“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. The author of the book of Esther is unknown. Some scholars suggest it is Mordecai, Esther's cousin (see Esther 9:20-22 and Esther 9:29-31). Others propose Ezra or possibly Nehemiah because the books share similar literary styles. 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 (2 Kings 24). 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 in Hebrew to the Jewish people who were captives in Babylon. This book is a record of the origins of the festival called Purim (meaning Feast of Lots, Esther 3:7, 9:24). Queen Esther used her position as queen to rescue the Jewish people from destruction. This annual festival commemorates God's salvation of the Jewish people, similar to their deliverance from slavery in Egypt.
Key Characters in the story are Esther, King Xerxes, Mordecai and Haman. 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. This is the only book in the Bible that the name of God is not mentioned. But God plays the most important part in this story working silently behind the situations to save His people.
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. Esther's cousin Mordecai was a minor official in the Persian government of Susa. He encouraged Esther to apply for the pageant, and surprisingly Esther got selected to become the next queen.
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. 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. It is an irony that the Purim or lot was cast to fix a date for the killing of all Jews became the date that Haman, who plotted this was hung and killed. (Esther 9:24).
God’s intervention in human history can be natural or supernatural. This book shows how God works in natural ways. Religious leaders might call it disturbing time, politicians may call it Critical time, economists call it crucial time. Regardless of what the developments are, any time is a unique time or called “such a time as this”. World Net Daily, has documented that Ayatolla Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, has directed his nation to kill all jewish people and annihilate Israel in a Sharia Law based legal opinion promoting a genocidal attack against what he called a "cancerous tumor." There are nations and groups who want to destroy and wipe out Israel. It looks like there is some history being repeated here; plots to kill all Jews and annihilate Israel.
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 the life as a gift to live in this world in this time of history. Remaining silent in time of need for action 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 take a stand for that which is true.” (Dr Martin Luther King Jr). “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.”( Elie Wiesel)
Evil will not triumph. We may think that the lot is cast in favor of evil. Remember how Pilate selected Barabas in place of Jesus. We may think that evil wins around us. But as the hymn writer Maltbie Babcock writes in “This is my father’s world”, “ O let me never forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. The battle is not done”. Leslie and her two daughters were about to be evicted from their home. She was standing before a judge with trembling legs and tears. She signed the document to give her home away. As she was walking to her car in the parking lot, at truck pulled up. The man in the truck was Gary. He said, “Madam, I have heard your testimony, I was sitting there for another case. I believe God put me there in “such a time as this” and God wants me to help you. Gary helped her by contacting an attorney who worked with the Bank to reverse the action so Leslie and the girls can stay in their home. God places in you in positions and situations “in such a time” to be used for His purpose to bless others. Theodore Roosevelt, who said, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” Can God count on each of us “for such a time as this?
Remaining silent in the face of a need, is ignoring the need. Accordign to the Bible, "if anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them." (James 4:17). 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 the least of us to accomplish his will, 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 at this time for a purpose. Paul instructs the church in Ephesus to be wise in "redeeming time" and make use of every opportunity. (Ephesisans 5:15). The “time” to which Paul refers here seems to be a particular time or the opportune time. His instruction might even be paraphrased, 'seize the moment and act'. “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” (Dr Martin Luther King Jr).
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