Esther 4:1 – 5:3
I am an idealist. I freely acknowledge this. I am a dreamer. I see the world as it could be if everyone lived the way that we were created to live. I imagine what it would be like if the kingdom of God really came about on earth. I think the best of people. I expect everyone to be fair and honest and just. Maybe that’s why one of my favorite movies is “The Wizard of Oz,” and one of my favorite songs is “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” It’s a song of longing for a world that is more beautiful, more perfect, more kind than the one we sometimes experience as our reality.
But that kind of world doesn’t just happen. It doesn’t come about because we wish for it or hope for it or dream of it. Bringing about the kingdom of God on earth means that we have to act. We have to not only live out the principles of the kingdom, but we have to actively work to make the world more like God’s vision for what it could and should be. We have to look evil in the face and call it what it is and stand up to it. We have to work to change what can be changed, even when it might seem impossible. And we have to remember that what is impossible for us is possible for God. One of my favorite quotes was by Robert Kennedy, who said, “Some men see things as they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not.” But after you ask, “Why not?” you have to take responsibility for making those things happen.
One of the greatest stories in the Bible is about someone who took a stand and faced evil and risked her life to save an entire people. It is the story of Esther.
The story of Esther is set in the reign of King Xerxes of Persia, who reigned from 486 to 465 BCE. King Xerxes became dissatisfied with Queen Vashti and banished her from his presence forever. Then, at the suggestion of his personal attendants, a version of “Star Search” was put into motion whereby there was a search for all the beautiful virgins in the kingdom to find a woman to replace Vashti as queen.
There was a Jew living in Susa named Mordecai who had a beautiful cousin named Hadassah. He had raised her as his own daughter because her parents had died. She was also known as Esther. And she was very beautiful. The king’s attendants took notice of her and brought her to the palace along with the other beautiful women in the kingdom. Once there, the women underwent an entire year of beauty treatments before being presented to the king. And the king was more attracted to Esther than to any other woman, so he made her queen.
About this time, Mordecai learned about a plot by two of the king’s officers to assassinate the king. He told Queen Esther, who reported to the king what Mordecai had said. The officers were found and put to death.
There was a noble named Haman who schemed and maneuvered himself into a higher position than any other noble in the kingdom. The king gave him the highest seat of honor and other people were to bow down and honor him. Mordecai refused to do this, and Haman became enraged over it. He learned that Mordecai was a Jew and he decided to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom. Haman went and talked to King Xerxes about the Jews, accusing them of not obeying the king’s laws. He told the king that the Jews kept themselves separate from everyone else and practiced different customs. He asked the king for a decree to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom in return for a large sum of money. The king told Haman to do as he wished with the Jews. Haman then sent out an edict in the name of the king that ordered the people to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews on a certain date.
Mordecai learned about this plot. He sent word to Esther and asked her to approach the king and beg for mercy for her people. He said, “Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Even though it was forbidden to go the king unless he summoned you, Esther went into his presence. Xerxes decided to allow Esther to remain. And he told her that whatever she requested he would give her, up to one-half of the kingdom.
Esther did not immediately ask for mercy for the Jews. Instead, she planned a banquet and invited only Haman to attend. She would make her request at the banquet. In the meantime, King Xerxes had trouble sleeping that night and got up to read. He happened to read an account of how Mordecai had saved him from the assassination attempt earlier. He asked his attendants what had been done to honor Mordecai, and they told him that nothing had been done.
As it turned out, Haman came to the palace just at that moment and the king saw him. He asked Haman how he should honor a man that had delighted him. Haman assumed that the king was talking about him, and he made lots of suggestions of ways to honor such a man. The king was happy with his answer, and he told Haman to honor Mordecai in all those ways. And so, even though Haman hated Mordecai, he had to do it.
The day came for the banquet and Haman came to the palace. The king asked Esther to make her request, and said that he would grant it, even to half of the kingdom. Esther asked Xerxes to spare her people from being killed and told him how Haman had conspired to have them killed and paid money for it. The king became angry with Haman and ordered that he be killed. He gave Queen Esther all of Haman’s estate, and she put Mordecai in charge of it. Then the king issued an order overriding Haman’s edict and giving the Jews permission to destroy their enemies. They celebrated and feasted and then they took their revenge on their enemies. Queen Esther established this as a permanent celebration, which was known as Purim.
So that’s the story of Queen Esther. What does her story have to do with us?
First, Queen Esther was put in a particular place at a particular time for a reason. God placed her in the palace so that she would be able to save the Jews from destruction and annihilation. It was no mistake that the events took place in the way that they did. It was not a coincidence; it was a God incident. God’s hand was at work in this entire narrative.
Second, when Esther learned about the evil that Haman had planned for her people, she stood up against him in the presence of the king. She approached the king, even when it was forbidden to go to him without being invited. She risked her own life in order to save the lives of many others. She confronted the man who was her mortal enemy with courage and conviction. And justice was served. Haman paid the price for his evil scheme. And the Jewish people eliminated their enemies. It was harsh, because the world they lived in was harsh. Clearly we should not think in terms of killing our enemies or seeing that as fair or just. But God held them accountable for their actions, just as ultimately everyone will be held accountable.
Third, Esther took care of her family. She made sure Mordecai was not only safe, but provided for when she put him in charge of Haman’s estate that the king granted to her. Mordecai had taken her in and given her a home when she was an orphan, and when she had the opportunity Esther repaid his generosity. She did not think in terms of keeping the wealth for herself; she wanted to do something kind for someone who had been kind to her.
We live in a day when there is much injustice and evil. Maybe every time is like that. And we are sometimes put in a place at just the right time to make a difference. Sometimes we act to put ourselves in a position of influence. And sometimes God uses us just where we are. We have been put where we are for such a time as this.
This past week we witnessed a turning point in our country in regard to equal justice under the law. The verdicts in the George Floyd case can be a beginning in working to make our justice system more fair and just. There are many voices speaking up and speaking out. Think about the thousands of people who demonstrated around our country, and even in other countries, after George Floyd’s death became known through a video taken by a bystander. People felt that enough was enough, that something had to be done, that somehow people needed to be held accountable for the killing of persons of color by the police. And justice as done when the former police officer responsible for George Floyd’s death was found guilty on all charges. The members of the jury were surely put there for such a time as this. And they made it possible for true justice to be done in this case.
I don’t know when or where any of us will be put in a position to change our world. Maybe we are changing it slowly but surely every day as we live our lives in faithful obedience to Jesus Christ. Maybe by speaking up in person or through calls or letters to our elected officials or by participating in a demonstration, we are finding ways to make a difference. Maybe it is by seeking friendship with people who are not like us, getting to know them and trying to see the world from their point of view. Maybe it is though our votes on issues and in choosing who we want to represent us in government. There are groups and agencies that are working for justice who would love to have more volunteers. We can all find a way to get involved if we really want to.
I am a dreamer, even though I have plenty of reasons to have grown cynical. I am an optimist, in spite of the evidence that the world demands our pessimism. I want to imagine a different kind of world, I want to believe in a country where people are treated equally, I want to be brave enough to speak up when I am in a position to do so. And I think that my dreaming and imagining are faithful responses to Jesus, who was certainly a dreamer, too. His vision for the world found in the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount is an idealistic vision. But, like Jesus, I want to work toward making that vision a reality. I think it is what Esther would do. What about you?
