Be Like Esther

“Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14 (ESV)

Once in a while I am blessed with the privilege of teaching Sunday school to the 4^th graders in our church. The last time I did I shared with them the story of Esther. In the guide that I was given there was a suggestion that as we draw some of the story out, I tell the story from the Bible. But I asked them if they ever heard of her story and to my surprise some of them did. Basically the answer they gave was she was a queen who saved her friends. “Not Too Shabby”, I replied but I had to share with them a little more than that. So here’s some of what I told them.

Esther was a beautiful Jewish girl who came from nowhere, won a beauty contest, married a king named Ahasuerus, and then became the queen of the kingdom. Esther was the queen who would save her fellow Jews from a wicked guy named Haman (hiss) who had a scheme to kill all the Jews. It was Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, who came to her and described the evil scheme that Haman (hiss) had in mind, saying, “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

So she took her chances and used her influence with the king, the scheme was averted, and the Jews were saved. Then, in perfect poetic justice, Haman, the guy who hatched the plot, ended up hanging on the very gallows he had erected to kill the Jews. She was there behind the scenes. Esther could have said, “I don’t want to jeopardize my position. No one will ever find out I am a Jew. I am going to be careful and play it safe.” But instead, she put everything on the line. I love the story of Esther because in some ways, it reminds me of a fairy tale, except it is true.

Ya know, sometimes we are prone to shy from social challenges that contain danger or loss. But when the cause of Christ and His people demand it, we must take up our cross, and follow Him. When Christians are left to consider their own ease or safety, rather than the public good, they should be blamed. I am always hearing the phrase, “Ever since they took the Bible out of the schools” or “Ever since they stopped allowing prayer in the classroom.” Well, who let it happen? Since we are all lumped into the sin of Adam and Eve together I’m gonna say, “We did!” I think it is time to understand that.

But it doesn’t have to stay this way. Who knows that God has not put you where you are right now for such a time as this? You may be the only Christian in your family or the only believer in your neighborhood. You may be the only follower of Jesus Christ in your workplace or in your classroom. Like Esther, will you stand up for such a time as this? Will you use your influence where you can, when you can? Sometimes your influence is all the testimony the world needs. Amen? – Chris Hughes blogs weekly on Freedom Fighter and is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 6-7; Matthew 7

Quote of the day: “All dangers are trifling compared with the danger of losing our souls. But the trembling sinner is often as much afraid of casting himself, without reserve, upon the Lord’s free mercy, as Esther was of coming before the king.”—Mathew Henry

Bible Memory: “Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.” Psalm 119:89-90