Bible Study with the Cincotti's - For a Time Such as This - 11/13/2022

 

Today's Bible Study, Authored by Arthur Cincotti. 11/13/2022

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For a Time Such as This

 

         “The LORD is King forever and ever;

           The nations have perished out of His land.

           LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble;

           You will prepare their heart;”              Ps. 10:16,17

                 

The Lord is sovereign over all. He takes allegory and makes it history so that when we discover it, He says, “I know, I wrote it that way.”

 

The Book of Ester is filled with allegory. There are sevens, and twelves, and a rebellious queen, and a king – who does not reign forever and ever” – a humble servant, and a new queen who has to go through “purification”, and a plot to wipe out the Jews...again.

 

Overview:

King Ahasuerus delighted in his accomplishments and aimed to celebrate. Es. 1:3:4

He summoned his queen (Vashti) that he may display her beauty, and certainly to celebrate with him. vr. 1:11

         “O my love, you are as beautiful as Tirzah,

           Lovely as Jerusalem,

           Awesome as an army with banners!”  SS. 6;4

         “He brought me to the banqueting house…” SS. 2:4

But she refused.  vr. 12

         “I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious                 people,

           Who walk in a way that is not good,   

           According to their own thoughts;”  Is. 65:2

I don’t wish to read too much into this, but some have said that, “God left one bride at the alter”. This is called “replacement theology” meaning that the Church replaces Israel in God’s plan. I disagree because God made promises to Israel, and God always keeps His promises. He kept His promise to David.

But it is interesting to see, in the narrative, a new queen rise up; born of adversity, purified, accepted, and eventually humbly risking her life on behalf of another.

 

God always raises up a chosen instrument to thwart the enemy and accomplish His purpose.

 

It’s not without significance that Ester risks her life to engage God’s deliverance. We see a similar event in Neh. 2:1,2

Also, I believe, in Mk. 5:25

 

Some questions for discussion should rise up in our thinking about these texts.

         Will God pass over His people because of sin and rebellion?

                  Consider the Laodicean Church in Rev. 3:14

         Who is God raising up in this generation? “For a time such as              this.”

         Will God pass over us because of sin and rebellion?

         Perhaps the narrative is really about Haman; self made man,            enemy of God, hung on his own gallows?

 

It’s disturbing that we don’t discover what became of Queen Vashti. Small points like this may be why scholars disqualify this as a true allegory. We have many accounts in Scripture of people God used in spite of their rebellion; Samson, Jonah, Paul.

 

The sovereignty of God defies the notion that we could, “miss God’s plan” as many believers are accustom to saying. And yet this statement is not a free pass to sit back and let God thrust His plan upon us. Somewhere in the middle is a perfect mariage.

“I am my beloved’s and my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.”  SS. 7:10              

Let’s keep this truth before us always!!

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