Esther 4: 9 – 17
Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. Then Esther spoke to Hathach and gave him a message for Mordecai, saying, ‘All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—all alike are to be put to death. Only if the king holds out the golden sceptre to someone, may that person live. I myself have not been called to come in to the king for thirty days.’ When they told Mordecai what Esther had said, Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, ‘Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.’ Then Esther said in reply to Mordecai, ‘Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.’ Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.
Reflection
I find myself having very mixed feelings about the story of Esther. Her lack of agency in much of the narrative, the whole beauty pageant business and her subjugation in the household don’t sit easily with my values and experience. That said, in the political and religious intrigue of the times, she finds herself in a unique position, with the possibility of achieving an outcome no-one else can.
Twice we hear the phrase ‘such a time as this’. In the first instance there is an element of threat to her and her family. “If you keep silence…”. The second feels a little more like flattery – “perhaps you have come to royal dignity…”.
I’ve heard this story explained as God putting the right person in the right place at the right time, but the more I read it, the less that rings true. For me, Esther is the woman who despite her lack of power in the machinations of the men around her, makes the most of the situation she finds herself in, and puts herself at great risk for the good of others.
That said, she’s not above asking for help. She may be on her own in the palace, but she calls on others from the community to fast alongside her before she takes action.
Sometimes we find ourselves in difficult places, though probably not as drastic as Esther’s. Taking tough decisions, even putting ourselves at risk is something that we may be called to do. Recognising that we may be in a place to act, but making sure that we have the support of others, even at a distance, is the way that Esther shows us.
Prayer
God, we pray for those who,
by accident or design
find themselves in places
where their voice can make a difference.
And we pray for ourselves, and for your Church,
that we will know when to speak,
and when to stand in solidarity
with others whose voices need to be heard.