There are situations in which staying silent seems like the safest choice, but silence has a price that only shows up later. Esther knew this dilemma well: she was young, an orphan, and lived hiding who she really was, until the day when staying quiet became impossible.
Esther, also called Hadassah, was Jewish and had been raised by her cousin Mordecai after losing her father and mother (Esther 2:7). Living in the Persian empire, she was gathered into the harem of King Xerxes along with other young women of the kingdom and won the favor of Hegai, who was in charge of those women (Esther 2:8-9).
After months of preparation, Esther pleased the king more than any other woman and became queen in place of Vashti, without revealing her Jewish origin, on Mordecai’s instructions (Esther 2:10,17,20).
Some time later, the minister Haman obtained a decree to exterminate all the Jews of the empire, angered because Mordecai refused to kneel before him (Esther 3:1-13). Mordecai asked Esther to intercede with the king, even knowing that entering his presence without being summoned could cost her life (Esther 4:8-11).
It was then that Mordecai spoke the words that would define Esther’s life: who knows whether she had come to the position of queen for exactly that moment (Esther 4:14). Esther called for the whole Jewish people to fast and decided to act, even if it meant dying (Esther 4:16).
With wisdom, Esther prepared banquets for the king and for Haman, chose the right moment, and exposed the plan of extermination before the king himself (Esther 5:1-8; 7:1-6). Haman was impaled on the stake he had prepared for Mordecai, and a new royal decree authorized the Jews to defend themselves throughout the empire, since the original decree of extermination, once sealed with the king’s ring, could no longer be revoked (Esther 7:9-10; 8:8-14).
Esther’s life reminds us that God can place someone in exactly the right position, even when that requires taking risks for others. Perhaps you too are today in a position that seems like your own achievement, but it may actually be a calling to act on behalf of those who have no voice.
