How Do You Feel About Injustice?
What we feel toward injustice and what we do about what we feel is a good way to check our spiritual pulse and take our spiritual temperature.
What did you feel when you watched the video of George Floyd being pinned down and choked to death by a police officer in Minneapolis? What did you feel when you watched the video of Ahmaud Arbery shot at point blank range on a quiet street in Georgia? Did you feel anything as you watched these two men die?
Many of us are quick to assume the worst about George Floyd. We think he must’ve been a really bad guy if he was treated that way. Appearances, of course, can be deceiving. Christianity Today did an article on Thursday titled, “George Floyd Left a Gospel Legacy in Houston.” It talks about his work in Houston’s Third Ward, one of the most dangerous parts of the city, to engage young men with the gospel and help them choose Jesus over the streets.
Pastor Patrick Ngwolo said, “George Floyd was a person of peace sent from the Lord that helped the gospel go forward in a place that I never lived in…The platform for us to reach that neighborhood and the hundreds of people we reached through that time and up to now was built on the backs of people like Floyd.”
I loved reading the story of Floyd’s ministry and the legacy he leaves behind in the Third Ward. But the Lord convicted me as I finished the story. Why did my sadness and anger at what happened to him deepen because I found out he was a good guy?
Pastor Ngwolo said it this way, “The fact that you have to build a narrative for a man to be loved and given justice is repulsive to me. Even if he was a capital criminal he deserved to be treated as someone created in (God’s) image.” In other words, the fact that George was a human, not the fact that he was a Christian, is why we should grieve what happened to him.
John Mark Yeats, a professor at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, commenting on Ahmaud Arbery’s death, said it this way, “The entire Scriptures uphold a fundamental truth – humanity is formed in the image of God. That very nature as image bearers brings us to a place where life is valued from conception to grave. There is no person who is ‘less than’ or ‘unworthy.’ The entire moral code of Scripture is built from the standpoint of honoring God and, therefore, honoring one another who are made in the image of God.” So, again, what did you feel when you learned that these men were killed unnecessarily?
The World is Broken
Our world and our culture is broken. The death of African Americans. The death of almost a million babies a year through abortion. The sexual abuse of women and children. The global pandemic created by the coronavirus. The millions of people who are dying and going to hell because they’ve never even heard the gospel.
Do we grieve these things or politicize them? Even now, some may be thinking that I’m just being political by bringing these things up. Grieving something that is wrong is part of being human, not part of politics.
Are we so comfortable in the cocoon of our comforts that we feel nothing about what’s going on in the world? Why do we choose to tune out instead of tune in to what is going on? Why do we shut our eyes and ears to what’s happening in Minneapolis and at Planned Parenthood clinics and in brothels around the world and in countries where being a Christian can get you killed? Why do we ignore the evil in our own hearts? Why are we so quick to see someone else’s pride but not our own? Why do we downplay our anger, lust, greed, and prayerlessness? Why do we prefer to not deal with what’s really going on in the world and in our own lives? Who will save us from our carelessness?
Our Plight Is Not New
Our personal and cultural plight isn’t new. The people of God have always lived in a world of injustice and always struggled with carelessness. And God has always been faithful to provide what his people need, right when they need it, in ways inexplicable apart from his providence.
This is what we’re going to see in Esther 4. A severe injustice has been decreed against the Jews, as Haman the Agagite bribed King Ahasuerus to slaughter them, all while the Jewish Queen Esther appears to remain ignorant of what’s happening. Nonetheless, the Lord’s plan to provide justice for his people through a mediator was already in the works as these events unfolded.
Mordecai’s Grief
In Esther 4, we’ll see Mordecai’s grief (vv. 1-3), Esther’s dilemma (vv. 4-11), and Esther’s decision (vv. 12-17). In verses 1-3, we see Mordecai’s grief over the injustice of Haman’s plot to kill the Jews. Mordecai’s grief may strike us as excessive, but was actually perfectly normal for that day and time. We could actually stand to learn something from the way people grieved in the Bible. When people were hurting, instead of telling everyone that they were fine and trying to maintain a stoic image of strength, they wailed and cried and changed their appearance. Mordecai, and so many like him in Scripture, was honest about his pain.
