The Story of Esther
Gospel Prompt
Do you think we can learn about Jesus from the story of Esther, who ventured her life for her people and was delivered from death after three days?
Read the Passage
Esther 4
1 When Mordecai learned all that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. He cried out with a loud and bitter cry. 2 He went as far as the front of the king’s gate, for no one might enter the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth. 3 And in every province where the king’s command and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
4 So Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her, and the queen was deeply distressed. Then she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him, but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther called Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what and why this was. 6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square that was in front of the king’s gate. 7 And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries to destroy the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the written decree for their destruction, which was given at Shushan, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, and that he might command her to go in to the king to make supplication to him and plead before him for her people. 9 So Hathach returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai: 11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.” 12 So they told Mordecai Esther’s words.
13 And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”
17 So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him.
Find the Gospel in the Passage
LISTEN TO THE STORY OF ESTHER
The Great King of Persia had a wicked vizier named Haman who hated the people of God. Haman convinced the Great King to issue a decree that placed all of God’s people under the judgment of death. As a result of Haman’s schemes, all of God’s people throughout the land were about to be slaughtered.
At a time of such great peril, God raised up a savior for his people. He raised up Esther, an Israelite woman, as Queen of Persia to deliver his people.
Esther knew that, in order to save her people, she needed to intervene on their behalf before the Great King. But she also knew that, upon penalty of death, no one could appear before the Great King without a summons—not unless the king chose to extend his golden scepter of mercy to them. The king had not summoned Esther for thirty days now. If Esther were to plead for her people’s salvation, she would be condemned to death.
In the end, Esther made the decision to venture her life for her people, recognizing that God had appointed her “for such a time as this” (Est 4:14). Before approaching the king, she asked the people of God in the capital city to pray and fast for her for three days. At the end of those three days, Esther went before the Great King. She appeared before him as a representative for her people, prepared to die in order to save the people of God from condemnation. But after the three days of fasting, the Great King extended his golden scepter of mercy to Esther, and she was delivered from death!
Esther quickly set in motion the events that would accomplish her people’s salvation, including hosting a supper for their deliverance. After all this was done, at Esther’s request, the Great King gave her the signet ring of authority over his worldwide empire, and by the command of the royal house, letters were dispatched throughout the land proclaiming the good news of the deliverance of God’s people. The letters were stamped with the royal seal that, according to custom, identified them as the unalterable and infallible word of the Great King, and they were translated into every language and tongue. The couriers of the Great King carried the infallible letters of the good news of the salvation of God’s people to the ends of his worldwide empire. Wherever the good news of the letters was proclaimed throughout the land, many who did not previously belong to the people of Israel joined themselves to the people of God (Est 8:17).
DID YOU HEAR THE STORY OF JESUS?
As a result of the schemes of the Evil One, the people of God throughout the world had come under the judgment of death. All of them were about to perish. But at a time of such great peril, God raised up a Savior for his people. He raised up Jesus to deliver his people from the wicked enemy who sought their death.
Jesus knew that, in order to save his people, he would have to intervene on their behalf before the Lord God. But he also knew that, if he were to do this, he would first have to sacrifice his life for his people. He would have to suffer death.
Like Esther, Jesus made the decision to venture his life for his people, recognizing that God had appointed him for this moment and that his “time had come” (John 12:23). Like Esther, he also hosted a supper for the salvation of his people. Then, after all this was done, Jesus went before the Lord God to petition for his people’s salvation. Unlike Esther, though, Jesus suffered death. But after three days, Jesus was delivered from death, having accomplished the salvation of the people of God for all time!
At Jesus’ request, the King of Kings gave him authority over all of his worldwide kingdom and commanded that letters be written proclaiming the good news of God’s deliverance of his people. The messengers of the Lord God, the apostles, carried these infallible letters of gospel joy into the ends of the world, where they were translated into every language and tongue. Since then, everywhere the good news of the Lord’s salvation has been proclaimed, many who were strangers to the faith, both Jew and Gentile, have joined themselves to the people of God.
