“Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther, chap. iv, verse 14.)
In this verse we find five interesting points presented to us—the claims of God’s sovereignty in Esther’s position and in her gifts; and leading from these we have a revelation of His plan for her, and His call upon her service. Finally we shall look for the encouragement which is given to all who, like Esther, are exercised about their position and success in life. In this paper we shall deal with the first two points—God’s claim on Esther’s position, and on her gifts. If the Lord wills we shall consider the other three points in another paper.
The Lord’s sovereign claim on Esther’s position.
“Who knows?” Through this question the Lord opens up His claim upon Esther’s position. Our Saviour, who died and rose again, and is now enthroned in glory, has been invested by the Father with a sovereignty which, as Mediator, He actively applies in all spheres of existence, and in the exercise of which He dwells in, and acts “through and over all,” “everything that being hath His kingdom doth command.” All is controlled by His will. In almighty power He resides in all parts of His kingdom, and there is nothing in existence too complex or too difficult for Him to control and direct. Whatever the variety, whatever the number of all events in all time and in eternity residing as they do in His eternal NOW, they are found in His hands in the completeness of a single purpose. He gathers, He writes, He directs all towards a single end—the glory of the Father through the Church of His redemption. With this end in view He has devoted the glory of His throne, the sufficiency of His saviourhood, the majesty of His sovereignty, and the sacredness of His Person towards the church’s preservation and increase. It was in this supremacy, riding in the heavens for the help of His people, that the Lord moved in upon Esther’s lot in Shushan. He moved in upon her with the disturbing question, “Who knows?” A question weighted by many serious possibilities for Esther and her future. By this question Esther, her throne and her people’s future were bound up in one, and it was by the sovereign hands of Israel’s King they were so bound.
The question brings to light the Lord’s hand in Esther’s promotion, for without doubt, the steps which led to her queenship were of the Lord’s planning and making. Up until now Esther might have regarded her “coming to the kingdom” as something given her solely for her own pleasure, but this question brings to light that, long before her coming, the Lord had planned the deliverance of His people through the throne which He had gifted to her. Here indeed was a challenge—a challenge to search into her success for some reason hitherto overlooked or forgotten or hidden. A challenge to revise her former conclusions, however dearly she may have held them. A challenge to the flesh, ugly and untoward as death itself, but a challenge given with such frankness that any demur of disobedience would be as the sin of rebellion. An arresting hand was laid upon her shoulder, a Master’s voice broke in upon the complacency of her thinking and planning, “Who knows?” Answer that, answer it now, answer it impartially.
Whatever position we occupy in Providence, this question has a message for us all. It is true that in spiritual matters the flesh likes nothing better than to deal in vague generalities, and when it suits us we regard Providence in as indefinite and in as impersonal a light as possible. When our estate yields comfort and ease, we are ready to say that Providence is favourable to us, but when that same Providence looks in upon our lot and claims all for His own use we are ready to complain—“Not all, surely.” The uncompromising nature of the claim, “Who knows”—who knows, but the whole reason why I have given you to possess what you have, is to be found, not in your selfish enjoyment of it, but that I should make use of it for My own ends, rubs very roughly against the tender skin of our ease-loving souls. How closely does this question cut into our most cherished hopes of continued ease.
We can neither evade the question itself nor the solemn responsibility it places upon us. In our efforts to escape from it, we may have recourse to deceits of various kinds. One of the most frequent takes the form of putting God’s Providences into two separate compartments—ordinary and extraordinary—but this question will not permit us to do that. It no more makes place for secondary causes than it does for a secondary God. The fairly normal steps which led to Esther’s crown, by easy strides, merges into the abnormal situation of making that crown a means of Israel’s safety. The hand which set Esther up, the hand which produces our own successes, follows right through with the most commanding proprietorship. Here is nothing indefinite, nothing impersonal, nothing ambiguous. “For such a time as this” is clearly stamped on His gifts as they come to our hands. We may be blind to the writing. If so, then, this question comes to us as eye salve. Let us apply it. We cannot then fail to see clearly the relationship which all along existed between God’s gifts and His right to use them.
This question brings to light two relationships, and the first speaks of Esther and her God. It also speaks to all who profess the Gospel. Many natural men profess some kind of loyalty to the Gospel, and consequently they make some kind of response to God’s claims on their lot. But what kind of response is it? I fear that in this serious matter many adopt no standard higher than they adopt for worldly affairs. There may be exceptions, but in general the language of the unrenewed heart is, “What I have, I keep; what I have made for myself I have every right to enjoy. I cannot be expected to forego the fruits of my own industry.” “Who knows . . . ?” “Yes,” says the man of the world, “I know, all things come to me and I come to them, and they are for myself and for my disposal according to my own pleasure.” Thus, within its lot, the unrenewed heart claims that sovereignty which belongs to Christ alone. “Our tongues are ours, yes, and our position; our success and our attainments. All are ours, and who is Lord over us?”
