For the Good of Many
As I consider the cost that Esther was willing to pay for peace, I am reminded of the price that Jesus paid to ensure our peace. Esther was willing to go to the king, possibly forfeiting her life to enable her people to live. Jesus did the same, actually forfeiting his life so that His people would live. I’ve never noticed this symbolism in Esther before today.
Seeking God’s Will
Do not think that because of where you live you will be spared, Mordechai says. Esther’s uncle offers such wisdom and yet such confounding advice as well. Why not share her heritage with the king? Would it have prevented Haman’s decree in the first place? In the end, what I see is a man who knew God and followed God’s will. I cannot explain why else to withhold so many things and yet still draw attention to himself. Some of this wisdom and closeness of relationship with the great I AM must have influenced Esther as well. She willingly follows her uncle Mordechai’s advice. She pushes back too, but carefully considers the advice.
In the end she asks for all Jews to fast and pray for three days and nights (shadows of Jesus’s redemption of us!) and then she will willingly put her own life at risk to save the thousands of others. Admittedly, at first Esther is a bit selfish, she thinks of her own life and says that she is not worthy to come into the king’s presence. But this too passes and she understands the wisdom of trying to set right this distressing decree of Haman’s than threatens the entire Jewish population across the empire.
Sacrificing for the good of many
Esther realizes there is a cost to obtain the peace in the empire that she seeks. She sees that through one man all Jews were threatened and through one woman there is a chance for re-establishing peace. Esther acknowledges the potential for good for many through her sacrifice. Joseph too had to lay aside his own issues in order to extend good to his family when they come to him in the famine. Moses didn’t feel worthy to be God’s representative but overcame his personal issues to not only free but also lead the Israelites for forty years. Each of these situations were under God’s sovereign control but he called on individuals to act for the good of many. I guess it is right that in each of these stories, I am reminded of them thinking of themselves first and God using various ways to have them come around to his thinking. Esther hears her uncle, Moses hears from the burning bush, and Joseph took more time and testing before he finally surrendered his hesitancy for the good of many.
Jesus too sacrificed himself for the good of many. For my good. For your good. In this way, he established peace between us and God. How could we expect to do anything less than sacrifice in order to establish peace?
