Esther 4
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No person could have foreseen that Haman would rise to power and threaten to destroy the Jews; but God foresaw it. And God—by natural means—caused Queen Vashti to be deposed and Esther to be chosen in her place. God knew His people would be in danger, and in advance He set in place the means of their deliverance.
Esther now needed to realize why she had become queen. Yes, she could refuse to save her people; she could refuse God. But if she did, she would be the loser. And that is true for all of us who have been called by God to a particular task: we are free to refuse it; but if we do, O how great are the blessings we will forfeit.
God’s sovereign purposes will be accomplished; yes, God’s human instruments may fail, but God’s purposes will not. Sometimes God will choose to “promote” His human instruments—as He did in Esther’s case. At other times, He may choose to “demote” them, as He did in Joseph’s case (see Genesis 37:28; 39:19–20; 45:4–7). We need to see ourselves as God’s instruments in the world. Then, whether we are cast down or lifted up, we will understand that God is working out His eternal purposes through us; and understanding that, we can rejoice (see Romans 8:28).
For further discussion of the relationship between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, see Exodus 17:10–13; Jeremiah 18:1–10 and comments.
15–17 Esther agreed to risk her life for her people. But she asked Mordecai to gather together all the Jews in Susa to fast for her (verse 16); she and her maidservants would also fast.12 Among the Jews, fasting was always associated with prayer; so we can understand that Esther and the Jews of Susa would be both fasting and praying—praying that Xerxes would respond favorably to Esther’s plea that the Jews be spared.
For Christians today, the book of Esther has a special spiritual application. Like Esther, we too are intimate members of the family of the King. We too are instruments to be used for saving thousands—millions—of people doomed to destruction. Are we, like Esther, willing to risk our lives to save them?