Esther 8:3-8

³ Then Esther spoke again to the king; she fell at his feet, weeping and pleading with him to avert the evil design of Haman the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. ⁴ The king held out the golden scepter to Esther, and Esther rose and stood before the king. ⁵ She said, “If it pleases the king, and if I have won his favor, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I have his approval, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote giving orders to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. ⁶ For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming on my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?” ⁷ Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “See, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hung him on the pole because he plotted to kill^[a] the Jews. ⁸ You may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king’s ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s ring cannot be revoked.”

We first met Esther as a young virgin who won a beauty contests, or sorts, the prize of which was becoming the replacement Queen. (That’s my commentary on the biblical book of Esther, chapters 1 and 2.) Then we read her story in chapters 3 – 9. Esther is beautiful, devout, loyal to her people (God’s people, the Jews), strong, intelligent, wise, and an instrument that God used to save the Jewish people from disaster.

Which of these attributes apply to you? And what are you being called to do in your life to save some of God’s people?

Prayer

Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer God, remind me in the stories of your people how you might be calling me to faithfully stand and speak for your people. Amen.