We must notice, however, that although a line in this direction is strongly held, such men are not without misgivings. There continue to be voices of conscience, and there is a certain amount of discomfort. The man fears that he may lose his self-respect. In fact, he is so keen in looking at himself in a favourable light, that he is willing to make some compromise between God and his conscience. He is ready to yield some measure of obedience to Christ. He stipulates, however, obedience must be on his own terms; but when these are examined they are found to come far short of yielding the whole position as claimed by the Lord. Under such circumstances how do these men proceed?
First, they find it necessary to establish themselves firmly in their own esteem; and this they proceed to do. They strongly and continuously affirm to themselves that in no circumstances are they under any obligation to yield anything. When they have told themselves this often enough, and strongly enough, they feel that they are secure and beyond reproach and that they are due some measure of appreciation should they show some interest. From this favoured position, with great deliberation, they proceed to draw a well-defined line around their throne, and they then make sure that nothing which does not meet their approval shall be permitted to cross over it. Nothing must cross which possibly may disturb throne or crown, peace or prestige. After their own fashion they are now ready to co-operate, and they send across this line such tokens of interest as they choose. This they do in that calculating, deliberate, patronising, restrained and correct manner so well known in worldly affairs. They will profess an interest in Christianity, but anything approaching a close identity with the person of Christ, anything approaching pain, sacrifice, feeling or emotion is ruled out as unnecessary and unbecoming in such a person. Such a reaction as Esther’s agonising, “If I perish, I perish,” must never disturb the dignified calm wherewith they have surrounded themselves.
So they proceed to hand across to the Lord their precious tokens, a well-calculated gift of money to-day, occasional thought another day, and a condescending inquiry from time to time. The limit of their giving is a token interest, but woe unto them, for a mere token interest Christ will receive at no man’s hand. Christ has set his gauge, and this is it, “If any man will come after me and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” The gauge of Ananias was, “hold back a portion”; that of Demas, “this present world”; of Judas, “Why was not this ointment sold?” There are gauges of many modern men professing Christianity. “For such a time as this is always our own time,” says the worldly professor, but Christ will dispute His sovereignty with no man and His claims He will make lighter for none. If in this supreme test men make Dives and Demas their standard “for such a time,” they cannot complain if, in eternity, they are made to lie down in torment with them.
So far as the Lord’s blood-bought, blood-sprinkled, Christ-conscious people are concerned, the matter can never be thus. We recognise that the voice which in sovereign love bespoke eternal life into us is the same which asks, “Who knows whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this.” The time such as this, of His choice was the time of Calvary’s shame and agony, and it is from this awful quarter that every soul having the hearing of heaven will hear the question. The love which reaches up to heaven to prepare a plan for us is the same as reaches down and now lays firm fingers on our lot. He lays hold on our dearest and most cherished things, our throne, our safety, our comforts, our all; and with the explanation, “For such a time as this,” He offers to us a partnership of the highest co-operation: “Take now Thy son; yes, My gift; yes, your hope; yes, your crown, your pleasure, your prospects; yea, your all; and without reservation cast the whole into intimate partnership with the afflictions of Joseph.” A new view is presented, a revolutionary issue brought to view; the answer to the question is weighty with sore possibilities for you: but this you will find, no other interpretation on your success can ever so heartily commend itself to your conscience; or be so satisfying to your heart, and so completely win the approval of heaven. In asking you this arresting question the Lord but seeks a further blessing for you.
The other relationship I have thought of is Esther’s tie to her own people. Historically her relationship was with Abraham, Isaac, Moses and the other great men and women of Israel’s covenant. The children of this privileged connection were now in danger, and in the circumstances Esther’s duty was clear. If she claimed relationship with historical Israel, then nothing could excuse her should she withhold help from them in trouble. Her high position relieved her of no obligation. It was rather the reverse; for surely Abraham’s children should be the special care of Abraham’s daughter, Esther, the Queen. It is on this point that many are tried, and many fail. Men who have been successful in life very often profess great attachment to the Church of the past while remaining cold and aloof to the struggling Church of the present. “We be Abraham’s children, we be the descendants of the martyrs, the covenanters, reformers and contenders for religious liberty. These are our springs and our heroes, and we are proud to be associated with them. So too with dates, battles and movements which form the background of their Church history.
