A decree had gone out against the Jewish people. It was a proclamation that on a certain date every single Jew in the Persian Empire would be slaughtered. Pure genocide. None would be spared. What would cause a normally sane monarch to order such a heinous plan? The what was actually a who. Haman son of Hammedatha, highest of King Xerxes’ royal officials. This twisted character took a personal vendetta against one Jew, Mordecai, and turned it into a plan for an empire-wide slaughter.

There was one twist that Haman hadn’t foreseen. Mordecai had a cousin—a young woman, Esther, whom he had personally reared after the passing of her parents. Esther also just happened to be the newly-minted queen of the empire—wife to the great King Xerxes. Once Mordecai warned her about what Haman had planned, it seems to us today that it would be a simple thing for Esther to go to Xerxes and say, “Hey, honey, you know that thing about killing all the Jews? Well, I’m a Jew too. So is there any way you could, you know, maybe call the whole thing off?” Unfortunately, it didn’t work that way in ancient Persia. Esther was the queen, but that just meant she was the number one wife in Xerxes’ massive harem. There wasn’t a lot of chitchat at nighttime while she was taking off her makeup in the bathroom and he was doing sit-ups next to the bed.

The rule, punishable by death, was that no one could enter the king’s presence without being invited. No one meant no one—including queens. The only hope one had was if the king extended his gold scepter toward that person, sparing his or her life. Mordecai told Esther that for the sake of the Jewish people, she needed to go to the king and plead their case. Understandably, Esther balked. Mordecai sent another message, more insistent this time. “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13-14)

Convinced by his words, Esther trusted God and took the risk. Through a couple dinners and some heavenly intervention, the Jews were saved, Haman was exposed, and everyone lived happily ever after—with the exception of Haman.

Why is this story in the current news section of this newsletter? Every year, the Jewish people remember the courage of Esther and the grace of God in a festival called Purim. This year we celebrated it March 20–21. That same week, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was interviewed by CBN News while he was in the Middle East. Using the context of Purim, the interviewer compared Iran to Haman. Both the nation today and the man 2,500 years ago had a goal of eradicating the Jewish people. Then the interviewer asked Secretary Pompeo whether it is possible that if Iran parallels Haman, then President Donald Trump parallels Esther in being put in position “for such a time as this” in order to save Israel again? Pompeo responded, “As a Christian, I certainly believe it is possible.”[1]

Is President Trump a modern-day Esther? While that may be a bit of a stretch, I will say the president has been a friend to Israel. Throughout his term, he has shown a die-hard commitment to the nation. I began as a never-Trumper at the start of the 2016 presidential campaign, but the president has certainly turned me around. His willingness to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem was bold and historic, leading other nations to follow suit. Just this past week at the AIPAC conference, Romania declared its intention to relocate its embassy to Israel’s chosen capital.[2]

Trump has now stated that it’s time for the U.S. to recognize that the Golan Heights belong to Israel. He tweeted, “After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel’s Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability!”[3] This area in northeastern Israel was captured from Syria back in 1967 during the Six-Day War. In 1981, Israel formally annexed the region, but their claim was not recognized internationally. The area is militarily strategic. It creates a strong buffer between the nation and hostile countries nearby. While critics write Trump’s declaration off as a political ploy to boost Benjamin Netanyahu’s chances in a tight election, there is no doubt that this has the potential to become another in the president’s growing list of historic actions in favor of the state of Israel.

I had the opportunity to personally express my appreciation at an early-March impromptu meeting with President Trump, Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Pompeo, and National Security Advisor John Bolton. Sitting in the Oval Office around the Resolute desk speaking to the United States president is certainly a surreal experience. In a very warm conversation during which we discussed many subjects, I took the opportunity to thank him for his unflagging support of the unborn and for moving the embassy to Jerusalem. “As an Evangelical and an Israeli, I want to thank you for both of these. And I want you to know that I pray for you and your family every single day.” He seemed genuinely moved by these words and we ended our time in mutual expressions of gratitude and a warm handshake.

It may be overstating things to put Trump in the same category as Esther, who saved her people from annihilation. History will show just how much Donald Trump’s efforts have benefited the nation. And as Romans 13:1 reminds us, all authority ultimately belongs to God, so I will believe that the Lord has placed Donald Trump in the presidency for such a time as this.

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[1] Brody, David. “EXCLUSIVE Secretary of State Pompeo to CBN News: God May Have Raised Up Trump Like He Raised Up Queen Esther.” CBN News, 21 March 2019, www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/israel/2019/march/exclusive-secretary-of-state-pompeo-to-news-god-may-have-raised-up-trump-like-he-raised-up-queen-esther.

[2] Kempinski, Yoni. “Romania Announces Plans to Move Embassy to Jerusalem.” Israel National News, 24 March 2019, www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/260815.

[3] Trump, Donald J. Twitter, 21 March 2019, twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1108772952814899200?s=21.