Esther

The Timely Queen

READ Esther 4

Olga Crommelin was just a teenager when she risked her life to save a young Jewish boy from being taken by Nazi soldiers. The boy, Arnold Van Den Berg, was only two years old. His parents lived in hiding in the home of a Dutch family, but little Arnold was too much of a liability. Any noise he made when Nazi soldiers checked the home would give the family’s hiding place away, resulting in their removal to a concentration camp. To keep both family and child safe, Olga took young Arnold to a village where she placed him in an orphanage with a few other Jewish children. On the way, she had to walk with this Jewish toddler right past a group of Nazis.

Arnold and his parents survived the war, were reunited, and eventually emigrated to California. Years later, Arnold still grappled with understanding why teenage Olga would risk her life to save him, a baby she didn’t even know. As he processed this question in therapy, Arnold’s psychologist pointed out that when a person’s principles are more important than their life, that person will risk their life for the sake of what they believe is right.^* There are times when standing up for justice is so important that you will risk your own life to do it. Esther’s story illustrates the same truth.

The crisis in the book of Esther began when Haman, the Persian king Xerxes’ right-hand man, convinced the king to issue an edict demanding the genocide of all the Jews. Xerxes was unaware that his own queen, Esther, was herself Jewish. Upon hearing that her cousin Mordecai, who had raised her, was in mourning, Esther sent a messenger to find out what was wrong, and Mordecai, explaining the threat, urged her to intercede for her people. Esther resisted, noting that anyone who approached the king unsummoned—even the queen herself—could be put to death. Yet Mordecai was adamant, saying, “Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (4:14).

Esther responded to Mordecai’s words with bold courage. Though she knew it could mean her own death, she resolved to go before the king on behalf of her people: “If I perish, I perish” (v. 16). Like Olga Crommelin, Esther understood that there are times when standing up for justice, even if it means risking your own life, is the right thing to do. Like other faithful people we have read about thus far, Esther was prepared to lay down her life for the sake of others. In this way, her story points toward the self-giving sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

Perhaps you have noticed that the book of Esther never mentions God. This makes it a fascinating study in finding God at work even when the Bible writer does not tell us exactly what God is doing, or why. This is a skill we must exercise in our own lives. God doesn’t usually tell us clearly what he’s doing in our life circumstances and challenges. Instead, we must calibrate our vision to see God at work in the everyday.

Mordecai’s powerful words offer us a standard for this calibration. Why has God put you where you are? Is there a neighbor or a coworker—perhaps someone who has no one else who knows their situation quite like you do—whom God might be calling you to bless or care for? What resources or talents has God given you that you can use to enhance the ministry of God’s kingdom in your community? God is a master arranger of people, circumstances, and timing. Let Mordecai’s words challenge you. God has put you where you are “for such a time as this.” The way we live our lives impacts the lives of others. Keep your mind and heart open to why God has placed you where you are in this moment.

Our everyday choices and actions have real justice implications. Esther’s story should lead us to take these implications seriously. Who are the people around us who need our prayers and our acts of selfless love? Who are the people far away whose lives we might be able to impact through support of worthy organizations or wiser consumer habits? Christ said those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and justice (Greek, dikaiosune) are blessed (Matthew 5:6). Our hearts and lives should be attentive to the hunger and thirst of such people, who are honored in God’s eyes. Like Esther, we must faithfully stand up for justice, looking with God’s perspective to find why we have been placed where we are. Pray for God to help you with this worthy task today.