Good morning. For our Thursday, “thought for the day” character, I would like to share some thoughts about Esther and her cousin Mordecai.
The history of Esther and her place as a hero amongst God’s people begins with a description of a really nasty fellow. His name is Ahasuerus (Xerxes), and in 479 B.C. as the story of Esther unfolds, he is the king of Persia. As was his custom, he was taking part in a drunken party with a bunch of his friends and decided to show off his queen. Her name was Vashti, and she refused to be paraded around for the entertainment of a bunch of drunks, even if one of them was her husband the king. He had her banished.
That left the king in need of a new queen. Of all the traits that could have been important for a woman who could be queen of the land, only one was important to Xerxes: she needed to be beautiful enough to make him the envy of his friends.
King Xerxes ordered all the beautiful women in the royal precinct of Susa to be brought to the palace so he could choose a wife.
During this time, there lived in Susa a Jewish man named Mordecai, who took care of his orphaned niece Esther, a girl of exceptional beauty. Esther was brought to the palace, and out of all the young women, she was selected as the king’s favorite and declared queen. As Mordecai had advised her, she told no one of her Jewish heritage.
So far, so good, although if you are hoping for romance this is the wrong story. One day, when Mordecai was walking outside the royal gates, he overheard two eunuchs plotting to assassinate the king. Mordecai told Esther of what he had heard, and she in turn, told the king. Thanks to Mordecai, he was able to stop the attempt and execute the conspirators.
Following the foiled assassination attempt, Haman, a chief advisor to the king, periodically went outside the palace gates and demanded that the king’s servants bow to him. But, as a God-fearing Jew, Mordecai refused to bow to Haman. This infuriated Haman, and after he discovered Mordecai was a Jew, he conceived a plot to exterminate the Jews.
When Mordecai heard of this, he asked Esther to plead with the king on their behalf. However, Esther reminded Mordecai that whoever went to the king uninvited would face the penalty of death unless he extended his golden scepter. Mordecai urged Esther to visit the king anyway, as Esther 4:13-16 relates, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “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.”
There are a couple of points in these verses that I think are especially noteworthy for us. First of all, Mordecai impresses upon Esther that it may well be that it was for this very moment that God had placed her in the position she now found herself. That thought was enough for Esther to agree. The second thing that I find interesting is that she insists that before such an important, and dangerous, thing is to be attempted, it must be bathed in fasting and in prayer. She knows that it is essential that God is at the very heart of the matter.
I encourage you to take a few minutes to read the book of Esther. It isn’t very long, but it is inspiring, and it tells the story of how faithful obedience ensured the victory. The good guys (Mordecai and Esther as well as all the Jewish people who were saved) win. The bad guy, Haman, loses everything. And by everything, I mean EVERYTHING! He built a gallows to hang Mordecai, and let’s just say that while it doesn’t serve the purpose he intended, it doesn’t go to waste either.
Have you ever considered when faced with a tough situation that perhaps God has equipped you for that very moment? Perhaps you might consider that you are especially prepared and qualified, and in the time and place that God has chosen for you. But above all, we need to remember while in that tough situation that you are not alone. Just as Esther made sure that they had prayed and fasted to be certain of God’s presence, we are encouraged to do the same.
Mordecai and Esther are our heroes for the day. People to think about!
Vern