Esther 4:14
For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
One of the great stories of God’s deliverance is how God used Esther in a troubled time to save the Jews from complete destruction. Mordecai discovered Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews. He responded by sitting at the king’s gate with sackcloth and ashes. When Esther, the niece of Mordecai, heard what he was doing, she sent her servants to tell him it was unlawful to sit at the king’s gate in sackcloth. Mordecai returned word to Esther to go to the king to save her people. Mordecai put great pressure on her to put her life at stake by saying, if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place.
My admiration of Esther is great because she was willing to put her life on the line for her people and what she believed. However, as great of a man as Mordecai was, why did he not put his head on the chopping block to go with Esther into the king’s palace to report what was done? You see, it is always easy to ask everyone else to put their lives on the line as you sit in comfort. It was easy for Mordecai to say that God could deliver His people from another place and that God likely put Esther as queen for such a time as this. However, maybe God also allowed Mordecai to be the one who found out so that he could go in with her to try to save his people from destruction.
There are two types of people in dire times. The first type of person is the one who sees the dire situation, but only talks about someone needing to step up. The second type of person is the one who not only sees the need, but is willing to risk everything to meet this need. Sadly, this world, and especially our churches, are filled with the first type of people. Many people are willing to say we need something to happen to save our nation, but few are willing to risk everything to do what they can to save her. We see people all the time who have given limbs of their bodies to defend our freedoms, but while some gave their everything, most sit and talk about the need of their country but won't do anything in their power to save her, especially if it cost them their comforts.
Moreover, our heritage as independent Baptists is under attack by people who could care less if it is destroyed. We live in times when people are more concerned with being liked than they are with taking a stand to keep what we believe alive. Many defend those who are destroying our foundations as people who are nice people, but nice people often bring in damnable compromise while those who take a stand for truth are considered hateful. What a shame!
My friend, I would rather be the crowd that is a minority who risks everything for what I believe than be the crowd who loses everything because I did nothing. Those whom God uses to preserve the old paths are those who are often disliked because of their strong stand and defense of the old paths. However, if you truly love Christ and His ways, risking all to keep those ways alive is a small sacrifice compared to what Christ has done for you. Don't be the crowd who talks about someone needing to take a stand; be the one who does something about it and take a stand.
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