Verse 2 says that Mordecai’s grief wasn’t welcomed in the palace. The king preferred to be around happy people, not sad people, to live in the pretend world of luxury and opulence where suffering or sufferers were not allowed.
Verse 3 says that Mordecai’s behavior is imitated across the empire. The Jews respond as any of us should respond when we realize that we’re a people who have judgment decreed against us.
Esther’s Dilemma
What’s so interesting is that the one person who could do something about what’s been decreed seems to be totally ignorant about what’s going on. Mordecai is weeping and wailing outside the city walls. Esther is living in the cocoon of comfort inside the palace. One is covering themselves with ashes, one is getting a mani and pedi. Esther won’t remain in ignorance for long. She’s about to learn about Haman’s genocidal plot and be faced with a dilemma of her own. In verses 4-11, we see Esther’s dilemma.
Amazingly, the decree that was the talk of the city was unknown to Esther. She’s living in another world it seems. The separation that existed then, and now, between the rich and famous and those suffering in the streets is frightening. How could Esther not know, or not choose to know, why Susa “was thrown into confusion” (3:15)? How could we not know, or not choose to know, why our world and our country are thrown into confusion? Ignorance isn’t always on purpose. But it attracts many with its promise of peace and happiness.
When Esther learns of her cousin’s grief, verse 4 says that she “was deeply distressed.” She may be oblivious to the reason for Mordecai’s grief, but she realizes that something serious is going on. Her first response is to send Mordecai some new clothes, but it doesn’t work. Buying some new shoes or a new purse or a new car or a new house will never fix the emotional turmoil and stress and pain we feel. New clothes can’t heal our hearts.
When the new clothes don’t work, verse 5 says Esther tries a more substantive and meaningful approach to helping the man who raised her. She sends a trusted messenger to find out what’s going on and he goes (v. 6).
Mordecai seemed to have a way of knowing things and was able to recount exactly what had been decreed against the Jews and why, and even produced a copy of the edict (vv. 7-8a). He also tells Esther to do two things: go into the king’s presence and beg for him to have mercy on the Jews (v. 8b).
The final phrase of verse 8 is key. Esther is to ask the king to have mercy on “her people.” Remember no one knows that Esther is a Jew. Mordecai is telling her that now is the time to make her ethnic identity known. The only character in the story with two names must now decide which identity truly defines her. Will she identify with the people of the world or the people of God?
Hathach brings all this information back to Esther and Esther sends another message back to Mordecai, stating her dilemma (v. 11). Esther has a major dilemma. If she doesn’t do anything, all the Jews die. If she goes into the king’s throne room without an invitation, she likely dies. She points out what everyone knows: no one enters the king’s presence without being called. You can’t just breeze into the scariest place on earth as if you belonged there. If you do and the king doesn’t hold out the golden scepter of mercy and acceptance, you’ll be executed. Mordecai is asking Esther to risk her life for her people.
The last comment Esther makes in verse 11 tells us how hopeless she feels. The king hasn’t called on her in thirty days. It’s doubtful that the king has been sleeping alone for a month, so if the king hasn’t wanted her body, why would he want to talk to her?
Esther is essentially saying to Mordecai that she may not be the solution he thinks she is. She’s not saying that she won’t do it, but by reminding him of the consequences of this move, she’s implicitly asking him to reconsider his request.
Esther’s Decision
Esther’s dilemma is relayed back to Mordecai, who then essentially says that there is no plan B, leaving Esther to make one of the most difficult decisions ever made. In verses 12-17, we see Esther’s decision.
There are three parts to Mordecai’s response to Esther in verses 13-14. First, he tells her that she shouldn’t think that she’s safe just because she’s the queen (v. 13). The king has already gotten rid of one queen in this story, why would he not do it again? Mordecai is saying that her life is in danger either way, whether she talks to the king or not.
