The Story of Esther
(and Why It Matters for Us)
. . . And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (
Esther 4:12-14
).
Esther was queen of Persia. But if you know the story, you’ll recall that she wasn’t Persian. And that’s precisely what led to the one of the most significant defining moments of her life.
Maybe at this point a plot summary would be helpful. Stay with me for just a bit.
Our story begins around 483BC. Xerxes is the Persian King and he’s a show-off, never bashful about flaunting his wealth and power. In an effort to consolidate power and gain support from all corners of the Persian empire, he throws a feast for the leaders of these far-flung provinces. Keep in mind this was far more than a big dinner party. This extravaganza lasted for six months and finally culminated in a seven-day banquet (1:4-5).
Xerxes wasn’t content merely to show off his material wealth and flex his political muscle. He took great pride in his queen as his ‘smokin’ hot wife.’ Vashti was a very beautiful woman and Xerxes wanted to show her off as well. During this week-long banquet he summoned Queen Vashti to present herself in front of him and all his big shot buddies.
Vashti didn’t like that. She refused his command. Needless to say, this made for an awkward moment at the dinner table for King Xerxes.
Rejected and publicly humiliated, Xerxes burned with anger (1:12). This defiance couldn’t be left unaddressed. How would he save face? Short answer: Vashti was fired as Queen and an empire-wide search for the new queen was launched. After a lengthy process (skipping many details here) Esther won the favor of Xerxes. He placed the royal crown on her head (1:17).
Time to Step Up
This is where we need to remember that Esther was not Persian. When she had entered the beauty contest with other would-be queens her uncle Mordecai had advised to keep quiet about her Jewish identity. She did not make known her people or her kindred (2:10).
As time went by, one of the key advisers to Xerxes – a slimy guy by the name of Haman – harbored a personal hatred of the Jewish people and convinced Xerxes that they were a threat to the Kingdom and needed to be destroyed. Xerxes passed an edict that did exactly what Haman wanted done. Throughout the Persian empire there was great mourning among the Jews, fasting and weeping, sackcloth and ashes (4:3).
Among the distressed mourners was Esther’s uncle Mordecai. Through an intermediary Queen Esther reached out to her uncle to comfort him, and Mordecai sent his own message back asking her to intervene on behalf of her people. This was very dangerous, even for the queen. To come before Xerxes uninvited could be punishable by death. Esther made her uncle aware of the difficulty of what he was asking her to do.
That’s when Mordecai confronted Esther with words that captured a defining moment.
“Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 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 your royal position for such a time as this?” (4:12-14).
If You Remain Silent
For most people, the three verses you just read are the only thing they know about the book of Esther – and probably just as often this knowledge is more like vague familiarity, fuzzy on context and significance.
Within those the verses, the last few words tend to get all the attention. “For such a time as this.” That’s understandable. Those words truly do point to a defining moment. For today, however, I’d like you to linger with a different phrase. Consider for a moment the implications of what Mordecai is saying to Esther when he says, “if you remain silent.”
Let’s not ignore the fact that Esther had a choice. A decision to make.
Esther could have remained silent. She could have kept quiet and enjoyed the safety and comfort of her position. Everyone knew that you simply didn’t approach Xerxes without being summoned. Common sense and convenience would have told Esther to stay silent and maybe do something like ‘pray.’ That way she could be spiritual and safe at the same time.
Defining moments always seem to involve a decision. Decisions produce definition, and definition flows from our decisions. ‘Who we are’ inevitably flows from ‘what will we do?’
The Mystery
Yesterday we gave our attention to the unseen workings of God’s providence. Today we take up the defining power of our decisions. I must confess that how those two things work together is a mystery to me. I don’t have an easy explanation to convince you that they do. Perhaps this is where we simply acknowledge the inscrutable ways of God with us and trust him.
So for today, let’s land it here: What decisions are you facing right now? This could be any decision – not just big life-changing decisions.
Is there any place in your life where you’re tempted to stay silent; where you’re avoiding something that could be uncomfortable or inconvenient or costly?
Or consider: can you look back and discern how decisions you’ve already made gave definition and shaped who you are? (More on this tomorrow).
Perhaps, like Esther, God is ready to work through us in this defining moment. Let’s trust him and lean into that wonderful mystery with confidence.
Prayer:
We give you thanks, O God, for the story and example of Esther – for the way her courage challenges us; for the way your providence is at work in our choices. We seek your help today as we embrace that mystery, trusting you in our most ordinary moments. Use the small decisions of this day to define us as a faith-filled people, we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Mark H. Crumpler
Teaching Pastor
