-Esther 4:16
As you are probably tired of reading by now, I have been writing my reflections on the “Shadows” series that my church’s young adult group has been studying. Last Friday we discussed Esther as a shadow of Jesus. Esther is the last person that we will study this semester, as school comes to a close. Esther is a very interesting shadow of Jesus, since she is the only woman that we have studied. In addition, there is no mention of God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit in the book of Esther. However, Esther has a compelling story, and there are definitely elements of Jesus in her life.
As always, I will briefly review the story of Esther. Before Esther is mentioned though, a King named Xerxes is introduced. He is a king over many provinces, and was very powerful. He holds a banquet for his nobles and officials, displaying his massive wealth. During this feast, he orders that his wife, Queen Vashti, be brought out to display her beauty. She refuses his request, which angers the king greatly. He consults with the experts on law and justice, and they propose that she be exiled from the palace, and a new queen chosen to take her place. The king agrees, and Queen Vashti is banished.
The next part of the story is a bit reminiscent of the show “The Bachelor”. Many virgins from across the land are presented before the king, going through a very long preparation process. This is where Esther is introduced. Her cousin, Mordecai, brings her up since her parents died when she was young. Esther is chosen to be one of the candidates for queen, and Mordecai instructs her not to reveal her identity; a Jew. The king is greatly pleased with Esther, as she is beautiful, so she is chosen to replace Queen Vashti.
Another person enters the story named Haman. The king makes Haman higher than all other nobles. As everyone pays respect to Haman by kneeling before him, Haman notices that Mordecai does not follow suit. Haman becomes angry, and plots not only to kill Mordecai, but all of the Jews with him. Haman convinces King Xerxes to make a decree to kill the Jews, and it is put into law. Mordecai and all of the Jews are greatly distressed, and they mourned and fasted at this new decree.
Meanwhile, Esther is unaware what is happening, until she notices that Mordecai is in mourning. She sends a servant to find out what is wrong, and the servant tells Esther of Mordecai’s condition. Mordecai tells Esther to intercede on behalf of the Jews, so that they will not perish. Esther is reluctant, because anyone who approached the king could easily be killed. Mordecai sends this powerful reply in Esther 4:14, “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?”
Esther approaches the king, and the king is pleased with her presence. He asks her what she wants, to which she replies that she wants to have dinner with him. He agrees, and again asks her what she wants. She again deflects the question by inviting the king and Haman to dinner the next day. Haman is greatly pleased at this request, since only he and the king were invited to this banquet. Haman then sees Mordecai again, and Mordecai does not pay respect to Haman. Haman is again greatly angered, and plots to kill Mordecai by impaling him on a pole.
Finally, at the second banquet, Esther presents her request to King Xerxes, pleading for the life of her people, the Jews. King Xerxes becomes enraged at Haman, because it was his idea to destroy the Jewish people. Haman is then impaled on the pole that was meant for Mordecai. Esther continues to plead for the Jews, but the king cannot go against his decree. The king makes a compromise by allowing the Jews to defend themselves when they are attacked, and thus the Jews are able to save themselves. There is great celebration among the Jews, as they are delivered from their destruction.
Esther’s life points to Jesus in a couple ways. First of all, although she is put in a position of power and authority, she chooses to identify with the Jews. She hears of their coming destruction, and instead of hiding behind her identity as queen, she associates with the Jews. Jesus also chose to associate with us, even though His identity was equal with God. He humbled Himself, and became a man, who shared in our suffering and temptation.
Esther puts her life at risk by interceding for the Jews. She boldly proclaims “if I perish, I perish”. Esther was willing to die, even if it was just to give the Jews a chance of deliverance. She put the needs of her people above her own. In the same way, Jesus was not only willing to die for our deliverance, He did die. He put the will of the Father over His own, saying “not what I will, but what You will (Mark 14:36)”. He put our desperate need for salvation above His own life. His death delivers us from the power of sin and death.
Esther interceded on the behalf of her people. As a result, their lives were spared. However, Esther is now dead. She can no longer intercede for anyone anymore. Jesus’s intercession did not end at the cross. He rose back to life, and intercedes for us eternally. Hebrews 7:25 assures us of this by saying “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Thank God that we have an everlasting intercessor.
As always, I will end with some questions for us to consider (taken from the presentation).
- Am I living a compromised life? In what ways do I look too much like the world?
- In what ways am I so comfortable in my life that I am clueless to the heartache and struggles of those around me?
- When was the last time I was moved to fast over the sin my own life and my dependence on God?
- What edict am I truly living under- death or life?
- Is the Lord working in my life in ways that I may not be aware of?
- When was the last time I thanked Jesus for being my mediator?
- Do I fully believe that Jesus is interceding for me right now?
-Smart
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