The story of God’s people found in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah recount how the Lord returned the Israelites to the Promised Land after they had been in exile for decades. Although they had sinned and were punished by being sent to a foreign empire’s capital, God’s promise to use them to redeem the world was still going forward for nothing can stop His plans. Even after they had returned, the Bible leaves us with an impression that “exile” has not fully ended yet for Israel, for the rebuilt temple did not have the glory of Solomon’s, there was no king on the throne, and Israel was not a free country. Israel’s story parallels the story of humanity: Ever since Genesis 3, mankind has been in “exile” as the results of sin and we, like Israel, had not been fulfilling our true purpose as “image-bearers” of God, giving our loyalty to idols, and worshipping the creation instead of the Creator. With Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, we as humans have been re-created with a purpose that was our original one: to reflect God as mirrors reflect light. 

Yet, there is still a lingering question as we read Ezra and Nehemiah: What about those Jews that did not go back to the Promised Land? What became of them? And how can we learn anything about God through a book that doesn’t even mention Him at all? Well, those questions and more await as you read through the next book in our timeline: Esther. Esther was the Persian name given to a young Jewish teenage girl named Hadasseh. She lived with her uncle Morecai in Persia (modern-day Iran) during the reign of the Persian empire. In short, the Persian King dismisses his first wife and must therefore re-marry. Esther becomes the king’s choice as his new bride, however her Jewish identity is not known as her name has been changed. Although most Jews probably saw themselves as harmless, trying to live as the people of God while adjusting to the foreign life far from home, they unique ethnic and religious identity and their worship of the one, true God led to problems. In cultures that worshipped various gods, the Jews’ behavior was viewed as criminally suspicious and could lead to capital punishment!

Yet, even as He is not mentioned, God is still at work behind the scenes, directing this story exactly as He wants it to go. There is a plot created to assassinate every Jew living in Persia, an ancient holocaust, yet Esther and Moredecai are given the opportunity to overturn the plot and save God’s people from certain annihilation. It took courage, wisdom, and most of all faith, but these servants of God acted upon what they knew was right, and in doing so saved hundreds of thousands of people! (I am giving you the short version here, but if you want the exciting story in its entirety, read it for yourself because it isn’t that long!)

What lessons as Christians can we glean from this amazing story? First, God is always in control, even if it seems like He isn’t around. I know we take this lesson as granted sometimes, but trust in this truth and know that He is good, and it will give you peace. Second, living as God’s people calls us to do hold two things together: work for the benefit of whatever society in which we find ourselves and also do so while living faithfully to God in all ways. This will naturally set us apart from the rest of the world, which is not easy, but take heart God is using the church to be salt and light for the redemption of the world. Third, God may have put you in a situation where He will use you to accomplish His purposes. Remember, you life is not an accident, and nothing ever happens by chance. Whatever stage your life is currently in, be willing to be used by God, for He has called you “for just such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).