Let’s meet a woman whose courageous choice at a royal banquet saved an entire nation. Esther, a Jewish orphan who became a Persian queen, faced an impossible decision…to remain silent and safe, or to speak up and risk everything.
Picture the scene…wine flowing at a royal banquet, the king’s favor evident, and Haman seated in what he believed was a place of special honor. Then, in one dramatic moment, everything changed. The queen revealed a secret that would both save a nation and doom the man sitting across from her. This was one of Esther’s most difficult and heroic moments, but how did an orphan girl from a conquered people find herself in this position?…
Who Was Esther?
Esther was a Jewish woman who became queen of Persia during one of the most dangerous periods in Jewish history. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah, meaning “myrtle,” while Esther was her Persian name. As an orphan, she was raised by her older cousin Mordecai in Susa, the Persian capital, “He had raised Hadassah—that is Esther—his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother.” (Esther 2:7 TLV)
Esther lived during the reign of King Ahasuerus (commonly identified as Xerxes I). This was after the Babylonian exile, during a time when many Jews remained scattered throughout the Persian Empire rather than returning to Jerusalem.
The Unlikely Queen
Chosen from among many young women to become queen after the former Queen Vashti was deposed, Esther rose from obscurity to the palace—God’s providence at work even before anyone realized it. Following Mordecai’s advice, she kept her Jewish identity hidden:
“Esther had not disclosed her people or her lineage, because Mordecai had commanded her not to make them known.”
esther 2:10 tlv
Living as queen in the palace, comfortable in her position of privilege, Esther had every reason to stay silent when crisis came. Yet from this place of apparent safety, she would come to make a difficult choice that would not only change her own life…
When Everything Changed
The Crisis Builds
Mordecai’s refusal to bow to Haman, the king’s highest official, wounded Haman’s pride so deeply that he plotted something absolutely unthinkable—the complete destruction of all Jewish people throughout the Persian Empire. The decree went out, declaring that all Jews were to be “destroyed, killed, and annihilated” (Esther 3:13). This wasn’t just a threat to one person or one family, it was a genocide planned against God’s covenant people.
When Mordecai learned of the decree, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, mourning publicly. He sent word to Esther about the plot and urged her to intervene. However, Esther initially hesitated, explaining the danger of how approaching the king uninvited meant death unless he extended his golden scepter, and she had not been summoned by the king in thirty days.
Mordecai’s response cut through her fear with prophetic clarity:
“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place—but you and your father’s house will perish. Who knows whether you have attained royal status for such a time as this?”
esther 4:14 tlv
Esther’s Transformation From Fear to Courage
These words from Mordecai marked a major turning point for Esther. Before, she had let her fear overcome the call to stand up for what was right, for what her community needed of her. Mordecai’s challenge awakened a thought that was deeper than her fear, that perhaps this was why God had placed her in the palace. The thought that perhaps her entire life had been leading to this moment helped Esther to make up her mind: “So if I perish, I perish!” (Esther 4:16 TLV)
Before acting, Esther called for a three-day fast, preparing through prayer and dependence on God. This wasn’t recklessness, but rather, a courageous faith combined with a strategic wisdom. When we see Esther at the beginning of her story, we see someone fearful, passive, and comfortable, but by the time she faced the king, she had become courageous, strategic, and willing to sacrifice everything.
The Strategic Approach
Esther’s wisdom shone through in how she chose to proceed. She didn’t rush into the king’s presence blurting out a desperate plea. Instead, she planned very carefully and thoughtfully. When she approached the king uninvited, he mercifully extended his scepter and offered to grant her request, but rather than immediately revealing Haman’s plot and making her plea, Esther invited both the king and Haman to a banquet “in their honor”.
At that first banquet, when the king again offered to grant her petition, Esther still didn’t reveal her request. Instead, she invited them to a second banquet the following day. This delay had a purpose, it was not her merely stalling out of fear. It built suspense, heightened the king’s curiosity, and caused Haman’s pride to swell even higher. He left that first banquet thinking he was specially favored by the queen herself, invited to an exclusive audience. His arrogance grew, making his eventual fall even more dramatic. Esther was setting the perfect stage for her request and revelation.
The Dramatic Revelation
At the second banquet, the moment finally arrived. For the third time, the king offered: “Whatever your request, even as much as half of the kingdom, it will be given to you.” (Esther 7:2 TLV) And so, Esther took a breath and spoke:
“Grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare the life of my people—this is my request!”
esther 7:3 tlv
She personalized the crisis—this was her life, her people—and used the decree’s own language: “For we have been sold, I and my people, for destruction, slaughter, and annihilation.” (Esther 7:4 TLV) Strategic communication, emotional intelligence, and pure courage all working together. King Ahasuerus was stunned, asking, “Who is he? Where is the man that presumed to do this?” (Esther 7:5 TLV) He didn’t even realize what decree he had previously signed or that the enemy was sitting right there at the banquet table with him.
