…On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them.
Esther 9:1b
Two dancers used a table as a prop. The music moved them to dance on either side of the table. Their hands connected with the table; they pushed. The scraping legs could be heard over the music. The table spun around while the dancers still faced each other. The table turned in the dramatic dance.
This was not the first time tables took center stage. The cliché that the “tables were turned” was effective speech even when the book of Esther was written. Tables needed turning because the Jews had an enemy. This enemy carried a death warrant reading, “destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews.” Instead, the Jews survived because God intervened. Using the phrase the “tables were turned” makes the Bible relatable. I know how tables can be turned.
Jesus turned tables. His opponent, Satan, had it in for us. Satan carried a death warrant reading, “steal and kill and destroy.” Instead, God intervened because of love. I remember this table turning as I take communion. Satan no longer can steal, kill, and destroy because Jesus took some of his final moments at a table.
Some scholars call table turning a reversal of destiny. Turning a table, like a pivot, moves a person to start heading in the opposite direction. A reversal of destiny occurs. It is when the dancer takes a step and finds himself facing something better. A turned table can change a perspective and give life.
Let a table you see today remind you of Jesus turning your table. And keep your hearts open to turning.
When has Jesus turned the tables for you? Share it on Facebook @HopelesslyHopefulBooks. https://www.facebook.com/HopelesslyHopefulBooks
Photo by Austin Gardner on Unsplash
© 2020, Mollie Bond. All rights reserved. Originally published at www.molliebond.wordpress.com.
Hopelessly Hopeful by Dr. Mollie Bond 