For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement (relief) and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place.” Ester 4:14
Dear Ones:
There are several women in the Bible who sang songs, or prayed prayers, of triumph. It was Miriam, Moses’ sister, who after the deliverance by God of the Israelites from the Egyptians, “…took a timbrel in her hand,” along with all the other women, and declared: “Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.” (Exodus 15:20,21) She, like Moses, would sing a song of triumph over the enemies of God, and the people of Israel.
After Israel had entered, and conquered, in great part, the land of Canaan, there came a day when the spiritual condition of the people reached a very low ebb. At this juncture of history, Scripture brings before us a woman named Hannah, who could have no children. She, in “bitterness of soul,” prayed to the Lord, and “wept sore.” (1 Samuel 1:10) She was brought to the point in her heart to vow a vow to God, to consecrate the child to the Lord, if the Lord would grant her request. This God did, as this would be the way He would bring Israel back to Himself. Samuel would be born, becoming a great prophet unto the Lord. He would be the one who would anoint David to be king of Israel. Hannah’s triumphant declaration is so very clear: “My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in Thy salvation.” (1 Samuel 2:1)
After the visitation by the angel, Gabriel, announcing the coming birth of Jesus to Mary, she would declare the following: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” (Luke 1:486-48) Like Hannah and Miriam, Mary also rejoiced in the Lord, declaring His triumph in their behalf in the midst of impossibilities. The result of their song, prayers, and declarations, is the enduring testimony of God’s mercy and faithfulness to those who truly trust in Him.
In the book of Ester, we are confronted with a triumph which was to come, but one which is declared in very difficult circumstances by the man, Mordecai, the uncle of Ester the Queen of Persia. The Jews, scattered throughout the Persian empire were in peril for their lives, their existence seemingly hanging by a thread. From a human standpoint, it seemed that Ester was the only hope that the Jews had to survive. However, we find in Mordecai, an honorable man of faith and prayer, an attitude of triumph which went beyond a hope resting in a sole human being. He would address Ester the Queen, by saying: “Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews.” (4:13) He would go on later to say to her: “…and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (v.14) It would seem that Mordecai also was greatly hoping and praying that deliverance would come by Ester’s hand. However, he tells Ester something that reveals His “triumphant” attitude in God, regardless of Ester’s position and influence. He says: “For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place.” (v.14) Here is triumphant faith, not in the best man or woman, not in power or privilege, but only in God, who is not limited by the ways and resources of men. When Israel escaped from the Egyptians, there was no solution but God. In Hannah’s and Mary’s situation, and circumstances, there was no solution to the need at hand but God. And so, with Ester, Mordecai, and the Jews, there is but one HOPE, and certainty. Mordecai may have sung a song after the deliverance of the Jews, but he was triumphant well before he sang.
Dear Father, May Thy “high praises” be in our mouths. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad