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Reflective Essay
Esther Plans to Save the People
Esther 4:1-17
God's restorative purpose in Esther 4:1-17 took place after the Babylonian exile when
Persia took over as the ruling power. The narrative takes place around 486-464 B.C. in Susa,
Persia, during the reign of King Ahasuerus or Xerxes. Few Jews returned to Jerusalem, but
others, like Esther and Mordecai, remained in Persia. The Jews were still looked at with
suspicion and faced constant dangers to their survival in Persia. This occurred during a time
comparable to that of Daniel and his buddies a few centuries previously. Esther 4:1-17 conveys
the notion that something other than chance is at work. Esther instructs the people to fast before
approaching the king, which is more than a prayer for divine intervention; it is part of their
deliverance from their oppressor. “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom
for such a time as this?”
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She was placed in her royal position of power on purpose, but Haman,
and later Luther, didn't see it that way. “Luther expressed his serious misgivings about Esther: ‘I
am so hostile to the book [2 Maccabees] and to Esther that I wish they simply did not exist, for
they Judaize too much and reveal much bad pagan behavior.’”
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Esther's efforts and preparations
differ from Moses' journey from Egypt in that there are no prophets and no mention of God's
name. Esther's meticulous planning, as well as her willingness to risk her own life to save her
people, are especially brave.
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The story, however, is shown in such a way that it is evident that
God remains present and active, attempting to protect and redeem his people from the wicked
Haman.
1 Esther 4:14
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Victor P. Hamilton,
Handbook on the Historical Books
, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. (2001), 529.
3 Esther 4:16
