Times of Deliverance

Whether in life or by death, the Lord always delivers his people. Esther, Mordecai and the entire Jewish race were threatened with annihilation. In a great reversal, Haman experiences a catastrophic fall ending in his death and posthumous humiliation. Mordecai, conversely, experiences a rapid exaltation. Each is held up as an example of the different fates of God's enemies and God's children. It is fair to say that, by nature, we are like Haman, enemies of God. By an act of grace, he delivers and exalts his elect people like Mordecai. In another great reversal, Christ Jesus, having suffered an ignominious death, rose from the dead and was exalted to heaven. In our union with Christ, we are said to have been both crucified and raised with him. Our desert was Haman's, but the gift of God was a Mordecai-like deliverance and glorification. This book of Esther, whether viewed alone or with the Septuagint additions, is replete with indications of God's providence, and the outcome of the story should encourage us to trust in this all-wise providence of God in which our eternal future is secure.