Text for the Week: The Courage to Speak

Scripture: Esther 7:1-10

¹ So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. ² On the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” ³ Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have won your favor, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me—that is my petition—and the lives of my people—that is my request. ⁴ For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace, but no enemy can compensate for this damage to the king.” ⁵ Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has presumed to do this?” ⁶ Esther said, “A foe and an enemy, this wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen. ⁷ The king rose from the feast in wrath and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that the king had determined to destroy him. ⁸ When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman had thrown himself on the couch where Esther was reclining, and the king said, “Will he even violate the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the words left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face. ⁹ Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Look, the very pole that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, stands at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” ¹⁰ So they hung Haman on the pole that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the anger of the king abated.

Questions

1. What do you suppose the King’s motives were in pressing the subject of Esther’s desire of him, why doesn’t he simply enjoy the banquet?
2. What are some adjectives you would use to describe Esther’s tactics in bringing the Jew’s situation to the eyes of the King and are they appropriate tactics for Christians?
3. How would you react to Esther’s accusation and demand if you were the king and if you were Haman?

Background

Related Scriptures: Deuteronomy 31:6-8; Isaiah 54:4-10; Ephesians 6:10-20; 1 Peter 3:15

The repetition of the king’s question to Esther seems to heighten the urgency he places on it. But the question is why, is he deeply concerned about Esther or does he want to get the request out of the way before the banquet?

Esther frames her request around her own life and not her people because the king is more likely to care about saving the woman who has thrown two impressive banquets for him and the Jews who are simply an anonymous group of people.

Esther’s response to the King takes the responsibility off him (even though he is certainly responsible) and places all the blame on Haman who was the originator of the plan.

The Hebrew of the Ahasuerus and Esther’s back and forth heighten the emotion through the sound.  The king’s words have a harsh sound and rhythm which enhance the tension he must feel.  The author also uses repetition in the king’s speeches to make him sound angry, frustrated and taken aback. 

Reflection

One of the major themes of the Book of Esther is identity, throughout the book Esther struggles with who she is and how she relates to God’s people. Much of the book sees Esther distance herself from God’s people as she immerses herself more and more into the life of the king’s harem. This struggle over her identity comes to a head when she understands that she will be publicly identified with God’s people one way or another. Either she confesses to the king who she is and seeks his assistance for her plight or she tries to hide and someone else takes her secret to people in authority. This realization prompts the conflict for Esther, who now has to choose what her identity is and what it means to her. Is she going to identify with God’s people or is she going to run?

When I read this story one of the comparisons I think about is how many Christians lack the confidence to speak about their faith in the modern world. I think that one of the reasons for this lack of confidence is that we do not know what to say and so fear that we will mess up the whole thing. A second reason people struggle with such confidence is that they are unsure of their connection to God’s people. Esther seems to have struggled with both of these fears and overcomes them, the question that remains then is how was she able to do so.

One of the great mysteries of the Bible is why the Book of Esther does not reference God, Esther alludes to the fact she is going to seek God’s help (in her commitment to fasting) but we are left in the dark as to what she said and did and what she heard from God. This means we are left as true outsiders watching Esther’s actions from the outside with no additional insight into what God might have said to her. We simply see that when she is confronted by the problem of her identity she retreats to a private place and commits to the spiritual practices that are meant to help us connect with God.. Even though there is no direct insight from God we cannot miss the fact that Esther commits to encountering God she gains a resolve to stand with God’s people in their affliction. Her commitment to the kind of actions that will help her encounter God, result in her commitment to identifying with God’s people. As Esther took the time to connect with God two things happened, she grew confident in speaking about who she was, and she identified with the people God cares for in their plight.

I notice that when the king confronts Esther about her request she is not belligerent, rather she is humble and respectful. She does not blurt out her beliefs and expect the king to se the world the way she does, but calmly presents her position. This takes faith that it is God who is working in the situation; how many times do we feel the need to win arguments and defend our positions. She tells the king of her situation, uniting herself with the plight of God’s people, lumping herself in with them for better or worse, and allows the king to consider life as she sees it. She does not blame the king for signing the decree (though he clearly bears responsibility) instead she looks to give him outs and ways to unite with her. Her initial claim does not even accuse Haman, it is only when the king asks for details that she provides them, she slowly reveals exactly what the king is ready to hear and what he is willing to hear. She simply shows him who she is and who and what she cares about and leaves it open to him whether or not he with listen.

This is a calling to us who are asked to stand with and speak for God’s people in our present situations. A calling to take the time to connect to God, to understand what God wants from us and to gain the courage to do only that. We have a call to speak the truth as we know it, as it relates to us, to speak for those who cannot. But we also have a calling to say only what we know and to trust that God will work in situations in ways that we cannot. Our courage comes from a knowledge that we can speak for God and God will be with us, a commitment to speaking for the truth. And when we take on this calling in humility and with grace, God works through us in powerful ways that change the world.