ALL IN - Esther

We tend to express identity in many different ways. That has become a bit contentious at my house. I have always been a Spartans fan. But now that one of my kids went and got a degree from the University of Michigan, there are sometimes a few not-so-subtle hints to flip that allegiance from Spartans to Wolverines. So now I face a closet at war with itself as some items of clothing are green and white, and other items of clothing are maize and blue. When we wear shirts or hats with one of those university logos on it, we are expressing something of an identity; we wear those things as a way of displaying for others around us that we are a fan of that school. Being caught between two, I now mostly carry that expression by mixing together Spartans and Wolverine socks. It’s the compromise I use walk that line between two tribes.

Today we’re moving on through this series of messages that look at the life of faith. And today we consider the ways in which our faith becomes an expression of our identity; we express our faith in ways which display for others something about who we are. But significant to that issue is the very real problem we all experience of feeling caught between two worlds. Our faith expresses one piece of who we are. But at the same time, we continue to live as broken and sinful people in a world in which our allegiances are divided. Our identity sits caught between two tribes.

The Old Testament example of Esther is helpful for us to get a glimpse into a life of faith which gets caught between two worlds. In this story, the young Jewish exile named Esther is chosen to become the queen of the Persian empire. Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, urges Esther to keep her true ethnic identity hidden—that is, until the king’s official, Haman, devises a plan to wipe out all the Jewish people from the empire. That’s where we pick up the story in Esther 4.

Esther 4:1–14 NIV

1 When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. 2 But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. 3 In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes. 4 When Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why. 6 So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. 7 Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people. 9 Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11 “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.” 12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

There is a law in ancient Persia which says that no one is allowed to approach the king without being invited. The only exception to this law goes to seven individuals who go by the title: friend of the king. Haman happens to be one of those people who can gain access to the king whenever he wants. The queen does not have that privilege. More than that, Esther is not the first one to become a queen to the emperor Xerxes. Before Esther was a queen named Vashti who ended up making the king quite upset. We have to assume here that Esther knows just how fragile her royal position in this kingdom is.

Mordecai’s original advice to Esther was to hide her Jewish ethnicity

Mordecai knows this too. Perhaps this explains why Mordecai’s original advice to Esther was to hide her Jewish ethnicity from the royal officials. But then things turn sour between Mordecai and Haman. You see, Haman thinks pretty highly of himself; he thinks everyone ought to be bowing to him and showing him some respect. Mordecai, though, follows Jewish law and will only bow down to the Lord. Haman’s childish ego cannot handle this rejection from Mordecai. As Haman festers in his own pride, his dislike for Mordecai turns into hate. And it is no longer hate for just Mordecai; Haman turns his anger into hatred for all of Mordecai’s people—all the Hebrew exiles living scattered throughout the Persian empire.

Haman’s dislike for Mordecai turns into hatred for all of Mordecai’s people

Maybe this is why Mordecai’s lament and mourning here in chapter 4 are so vivid and pronounced. He carries the weight of all hatred for the Jews. Haman’s hatred of Mordecai is a symbolic personification of all the world’s hatred for all the people of God. Eventually the news gets to Esther, and this is where Mordecai makes the case for Esther to step in on their behalf and go to the king in order to save all the Jewish people from Haman’s plot to wipe them out.

almost sounds like Mordecai is making a threat — Esther needed to be reminded that she carries a Jewish identity

It takes a little bit of back-and-forth. Esther’s first reply is a reminder to Mordecai that what he is asking essentially amounts—in all likelihood—to a death sentence. Mordecai’s response is a bit puzzling. Do not think that you alone will escape just because you are in the king’s house. It almost sounds like Mordecai is making a threat to rat Esther out. There are a few biblical scholars who think that is exactly what Mordecai is doing here. If you go uninvited to the king, you might die for it; but if you do nothing, eventually you will be found out and then most certainly die. Most biblical commentators, however, do not see this comment from Mordecai as a threat against Esther, but a reminder that she has a Jewish heritage; Esther needed to be reminded that she carries a Jewish identity.

