When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:12-16)
“And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Background
Mordecai had raised Esther as his own daughter when his cousin, Esther’s father, and mother died. Both Mordecai and Esther were Jews and living a rather normal life until a very unlikely turn of events unfolded in the kingdom.
King Xerxes wife, Queen Vashti, refused to visit the king at his request at a royal banquet. Scripture is silent on the reason why. King Xerxes was incensed. He thought Vashti needed to be publicly disciplined. He thought she needed to go. A national beauty pageant followed. Esther won. And Esther became the new queen, resulting in one of the quickest and most unlikely position ascensions in scripture. All the time she and Mordecai hid her Jewish roots. And life was good.
And then Haman entered the story. Haman was an ambitious noble who had high kingdom aspirations. Because of his increasing stature, the king ordered that other officials bow down to him. Mordecai refused. Not once but time after time. Now Haman was incensed. Others revealed to Haman that Mordecai was a Jew. Haman hatched a plan and sought the king’s approval to extinguish all Jews in the kingdom, since they were a people that did not obey the king’s laws. Now Mordecai had a problem. All the Jews had a problem. Esther had a problem. And overnight life now became tenuous.
There was really only one option. Mordecai needed Esther’s help to appeal to the King. But this was risky. Approaching the king without being summoned could result in death, unless the king spared the requesting person’s life. The stakes were high. Esther reminded Mordecai of the personal risk. And Mordecai replied with one of the most famous lines in the bible “And who knows that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this”.
Mordecai was right. And we know the rest of the story.
Reflections
In Matthew 24 a few of the disciples approached Jesus privately and asked “what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus describes the beginning of the end time birth pains will begin when there is a time when nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. And an increase in wickedness.
Jesus was clear that no one, including him, knew the day or the hour of his return besides the Father. But do you ever wonder if we are getting close? Is it possible that we are one of the last generations before his return?
I can say this with certainty. There has never been a generation closer to Jesus return than the current. The father could have birthed us into history at any point. He chose now. We live in a world increasingly desperate for Christian love. And mercy. For justice. And light. For good news. And hope. The timing of our life is no accident. We have been birthed into this generation for a reason. Most likely to exercise courage and faithfulness and intense light in an increasingly dark world for “such a time as this”. Let us model Esther’s resolve with a similar purpose.
Lord, the increase in wickedness even in my life time has been alarming. You birthed us into this time of history for a reason. Your plan is beyond our comprehension but you are surely looking for a heightened level of faithfulness and diligence. Be glorified in and through our lives for “such a time as this”. Let us not squander the special place in history you have birthed us into. Amen.
What if each one of us viewed our place in history as a privilege? One to be valued with the highest degree of responsibility so that we were pursuing diligent faithfulness in all?
What if... 