Text: Esther 4:14 “Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
Prayer: Lord God, heavenly Father, grant us, we beseech You, by Your
Holy Spirit, that He may strengthen our hearts and confirm our faith
and hope in Your grace and mercy, so that, although we have reason to
fear because of our conscience, our sin, and our unworthiness, we may
nevertheless, hold fast to Your grace, and in every trial and
temptation find You a very present help and refuge, through Your
beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and
the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
What makes someone a hero? If you asked one, you may hear a
surprising answer: “ “I'm sure other people would have done exactly
the same thing. I was just in the right place at the right time.”
People become heroes because they take quick action at that “right
time,” while others stand watching in horror. The true hero
recognizes the crisis and moves to meet it. In the book given her
name, an orphan girl named Esther became such a hero. God has placed
her “at the right place at the right time.”
This story reads like a series of extraordinary coincidences.
Seemingly disconnected events are simply reported, no explanation
given. But as the story unfolds and draws to a conclusion, we see
that all these circumstances were coming together for God to
accomplish His purpose: the deliverance of people Israel.
In the first part of the story, Esther “just happened” to be chosen
as the new queen. Esther was an orphan, raised by her cousin
Mordecai. They were Jews, people of Israel living in captivity in
the foreign land of Persia. When the king deposes his queen, Esther
finds her world turned upside down. Without any say in the matter,
she is thrust into his harem within the palace gates. As she is
taken from her home, Mordecai changes her name from the Hebrew
“Hadassah” to Esther and cautions her not to reveal her true
identity as a Jew. She is separated from the only family and life
she has known. Yet God has a plan for her in the midst of tragic
circumstances. Esther found favor with the king's chief eunuch,
Hegai, and is chosen by King Xerxes to be the queen of Persia. In
His wisdom, God has placed her in a position of influence. God has
equipped her for the purpose for which she was born- to save her
people from destruction.
There are other instances in the Bible where God placed believers in
a position of influence to bring about His purpose. For example,
Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. Nevertheless, he found
“favor” with several individuals, including the pharaoh of Egypt.
Ultimately God’s plan was revealed when Joseph was able to save the
Israelites from starvation.
In the same way, God designs us for a purpose. It may not be as
grand as what Esther accomplishes in her lifetime, but God has
equipped us with a unique personality, gifts, and abilities. He has
special work to accomplish in our lifetime. Even though you may not
see the plan clearly now, trust God to accomplish in you His purpose
for your life. No matter what vocation or station of life God has
placed you in, as a believer you are called to be a “salt” and
“light” in the sinful world. As Peter writes, “Live such good lives
among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they
may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us” (1
Peter 2:12).
The next development in the story put Mordecai into a position that
the king would “owe him a favor” at the crucial time in the future
when his people's very lives hung in the balance. One day, while
Mordecai was outside the palace gates, he overheard a conspiracy
being hatched to kill King Xerxes. He told Esther, who told Xerxes,
who then had the traitors executed. As a result, Mordecia's deed was
recorded the king's annals for future reference.
When all seemed to be going well for Mordecai and Esther, they hit a
major bump in the road. It took the form of a man named Haman, an
influential advisor to the king. One day, he “happened” to cross
paths with Mordecia and demanded that Mordecai bow down before him.
Mordecia knew that God alone deserved His worship, so he refused to
bow down to Haman. This didn't sit well with Haman. In fact he grew
so angry, that not only did Haman plot to kill Mordecai, but he set
in motion a plan to have all of Mordecai's fellow Jews destroyed as
well.
Haman was superstitious. So instead of ordering this state-sponsored
genocide to be carried out immediately, he decided to cast lots to
choose the day of destruction. The lots fell on a day nearly a year
away. This delay would later bode well for the Jews. The
announcement to annihilate the Jews on a specific day was sent by
couriers to all the Providences.
This evil plot brings to mind the words of the Psalmist, “Why do the
nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set
themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord
and against His anointed” (2:2). These words put the story in a
different perspective. It becomes an attempt to foil God's plan and
promise for the Savior to be born from this people targeted for
destruction. Behind this plot sits the “adversary the devil” who
“prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter
5:8).
When Mordecai learns of the cruel scheme by Haman, he is overcome
with sorrow. He understands the law is irreversible because it has
been written in the name of King Xerxes and signed with his ring.
Mordecai’s mourning takes place outside the palace gates where he
wears sackcloth and ashes- a traditional way to express grief or
repentance. When Mordecai won’t accept the new clothes that Esther
sends to him, she understands that he is still in the midst of deep
grief. Upon further questioning by her attending eunuch, she
receives the written text of the edict, along with Morecai’s plea- a
request for her to approach the king and plea for her people.
