“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?” (Esther 4:14)
The book of Esther is the story of an orphan girl who saved a nation by acting at the right time. It is also the story of a man who adopted the orphan girl as his own child and raised her to become the queen of Persia.
The author of the book of Esther is unknown. Some scholars suggest it is Mordecai (see Esther 9:20-22 and Esther 9:29-31). Others propose Ezra or possibly Nehemiah because the books share similar literary styles. This book was most likely written between B.C. 460 and 331, after the reign of Xerxes, but prior to Alexander the Great's rise to power.
In 605 BCE, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon besieged Jerusalem, resulting in tribute being paid by King Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim refused to pay tribute in Nebuchadnezzar's fourth year, which led to another siege in Nebuchadnezzar's seventh year, culminating with the death of Jehoiakim and the exile of King Jeconiah, his court and many others to Babylonia, After the fall of Babylon to the Persian king Cyrus the Great in 539 BCE, exiled Judeans were permitted to return to Judah. According to the biblical book of Ezra, construction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem began around 537 BCE. All these events are considered significant in Jewish history and culture, and had a far-reaching impact on the development of Judaism.
The book was written to the Jewish people to record the origins of the Feast of Lots, or Purim. This annual festival commemorates God's salvation of the Jewish people, similar to their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. The book of Esther is written in Hebrew.
Key Characters of this book are Esther, King Xerxes, Mordecai, Haman. This is the only book in the Bible that the name of God is not mentioned. But God is the most important character silently working behind the situations to save His people.
This book is of great historical significance. The story of Esther forms the origin of the Jewish festival of Purim. The name Purim, or "lots," was likely given in a sense of irony, because Haman, the enemy of the Jews, had plotted to completely destroy them by casting the lot (Esther 9:24). Queen Esther used her position as queen to rescue the Jewish people from destruction.
Esther lived in ancient Persia about 100 years into the Babylonian captivity. Her Hebrew name was Haddassah, which means "myrtle." When Esther's parents died, the orphaned child was adopted and raised by her older cousin Mordecai. She was the daughter of Mordecai's uncle Abihail. Mordecai lived in Susa (Shushan or Shoushan), the metro part of Persia (now Iran). He adopted his orphaned cousin (Esther 2:7), Hadassah (Esther), whom he brought up as if she were his own daughter. You don't have to be a biological father to become a father. By caring and adopting needy children anyone can become a father figure like Mordecai.
The story starts with the Persian King looking for a new wife. His old wife displeased the king one day. The king of the Persian Empire, Xerxes I, threw a lavish party. On the final day of the festivities, he called for his queen, Vashti, eager to flaunt her beauty to his guests. But the queen refused to appear before Xerxes. Filled with anger, he deposed Queen Vashti, and forever removed her from his presence. To find his new queen, Xerxes hosted a royal beauty pageant and Esther was chosen for the throne.
Her cousin Mordecai was a minor official in the Persian government of Susa. During this time, some people planned on a coup to assassinate the king. Mordecai knew about it and told that to Esther and she reported it to the king. Thus he saved the kings life by acting on a timely manner. The plot was thwarted and Mordecai's act of kindness was preserved in the chronicles and the history books of the king.
At this time, the king's highest official was a wicked man named Haman. He hated the Jews, especially Mordecai, who had refused to bow down to him. Haman devised a scheme to have every Jew in Persia killed. The king agreed to his plan to annihilate the Jewish people on a specific day. Meanwhile, Mordecai learned of the plot and shared it with Esther.
Again, here Mordecai acts at the right time. As a father figure, he challenged Esther, the queen with these famous words: "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?" (Esther 4:13-14, NIV).
Hearing this, Esther urged all of the Jews to fast and pray for deliverance. Then, risking her own life, brave young Esther approached the king with a request. She invited Xerxes and Haman to a banquet where eventually she revealed her Jewish heritage to the king, as well as Haman's diabolical plot to have her and her people killed. In a rage, the king ordered Haman to be hung on the gallows—the very same gallows Haman had built for Mordecai. Mordecai was promoted to Haman's high position and Jews were granted protection throughout the land. The people celebrated God's tremendous deliverance, and the joyous festival of Purim was instituted.
Esther’s role reminds us of the fact that God has a unique purpose for each and every one of our lives. He has given us a life as a gift to live in this world in this time of history. Remaining silent is a safe option. Many of us do not want to get involved. But “staying silent in time of injustice is privilege.” Most of the time, it is as good as siding with the oppressor.
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” — Archbishop Desmond Tutu. “A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true. In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” — Dr Martin Luther King Jr
Remaining silent in the face of a need, is ignoring the need and it is a sin. God’s intervention in human history can be natural or supernatural. This book shows how God works in natural ways. God is hidden in this book though the name of God is not mentioned in this book.
As a young orphaned Jewish girl living in Persia, Esther could have never imagined she would become queen and save all the Jews in Persia. Yet, God uses a man to become the father figure to raise her thereby accomplishin the work of God, reminding us that it is in his strength, not our own, that we succeed. We all have some stories in life that we can tell about the amazing ways God has led us in our lives. We were all born in different parts of the world, lived and raised in different environments, families and and backgrounds. Here we are together, for some reason. I believe it is the providence of God that brought us together here in this church at this time for a purpose.
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