Preschool
Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it (John 2:5).
For Such a Time as This
Memory Verses
Primary
His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it (John 2:5).
Junior
His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it (John 2:5).
Background Scripture: Esther
Lesson Scripture: Esther 2:5, 7-8, 15-17; 4:10-11, 13-14; 5:1-2
Introduction
Can we understand God’s purpose for us as individuals? Are we to feel that we have been specially formed and created for this specific time and circumstance? Let us study this lesson to better understand these questions. God would surely have us recognize his work in our lives and that we would know Him well enough to discern his will in the smallest details of life. Wherever you are—at home or away from home, with great or small responsibility, and even if you are without physical ability—God has created you to exist for this time and place!
Key Verse
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power (Acts 1:7).
Lesson Scripture
Esther 2:5 Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;
7 And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.
8 So it came to pass, when the king’s commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king’s house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.
15 Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.
16 So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
4:10 Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai;
11 All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.
13 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews.
14 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?
5:1 Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.
2 And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.
Studying the Lesson
The book of Esther was written during the exile of the Jewish people in Persia. Persia at this time was a mighty kingdom, stretching from India to Northern Africa. Ahasuerus’s palace was in the capital city of Shushan, which is located in modern day Iran.
Imagine for a moment the pomp, color, and strange tradition of this pagan land: the unfamiliar music floating on the air and the curious smells of mysterious spices in the market. The gardens of the palace must have been spectacular, “where were white, green, and blue, hangings, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the beds were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black, marble” (Esther 1:6). What strange and royal sights for a poor Jewish girl!
Evidently Esther did not actively seek to become queen, as she left her appearance and dress up to Hegai, the keeper of the women, when she went before the king to be chosen. Through God’s leading, she was able to come before the king and gain favor in such a way that the king was receptive to her wishes. When a Christian possesses the humility of the Spirit of God, it can enable miracles. Esther simply followed where God led her. She had prepared her heart in humility and consecration to God and followed his direction beyond what was the duty of a woman or even a queen. Submission allowed Esther to fully realize and attend to God’s will.
Practical Truths for Today
The preparation of our heart is important in recognizing God’s place for us. Receiving the gift of salvation and its divine work is a must. Humility born out of a surrendered heart is another foundational aspect of God’s preparatory work among his people. God can work through any person He chooses, but He will be greatly magnified through us as believers when we seek his will rather than standing idly by as the unbelieving or uncommitted. His plans and his providence are marvelously longsighted. Years ahead, He had already ordered events to place Esther in a position to foil Haman’s plot, showing how God’s purposes are fulfilled even through the sins and folly of men. Even though Esther played a pivotal role in saving God’s people, the honor was not hers to take; she was only a part of God’s divinely directed plan. Through her obedience, God worked a miracle. Taking credit for God‘s work through us is a natural but foolish response.
A Christian’s life, in contrast to the unbeliever, is one of purpose and meaning. Embedded in God’s call, we find there is a place for each of us to be a servant. It becomes our responsibility to love and serve our fellow travelers on the road of life. Through exercising all our godly responsibilities, we will begin to understand what talents we have been given for this our time.
Was it obvious to Esther that God was working through her life? Do we anticipate spiritual direction from the Almighty in everyday circumstances? God does not force Himself upon us; He wants us to await his direction. Our hearts should be, “If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (James 4:15). His plan will unfold to those who continually ask Him for help in prayer and humility.
Where we place our attention is of great consequence. Attention and expectation are doors through which the foundations of our mind are established. We must “bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in [our mouths]” (Ps. 34:1). Proper habits of mind must be cultivated if we expect our faith to prosper like Esther’s did. Obedience to the immediate voice of the Holy Spirit is a requirement for understanding God’s purpose and why He has placed us here. Faith and obedience precede revelation. If we have found ourselves struggling to see God’s plan in our life, He will reveal Himself when we have our eyes on Him.
At times we may be tempted to have bigger plans for our lives than what God has and are left wondering why we can’t seem to make a difference. Every journey on which God leads the Christian starts in the small things. Surely Esther had committed the small details of her life to God before He was able to use her to great effect. Many times his plans are not revealed until the heart of man has given up its selfish ideas. It is then God can truly work through us.
Just as the child of God is at the center of God’s plans, the Savior is at the heart of everything a Christian does. The cry of the Christian’s heart should be that every action and desire would be born out of a will to serve the Savior. “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Col. 3:17). This does not mean that everything we do will be obviously religious. It does mean that the desire of our heart, even when we are living out simple everyday responsibilities, is of importance to the Savior. Every meaningful act will be derived from our love and our service to Him. This is evident in the quiet humility and joyful unselfishness of the true Christian.
The universe is maintained by an omniscient God. Every moment of existence is brimming with meaning. No breath need be without a reason; no hair falls without a divine gaze. When we understand that God sees his purposes expressed everywhere, this should cause within us a great sense of responsibility to understand God’s Word, will, and direction. He may not speak in a manner that makes all things clear to the intellectual mind, but his gentle direction will be the clear water of life to the redeemed and humble of heart.
Is there a map of meaning somewhere that will reveal to us the intricacies of all God’s plans and providences? Maybe in the archives of heaven this exists, but our directive in this life is to walk by faith, to go into the unknown with the love of God surrounding us. Just as the chords of a song cannot be truly known until a heart sings them in true worship, so the chords of God’s masterpiece are only heard in obedience and communion with Him.
Illustration
Denise was a happy seventeen-year-old girl at a high school in Maryland. One day she bounded up some steps, then stumbled, her knees feeling weak. By the end of the day, her legs began to feel quite a bit shakier. She went home to take a nap, and when she woke up, she was paralyzed from the waist down. Several days later, she was paralyzed from the neck down. A few weeks after that, she went blind. It was the rapid progression of a rare form of multiple sclerosis. She began to live her life in a room with a few other girls also suffering from degenerative conditions. She couldn’t move or see and could barely talk. She lived for another four or five years.
In those months before her death, only her mother came to see her every night, reading the Bible and praying with her. The girls in her room began to wonder . . . how had God used her? How could have this suffering accomplished anything? They first realized that suffering was a way of testifying, a way of being a witness to others. Patience shows others evidence of God’s grace and power and is also a way of growing spiritually. God can use suffering to refine a person into somebody wonderful, kind, and loving.
Still, it seemed as if Denise’s suffering was almost pointless. Who had seen her suffering? How could she have grown spiritually in an almost helpless condition? God sent Scripture to answer these questions in their minds. Luke 15 talks about there being joy in heaven over one soul being saved. Job suffered in front of a council of angels and also the devil. How clear it became to them then that even when earthly eyes do not see, all suffering has a supernatural audience! No suffering is for nothing.
Questions
- How clearly are we to understand God’s plan for our life?
- Does God use Christians today to directly influence government?
- How does God call someone to make a difference?
Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).