However, Esther is not quick to comply. Several concerns come into
play. First, the law forbids anyone under penalty of death to
approach the king uninvited. Secondly, Esther has kept her identity
hidden. Does she want to risk her status and prosperity by revealing
this information to King Xerxes? If he is displeased he can easily
depose her as she has done to Queen Vashti. And yet she alone, of
all the Jews, had access to the king.
This opportunity and choice to serve God tests Esther’s character.
Mordecai reminds her that God has placed her in the palace for this
moment. Perhaps we can identity with the concerns Esther faced.
Imagine how we would feel if asked to break a law, punishable by
death, because a good cause is at stake? We may face difficult
questions also. We may feel called to break an unwritten code among
co-workers that disregards theft or misuse of property. Being the
“whistle blower” where there is unethical conduct can put us at risk
of losing friendships or even our job. We will have opportunities in
our lives that will test our character. An excuse may seem
reasonable, but God still gives us an opportunity to serve Him today.
How will you respond?
Esther's cousin Mordecai reminded her of her unique place. “Who
knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as
this?” Until this time, Esther and Mordecai probably did not realize
why Esther had become queen of Persia. But now it was clear to
Mordecai that God had been working behind the scenes. The Lord was
directing the affairs of Persia, so that one of His people would be
in a position to help Israel in the time of peril.
Esther responded with action. Her courageous words are a classic
statement of heroism: “I will go to the king, even though it is
against the law. And if I perish, I perish” (4:16).
And then one night Xerxes couldn’t sleep. Coincidence, right? As the
king “just happened” to be unable to sleep, he went down to the
library and dug out the annals of his reign. In his midnight
reading, he “just happened” across an account of a good deed Esther's
cousin Mordecai had done. He was startled to find that nothing had
been done to honor Mordecai for saving his life.
The evil Haman “just happened” along at that crucial moment. Haman
had been busy building a huge gallows while all this was going on.
When he entered in to see the king, the king asked him, “What should
be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?” (6:6) Of course,
Haman assumed Xerxes meant him. Filled with pride, Haman presented
the king with his wish list: “For the man whom the king delights to
honor, let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and the
horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown is
set. And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the
king's most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king
delights to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the
square of the city, proclaiming before him: Thus shall it be done to
the man whom the king delights to honor” (6:7-9).
Imagine the expression on Haman's face when the king told him:
“Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to
Mordecai the Jew who sits at the king's gate” (v. 10). What a
reversal of fortune! Haman was commanded to honor the Jew whom he
wished to destroy. This was only the beginning of the end for Haman.
Soon afterward, Haman was joining the king and queen for a banquet,
and Esther placed her request before the king: “ If I have found
favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life
be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. For we have
been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be
annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I
would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with
the loss to the king” (7:3-4). The king was shocked and asked, “Who
is he, and where is he, who has dared to do this?” (7:5) Esther
answered, “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” (7:6) For his
treachery, Haman was hanged on the same gallows he had prepared for
Mordecai.
This left a vacancy among the king's counselors. Mordecai himself
is elevated to the vacant position. With that comes the signet ring,
which allows him to act on behalf of King Xerxes. As a result, he
writes an overruling edict with the king’s permission. Who could
have known better than this man what should be decreed to save the
Jews, allowing them to take up arms and attack their enemies? God
had saved His little flock in the great Persian empire.
The divine act of deliverance is celebrated with a festival, called
Purim. If you look at your calendar, Purim is today. The word
“Purim” means “lots,” referring to the lots Haman cast, which delayed
the destruction of the Jews and God's deliverance of His people.
The book of Esther displays God's exquisite timing. God's timing,
combined with the courage of individuals who “just happened” to be in
the right place at the right time, saved His chosen people. Nothing
“just happens.” All of life is under God's command. These
coincidences were part of God's plan to save His people. God
protected His people because He loved them- because He had chosen
them from the beginning for a purpose- that from this tiny nation, an
often hated minority, His Son would be born as the world's Savior.
Centuries later, God's exquisite timing would be displayed again, as
God brought together an extraordinary series of events, including an
emperor decreeing a census, and a journey of a young couple from
Galilee to Judea, so that His Son would be born in Bethlehem. “When
the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman,
born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal 4:4-5). God
continues to watch over us, often taking a situation that seems
impossibly hopeless and turning it into something good (Romans 8:28).
Have faith that God continually cares for you and is working all
things for your eternal good. Amen. Soli Deo Gloria
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