Lessons from the Hesitant Courage of Esther

If you've grown up going to church like I have, then you may have heard the story of Esther and Mordecai. It was easy for me as a girl to think of Esther as this great and courageous heroine, saving her people from genocide. And Esther was brave, but her courage did not come right away. A close reading of the text reveals Esther was at first afraid. 

Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.” (Esth 4:10-11)

 

Her initial response to Mordecai's instruction to go to the king and beg for mercy was, "but if I do that I will die." Undoubtedly most of us, if put in her position, would say the same thing. My own life is often what is first and primary in my mind. It was only when Mordecai told her that being the king's wife did not mean she would be spared from the destruction of the Jewish people that she agreed to go. Faced with death in front and death behind, Esther chose to face death bravely. She would go to the king even though it might cost her her life.

Esther was brave, but she also knew that she would not succeed without the Lord's help so she and her people fasted for three days. Although it does not say she prayed to the Lord specifically, fasting was usually done as a sign of humbling oneself before the Lord. For example, Daniel fasted when he prayed to the Lord for deliverance (see Daniel 9). Esther's situation seems similar to Daniel's situation so it seems reasonable to conclude Esther is fasting as a way to humble herself before the Lord and to ask for his favor and help.

One distinctive characteristic of the book of Esther is that God is never mentioned specifically by name. The Jewish people are in exile under the rule of a foreign king. The seeming absence of God has made people wonder whether this book has anything to teach us about God. I listened to a talk by Beth Moore once and she commented that Esther was a book about God working through ordinary ways and is a testament to his presence even when it seems like he is absent. I think this explanation has truth to it. God does seem absent in this book. Mordecai and Esther have to figure things out without the help of a prophet. But when you line up all the things that went Esther's way so she ended up becoming queen, it is hard not to think God was behind it. 

It reminds me of Joseph and how many times people favored Joseph when circumstances were against him. God's guiding hand was with Joseph during his time of slavery so that when the time was right, Joseph could save his family from starvation. In Esther, you can see a similar situation and Mordecai's words to her that "who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14) reveal he thinks Esther's position was not a coincidence. And despite her initial hesitancy, Esther does finally approach the king and amazingly he spares her life and listens to her when she tells him of the plot to kill the Jews. Her people are saved.

Though she does act courageously in the end, her courage did not come right away and I think this shows she is a regular human being and in need of her own salvation. Her story inspires me because I am so often fearful of what I am called to do. Too often, God's calling on my life feels like an impossible task. I don't feel strong enough or courageous enough. But Esther reminds me that God uses people who are often afraid. The fearless hero stereotype does not come from the Bible. The people in the Bible are just regular, human beings who are often afraid, like me.

So why does Esther still matter today? Because today, we have no prophet giving us new revelation. We have the recorded Word of God in the Bible which we must study and when we pray God answers indirectly. God's people today are faced with difficult situations and it takes the courage of faith to face what may even be death. We must use wisdom and what God teaches through the Bible to discern what course of action to take and how he might want us to serve him where we are. Esther shows us we can trust that God is still with us, even when he seems silent. Esther teaches us to have courage to do what is right. God is still at work behind the scenes, orchestrating the lives of his people for their good and using all kinds of people despite their failings.