BY HUMPHREY MTANDWA HAVE you noticed throughout the Bible how God used kings like Cyrus, Artaxerxes and others to institute his will for his people? But each king or Pharaoh had a Joseph, an Esther, a Daniel and a Nehemiah that worked close to them to ensure the execution of God’s plan for his people. Esther adopted a foreign name and her husband did not even know she was a Hebrew only until God’s set time to reveal her.
Daniel’s devotion to God was known by all the kings he saved but they also recognised his wisdom. If Daniel had not been trained by the eunuchs, he may have never had the opportunity to advise the kings. Each unique character did not allow their religious convictions to stop them from executing their responsibilities to the men they served. Though Esther fasted, what allowed her people to be saved was the wisdom God had given them.
In Joseph’s story, God did not raise up an Israelite in the land of Israel to provide for Israel’s relief during the famine. He made a Hebrew become an Egyptian in order to save his people. Many shun away from certain responsibilities because they believe some environments quench the fire in them. Christians at one time were discouraged from studying law and because being a lawyer was not considered a godly type of profession. Imagine if Joseph had not become an Egyptian; what would have happened to Israel? Even his brothers did not recognise him; it’s not about being recognised by other believers; religious people will always discourage you but look beyond criticism and seek God’s word for this season for your business, work or calling.
If Ester did not blend or adopt the culture her name represented, she would have never saved her people. The Church is called the salt of the world, have you ever noticed when you place salt in food it dissolves into the food. The challenge many believers have is they don’t want to dissolve, they don’t want to adopt the culture in whatever area they are called into. Joseph became an Egyptian because God wanted to use the Egyptian system to preserve his people. God has preserved his people through many ungodly kings but the kings had a helper who feared God. Even Ahab had an Obadiah who feared God yet he served the most ungodly king in Israel. If the church is to have impact, some have to become like salt and dissolve into world systems.
The church may have the sight and vision of God’s purpose for the world but the strength may not be in the church. In the same way God wanted to save Jacob and his sons, but the strength to save them was in the infrastructure of Egypt’s economy. For God to access that economy he needed a Joseph who had to adapt to the culture and the language of the Egyptians. The church may have the vision but the infrastructure is in the world. God is raising many Daniels, Josephs and Esthers, but they must be willing to adopt the language of the place God is sending them. These people are not going in to be enslaved in the systems, they are liberators. The world’s economies have enslaved so many people and if the church understands this and takes its rightful place in the scheme of things, we can be able to see God’s purposes and plans will be executed in our generation. For you to be like Daniel, you have to understand Daniel spent years in Chaldean school as well as Esther. We need to master the language of the domains we wish to have influence in. God bless you.
- Humphrey Mtandwa is an anointed minister of the gospel and teacher of the Word based in South Africa. He has written several books including The Enoch Generation, Truthfulness and Theophany. He blogs at mtandwa.blogspot.com and can be contacted via e-mail or WhatsApp on +27 610286350.
