In re-reading elements of the Book of Esther this week, I came across that beautiful passage that we often hear quoted, “For such a time as this.”
When we remove those words from their context, they become a celebration of initiative; an inspiring encouragement and an affirmation of our place in time. They become some sort of “feel-good” phrase. But in their context, there is much more grit, weightiness and consternation attached to those words. Let me show you what I mean.
Esther 4:10-17Then Queen Esther told Hathach to go back and relay this message to her uncle Mordecai: “The whole world knows that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him in more than a month.” So Hathach gave Esther’s message to Mordecai.
Mordecai sent back this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that you will escape there in the palace when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at at time like this, deliverance for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. What’s more, who can say but that you have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this?“
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I am willing to die.” So Mordecai went away and did as Esther told him.
O’ yes–the phrase we love to often quote is tangled up in destiny, challenge, subversiveness, rule-breaking, “good trouble,” and sacrifice. (not a word we like to consider)
“The Whole World Knows…”
It was a law, of some sort, that no one could enter into the king’s presence without being summoned there. The rule is obvious. It’s well known. There is no doubt about it. But desperate times demand desperate measures. Esther’s uncle Mordecai is asking her to do something that strays outside the bounds of the law. He’s asking her to do something that carries grave consequences (pun intended.) Greed and jealously is driving a mandate for the extermination of all Jews in the territory and the situation is desperate.
It’s a live or die situation. Break the rules! Get into some “good trouble.” If you see an injustice, do everything within your power to right it. But we, like Esther, don’t want to get involved.
“Don’t Think You Can Escape”
Esther is not only hesitant to step outside the bounds; she’s determined not to. Queen Esther is a Jew and when the dust settles, Mordecai knows that even if she stays silent in an effort to protect herself, she will not be protected. Her inaction will in effect be an action.
I’ve heard several acquaintances bemoan the state of politics in our nation. They are frustrated to the point that they’ve decided their action will be inaction; they will not vote in the upcoming election. But Mordecai”s words ring true even today: “your inaction is, in fact, an action and you cannot think just because you don’t vote you’ll be spared the consequences.” (my interpretation)
When we read Martin Luther King, Jr’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, we sense a different tone in his words. We begin to recognize his realization that the battle for civil rights in which he was engaged may very well cost him life. There’s the sacrifice. He writes like a man who knows his purpose is intersecting with his destiny. All of us, at one time or another in our lives find ourselves standing at that intersection.
In the passage, Mordecai compels Queen Esther to consider the possibility that all the good things that have happened to her; all the favor that she has been granted; the status she enjoys in life has happened to her for a reason. In essence he says,
What if…
What if?
What if all that has happened to you has been preparing you for this very moment? “For such a time as this.”
“For such a time as this.”
Friends, I don’t know about you, but it feels like we are living in moments of destiny. As much as we would like to “wish them away” and as much as we’d like to take Esther’s first posture, “I can’t do this. The consequences will be too severe,” we are living in moments and situations that compel us to action. We cannot do nothing.
We are living in situations that demand we cross boundaries and get into “good trouble.” We are standing at the crossroads of purpose and destiny.
“For such a time as this.”
Go and Gather some people to pray!
Esther comes to the realization that it is a moment of destiny for her. She must do it, but, she cannot do it alone. She rallies the troops and calls them to prayer and fasting on her behalf. Some of us are being called to dramatic action in such a time as this. Others of us are being called to lift up those people in prayer and fasting in such a time as this. We are all being called to some type of action.
As we journey through these turbulent days; as we traverse what some have called the “great unmasking,” let us discern what God is calling us to do in such a time as this. I encourage you to read the remainder of the book of Esther, see how she got into “good trouble” and discover how God used her to transform a dire and desperate situation.
For those of you wondering about the phrase “good trouble,” they are the words of Congressman John Lewis. He said: “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
“For such a time as this.” It’s much more than a “feel-good” phrase. It is indeed more than just a celebration of initiative or some type of affirmation. It’s a call to action; it’s a call to fight injustice, it’s a call to step into your destiny. The price of doing nothing is just too high.