"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 royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14).
King Xerxes had elevated one of his courtiers, Haman, to a high position, and all were to bow down to him. But one Jew, Mordecai, refused to bow to Haman. This infuriated Haman. He set about to destroy not only Mordecai but all the Jews. After all, he told the king, this prominent Jew sets an example for all other Jews, and if he gets by with this, the kingdom will fall into anarchy. What neither Haman nor Xerxes realized was that Xerxes’s queen, Esther, was herself a Jewess and the niece of Mordecai. Thus, Mordecai came to her and implored her to use her influence at court to deliver the Jews from destruction.
Esther replied that even though she was the queen, she still did not have automatic access to the king. Anyone who approached the king without being summoned was put to death. Mordecai told her in reply that she was going to die anyway. She could not hope, he said, that she could conceal her identity indefinitely. He assured her that salvation for the Jews would come from somewhere, but that it would be best for her if it came from her efforts. After all, he argued, perhaps the reason God had put her in this place was just for such a time as this.
There was one exception to the king’s practice of destroying anyone who approached him without invitation. If the king extended the gold scepter toward the person, that person would be spared. Thus, Esther really had only one option: to appeal to the king, and hope that he would accept her because of his affection for her.
Thus, the question for Esther was whether or not she would be silent in a time of the impending holocaust. Who would speak for the silent ones? Who would intercede before the king for the Jews who were helpless, if not Esther?
Who are the silent ones today? Will you speak for them, for the millions of unborn babies being slaughtered in America today? Christians cannot avoid the question of abortion. God may eventually put a stop to it, but it will be much better if you become active in speaking out now. Speak to the King, and also speak to your neighbors.