In one sentence, Haman went from honored guest to an exposed villain. Esther’s identity was fully revealed—she stood openly as a Jewish woman, the very people Haman had plotted to destroy, and the king stormed into the palace garden in fury. Meanwhile, Haman realized his fate was sealed and threw himself down, pleading with Esther for mercy. When the king returned and saw Haman on Esther’s couch, he exploded: “Will he also assault the queen while she is with me in the palace?” (Esther 7:8 TLV) The guards immediately covered Haman’s face, a condemnation of death.
Then came the final detail: Harbonah revealed how Haman had built a seventy-five-foot gallows to execute Mordecai—the very man whose warning had once saved the king’s life and the queen’s uncle and guardian. The king’s command, and justice, were swift: “Hang him on it!” (Esther 7:9 TLV)
What Haman prepared for Mordecai became his own execution site. The great reversal was complete—a Biblical pattern of justice where those who dig a pit for others, fall into it themselves.
The Aftermath
Following Haman’s execution, Mordecai was elevated to Haman’s former position and honored by the king. Most importantly, while the original decree couldn’t be revoked under Persian law, a new decree was issued giving the Jewish people the right to defend themselves against their enemies.
When the day of the planned attack arrived, the Jews successfully defended themselves throughout the empire. To commemorate this great deliverance, Mordecai and Esther established the festival of Purim, which we still celebrate to this day (join us for our Purim Party)! Through Esther’s courage to reveal the truth and put herself in harm’s way, God’s providence preserved His covenant people, ensuring that the promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would continue—promises which would be ultimately fulfilled through Messiah Yeshua.
What Esther’s Story Teaches Us
Esther’s story reveals both the normal fear and weakness that we all experience and an extraordinary amount of faith. Her initial reluctance and fear mirror our own tendencies, but her transformation also shows what’s possible when we surrender to God’s purposes. It shows us what we can achieve with unwavering loyalty, wisdom, courage, and trust in God’s plan for us.
Identity and courage go hand-in-hand. When Esther risked everything by revealing her Jewish identity, she showed that God calls His people to courageously embrace their full identity and proclaim His name. And we will encounter moments that require that of us as believers. Yet courage is not synonymous with recklessness. Esther fasted, prayed, and waited for God’s perfect timing, demonstrating that God gives wisdom about how and when to speak truth, especially when stakes are high.
Though God’s name isn’t mentioned anywhere in the Book of Esther, His fingerprints are all over this text. He orchestrated circumstances and positioned people to turn evil into victory. This is a beautiful reminder that even when God seems hidden, He is actively working to accomplish His purposes. The pattern of reversal we see—Haman’s gallows becoming his own execution—foreshadows the ultimate reversal at the cross, where death itself became the means of salvation when Yeshua died and rose again.
Esther’s life-risking intercession beautifully prefigures Yeshua’s ultimate intercession and calls believers to intercede through prayer, advocacy, and action—even when it might be costly. Just as Esther was divinely positioned for her specific moment in history, we are positioned in our families, communities, and nations for kingdom purposes. God’s positioning is never accidental.
One Central Message
Esther’s story ultimately teaches us that God works through courageous obedience in His perfect timing. When we step out in faith, even when we can’t see the outcome, God will honor that commitment and weave our obedience into His redemptive purposes.
Esther’s courage to reveal the truth saved the Jewish people from genocide. This preservation was crucial—it allowed the Messianic line to continue until Yeshua came to save not only Jewish people, but all nations. Through one woman’s courage at a banquet, God saved a nation. And through that nation, He later brought forth the Messiah who saved the world.
Living This Truth Today
The same God who positioned Esther “for such a time as this” is still positioning His people today. The same courage she displayed is available to us through His Spirit…Where is God positioning you? What truth is He calling you to courageously reveal? What risk is He asking you to take in faith?
Like Esther, we may face moments when staying silent seems safer, when speaking up could cost us everything, but in a world where evil speaks so loudly, we must take steps to proclaim His name and His love even louder. To stand up for what is right. The question isn’t whether we’ll face defining moments. The question is whether we’ll have the courage to act when they come. Will we trust that God has positioned us exactly where we are for His purposes? Will we believe that God plans to use our voices to further His kingdom?
Conclusion
Esther thought she was choosing obscurity and probable death when she approached the king’s throne uninvited. Instead, God gave her a husband who accepted her, a people she saved, and a legacy that endures. Her story is recorded in Scripture, celebrated annually at Purim, and continues to inspire millions thousands of years later.
“These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family and in every province and every city. These days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor their remembrance perish from their descendants.”
esther 9:28 tlv
The same God who honored Esther’s courage still honors faithful obedience today. He’s still writing stories of redemption. He’s still positioning people for His purposes. He’s still faithful to His promises. Esther’s declaration “if I perish, I perish” became the hinge upon which the survival of the Jewish people, and ultimately the coming of the Messiah, turned. What might God do through our courageous obedience?
Will we, like Esther, step into our “such a time as this” moments with faith, knowing that God’s plans are always better than our comfort?
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