FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “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. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” (‭Esther‬ ‭4‬:‭13-16‬ ESV)

You’ve probably heard the adage, "behind every good man is a good woman." I prefer, "Behind every good man is a surprised mother-in-law." Today, I want to turn that around from the story of Esther by saying - "Behind a great man (who was not a good man) was a great woman (who was a good woman) who changed the course of history."

The background: Our story begins with King Xerses of Persia in the years 481 or 483 BC. It has been 103 years since Nebuchadnezzar took the Jews into captivity (2 Kings 25), 54 years after Zerubbabel led the first group of exiles back to Jerusalem (Ezra 1,2) and 25 years before Ezra lead the second group to Jerusalem (Ezra 7). All but a few thousand of God’s people -Israel - were in the Persian provinces. The King had the leaders of 127 provinces come to his impressive palace for a celebration that lasted 187 days -- more than six months.

It was a feast of drinking, of sin, etc. At the end of a week-long drunken feast, the King sent for Vashti to come and display her beauty. She refused. The King accepted the suggestion from some of his leaders to reject her and choose another to be queen in her stead.

Esther was chosen. She was a young, beautiful Jewish girl. Her cousin Mordecai had offended a vain official named Haman, who by trickery got a decree signed that all the Jews should be put to death. The decree was unalterable.

God stepped in and in a providential way delivered His people from the decree that Christ might come of their seed as promised. Gen. 12:1-3. This story was written for our benefit (Rom. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Mordecai thought Esther had come to the throne "for such a time as this." What sort of a time was it? 

It was a time when the King and the leaders of the nation were selfish, wicked, and immoral. Sin was rampant.

(Proverbs 29:2 NIV) When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.

Haman was wicked to the core. The leaders of the provinces were wicked. It's not unlike the leaders we have today over government and schools and even in churches.

Esther came "for such a time as this" - Esther 4:13.

It was time of much sin with drinking and debauchery and with no morality.

(2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV) But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. {2} People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, {3} without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, {4} treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- {5} having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

It was a time when the king demanded Vashti the Queen to come before the leaders of 127 provinces and display her body before the lustful eyes of wicked lewd and lecherous men.

We should be thankful that the Queen had the moral courage to dare to do right. We should constantly pray that men and women in high places do the right thing.

It was a time when the sanctity of marriage was at low ebb. The King was willing to get rid of the Queen for no fault of hers. We are now seeing one divorce for every two or three marriages in our country. This should not be.

It was a time when human life was cheap. The leaders were willing to sign a decree to have 2,000,000 Jews killed, because one of them would not bow to Haman, a wicked scoundrel.

You might say, "We would never do anything that wicked."  Did you know 98% of all abortions in America are for reasons of convenience. The papers are full of murder, adultery, theft, and hate.

It was a time that cried out for good woman of courage, Esther to stand up. Esther 4:13-16.

Her silence would have been sin – in a responsible position, in a time that needed good people – of conviction and prayer.

It was true in her time. Is it true in our time? Has God placed you here for such a time as this?

All around us people are dying in sin. If you are Christian you know the solution. Do you have the courage to step up and speak up?

“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing” Edmond Burke.

"The hottest regions of Hell are reserved for those who do nothing at a time of great need." - Dante 

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin (James 4:17).