Reflective Essay Assignment_Esther

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Arkansas Tech University *

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500

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Religion

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Oct 30, 2023

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Reflective Essay Assignment: Esther 4:14 Justin Schalow OBST515-B12: Old Testament Orientation I October 13, 2023

Contents Esther…… .... ……………..……………………...………………….……………………………1 Reflection……………………..…………………………………………………………………..1 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………...3 ii

1 Esther “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14b, ESV) Hamilton astutely observes, “Upon hearing that edict, Mordecai implores Esther to use her position to speak as an intercessor before her royal husband.” 1 With this understood, it is apparent that there is something to be said about the timing, location, and choice that Ester would make that would go on to have effects beyond that which she could have possibly imagined. Haman issued an edict calling for the execution of the Jews during the queendom of Esther, which may have been averted had someone other than she accessioned to become the bride of the king. Nevertheless, here stands Esther, in the precise time to which God has called her. Furthermore, this entire debacle would have been a non-issue had Saul done as he should have when he led the armies to defeat the Amalekites and ensured the king was dead. However, he didn’t, and thus, within this passage we are observing a standoff between Haman, an Amalekite, and Mordecai, a Benjamite decedent of Saul, leaving Esther with a choice. Esther was in the unique position to petition for her people, but it wasn’t without potential life-ending consequences – entering the king’s presence without being summoned and begging for the salvation of her people, or maintaining her own safety, and allowing her people to die. Reflection Personally, I favor the MSG translation of this text, which states, “Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14, MSG) The implication that Mordecai communicated to Esther was simple yet profound: God orchestrated Esther’s existence 1 Victor P. Hamilton, Handbook on the Historical Books (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001), 536.

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2 to converge at this very moment in time, location, and choice so He could use her for His glory. As I reflect on this prompt in my own life, I am left feeling inadequate but ready to answer the call. I believe that the prompt that Mordecai issues here should remain as an anthem in the hearts of all Christians, causing them to assess the world around them, and reconcile that world with the high calling that Christ has given us. Bibliography