They are not only acquainted with these, but profess great interest in them, and after a fashion glory in the great past; but when, under manifold temptations, the Church which is the spiritual descendant of this past glory has become small, obscure, despised and poor, the matter is looked on very differently. How does the man “who has got on well” look in the Church in the “day of small things”? Not in a light which brings him much credit, I fear. Of course, he still professes some kind of love; but when the question, “For such a time as this?” is presented to him, how much of that professed love is shown? How near to the deceiver issues of his Church does his love carry him? Often no nearer than a cold nod of recognition and a good deal of cruel and misinformed criticism. In the hands of the Church of his day the cause of Christ has become unpopular, and any deep identity with this cause is equally unpopular.
The time of a Church’s unpopularity for the sake of righteousness is “such a time as this,” but these time-serving Christians profess not to recognise such a time. They see just what they wish to see: rottenness is soundness to them, and so they trail on after an unsound Church, calling as of old, “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are we,” and so, unless the mercy of God prevent, they shall go thus, until God’s judgment seat comes into view. Then these dreamers will know that they have arrived before the Person who will not call their light anything but darkness. Yes, and they will recognise Him who approached them with an honourable and profitable proposal concerning “such a time as this.” Then shall they see to their great sorrow that in refusing to honour Christ in His cause on earth, they had refused to crown their own souls for eternity.
“For such a time as this” was Esther called, and what a time it was! Already the storm clouds were gathered, and even now, in anticipation, Esther’s ears might hear the anguish of fathers, mothers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, as a whole nation went down under the hatred of a well planned persecution. Already the scene of pain, ignominy and death must have come before her eyes. In her privileged position, the question did not permit of any sharp dividing line between Esther the Queen and Esther the Jewess. The Lord would not permit any such division. Situations may be different, people may be separated in many ways, but the Lord is one; and under His oneness Esther, her queenship and her people were to be seen as a whole. And is it not so with ourselves? In present-day speech there is no such person as a doctor, a teacher, a nurse, a businessman, a justice of the peace, a general, a soldier, or one of any other kind of occupation and a Christian. No, not a king and a Christian, but a Christian king.
The occupation of the position occupied is saturated to the full with the Divine element contained in the name Christian. The saviourhood of Christ on the one hand, and the state of being saved on the other, have between them obliterated all boundaries. Our whole lot, persons, time and eternity have been invaded, yea, overrun by the sovereign grace of God. It is either to that completeness or else there has been contact nowhere. “Whose I am and whom I serve; ye are not your own. Ye are bought with a price.”
The relationship of the true Christian to the Providence of God is in the wounds of Christ, which in turn must be a relationship in the wounds of His body the Church. Esther could lay aside a crown, but the blood of the Israelite was in her veins, and the God of Abraham was in her conscience. Her inheritance among her people was something which no crown could buy. Her identity with them was stronger than death. No interest in a Church’s past can stand for identity with the struggling Church of the present. When this question, “Who knows whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” is faced frankly, the only true answer is found in Esther’s agonising dilemma: “If I perish, I perish; if I remain here to help I perish; if I go yonder among my people, I perish also.” Oh, Christ honouring dilemma, so often met with by people gripped in the hold of this question. If we choose not to be found in the wounds of the Church, we should closely search as to whether we have ever been chosen in the wounds of her Head. Let us be assured of this. God having laid this question at our feet, He will take no return of it. There it must remain until that solemn day when those who were not ashamed of Paul’s chains shall have Paul’s reward; and when every unworthy excuse made by time-serving Christians will be dammed for ever.
If, however, we shall find grace to come under the yoke of Christ, things will be different. The question “Who knows?” is simple and almost mild in its nature. There is nothing domineering or commandeering about it. It no more than suggests a review of Esther’s position, and quietly warns her that failing help from her, then help will arise from another quarter. Esther is given the liberty to choose. Yet when the Lord carries this question into the depths of the soul, it becomes weighted with divine authority, and brings about the most revolutionary changes. As quietly and unobserved the mustard seed falls into the soft, moist earth, so does His voice fall into the deep places of the soul. The conscience, however, no sooner closes over it than the little seed sown so quietly becomes a disruptive force. To all death-dealing agents the germinating seed becomes a challenge, and to the last will wage war on them. His voice challenges the soul to answer and to act. “Who knows . . .?” A quietly spoken sentence about mission work, a view of children’s lovely faces, a casual observation about some phase of the Lord’s work, and many such voices in normal conversation have dropped as seed, and found a lodgment in the ears of the soul; yes, and these souls have never been the same again. The question brought an answer which has swept into view a set of new conditions, new ends, new horizons, unexpected ventures, unlocked for burdens, yes, even threatening dangers.
