According to Jewish tradition, it was on this day that Amram married Jochebed, a union that led to the birth of Miriam, Aaron and Moses. As we know, Moses was born during a very dangerous and oppressive time if you were a Hebrew male. The king of Egypt had decreed all Hebrew males should be killed. It’s rather ironic and quite prophetic that, in the midst of this very dark time, God determined that Moses should be born. Instead of being destroyed by Pharaoh, he was saved from the water by the king’s daughter. Think of it: the one who would lead Israel from Egyptian bondage was adopted by the daughter and raised in the house of the man who tried to kill him. Moreover, his mother, Jochebed, was hired to care for him by the man who tried to kill him.
Scripture tells us that, given the opportunity, the Adversary will sow tares in the midst of the wheat, meaning that he will try to interrupt God’s plans by planting some type of corrupt influence in the midst of God’s people. In the story of Moses we see that the Creator will turn the tables and sow “wheat” in the midst of the “tares” and, in this particular case, have the tares foot the bill. Of course, only in time would Moses figure these things out. He had to come to the realization that he’d been placed in position to fulfill what God was calling him to do. As a child he had been hidden in plain sight but, at a certain point, who and what he was had to come forth for all to see. Moses was born for a particular reason and for a particular time. That concept reminds us of another similar story in the Scriptures — the story of Esther.
Her actual name was Hadassah but her Jewish identity was concealed from the Persians; as far as they knew, she was Queen Esther. But just as it was with Moses, at the appointed time, her true identity was made known so that her people — God’s people — could be saved. After learning of a plot to destroy the Jewish people, her kinsman, Mordecai, sends word to Esther that she has the opportunity to make a difference. He raises the question of whether she has been placed in this position of influence at this particular time for a specific reason:
“For if you altogether hold your peace at this time, then shall their enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but you and your father’s house shall be destroyed: And who knows whether you are come to the kingdom for such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14)
In a manner of speaking, Mordecai told Esther — in fact, all of us — that God is going to have His way with us or without us. Like Esther, God places us in strategic positions, at times, for an important purpose, most often for the benefit of His people. Eventually, events and circumstances will arise that present an opportunity for us to fulfill that purpose. When the time comes, we have to decide whether or not we will have the courage to step into what the Creator has orchestrated for us.
You and I may never live lives as dramatic as Moses and Esther but, nevertheless, we were all created for a purpose. Whatever the circumstances are that have led us to this point in life, it’s up to us to discern His will for today and every day. In spite of the hazards and obstacles that might confront us, when the door of opportunity is opened to us, we must step into His will and purpose for our lives. It might be intimidating but we must remember that, perhaps, we have come into the Kingdom “for such a time as this.”
Shalom.
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