In the book of Esther, a Jew becomes queen of a gentile (or non-Jewish) nation that stretches from India to Cush (the upper Nile region). This kingdom is headed by King Xerxes. But Esther is not his first queen. The book begins when King Xerxes gives an enormous banquet for all his officials and the people of the land. At the end of the banquet, he commands his queen, Vashti, to come to him so he can display her beauty to the people. But Vashti refuses, so the king deposes her from her position as queen and replaces her with Esther—after choosing her from among many other beautiful girls who were taken to his palace. He doesn’t know Esther is a Jew.

But one day, there’s trouble. Mordecai, who is Esther’s cousin, sits at the king’s gate to find out how Esther is doing, and he refuses to bow to a high-ranking official named Haman. In his anger, Haman determines to kill Mordecai—together with all the Jews in the kingdom. Mordecai learns of Haman’s plot and sends a message to Queen Esther instructing her to go to the king and plead with him for her people’s rescue. Esther is at first unwilling to appear before the king, knowing that whoever intrudes in the king’s inner court uninvited must be killed.

So Mordecai sends a messenger back to Esther with these words: “If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). Esther then agrees, instructing all the Jews to fast with her before she goes to the king. When Esther appears before him and pleads for herself and her people, the king listens. The genocide plan fails, Haman is impaled, and Mordecai is promoted!

The book of Esther shows us that God loves His people, and He is able to deliver them from trouble using any means. God is sovereign. Even though there was a plot to exterminate Jewish people, God worked through Esther to save them. Generations later, God came to save His people from sin and death—permanently. Because God loves us, Jesus died and rose again for us. We can become part of God’s family by putting our trust in Jesus. And, as a part of God’s family, when a need arises and we are in a position to help, we can do so because God’s love is in us, and He will give us the courage to do whatever He calls us to do. • Charity Kiregyera

• If God can work through any means, why do you think He often works through His people?

“And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14b (NIV)