Esther’s life
When we think of Esther, we often think of the beautiful, brave queen protecting her people: “If I perish, I perish”. But we often forget that Esther was a normal human just like anyone else. She didn’t have it easy: an orphan being raised by her uncle, taken away from home, forced to marry a strange man, and become queen over an entire kingdom. Most importantly, she was a Jew. At this time in history, the Jews were a despised nation. Looking at her life, it didn’t seem that Esther was ‘favored’ by God. In fact, it looked like God had completely overlooked her. But as we shall see, God was always present and always working.
Despite the book’s title, Esther is less about Esther and more about God. Interestingly, the book of Esther is the only book in the Bible where God is not explicitly mentioned. Throughout the entire story, God is not named or even alluded to. What’s worse, His silence came at one of Israel’s darkest moments. Haman, an advisor to the king, threatened to wipe out the entire Jewish nation. In this situation, it would seem that God had forgotten Israel. It would seem that God was silent; that he had given his people over to destruction. Esther had just become queen, and up to this point had kept her ethnicity secret. But now, in the face of Israel’s collapse, she had a choice: she could either keep quiet and protect her own position as queen, or she could use her position for God’s glory. She chose the latter. She said to her uncle: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” (4:16)
Even after all the confusion and pain that Esther had endured, she still chose to honor God. Even though God seemed silent, she still cried out to Him. Even though she could not see God’s hand, she approached the King in faith. And in silence, God saved His people. Through a series of strange “coincidences”, God interceded. The King looked on Esther with favor and heard her plea to save the Jews. Haman was executed, and the King granted the Jews the right to protect themselves from any nation that might threaten them. Through this edict, God ensured that his people were protected not just once, but for all times to come. God had a greater plan to save his people.
Live it out!
Sometimes in life, we think that God is silent. We face tragedy and heartache and don’t understand why God is allowing it. We think that God is blind to our suffering. But what we learn from the book of Esther is that God is always working for our good. Even in the chaos, the confusion, and the pain, we can be certain that God hears us and is protecting us. Sometimes we cannot see how God could possibly make our situation beautiful, but He does- in ways that exceed our expectations. He is the God of the greater plan.