Esther 4:14 says, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”
During this time period the Jews were held in captivity by the Persian Empire under King Xerxes. A decree had been passed by the King enabling the evil Haman to destroy the Jews for not bowing down to the royal authority. One Jew that refused to bow down was Queen Esther’s uncle, Mordecai. Haman despised Mordecai for this and was determined to execute him. Mordecai wept in grief at Haman’s decree to destroy the Jews. Esther found out about Mordecai’s sorrow and asked him why he was sorrowful. Mordecai told her the situation and that God had raised her to this position for such a time as this.
Have you ever wondered why God placed you in the position you are in? It may be a position that you love or a place you are very uncomfortable. Why did God place you on this football team with a bunch of punks? Why are you at the school you are going to? Why did God place you at the top of your swim team, basketball team, or class? Or why are you in a place where you are treated poorly? Maybe it was to lead your team to Jesus. Maybe it was to show the world that God is your strength and joy no matter how bad the circumstances.
In the 1940s a woman by the name of Corrie Ten Boom was also placed in position that made her answer this question, “Why did God place me here.” Corrie and her family were watch makers that grew up in Holland. They owned and lived in their watch shop known as the Beje. This building was a three story home with the watch shop located at the front.
Early on in Corrie’s life her mother died and she lived with her father, sister, and aunts who managed the watch shop. Corrie also had an older brother who was a pastor in a city nearby. The Ten Boom family were devout Christians sold out to fulfill the calling of God. Their world was turned upside down during World War II when the Nazi Gestapo raided Holland persecuting the Jews. The Ten Boom’s felt God was calling them to help rescue the Jews.
Soon enough the Beje became the center of the Underground Jew Rescue System. It was the intermediary for messages of housing, taking care of, and hiding Jews. The Ten Booms formed a code word system that was disguised by their work at the watch shop. For example, “We are having trouble with our watch. The face is original and very popular. We were wondering if you could fix it?” (We have a Jewish man who features are very noticeable. Can you help hide him?).
The Beje was eventually housing nine Jews and the Gestapo was becoming stricter on executing the Jews. Sooner or later the Nazis were going to find out that the Ten Boom watch shop was more than a retail business. Because of this the family decided to build a secret room to hide the Jews for when the Nazis came. They brought in Holland’s most famous architect and placed the secret room on the top floor in Corrie’s room. This was to give the Jews ample time to hide while the Gestapo searched the rooms below. A hidden alarm system was also installed to warn the Jews that the Gestapo was coming.
The family and the Jews practiced hiding and flipping over mattresses (so the Nazis couldn’t feel for warm spots) until they got down to nearly one minute. Then one day the inevitable occurred. Corrie lay in her bed sick and half asleep dreaming that Jews were running across her room. When she finally awoke and came to her senses she realized this dream was real. The Gestapo was at the Beje. Corrie Jumped out of bed to help the last Jew get into her hiding place. She jumped back in bed and at that moment the Nazis burst open the door, “Where are the Jews. We know that you are the ring leader and you are hiding them.” Corrie responded, “What Jews? There are no Jews here.” Corrie was then beaten by an officer and her and here family were taken to jail.
Ten days after arriving in Jail Corrie’s father died and her and her sister were all alone. Corrie was taken to solitary confinement for four months because of her sickness. She was fed a roll of bread each day with little water. She got to the point were she couldn’t even pick herself off of the cot to eat her meal.
Corrie and her sister Betsie did not lose hope during this terrible situation. They actually thanked God through flea and lice invested cells, through abusive beatings, and lack of nourishment. They knew that God allowed them to be in this position to be a light in the darkness.
One day Corrie received a letter in the mail from her sister in law Nollie. When she opened the letter she noticed the writing was in slant. “Nollie never wrote in slant.” Corrie thought to herself, “This must be a secret message.” She picked up the envelope and slowly pulled away the stamp and there to her amazement was in tiny print, “all the watches in the cabinet are safe” (meaning all the Jews in the secret room are safe). This reaffirmed that God was in control.
Corrie and Betsie secretly got a Bible and began doing Bible studies sharing secret meetings with their cellmates. Corrie and Betsie later found out that the reason they were able to have these meetings without the Nazis knowing was because of the lice (Corrie now knew why God said give thanks in all your circumstances).
One by one people gave their lives to God and the environment of the concentration camp was transformed. Corrie was eventually released after her sister died of sickness in the camp. When Corrie got out of prison she opened up orphanages to house Jews and people that had been hurt by the war. She then went around the world and preached her story (My parents actually heard her in Dallas, Texas). She even went into Germany to help bring past Nazis into the Kingdom of God.
One day while she was in a church service in Munich after the service a German man came up to her to greet her. Corrie recognized his face from somewhere. He was one of the crueler officers at the concentration camp. The man said to her, “Corrie I want you to know that I’ve given my life to Jesus! I also want to ask for your forgiveness.” Corrie paused a second and then lifted her hand to shake his and with a loving voice responded, “Brother, I forgive you.”
“And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”
Ryan Austin
Element Youth Leader
