Esther: for such a time as THIS!
Esther is one of my favorite books. It's the story of a woman who steps out in faith to save her people. Many people like to quote chapter 4 verse 17 "for such a time as this" to encourage others that perhaps they are in a certain situation for a specific purpose. But what is this book really about? Where is God in the book? What is the festival of Purim that comes from this story? And what does all of this have to do with the antisemitism?
First, quick history:
In 586 BC, Babylon conquered Judah, also known as the southern kingdom. The people of Judah were sent into exile for 70 years. During this time, the Medo-Persian empire conquers Babylon in 539 BC. By the way, this was all prophesied by Daniel; read the book of Daniel. Under the Medo-Persian rule, the Jews are allowed to start going back to the land of Judah while still under Medo-Persian control. It is during the Medo-Persian rule, maybe during King Xerxes I (Ahasuerus) around 483 BC, we encounter Esther and her story.
Quick overview of the book of Esther:
The three main figures in the story are Mordecai, Esther, and Haman. Mordecai we are told is a Jew from the lineage of King Saul (2:5). Esther is his cousin whom he became a father to because she lost her parents. They are both Jews living in exile. Haman is an advisor in the court of King Ahasuerus. But we are also told he is the son of Hammedatha the Agagite (3:1). Why do we care whose son he is? We must remember the story of Saul and the Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15. Agagite is a reference to King Agag of the Amalekites whom Saul did not kill as God had commanded him to. Haman is a descendant of the Amalekites. Now we have to go further back to the exodus to understand the Amalekites. When Moses led the Hebrew people out of Egypt, the Amalekites attacked them in the desert. They attacked the back of the group with the tired and weak (Deuteronomy 25:17-18). The Amalekites continue to be enemies and haters of Israel throughout it's history. The author of Esther is alerting us Haman comes from a people that hate the Jewish people.
In the story, a series of events leads to King Ahasuerus banishing his queen, conducting a search for a new queen, and choosing Esther. As the story continues, Haman is promoted in the king's court. Mordecai refuses to bow before him. When asked why Mordecai said "he was a Jew" (3:4). After hearing this, Haman "sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom" instead of just attacking Mordecai (3:6). This is what we call today antisemitism. Haman appeals to King Ahasuerus to have all the Jewish people in the entire empire, from India to Ethiopia, destroyed. A royal order is sent to all of them to "destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women" all on the 13th day of the 12thmonth. This call to annihilate the Jewish people will repeat itself again multiple times throughout history, including most recently as of October 7, 2023.
As the story continues, Mordecai tells Esther what has happened and urges her to appeal to the king. Esther, who has been hiding her Jewish identity, is scared for her life to appeal to the king. It is at this point Mordecai's famous words are given that perhaps "for such a time as this" she is there. Esther calls for a 3 day fast and then approaches the king. She finds favor with him. Another series of events occur leading to Haman's execution. Another royal order is sent throughout the empire telling the Jews to protect themselves against anyone who attacks them. This is key: the Jewish people only fought and overcame those who hated and attacked them (9:1-2). They defended themselves and never took the plunder (9:15). Ever wonder why Israel's army is called the Israeli DEFENSE Forces? In the end, Mordecai, Esther, and all the Jews establish a yearly holiday to commemorate this event when they were saved from annihilation. They called it Purim, taking place on the 14th day of the 12th month.
So back to those questions we asked at the beginning...
Purim is a yearly festival that the people instituted and have kept for the last 2400 years. It takes place on the 14th day, or 15th if you live in Jerusalem, of the 12th month of Adar (February/March). Some will fast the day before to recognize the fast Esther took. On the 14th people usually send gifts to friends and make donations to charities, as this was the tradition started by Mordecai (9:22). It's also a very festive day with much celebrating and food. During the reading of the book, when Mordecai's or Esther's name is said there are shouts of joy such as yay! When Haman's name is said there is a lot of booing. It is called Purim because Haman cast lots, known as pur, to decide the date for the destruction of the Jews (3:7).
God is never mentioned in the book of Esther. Where is He? EVERYWHERE! The book of Esther is a lesson in the providence of God. He is causing everything to come together for His purpose, even if you don't see Him. After the original queen is banished, Esther, a Jewish girl, takes her place. Esther is chosen out of all the many women across the large empire to become queen of a non-Jewish empire. What are the odds? Mordecai at one point in the story is sitting at the king's gate and finds out about a plan to kill the king, which he tells Esther about, and she tells the king. That's not luck. That's God's providence. Those are just two examples.
What is this book really about and why for such a time as THIS? In Genesis 3:15, God tells Satan the woman's Seed will bruise his head. We all know this Seed is the Messiah. Later in Genesis 49:10, when Jacob is blessing his sons, he tells Judah the scepter and ruler's staff will not depart from him until he comes who obedience belongs to. And the people will obey him. This is prophetic of Messiah coming from Judah. If Satan could wipe out the Israelites, it would stop the Messiah's coming. The Bible tells us of all the enemies of Israel who tried to annihilate her. Haman and the Amalekites were just two of them. But there were always Esthers who stood up. That is actually what the story of Hanukkah, which I've written on, is also about. The Maccabees were the Esther of their day to save the Jewish people. This is a spiritual battle. And the battle continues because Jesus is coming back to Israel and His chosen people will recognize Him (Zechariah 12:10, Matthew 23:39). Satan wants to stop that. Calls for the annihilation of the Jewish people have continued up to today. That is what Hamas calls for: annihilation of the Jewish people and complete control of the land of Israel [2, 3]. So, here WE are for such a time as THIS! We need to stand in support of the covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We need to support Israel's right to defend herself against attacks from the enemies of the Jews. We need to remember this is not a political battle. This is a spiritual battle. We are not against the Arabic, Palestinian people. We pray that they would come to see Jesus as Savior, Messiah just as much as we pray that the Jew would come to see that. However, God's covenant was made with the people of Israel. We are against the demonic evil that Hamas is and antisemitism. There's a part of that famous speech Mordecai gave Esther that often gets overlooked. He said: "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" (4:14). These words remind me of God's promise to Abraham: "I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you" (Genesis 12:3).
[1] https://www.chosenpeople.com/hamas-agenda/
[2] https://irp.fas.org/world/para/docs/hamas-2017.pdf
[3] https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/doctrine-hamas
[4] "Why Satan Hates the Jews" Jewish Voice Ministries International https://www.jewishvoice.org/sign-form-why-satan-hates-jews