Welcome back to Blogging Through the Bible. I hope you are enjoying your time in Esther, learning of this courageous woman of the Bible.
In chapter 3-5 we learn that Mordecai has angered Haman to the point that Haman has asked the king to annihilate the Jews, and King Ahasuerus has issued the edict. What a scary time to be a Jew! Chapter 4 tells “there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.”
Esther is unique in that it never mentions the name of God. For this reason, there was great debate during the Reformation as to whether or not it should be included in the Bible. However, the fingerprints of God are all over this book, and the Jews are the chosen people of God. Throughout the Old Testament, God has made covenants of hope and a future with His people. Psalm 89:28 reminds us of God’s promise for his people.
God’s promises give Mordecai confidence, because he tells Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13-14).
Likely the most quoted part of Esther is found in these verses: “for such a time as this.” And it is true of all of us. We each have a unique position in history and have opportunities that were not available before. Can we, like Esther, willingly say, “If I perish, I perish” ? Like the Jews before us, we have hope and a future. This should motivate us to courageous action until all the world hears of God’s love.
God used Esther in a specific place and time to bring about His plans for His people. Are you ready for Him to use you?