Esther is a historical novella written to explain the origin of the Jewish festival Purim, a celebration of deliverance. It commemorates the preservation of the Jewish people. Ahasuerus, a Persian ruler antagonistic to the Jews, disposes of his disobedient queen, Vashti. Mordecai, a Jew, brings Esther, his cousin, to the attention of the king. Ultimately she becomes queen. Haman, a member of the Persian court, plots to exterminate the Jews. Upon receiving this information, Esther faces a most difficult decision. Rev. Michael Piazza in Liberating Word says, “The best known part of the story is when Esther doesn’t want to risk her position and, perhaps, her life to intervene. Mordecai says to her, “Who knows, but perhaps you have come into this kingdom for just such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14) Eshter is deeply moved and decides to do whatever it takes to save her people, even at the cost of her own life…It is a healthy question for us all to ask, because surely our lives have more value than pleasure and profit, but it is up to us to discover that value….When we come to “such a time as this” what we do and how we live may be helped by external encouragement, but it will be determined by our true internal identity.”
Esther is a historical novella written to explain the origin of the Jewish festival Purim, a celebration of deliverance. It commemorates the preservation of the Jewish people. Ahasuerus, a Persian ruler antagonistic to the Jews, disposes of his disobedient queen, Vashti. Mordecai, a Jew, brings Esther, his cousin, to the attention of the king. Ultimately she becomes queen. Haman, a member of the Persian court, plots to exterminate the Jews. Upon receiving this information, Esther faces a most difficult decision. Rev. Michael Piazza in Liberating Word says, “The best known part of the story is when Esther doesn’t want to risk her position and, perhaps, her life to intervene. Mordecai says to her, “Who knows, but perhaps you have come into this kingdom for just such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14) Eshter is deeply moved and decides to do whatever it takes to save her people, even at the cost of her own life…It is a healthy question for us all to ask, because surely our lives have more value than pleasure and profit, but it is up to us to discover that value….When we come to “such a time as this” what we do and how we live may be helped by external encouragement, but it will be determined by our true internal identity.”
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