December 7, 2014: Esther

Esther 4:1-17

When Mordecai learned what had been done, he tore his clothes, dressed in mourning clothes, and put ashes on his head. Then he went out into the heart of the city and cried out loudly and bitterly. ² He went only as far as the King’s Gate because it was against the law for anyone to pass through it wearing mourning clothes. ³ At the same time, in every province and place where the king’s order and his new law arrived, a very great sadness came over the Jews. They gave up eating and spent whole days weeping and crying out loudly in pain. Many Jews lay on the ground in mourning clothes and ashes. ⁴ When Esther’s female servants and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, the queen’s whole body showed how upset she was. She sent everyday clothes for Mordecai to wear instead of mourning clothes, but he rejected them.

⁵ Esther then sent for Hathach, one of the royal eunuchs whose job it was to wait on her. She ordered him to go to Mordecai and find out what was going on and why he was acting this way. ⁶ Hathach went out to Mordecai, to the city square in front of the King’s Gate. ⁷ Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him. He spelled out the exact amount of silver that Haman promised to pay into the royal treasury. It was in exchange for the destruction of the Jews. ⁸ He also gave Hathach a copy of the law made public in Susa concerning the Jews’ destruction so that Hathach could show it to Esther and report it to her. Through him Mordecai ordered her to go to the king to seek his kindness and his help for her people. ⁹ Hathach came back and told Esther what Mordecai had said.

¹⁰ In reply Esther ordered Hathach to tell Mordecai: ¹¹ “All the king’s officials and the people in his provinces know that there’s a single law in a case like this. Any man or woman who comes to the king in the inner courtyard without being called is to be put to death. Only the person to whom the king holds out the gold scepter may live. In my case, I haven’t been called to come to the king for the past thirty days.”

¹² When they told Mordecai Esther’s words, ¹³ he had them respond to Esther: “Don’t think for one minute that, unlike all the other Jews, you’ll come out of this alive simply because you are in the palace. ¹⁴ In fact, if you don’t speak up at this very important time, relief and rescue will appear for the Jews from another place, but you and your family will die. But who knows? Maybe it was for a moment like this that you came to be part of the royal family.”

¹⁵ Esther sent back this word to Mordecai: ¹⁶ “Go, gather all the Jews who are in Susa and tell them to give up eating to help me be brave. They aren’t to eat or drink anything for three whole days, and I myself will do the same, along with my female servants. Then, even though it’s against the law, I will go to the king; and if I am to die, then die I will.” ¹⁷ So Mordecai left where he was and did exactly what Esther had ordered him.

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I will always think of this book of the Bible rather fondly because of my Great-Grandmother, Esther Steinkamp. Like the queen of this story, Esther was a wonderful woman.  Like the Biblical Esther, my Great-Grandmother was a person who had a place in two different cultures: Esther Steinkamp was born and raised in Indiana but learned her Small Catechism and hymns in German and spoke that language at home.  Esther Steinkamp raised a family during the Great Depression (which was certainly not easy) and was a faithful Christians her entire life.  Both had to be brave and plucky in some tough situations and both have left a legacy of faith.  So, when I think of brave women these two come to mind.

But perhaps some of what I said above doesn’t make much sense if you are unfamiliar with the book of Esther.  A little background will help.  The people of Israel had lived in the Promised Land, first under the Judges and then under the Kings. Even though the United Kingdom, eventually broke into two different entities, they lasted for hundreds of years.  Eventually, however, both the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah were destroyed and many of their people were taken into exile. The exiles from Israel (the “Lost Ten Tribes”) have disappeared from history, but the exiles from Judah continued to keep their religion and cultural identity. In addition to those forced from their homes, many people moved to other countries to pursue a better life for themselves. 

Life “in exile” was often a mixed bag.  Quite often exiles were able to carve out a good life in their new homes: some became successful merchants or government officials.  For others, things were much more difficult, but no matter what your economic situation, the cultural environment was very different. Languages, customs, food, and religion were different in their new lands.  Their new leaders often tolerated their worship of Yahweh (the Israelite God), but there were times when it was less than advantageous to be known as a “Jew” (a name that comes from the land of Judah).  The Exiles were always susceptible to attack, slander, or prejudice.

Stories about Jews like Esther, Daniel (of Lions’ Den fame), and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (of fiery furnace fame) all depict the challenges that the Jewish individuals in particular and the Jewish people as a whole had to face in a foreign land.  When our lesson for today begins, a powerful official in the Persian Empire has just orchestrated an attack on the Jewish people, so that they would be annihilated and all of their property plundered.  This is why Mordecai is so distressed.

Mordecai’s cousin and adopted daughter Esther had recently won an empire-wide contest and had become a wife of the King of Persia.  The Bible says that she did not reveal that she was a Jew and was thus living “under the radar” in the King’s harem. Had her true identity been known, Esther could very possibly be in danger.

Esther and Mordecai had remained close and now he charges Esther to appeal to the king to save the Jewish people.  This is a very dangerous thing to do, of course, as the story tells us. Mordecai’s words to Esther must have rung in her ears, just as they ring in ours today. “Don’t think for one minute that, unlike all the other Jews, you’ll come out of this alive simply because you are in the palace…” Laying low and protecting herself will not ultimately save her: eventually she will be found out.

But his next line has great significance as well: “But who knows? Maybe it was for a moment like this that you came to be part of the royal family.”

Here again we have the theme that can found throughout Scripture: being blessed in order to be a blessing to others. Like Abraham and Solomon before her, Esther’s advantages have put her in a place to make a tremendous difference.  May we all consider that “It was for a moment like this that  fill in the blank in my life.”  What gifts, abilities, or situations of influence has God placed us in so that we can make a difference for the good? Are we able to recognize it?

In a world that has seen all-too-much violence against the Jewish people, this story comes to life right from the page. Esther decides to act bravely, just as Mordecai asks, and prepares to go to the king.  The safety of the Jewish people depends on her poise.  What happens next? You’ll have to open up your Bibles and start reading at Chapter 5 to find out.