Trying and trusting

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”  –Jeremiah 29:4-7 (NIV)
 
I was struck by a couple things while reading in the book of Esther this week. One was the presence of moral ambiguities for two of the principle characters operating as exiles in a foreign country. We can assume that neither Mordecai nor Esther had any say-so in the matter of Esther being drafted into the harem of King Xerxes, but there is no indication in the text (presumed by most scholars to have been penned by Mordecai) of any misgiving in regard to that on either of their parts. And we are left to wonder about the extent to which they might have chosen to engage in the Persian royal culture of excess and decadence.
 
The second was the fact that the narrative of Esther unfolds over the course of about ten years, happening almost 60 years after Cyrus issued his proclamation giving the Jewish people permission to return to Jerusalem, which many of them did. Though the story, as told, seems to flow fairly briskly, the actual time elapsed doesn’t support that reality. It raises the question of why they stayed and what was going on in the day-to-day life of Mordecai, Esther, and other Jews who were still located in Persia?
 
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.  –1Timothy 2:1-4 (NIV)
 
Though the name of YHWH is never mentioned in the book, God’s fingerprints are all over the story. Nothing that happens would be considered supernatural, yet the reversals of fortune and examples of people being in the right place at the right time speak to a stronger hand with a bigger purpose being in play. While we might be hesitant to make assumptions regarding the spiritual timber of Mordecai or Esther, it is clear that they were principled, courageous, and savvy in navigating the circumstances in which they lived. As a result, God was pleased to use them to help bring about deliverance for the remnant of Jews left in Persia.
 
And perhaps that’s the story of this story. I’m not trying to ruin the book of Esther or disparage our romanticized interpretation of the characters involved, just looking into the historical context and the text as it is actually presented. Instead of making the book of Esther into a morality play, maybe we should just let God be the protagonist. He shines as the one who never forgets or abandons His people, but finds ways to incorporate their flawed and wayward efforts to bring about His blessing. The story represented in the book of Esther certainly wouldn’t be the first time that ever happened and I expect it’s still happening today.  
 
If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.  –2Timothy 2:11 (NIV)