One of the many things I love about God
is His ability to use anything for His purposes. From the time man disobeyed God
by eating the forbidden fruit in the garden, God has been on a relentless
pursuit of mankind. When He selected Abraham to be the man to father the nation
He was building, that family became His people. Overtime the name of Abraham’s decedents
went from being called Hebrews, to Israelites, and finally to Jews. Jew is the English
understanding of the Hebrew word Judah, the tribe that many of today’s Jews descend
from (Using the term Jew to describe the Jewish people is not racist or condescending
when used as a noun. It is when we use it at as a verb, like to jew someone down on their price, or in
such a way that racism is implied from use and tone that the word is wrong!). It
is with this remnant of people that God uses to bring people back to Him.
As followers of Christ and as people
living nearly twenty-five hundred years after the events of Esther we know that
Jesus is the ultimate piece of the puzzle that restores the torn relationship.
But God was about restoration all along. In Esther 8:17 in the latter part of
the verse the writer records for us these words … “And many of the people of
the land became Jews themselves, for they feared what the Jews might do to
them.” (Ester 8:17 NLT) In their king granted strength the people became scared
of the Jews. So they bought into the old adage … if you cannot beat them, join them. This put a few more people in
the path to the restoration of God’s relationship with mankind.
God will use anything. What did He use
in your life to restore the relationship with you? What has you used in others
lives? What situations and circumstance are currently happening in the lives of
those around you that God may be using? Keep and observant eye open, always
ready to share the good news of Jesus.
