Reversal of Destiny

2Corinthians 5:21 - For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Reversal of destiny is a new term I learned about this past week in my study on the Book of Esther. I couldn't go another day without explaining this. Above is the greatest example, a perfect Man, Jesus, totally sinless, who takes the sin of the world upon Himself and to the Cross in order that we might be without guilt or sin.

I think I briefly touched previously on what Esther is all about. By this point in the story we have seen Esther, a Jew, become the Queen of Persia. It is not generally known that she is of the Jewish heritage. Many years have passed. The queen does not have any special privileges when it comes to the king. She must be summoned by him or risk losing her life if she should attempt to see him without his permission.  

However, it was made known to her that her people, the Jews, have been earmarked for total annihilation because of the desire of Haman, the king's right hand man. Haman has has been insulted by Mordecai, Esther's cousin, because he would not bow down to anyone but his God (Mordecai is a good example of how we should not bow to the things of the world).  Haman required all bow before him. But years earlier Mordecai had uncovered a plot to kill the king and thus saved his life. For whatever reason this event slipped through the cracks and word of it never got to the king.

Chapter six, according to Beth Moore, author of this study, is the chapter that reverses destiny, for Esther, the Jews and Haman.  She tells us that reversal of destiny is "the entire doctrine of our faith in the New Testament." The Old Testament is also full of them.  Examples of reversal of destiny:  Esther, a Jewish girl, becomes the Queen of Persia at a time when the Jews were in captivity in Persia. The Apostle Paul, when he was Saul, persecuted Christians, but when he became a believer and proclaimed Christ as the Messiah he was persecuted. There are many reversals of destiny throughout the Bible. Lives just change when God intervenes.

In this chapter, Haman receives his reversal of destiny. The king has asked Haman what he would do for a person whom the king would like to honor. Haman, assuming in only the narcissistic way he could, that the king meant him. So he tells the king that the man should be given a royal robe that the king has worn, a horse the king has ridden with the royal crest upon it, and he should be paraded by the king's most noble prince through town proclaiming the words, "thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor" (verses 6-9). The king tells him this is what he is to do for Mordecai, the Jew! When Haman hears this we are only left to imagine what went through his mind. The blow to his gigantic ego must have nearly knocked him over. In the end the king allows Haman to be killed. Haman was high and lifted up, like he thought of himself, only it was on a 70 foot tall gallows! That's some reversal of destiny all right.

John and Peter, as well as all the other Apostles and followers of Jesus, had their own destinies changed. They were nothing but fishermen when they first met Jesus.  Acts 4:13 - Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled.  And they realized that they had been with Jesus.  God offers this to all of us. As sinners in the world we are in darkness when it comes to the things of God but...Colossians 1:13 - He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love...

This reversal of destiny can pertain to anything...nations, people groups and individuals. I think the most important reversal of destiny is when one receives Christ as Lord and Savior. It's at the point of our true salvation, our reversal of destiny in Christ. When we accept Christ as Savior our old man becomes new, our old ways and thoughts become new ways and thoughts. Jesus seeks us out, draws us to Himself so He can reverse our destiny. We once were lost, but now we're found. I can't think of anything else I would rather want than to go from a person born into sin suddenly removed spiritually through no more than grace, mercy and belief (from the bottom of my heart) in Jesus and then having my ultimate destiny be a mansion in the kingdom of God in heaven. I can't imagine anyone not wanting this type of reversal of destiny for their lives. 

In the following scripture notice the smallest article that changes one's destiny:

1Peter 2:9-10 - But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.