Have you ever wondered what it looks like to faithfully follow Christ in a post-Christian world? Or how you’re to hold on to your faith when your political environment doesn’t always reflect the kingdom of heaven? Can God use His people in a culture far from His heart? We may not think to turn to the book of Esther for answers to questions like these, but the story’s main characters, Esther and Mordecai, are surprisingly helpful sages in a time we could really use them.
We have to first recognize that if indeed America is in a post-Christian era, Judah was in a post-Israelite era during Esther’s reign. What do I mean by this? Approximately a hundred years before Esther and Mordecai arrived at the Persian palace, Judah was exiled to Babylon and eventually the people trickled further east toward Susa, the capital city of Persia. Esther and the Jews were without the temple. No priests, no sacrifices, no prophets. And we’re not sure how much access they had to the Torah (God’s Law).
The point is, while people like Nehemiah and Ezra were back in Jerusalem hoisting stones for a new temple and carrying scrolls for new hearts, Esther and Mordecai were in Sin City. The Persian Empire and its king, Ahasuerus, ran on wine, power, opulence, and oppression. This is not to say there were no redeeming qualities in Persia, but it was no Israel. How were the Jews to live out their faith in a place 900 miles from the promised land? How do we as modern-day Christ followers live out our faith today?
God Isn’t Afraid of the Dark
The first thing Esther shows us is that God isn’t afraid of the dark. Just as God was with Ezra and Nehemiah in Jerusalem, He was with Esther and Mordecai in the Persian empire. I grew up as a pastor’s kid in a Bible church. I’ve always been more comfortable in Christian circles, where everyone holds similar values and most importantly everyone believes that Jesus is Lord and Savior. In other words, I would have been more comfortable following Ezra to Jerusalem than Esther to Persia. But Persia is the world we live in. Which is why it is deeply comforting to watch God work through people like Esther and Mordecai — whose circumstances and careers were patently Persian. God isn’t afraid of the dark.
The Word Is Our Best Weapon
We can’t imagine what it was like for the exiled Israelites to be stripped of their homeland, their temple, their regular sacrifices, their king. What now? As many scholars have noted, it was during the postexilic period that the Jews went from being people of the temple to people of the Book. In other words, what they still had was God’s Word. The Jews dug into it like it was a treasure chest of God’s historic acts and present attributes. If God had delivered the Israelites out of Egypt, could He not deliver His people from extinction? If He was compassionate then, would He not be now? We need to be reminded and strengthened by the same truths today. More than sound politics, as important as they are, our culture needs a church steeped in God’s Word. It needs a church walking in the purity of the Holy Spirit and tangibly showing the love of Jesus to others.
God Has His People Everywhere
If you’ve ever wondered if God can use you in politics, your secular job, or all manner of complicated home or work situations, the book of Esther brings a wealth of affirmation. For me, one of the most challenging and simultaneously rewarding parts of studying Esther’s life was reckoning with her time in a harem; it was wrestling with her marriage to a dastardly Gentile king; it was trying to figure out how respectable Jewish life was supposed to look in such impossible circumstances, in such a godless empire. The only way any of it begins to make sense is recognizing God’s presence with His people. We may not always know what to do, or how He can use us where we are, but if we belong to God, He makes a way. God was clearly with Esther, Mordecai, and the Jews throughout the Persian Empire. Even though God’s name is never mentioned in the book, His activity is unmistakable. And He hasn’t stopped working.
For Such a Time as This
This is one of the best-known lines from the book of Esther (4:14), maybe even from all of the Old Testament. Mordecai suggested that in “such this time” Esther should go to the king and plea on behalf of her people. The only problem is this wasn’t an audible command from God. God hadn’t spoken from a burning bush or the thunderous top of Mt. Sinai or even through a prophet. This was Mordecai taking his best guess at what obedience meant in their day, in their time. It wasn’t reckless. It wasn’t knee-jerk. But it wasn’t certain. All that Mordecai knew for sure is that Go would save His people one way or another if Esther passed on her opportunity.
As we consider what faithfulness to Jesus looks like in our day, in our political divisions and culture wars, we must strive for obedience. We must seek to glorify Christ above all. We must set aside unhurried time to listen to God’s Word and humble ourselves in prayer. But how we are to live in such a time as this may not always be crystal clear. We will need wisdom. We will need kindness and respect for those who don’t claim Christ, virtues both Mordecai and Esther showed the king. We’ll need grace for other believers who see things differently than we do.
Esther and Mordecai went back and forth several times before landing on their plan. Ultimately, what I believe God desires more than anything in our own day are men and women willing to risk the palace for the people. Can you imagine what God might do through a church with such a posture as this?
This article is courtesy of HomeLife Magazine.
The Esther Bible Study
In this 7-session study, Kelly Minter invites you into the daring faith modeled by Esther and her cousin Mordecai—a faith developed over time, rooted in the goodness of God, lived out through extraordinary circumstances, and used to change the world. Although our time looks different from Esther’s, our God is just as active and faithful today, and He has called you for such a time as this. Learn more about having a daring faith for such a time as this at lifeway.com/estherstudy.
ABOUT KELLY MINTER
Kelly Minter is passionate about God’s Word and believes it permeates all of life. The personal healing and steadfast hope she’s found in the pages of Scripture fuel her passion to connect God’s Word to our everyday lives. When she’s not writing or teaching, you can find her tending her garden, taking a walk with friends, cooking for her nieces and nephews, riding a boat down the Amazon River, or walking through a Moldovan village with Justice & Mercy International. Learn more about her new Bible study on the book of Esther.
