David Bahn – Reflections

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Today’s readings: Esther 3-5, Psalm 108

Esther 4:8-16

Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people. ⁹ And Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. ¹⁰ Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, ¹¹ “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”

¹² And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. ¹³ Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. ¹⁴ 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?” ¹⁵ Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, ¹⁶ “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”

The book of Esther is a delightful narrative with all the twists and turns of a compelling drama. First the Jewish people are threatened with annihilation. Then Mordecai hears of it and urges Esther to intervene before the king. Esther is afraid to go to the king uninvited for fear of being put to death. Then comes the powerful rejoinder from her cousin:

“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?”

The phrase, “for such a time as this,” carries the weight of a defining moment, a crucial moment of critical decision. It is an invitation to think differently about what is happening and what is at stake in the decisions being made in that moment. Now is the time to act in faith and courage.

But there is more to this story than Mordecai’s urging, the Jews’ predicament, or the king’s edict. There is another character we need to consider. Haman incites the king to make the decree to annihilate all the Jewish people. He is excited about the honor he is receiving from the king and very ready to see his reputation and standing before the king rise. He is plotting and power-hungry.

This is where I’d like to pause for a moment to consider the way this drama plays out and how the idea of for such a time as this needs to be carefully considered. Haman thinks that his time has come for exaltation, honor, and glory. He is working all the angles to position himself for success and fame. Esther, on the other hand, is considering how her actions may save the Jewish people. She is risking herself in the hope that she might be God’s instrument of deliverance and service.

There is something else remarkable about Esther: God’s name is never mentioned in the entire book. Yet his providential care stands behind the entire story. Esther cannot see the whole plan. Even Mordecai says, “Who knows whether…” She is simply called to act faithfully and courageously in the place and moment she has been given.

Spoiler Alert: Their fortunes will be dramatically reversed. We’ll wait to see how that unfolds. But we can already see that the question is not merely whether our time has come. The question is what we will do with the time and place God has given us. Haman sees his moment as an opportunity to exalt himself. Esther is called to use hers for the sake of others.

Jesus lived that perfectly. When his hour came, he did not use it to save himself, but to save us. He humbled himself and gave himself into death for the sake of all people. And God raised him from the dead and exalted him to his right hand. Through faith in him we receive grace upon grace. He is the one who has intervened for us when we could not intervene for ourselves.

Because Jesus has intervened for us, every “such a time as this” moment in our lives becomes a time for humility, faith, and courage on our part. So we embrace his gifts and use the time and place he has given us to serve others in his name.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.