July 16

Esther 4, 5  Luke 11

 

Now we are at the heart of the story and we come to the verse that is quoted most often from the book of Esther.

 

Remember, Esther is a valued member of the harem of the King of Persia. She is one of his favorites. But, he is still the king and she is not allowed to come into his presence without his permission. Her uncle, Mordecai, is not allowed to talk to her directly. But, he has learned of Haman's evil plot to kill all of the Jews in the kingdom and Mordecai gets word to Esther. She sends word back to him that there is nothing she can do. She has not been called into the king's presence in a month and does not know when she will  next see him.

 

Mordecai sends word back to her. He tells her that she should not believe that she will be safe from the edict to kill all of the Jews just because she is in the palace. Then the line. "Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this."

 

Esther gathered her courage; dressed up; and stood where the king could see her. She could have been killed for being so bold. But, the king called her forward and she invited him to a banquet along with his advisor Haman. The king accepted. Meanwhile, Haman is outraged at Mordecai who will not bow down to him as the king's advisor. We will see who bows to whom in the next chapters!

 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, that is, Luke--Jesus is gathering the ire of the people who are in power. We will also, of course, see who wins that battle in the weeks ahead!

 

Sometimes we find ourselves in difficult situations and wonder why God has brought us to this place. Perhaps we can remember Esther, her courage, her smart assessment of the situation, and her loyalty to her people in the face of danger to herself. What gifts has God given you to face a circumstance in which you might find yourself now?