Take the Risk
Question: In what book of the Hebrew Scriptures is God's name absent but His sovereign hand evident? It is the same book in which we read, “...I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”
The young woman who spoke these words had been asked to prevent the genocide of her people. Doing so put her life on the line and failure meant the extinction of her entire community! She had no idea what would become of her or her people as she sought an audience with the king, the only one who could divert the disaster.
The young woman did not know whether her life would be forfeit by speaking up. She did not know with certainty the answer to her cousin’s heart-piercing question: "And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Yet, she took the risk and secured life for herself and her people.
What fueled this young woman's brave obedience? The book hints at the answer.
At a pivotal point in the story, the villain's wife says to her distraught husband, “If ____________ (name omitted on purpose), before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him.”
A little later in the story our heroine's cousin admonishes her, “Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish.”
Why will the villain “surely fall”? Why will “relief and deliverance” for the Jewish people surely arise from another place? The inevitability of both predictions rested on one thing – God’s unrelenting faithfulness toward His chosen people.
The book that records this story does not mention God by name, nor is His voice heard through a prophet or seer. Rather, the hints provided suggest that our brave heroine risked her life based solely on the ancient unspoken knowledge of God's faithfulness to His promises and commitment to preserving His Jewish people.
By now you have probably guessed that our mystery book is Megillat Esther (the Scroll of Esther). Each year my people gather to remember and celebrate how God sovereignly used His faithful servant Esther and her cousin Mordecai to fulfill His promises to protect and preserve His people…even when He is silent!
Celebrating God’s faithfulness ties together Israel’s calendar of holy days. On the biblical calendar, the year begins with Passover and ends with Purim, each a reminder of God’s faithfulness to Israel. The former celebrates God’s faithfulness in our deliverance and the latter God’s faithfulness in exile! Celebrating Esther’s story annually at Purim provides us with great encouragement and a profound challenge.
In the wake of the October 7 massacre and the resurgence of world-wide antisemitism, Esther’s story encourages us to not lose hope. Esther teaches us to find hope in God’s character. As dire as circumstances may be, we have hope because God is still God, and His promises still stand.
Yet, with this encouragement also comes a challenge – to see how trusting God’s faithfulness requires taking real risks.
God promises the perpetuity of Israel, and the ultimate victory of His kingdom over “the gates of hell” and the kingdoms of the world. God alone brings these promises to pass. Yet, in His sovereign plan, He has placed us here for such a time as this. Through us He is spreading Messiah’s Good News to every tribe, tongue, and nation of the world…to the Jew especially and also to the Gentile.[1]
Celebrating God’s faithfulness in Esther challenges us to have an “if I perish, I perish” attitude as we boldly and lovingly proclaim life abundant and eternal through faith in Yeshua’s (Jesus’) death, burial, and resurrection. Messiah’s great commission tells us we have “come to the kingdom for such a time as this”!
Written by Dan, Life in Messiah Board member
What are the risks God is calling you to take?
How can you trust His faithfulness by sharing the Good News with those God has placed in your life, or by standing against the rising tide of antisemitism?
Perhaps this is the year to join us on one of our outreaches. Whether “to the Jew first” or not, Esther teaches us that God is faithful and the risks are worth it!
Endnotes:
[1] See Jeremiah 31:35–36, Matthew 6:18, and Romans 1:16].