uncle’s daughter who was an orphan, and doing everything legal and possible for her to have it. He probably at that time never thought he could need the help of Esther as all he was probably doing was to position Esther very well in life. He was to eventually find himself seeking to be a major beneficiary of the position of Esther.
Many Christians today remain in a bad situation with no offer of help and are blaming everyone for not helping them out of it. The question to ask such people will be to know how many people they have helped in their position. The excuse of not being well positioned to help will not be tenable since Mordecai was just a slave in the palace, and there is no one that has nothing to help with no matter how little. Christians need to realise that a man reaps what he sows. Why would you want people to selflessly lift you out of that situation when you have no record of ever rendering a selfless help to anyone. A help rendered today by an individual could be an available help for such an individual tomorrow.
A second lesson of note in today’s scripture was the initial reluctance of Esther to help, citing rules that, if broken can cost her, her life. Most people who have received help also find it convenient to give similar reasons, in order to cover up for their ungrateful attitude. Mordecai took risks for Esther to get to her position but here was Esther not willing to take a risk for a whole nation until she was reminded of the possible fall outs and consequences. Of significance is the fact that Mordecai never referred to his effort at getting Esther to that position but he cited how it was possible that God allowed all his efforts to come out successful because of the current situation they found themselves in. At that point it was not about who was right or wrong but about only two things:
1. The need to help a helper.
2. God’s approval for her to play that role.
Mordecai brought in the God factor and Esther got her bearing back.
Are you seeking to get out of a bad situation today and no one is indicating interest? Before blaming anyone, could it be because you have never really rendered a selfless help? If that is the case, it is possible that they also cannot see what benefit helping you will bring to them. It is however not a hopeless situation for you as you can still ask God for mercy. He is willing to overlook all your errors and send you help from his sanctuary.
We must always seek to have records of rendering selfless help by casting our bread on the waters as we may just be helping ourselves – Eccl. 11:1-2. May God give us the right spirit to render selfless help to others in Jesus name. Amen.
