The Jewish holiday of Purim is based on the biblical story that’s familiar to most churchgoers: the deliverance of the Jews from planned genocide at the hands of the Persian official Haman. The agent of that deliverance is Esther, one of the most famous heroines of the Old Testament.

[Read about Esther in Smith’s Bible Names Dictionary on Bible Gateway]

[Order your copy of Faith Among the Faithless: Learning from Esther How to Live in a World Gone Mad by Mike Cosper (Thomas Nelson, 2018) in the Bible Gateway Store]

Esther is the perfect example of a regular person who finds herself suddenly and unexpectedly in a position to do great good—or to refrain from acting and let terrible evil play out. When she confronts the Persian king to plead on behalf of her people, she is risking her life. When Esther points this out to her uncle Mordecai, he responds with an inspiring challenge, quoted here from Esther 4:10-14 (VOICE):

Esther ordered Hathach to return to the city gate and reply to Mordecai.

Esther: How am I supposed to see the king? It’s known throughout the land, from the greatest of the king’s officials to the common folk who live in the provinces, that any person who approaches the king in the inner chamber without being invited is sentenced to death. That’s the law! There’s only one exception, and that’s if the king were to hold out the gold scepter to that person and spare his or her life. It’s been 30 days since the king last summoned me!

Hathach and the other servants took Esther’s response to Mordecai.

Mordecai: Tell Esther, “Don’t be fooled. Just because you are living inside the king’s palace doesn’t mean that you out of all of the Jews will escape the carnage. You must go before your king. If you stay silent during this time, deliverance for the Jews will come from somewhere, but you, my child, and all of your father’s family will die. And who knows? Perhaps you have been made queen for such a time as this.”

[Read the devotional on Esther in the Women of the Bible free email devotional from Bible Gateway]

God is not mentioned in the book Esther. But as 18th century commentator Matthew Henry says, “Though the name of God be not in it, the finger of God is, directing many minute events for the bringing about of his people’s deliverance. The particulars are not only surprising and very entertaining, but edifying and very encouraging to the faith and hope of God’s people in the most difficult and dangerous times. We cannot now expect such miracles to be wrought for us as were for Israel when they were brought out of Egypt, but we may expect that in such ways as God here took to defeat Haman’s plot he will still protect his people.”

[Read the book of Esther using the study notes in the Reformation Study Bible on Bible Gateway]

The Theology of Work Bible Commentary on Bible Gateway says, “Esther’s service corresponds to today’s workplace in several ways:

• we all have the opportunity — and responsibility — to let God use us, despite our history of moral failure
• God makes use of the actual circumstances of our lives
• serving God requires risking our positions.

If you haven’t read the story of Esther recently (or ever), this is a perfect time to do so. As Esther demonstrates, God puts each of us in positions where we can serve him, even though that’s often not clear until the moment we’re called upon to act.

Image: Queen Esther depicted by Andrea del Castagno, 1450

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