RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2021-05-28	Why Did Esther Say, 'If I Perish, I Perish' (Es.4:16)
		Est 4:16 "Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!" We pick up the story when Esther has been queen for about five years. Esther is a Jew and virtually no one knows that. Her cousin Mordecai knows, and learns of a plot to annihilate all the Jews in the land. The mastermind behind this murderous scheme is a man named Haman. He is the king's second-in-command. Mordecai unites the Jews to fast and pray while mourning. At the same time, he sends a message to Esther asking her to plead before the king on behalf of her people (Es.4:8). Esther responds to Mordecai by a messenger explaining her predicament (Es.4:11). Est 4:11 "All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days." Mordecai responded by reminding Esther that she, as a Jew, would also be in danger of her life if Haman's plot succeeds (Es.4:13-14). Part of Mordecai's response to Esther included the famous words, “Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Es.4:14). When Esther heard these words, her fears turned from fear to faith. She accepts the divine purpose. Esther responded in verse 16. Est 4:16 "Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!" On the third day, Esther, “put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace, across from the king's house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house” (Es.5:1). King Xerxes (or Ahasuerus) received Esther, and the power of prayer of God's people are answered. Esther lives, and the evil plot to kill all the Jews is overthrown. Mordecai is honored. Haman was hung on the gallows. The Jewish people are saved. From this story the Jews establish the Feast of Purim to commemorate God's great deliverance forever. With Esther's declaration, “If I perish, I perish!,” it shows a pivotal moment of her trusting submission to the will of God. God raised Queen Esther to her position in the royal palace for a holy purpose. She did not understand that at first. Likewise, God allows our faith to grow. Esther's courageous act required that she put her own life in jeopardy. Esther dared to approach the king on behalf of her people, knowing that the death penalty awaited anyone who entered his presence uninvited. Has God put any of us in a position where we could trust God and accomplish great things? Let us say like Paul, “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus” (Ac.20:24). Or as Esther said, “If I perish, I perish!” Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

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