Esther became queen of Persia , after the queen prior to
her was removed from her position because of disobeying King Xerxes. In those
days even a queen had no say so. She was at the beckoned call of the king and
there were strict rules about how a queen was to conduct herself. Queen Esther
was a Jew, but did not reveal that when she was presented to the king.
Esther was very beautiful, which is what got her the job of
queen in the first place. It is also what got the king to listen to her appeal
when it was most needed because of a conspiracy to kill all Jews in the region.
Reading this scripture reminds me of today’s government. It is difficult to
know who is working for what cause, what the reason is for many things that
transpire, and who can be trusted.
It also makes me think about our Christian faith and how
similar it may be to the way Esther conducted herself while living within the
king’s domain. Did she secretly carry out her Jewish beliefs? Perhaps. Did she boldly proclaim her faith
and attempt to educate others of the Jewish faith? That is unlikely because she
would not have maintained her position as queen. Maybe there was a small group
of believers within the palace she was ministering to. Whatever the case, when
the time came, she was willing to put her own life on the line for her people.
She knew that if the king did not summon her and she approached him, she could
be put to death. She played the political game, took a chance, and the Jews
were saved. It’s one thing to read about these stories of nobility, but yet
another to actually put ourselves in the position Esther did and lay down our
life.
We are very blessed to live in a time when that is not necessary……….. or
is it?
Read Esther 4:3-16 here
Listen to Esther 3 and 4 here
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