I’m doing a study on Esther right now (that is taking FOREVER! because of other responsibilities) and one of the themes of Esther is “reversal of fortune.”  Haman thinks that he is going to destroy the Jews, and yet thanks to Mordecai and Esther, Haman is himself destroyed.

The theme of reversal of fortune winds its way all through the Bible.  Joseph goes from a prisoner in Egypt to second highest in the kingdom in a day; Naomi, she who wanted to be renamed “Mara” (bitter), goes home to live in poverty with her widowed daughter-in-law and ends up being the (great-great)grandmother of David; David goes from being a shepherd boy to the king of the whole nation.

I found it again this morning in my Bible reading: Ps 37.35,36 – I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet, he passed away, and lo, he was not: Yea, I sought him, and he could not be found (KJV). There will come a day when the wicked experience a reversal of fortune.

Of course the greatest, and most pivotal reversal of fortune, the reason all of those other episodes wind their way throughout the Old Testament was at the cross.  On Friday, Christ made the heart-rending cry, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (KJV)  A dark day indeed, and a cry that was directly attributable to us, to our sin.

John Piper beautifully captured the passion and promise of that cry in a tweet on Good Friday:  “Betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, abandoned by the eleven, forsaken by God.  Darkness you get one hour.  Then you die.”

Darkness did get an hour, but on Sunday morning, on Resurrection Day, darkness died.  Christ arose.  Christ conquered death.  Christ solved everything!  The pivotal reversal of fortune.