God’s Providence

by Jeff Curtis

     In the book of Esther, the Jews were slated for annihilation. Using the language of a mystery novel or play, someone might ask, “Who did it?” Who was responsible for bringing them to the point of being destroyed? That question could be answered in a number of ways. Of course, Haman did it. He was responsible, he was the person who got so mad at Mordecai that he had to find a way to not kill him, but all of the Jews.

     In addition, Ahasuerus did it, though he might not have wanted to be counted guilty. He allowed himself to be tricked, once Haman possessed the signet ring, he had authority to do whatever he wanted to do to the Jewish people. The king didn’t have to be so gullible. He could have investigated the situation for himself and discovered the truth instead of trusting Haman.

     Besides that, the king’s servants did. Haman had not even noticed Mordecai’s insolence until they brought it to the king’s attention. If they had not been talebearers, Mordecai might not have come to Haman’s attention and the Jews might never have been endangered.

      In a sense, Mordecai himself did it. He probably could have acted respectfully toward Haman without breaking God’s law. In a sense, he was responsible for his own (and his people’s) danger.

      What should we conclude about who was responsible for this sequence of events? The answer is “All of the above!” In the providence of God, all three various elements worked together to produce the result God desired.

     As we read this story, we are reminded of the story of Joseph in Egypt. Joseph, a former slave, became the prime minister of Egypt. Then Joseph and his family moved to Egypt. After Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers were afraid that he would take vengeance on them. Joseph said, “Do not be afraid, for I am in God’s place? As for you, you meant it for evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Genesis 50:19-20). To think of all that was involved in bringing about the result is amazing. A father’s unfortunate favoritism, Joseph’s lack of wisdom in bragging about his dream, the brothers’ enmity and sinful act of selling Joseph into slavery, the lust and the lie of Potiphar’s wife. The dreams interpreted and fulfilled, the cupbearer’s forgetfulness, “natural” prosperity (seven years of plenty) and a “natural” disaster (seven years of drought), and Joseph’s own faithfulness to God.

     All these elements combined in the providence of God to draw the Jews into Egypt and prepare the way for their deliverance and becoming the chosen people of God. Who did it? God! In the case of Joseph, all these things worked together to bring about “good” (Romans 8:28).

All Nations

by Jeff Curtis

    When Paul was at the Areopagus, he told the people of Athens, “God made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined… the boundaries of their habitation” (Acts 17:26). His statement is like that of Genesis 10:32: “Out of [the descendants of Noah] the nations were separated on the earth.”

    Just as all people have a common ancestry, all have common needs. In speaking of this that we have in common, Paul was not thinking of the basic physical needs of food, clothing and shelter. What most concerned Paul is that everyone needs to “seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27).

    All nations need the gospel. Christ commissioned His followers to “go… and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Every person needs the opportunity to hear the gospel preached and develop faith in Christ, to confess that faith and to repent of sin and be baptized into Christ for forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; Romans 10:8-14). Why? Because one day “all the nations will be gathered” before God for judgment (Matthew 25:32; Revelation 7:9).

    All nations need Christ. All have sinned, so people in nation need to be saved from the wages of sin (Romans 3:23; 6:23). God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1Timothy 2:4), and this can happen only in Christ. He Himself said, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). Acts 4:12 reiterates that “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” Jesus is “the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1John 2:2).

Watch

by Heath Rogers

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matt. 24:42-44).

When Jesus told these First Century disciples to “watch,” they understood the urgency. I can’t help but wonder how many of us in this modern world fail to appreciate the admonition to “watch.”

In the Lord’s day, the people did not have security systems or doorbell cameras that sent alerts to their smartphones. They had to watch and make sure no one broke into their home and stole their property. There wasn’t a nightly weather forecast on the local news. People had to watch the sky to see what the day’s weather would be (Luke 12:54-56). Shepherds didn’t have surveillance cameras or satellite GPS monitors to keep track of their flocks. They had to be in the field to protect the sheep and make sure none of them strayed from safety (Luke 2:8).

We are blessed with technology that relieves us of our need to watch these things with urgency, but I wonder if this hasn’t hindered us spiritually? Man will never develop devices that will guard his soul and protect him from spiritual dangers. There is no substitute for Christians watching and being ready by faithfully reading the Scriptures, attending the assemblies, praying unto God, examining themselves, and sharing their faith with others.