Two Names, Two Worlds

Hebrew — Hadassah Persion — Esther

After all, Esther is not her real name. It is not the name which is used for her when she is first introduced in the story. Back in the beginning of chapter 2 we are introduced to Mordecai, who is taken as an exile from the Jewish people and now lives in the capitol city of Susa in the Persian empire. And we also learn that Mordecai has taken in his cousin, Hadassah, who is orphaned and now being raised by him. Hadassah is her real name, her given name from birth, her Jewish name. But in Persian she is known as Esther. She is the only character in the entire story who goes by two different names. This is not by accident; the author is telling us something significant. She has a Hebrew name and a Persian name—a Jewish identity and a Persian identity. Esther is caught between two worlds.

Esther finds a moment in her life of faith to take a wild step into who she really is

Up until this point in the story, Esther has completely hidden her background. And also up to this point in the story, Esther seems to be the passive recipient of everything that is happening to her. That all changes by the end of chapter 4. In the story we read today, Mordecai is the one giving the instructions and trying to call the shots. But after chapter 4, Esther is the one giving the instructions to Mordecai—she starts calling the shots. And it is a boldness which she takes right in front of King Xerxes even to the point of calling out Haman’s evil plan in a face-to-face confrontation. Esther finds a moment in her life of faith to take a wild step into who she really is. And it is a step of faith which God honors and uses to save all the Jewish people in the Persian empire during that time.

Let me point out a feature of this story with Esther that might be helpful for us to consider in our own life of faith.

It is fascinating that even though Esther is caught between two worlds in this story, she leverages both of those worlds in making her forward moves. Notice this, Esther does not completely throw off her Persian identity in order to embrace and act in faith upon her Jewish heritage. Esther does not renounce her royal position and throw away her crown as though the only thing keeping her from unlocking the full potential of what God can do through her can somehow only exist in a purely Jewish religious identity. No. Esther makes a plan to save her people and carries out that plan as a Persian queen—not as a Jewish exile.

But here is where the other world comes in. it is actually quite subtle in the passage using something that biblical scholars call allusive echo. There is a reference to the prophet Joel tucked in this passage. Mordecai goes out into the streets of Susa doing exactly what the prophet Joel called for in Joel 2.

Joel 2:12–14 NIV

12 “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” 13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. 14 Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing— grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God.

Allusive Echo — the Prophet Joel

Mordecai and Esther do what the prophet Joel is calling for Israel to do

With fasting and weeping and wailing. The Hebrew phrases are identical. What Joel called for as an action from the people before God is exactly what Mordecai does. And both these passages end with a declaration in which a step of faith is available. It is a step taken in faith because you and I cannot be absolutely certain of how the next steps after that will play out. Both of these passages phrase it as a question: “Who knows?” Even in the uncertainty of where the next step after this one will go, the invitation to take that first step of faith is there.

steps of faith are rooted in God’s Word

This allusive echo of the prophet Joel here in Esther shows us something. When that step of faith became apparent in the life of Esther, it did so in a way that was rooted in God’s word. And it did so in a way that focused her attention on being humbly obedient to God. If there are times in your life of faith in which you face some of these ‘who knows?’ kind of moments, let your first step be one of remaining rooted in the word of God so that you may know how to best be humbly obedient to God.

Esther leverages both worlds in making her forward moves

steps of faith find expression outside of ‘church world’

Esther is caught between two worlds—the religious world of the Jews and the pagan world of the Persians. Even though it is Esther’s religious background which gives her clarity and new boldness in taking that next step of faith, she leverages her place in the Persian world to carry it out. Here’s the point: steps of faith aren’t just meant for church world. Your faith does not exclusively exist only here on Sunday mornings. Your steps of faith do not only take place in exclusively Christian contexts like youth group or Bible study class or small group gathering. Faith does not only find its expression in ministry settings like backpack buddies or life skills class or food pantry volunteering.

God can use your everyday small acts of faithful obedience to reclaim even just a little bit of what is broken in this fallen world

Who knows but that you have come to your position in life for such a time as this?

There are expressions of your identity of faith that show up in everyday life. It shows up in the way you treat other students at school. It shows up in the way you go about doing your work. It shows up in the way you interact with the checkout clerk at the store or the server at the restaurant. Sure, I know, these aren’t acts of faithful obedience that may save an entire nation of people like Esther did. But if God uses your everyday small acts of faithful obedience to reclaim even just a little bit of what is broken in this fallen world, then that is significant. Who knows but that you have come to your position in life for such a time as this?