A Masterpiece as a Metaphor

Esther 2:
5. Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;
6. Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.
7. And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.
8. So it came to pass, when the king’s commandment and his decree was heard, and many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hege, that Esther was brought also unto the king’s house, to the custody of Hegai, the keeper of the women.
9. And the maiden pleased him and she obtained kindness of him, and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with such things as belonged to her, and seven maidens, which were meet to be given her out of the king’s house; and he preferred and her maids unto the best place of the house of women.
10. Esther had not shown her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not show it.
11. And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women’s house, to know how Esther did, and what should become of her.

Esther is an unfolding mystery story being penned by the Lord Himself. I’m no less a book being written by the Lord. Esther’s life was prophetic as mine is. No, she didn’t stand on the mountains wearing the skin of animal to proclaim the message of God; she was the living message demonstrated in classical love and obedience to the Writer. This is also my vision, to be so close to the Author of life that I’ll not turn out a flat character in the volume of His wonderful book.

In Shushan, the location of the palace was a humble man by the name of Mordecai, a member of the captives whose grandparents had been relocated by Nebuchadnezzar from Jerusalem in the year 597 B.C. He

This man was of the tribe of Benjamin. He was a redeemer of a kind to a fair and beautiful woman called Hadassah or Esther. How was Mordecai a redeemer? To redeem is to restore or to bring to balance what has been deficient. Mordecai had taken the place of the lost parents, adopted his uncle’s daughter to raise her up; he’s not only a locus parentis but a most caring one, always on the lookout for the good of his adopted daughter. He kept the name of the dead alive. Thus he’s what is called kinsman-redeemer.

The Lord is my kinsman-redeemer, always on the watch out for my good. Now, my good as defined by me is most time not good from His own point of view. Why did Mordecai, the kinsman-redeemer here strictly forbade Esther from revealing her nationality? This was kept even from her fellow Jews! Well, I don’t know. I don’t yet know for example why the Lord would keep me obscured to the world. I don’t know why he made me unknown to the world, I that was full of unusual tremors of excellence; I that believed that it’s my right to be relevant in the scheming of the world, in the comity of men renowned! Why for example would He just pass me bye and make the next man to me an achiever while I’m described as nonentity! Does He feel the weight of what it means to be a nonentity? Why would He not manifest me to the world? All others are having success as a walk over in their lives but no, not me; it would, if otherwise, bastardize my coined word resulting from concatenation of failures of life up to the twilight of life: un-Markian! Why does He delight in keeping me hidden, unknown and unrecognized!

Mordecai warned his kinsman daughter to keep a low profile. I’ve thought much about this very often. The wisdom of God dictated that or shall I say the wisdom of Mordecai wanted that. Ephasians’ sixth chapter tells me of the cosmic tussles the believers are constantly engaged in. These cosmic forces are quick to spot any one of vital importance to the Lord. In spotting that, they move with killing intent to crush and destroy the individual or the move of God. It’s after the visit of the Magi from the East, for example, that the devil moved in to destroy the baby that was to become the saviour the world. The visit of the Magi had thrown out the secret of God and pointed out the saviour. If God didn’t physically intervene within what the law of His nature could allow, the story of redemption would have been different. “…. behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying: Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee unto Egypt…” Satan would willingly destroy the helpless child Who had made incursion into his world. Even, when the Lord became an adult, he kept telling His disciples to keep certain revelations about Him and which they were privy to as secrets. Obviously, to keep the evil one from prising open the secret kept from the foundation of the world.

When I was a young man and new in Christ, I simply couldn’t keep in the great revelations of Christ. I devoured Kenneth Hagin’s books. But in this lurked potential dangers. I was just not yet of required stature to call the shot of the cosmic forces. I did too early for my good and, well, I’m still here by the mercy of God.

I’m a writer of great story myself. I know about developing real characters in my story. Sometimes, however, some characters, some scenes had assumed live of their own and leave me helpless. If Christ’s book that is me is to come out perfect, a masterpiece of creation, then I must stick to nstructions He gives; I must not stampede Him into bad writing. I must know when not to reveal my Identity and I most also know when to flaunt it. I’m a full length book of God written from eternity; I’m from and for eternity. I’m here to give life to the book; I’m a prophet living out the book. Jesus says of Himself, “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God” (Hebrews 10:7). My prophetic existence, living out all written about me, is to fulfill the heart of the Father, to walk worthy of Him unto all pleasing. This is my call; this is my life. I’m the book of the Father!

Christ is my kinsman-redeemer and He keeps coming to check up on me to see how I’m faring. He’s bringing me to grow up to Him. Most time, I’ve messed up the process of growth, yet the perfection of Chris’s book which is me is yet unsullied; even if I feel defeated and humiliated. He’s not embarrassed; He is not disappointed.

Angeles are learning of God’s wisdom through us. They’re gaining insight into the mystery of eternal life (promised by God) through reading us, the believers – the writing of the Lord. We are the book being written by Christ, read by angels, learning…. “…. to the intent that principalities and powers may learn of the manifold wisdom of God” (Ephasians 2:10). Yes, we’re the masterpiece of the Lord; we’re the emerging technology spun by the eternal wisdom of God -:such high tech the devil cannot unravel. “You yourselves are our letter from Christ, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody ” (2Corinthians 3:2).

Thanks so much, Lord.