Being Open to the Truth

 

In the books of Esther and Exodus, we see a type of hardening in both Pharaoh and King Ahasuerus. In Esther, we can see that King Ahasuerus’ heart was hardened to reason; he was not able to reason with the truth. He always listened to one person and never knew the whole story.


In Pharaoh’s case, we see his heart being hardened by the Lord and by Moses’ warnings about the ten coming plagues. Pharaoh did not let the Lord’s people go; instead, Pharaoh hardened his heart and gave little thought to the consequences of rejecting the Lord’s and Moses’ warnings.


From this we can learn that we are to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and he will lift us up. We also learn that we should resist the devil at all cost. As a result he will flee from us as we walk with the Lord daily (James 4:7-10).
It’s important that we choose carefully who we listen to (Prov.13:20). In both Esther and in Exodus, we see King Ahasuerus and Pharaoh making decisions in their lives that are selfish, affecting not only themselves but others as well. King Ahasuerus was influenced by evil, which we know comes from Satan. This influence was the reason for these two men making these types of decisions. If we think about it, it’s like a chain reaction. By not letting the Hebrews go, Pharoah caused the twelve plagues to occur, destroying his land. King Ahasuerus, by listening to one foolish man, almost cost himself the lives of his queen and her family. Not only that, but also the life of his friend Mordecai, who had already saved the king’s own life.


In our daily lives, we as Christians should keep our minds on the Lord and be open to the truth (Phil.4:8). Letting one person, like King Ahasuerus, boss us around can cause damage to our life as an individual. We should first find the truth, then we should keep our minds focused on that truth. Jesus refers to Himself as the truth in John 14:6, when He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” From this we can find our way, with the Lord working throughout our lives to guide us along as He opens our minds to new thoughts and feelings.


In both Esther and Exodus, we see two servants of God, Esther and Moses, who act as messengers between God and the Hebrews. In this we can see the way God is working in both books throughout these people’s lives. God had a plan for them, just like he has a plan today for us as Christians. God was with Esther and Moses during everything they faced, just like He is here with us in all of our experiences. I think it is important that we realize that God has a plan for our lives. As we grow with the Lord he will direct our lives in the way He wants them to be lived. As His faithful servants today, we too must trust Him with all our hearts (Prov. 3:5).

By: Roberta E. Smith
July 11, 2004