If the Lord wills that you should hear his voice in this question you will be unable to close your ears to the hearing of it. Clamorous, urgent, insistent, hour by hour, day and night, with gathering force and authority it echoes its tremendous implications from conscience to reason, then from reason to heart, then back again to conscience. “Who knows . . .?” “Who knows . . .?” “Thou art come.” “Thou art come.” “To the kingdom,” “To the kingdom.” “For such a time as this?” You can no more silence that voice than bid the sun to return to the place of his rising. The same voice commands, both your soul and the sun. True, upon His entry into the streets of thy soul He shall not strive nor cry, but having purposed that you should hear Him speak, His slightest whisper becomes as the voice that breaks the cedars in Lebanon and makes the wilderness all to quake. In this question your Lord towers over you with the immense and solemn authority of the Judgment Day; and as your Heavenly Bridegroom He dwells in and whispers from the secret places of your soul. Yes, the whispers of yearning love intermingle with the strong voices of authority, and those whose ears have become accustomed to His voice will readily recognise them. “Who knows . . .?” It is the voice of my beloved. “Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.”
Let it be in fear and anguish, let it be from the midst of most lively apprehensions of death itself; yet answer thou as becometh an Esther of the New Covenant. Answer as many others have done—”Give grace and command what Thou wilt,” and as surely as this is your response, so sure shall you have His reply—”My grace is sufficient for thee.” Yes, and from the many who before you have trod this difficult and dangerous path, take this as your sure encouragement, “And everyone who hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for My name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold and shall inherit life everlasting.” That is exactly to the letter as they have found it. Be assured, that is exactly as you will find it too.
The Lord’s Sovereign Claim on Esther’s Gifts
At the risk of a little overlapping I should like to glance at the possession of gifts and talents in light of this question. “Who knows . . .? It may be heaven’s plan to secure in you certain gifts against “such a time as this.” As a daughter of Abraham, Esther was bound to Abraham’s God by covenant ties. Her privileges and gifts were many and precious. “Who were Israelites, to whom pertained the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises of the Fathers, of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all God blessed for ever.” Israel was a redeemed people, near to God, and the bond of redemption was in the blood, shed and sprinkled. For “nearly all things under the law were purified with blood.” The blood extended not only to purification, but also to the abdication of persons and possessions. By its shedding the blood secures all covenant blessings and gifts. In its sprinkling it sets these apart to Him who shed His blood.
Thus the gifts of God’s people can never be regarded as common things. At no time are their talents at a level lower than the claims of the Lamb upon the Throne. Through Him these gifts are designed for ends high and holy. Esther possessed beauty, wisdom, courage, resource, ability, riches, power and many other gifts. She might have been prone to regard them as given to her for her own use only, but this question would not permit her so to do. A firm yet tender hand laid hold on Esther’s all, raised her gifts to the throne which provided them, and with finality informed her, “It was for such a time as this that these were given to you. Any lower use for them brings the condemnation of Heaven on them.”
How do we as Christians regard our gifts and talents! Do we regard them as hereditary or acquired or simply as things which grew up with us? In whatever light we regard them, this question directs us to God’s view of things. According to him, these things have come to us in the direct line of our redemption. For us they were included within the covenant by Him who is our Covenant Head, and they have already been dedicated to His service by His sprinkled blood. Here in this question there is a call to each of us. Each gift has a need in His cause facing it, and this question “Who knows . . .?” is designed to introduce the need to the gift. What activity in Christian service appears before you as a need? According to the gift possessed by you, what is the special appeal addressed to such a gift? Is it as a Sabbath School teacher? as a lay-preacher? or as a visitor? or a treasurer? or precentor? or any other help that the need is presented to you? Is it at home or abroad? If such a need faces the appropriate gift in you then be assured that the Lord of both need and gift is facing you in this question “Who knows . . .?”
Under the ceremonial law the temple service was a unity; what began at the altar of burnt offering went on until the holy of holies was reached. There was no breach anywhere. So too in the connection between the two altars of burnt offering and incense. This second was dedicated by blood taken from the former, and it was fire from the consumed sacrifice which, when applied, liberated the odours of the incense. No altar of incense to be used without springing from the altar of sacrifice, no odour liberated except by fire taken from the same source. It is here that many make a mistake; we tarry too long at the altar of sacrifice. It is good and safe to be there; good to know justification through the blood, but we must go further on unto perfection. Let us not omit the blood-bought and blood-dedicated gifts to be offered at the altar of incense. Calvary is not only the incentive but the obligation for gift rendering. We must seek to find “such a time as this” where Nicodemus, Joseph and the good women of the burial found it—somewhere within that sacred spot bounded by Gethsemane, Calvary and the empty tomb.
There is the birth-place of our Christian gifts; there too were they dedicated and there too must we find place for their exercise. In this question the Lord points to the gifts, and to those places which proclaim the deeper issues of his cause. And thus He speaks to you, believer. There now, over there with your gifts, “for such a time as this.”
—Penuel.