FEARLESS ESTHER

[Timothea Galoner]

Esther, the Star.  Esther the Queen.  Esther the Brave.  There were many roles this beautiful orphan played in the redemption of her people, but the most important role, I believe, was Esther the Fearless.  In Revelation 12:11 it says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”  She (and all the Jews at that time) had a Messiah they were looking forward to and a God who they believed in so deeply that she knew she could trust that He was in control of the outcome.

Because Queen Vashti had been dethroned having refused the king her presence, Esther became her replacement.  Haman (The Terrible) had convinced the king that the Jews (all of them whether in Persia or elsewhere) must be annihilated putting the entire Hebrew nation in grave danger.  The word of her testimony, spoken to Mordecai but pointed to heaven, was when Mordecai entreated her to go to the king (a capital offense with a death sentence tied to it if done without invite) and gave her a sharp nudge by saying, “and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this,” to which she replied along with an edict for all of the Jews to fast, “and so I will go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”  Remember that Jesus “set His face like flint to the cross”?  Esther, in her fearlessness, is a type of Christ.  She was willing to spill her blood to save her people.

My stomach cringes at the thought of the moment when she did not know what her king/husband would do.  Would the scepter be extended, or would she die? Her breath caught in her throat, she looked at him with the hope of ages in her eyes, longing for the freedom of her people, the redemption of her God.  Like sweet sunshine bursting forth in promise, I can see light glinting off the golden rod. . .”Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, But when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” She did not love her own life so as to shrink from death but God, her Savior, breathed new life in her that day!  As for Haman, not only did he have to eat crow because the king, unable to sleep, read about Mordecai’s saving the king from death and commanded Haman to celebrate his enemy, but this traitorous deceiver hung on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai!  Instead of a victor’s banquet Haman certainly got his just desserts! Esther, Star, Queen, Brave, yes.  But more than that, Fearless Esther knew God loved her and willingly she laid it all down for Him.

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