Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? - Esther 4:14 NKJV
Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “Silence in the face of evil is evil itself: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” During the dark era of the Nazi Regime, Bonhoeffer embodied this quote as a courageous Christian witness in a perilous time of history - the intentional genocide of the Jewish people.
The targeted annihilation of the Jews is a recurring theme throughout history, even documented history of the Bible. While Pharaoh and Herod tried it by wiping out male children, there was another figure in the Bible who tried it by attempting to wipe the entire Jewish race off the face of the earth. His name was Haman and he is found in the story of Esther, a story where God’s name is never mentioned but His providence in preserving the Jewish people is clearly demonstrated.
The Rise of Esther
Esther lived in ancient Persia about 100 years after the Babylonian captivity. One day the king of the Persian Empire, Xerxes I, threw a lavish party. On the final day he summoned his queen, Vashti, hoping to flaunt her beauty to his guests. But the queen refused to appear before Xerxes, resulting in her banishment from the kingdom. To find a new queen, Xerxes hosted a royal beauty pageant, recruiting every eligible young lady from the kingdom. Included in the selection process was a young orphan Jewish girl named Hadassah, who lived with her uncle Mordecai. To protect her Jewish identity while in the palace, Mordecai changed her Jewish name to the Persian name, Esther, and told her to keep her identity a secret. After a year of preparations, Esther gained favor in the sight of all who saw her and was chosen to be the next queen of Persia.
The Call for Courage
During Esther’s reign, Mordecai uncovered a plot to assassinate King Xerxes, which won him favor with the king, and disdain from the king’s chief advisor, a malevolent figure named Haman. Haman harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Jewish people, particularly Mordecai, who had refused to bow to him, so he devised a sinister plan to exterminate all Jews in the Persian Empire, an empire that extended from India to Ethiopia. He convinced the king to agree to his plan…that all Jews were to be executed on a designated day.
Mordecai became aware of the plot and shared the grave news with Esther, who was still hiding her Jewish identity. He warned her, Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish (Esther 4:13-14). Mordecai made it clear that even palace life could not protect Esther, but if she wouldn’t help, God would find someone who would. Esther was in a tough spot. She knew that in order to help, she would have to reveal her true identity. She asked Mordecai to have their people fast and pray before approaching the king.
Now, a queen was not allowed to enter the king’s presence unless sent for, yet Esther boldly walked into his presence, understanding, if I perish, I perish (vs. 16). You most likely know the rest of the story. Esther didn’t perish, rather she earned the favor of the king. She revealed her true identity, Haman was exposed and hanged, Mordecai was promoted, and the Jews survived one of the greatest threats of their annihilation to date. Esther and Mordecai saved the day, and thankfully so, for if the Jews had been destroyed Jesus would never have been born. Since the kingdom of Persia stretched from India to Ethiopia, Jews like Ezra and Nehemiah and all who returned to Israel from exile with them, including the royal line of Zerubbal, from whom our Lord would come, would have all been murdered. And so, to commemorate this victorious event the Jews celebrate what’s called the Feast of Purim every year. The name is derived from the word pur, meaning “lot,” the lot that was cast to determine the day of the Jewish people’s death.
What Does This Story Mean for Us?
Purim will be celebrated this year on March 24th and 25th, but make no mistake, the devil is still out to destroy God’s people, both Jews and Christians alike. We experienced that firsthand while in Israel on October 7th. Not only that, we also see it in the global persecution of Christians, identity politics, a pluralistic culture and a growing intolerance to Christ. But that doesn’t give us permission to hide our identity in Christ, hoping the cultural persecution and problems will just go away. Like Bonhoeffer, like Esther, we must ask ourselves if we have come into this time in history, in the sphere of influence we’ve been given…for such a time as this.
God can use you for His kingdom, placing you somewhere where you count. Just one person in Christ can make all the difference. God can use us in the kingdoms of this world so long as we keep our principles and remember who we are - willing to be promoted for His sake but not willing to be assimilated for ours.
Is that you?
God Bless You Today,
Carole
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