Esther Was No Pushover

You've probably read the story of Esther before. It's the story about a young woman from Israel, brought up by her cousin in Babylon and made queen of the country. she ended up in a place where she could influence a king and save her people from annihilation.

The story has been the subject of villain/hero morality plays by the Jewish community for generations. When Haman comes on the stage everyone boos and when Esther wins the day there is great cheering.

But I noticed when reading this story again that Esther was no cartoon cutout, no caricature, no stereotype.

She was actually a pretty astute judge of character and situation. When it came time appear before the king she took the advice of a palace official (instead of feeling confident in her own opinions in this foreign situation). She foiled a plot to kill the king despite the fact that Babylon was an enemy of Israel by sharing intelligence. Then she threw the real enemy, Haman, off guard and appealed to her husband's love for her in stopping his plot to wipe out the entire nation.

Placed in a strange situation, faced with death if she did nothing, and death if she acted, Esther used her beauty, character, intelligence, and patience to do God's work. She did it all in a foreign land with customs she was not used to and with no one to really lean on - except God.

It gives me hope that when I am placed in situations where things seem out of control, I can be calm knowing that the Lord is with me and may have me where I am, no matter how difficult, "for such a time as this." (Esther 4:14).

Pastor Tom