Second, he tells her that if she does nothing, the Jews will still be saved (v. 14a). How can Mordecai say this and believe this? Because he believed in the covenant promises of God. God promised Abraham that his descendants would number more than the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore. The Jews would persist to exist because God promised that they would. He promised Abraham that he’d bless the whole world through them. None of that happens if the Jews are annihilated.
Amazingly, Mordecai’s request is grounded in his confidence in God yet he doesn’t even mention his name! God’s name is never mentioned in Esther but that doesn’t mean he’s not present. The author of the book is trying to show us that, though God seems absent, he is present and working. Mordecai’s statement makes no sense in a secular universe. Why would a universe without God have any interest or commitment to preserving the Jewish people? There are no happy endings in a God-less and thus meaningless universe.
Mordecai was sure that the Jews had a future because he trusted in God and because he knew his Bible. He knew that the seed of the woman and the offspring of Abraham and the son of David would come and crush the head of the serpent. This is why Mordecai says with confidence, “Relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place” (v. 14a).
The third thing Mordecai says to Esther is, “Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (v. 14b) Notice he doesn’t say, “You have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.” He says, “Who knows?” He doesn’t know how God will rescue his people, he just knows that he will. He’s saying to Esther, “Perhaps you’re queen for this reason. Perhaps you were taken into the king’s harem and won the beauty pageant for this reason. Perhaps there’s something bigger going on than an Agagite’s hatred of the Jews and the fate of the lots. Perhaps the providence of God has you here for this exact moment.”
Esther has to make a decision. What will she do? Will she play it safe and stay silent? Or will she accept the risk of losing her life by going to talk to the king? Verses 15-16 tell us what she chose.
Like Moses before her, in faith Esther chose to be “mistreated with the people of God (rather) than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin…considering the reproach of Christ (as) greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt” (Heb. 11:24-26). In faith, Esther chose to risk her life for the sake of the people of God over the fleeting pleasures of the palace.
Notice that she didn’t have a lone-ranger mentality. She knew she needed the help and support of the community of God. She needed the people of God in order to do the work of God. Also notice that this wasn’t just an act of courage. This was an act of faith. This is why she asked the people of God to fast for three days and nights. Prayer isn’t explicitly mentioned, but prayer always accompanies fasting in the Old Testament. There’s no reason to think that it didn’t here as well. A normal fast was one day. But the seriousness of the task and the greatness of the risk called for a serious pursuit of God by the people of God through prayer.
After the fast, Esther says that she “will go to the king, though it is against the law” (v. 16). There comes a time when we must break the law in order to obey God (eg. Acts 4). Esther then says that she’s willing to risk death in order to do what’s right, “If I perish, I perish.” She stands in a long line of men and women who’ve done the same.
A quiet and passive and beautiful young girl is transformed into a courageous and faithful woman of God. In a moment of crises, Esther chose possible death over her cocoon of comfort in order to identify with the people of God. She decided that death was a price worth paying so that others might live. She decided that she wanted to be a part of God’s plan to save the world. So she acted.
Five Things We Learn
We’ll see the wise course of action she pursues starting next week. For now, let’s draw out some applications and implications from what we’ve learned in these last few verses (vv. 13-16). There are at least five things we learn here:
First, the purposes of God are much greater than the obedience or disobedience of one person. Mordecai told Esther that God’s purposes would be accomplished whether she obeyed or disobeyed (v. 14a). This is very comforting because it means that God will succeed even if we fail. His will isn’t dependent on us. God will save his people, with or without us.
Second, we only know what God is up to by looking back. “Who knows” what God is doing in your life right now? Time will tell. “Who knows” why a global pandemic is happening, why your marriage is so difficult, why God hasn’t provided a spouse or children yet, why you were transferred to Dallas, why your job is so difficult, why your family is so jacked up. Who knows? God knows, and we can’t know in advance, but only by looking back, and sometimes not even then. God knows what’s going on in what’s going on. His hands are firmly on the wheel of the world and your life.
Third, something will likely happen in your life one day that will force you to choose who you really are, what you really believe, and what you’re really about. Something at work, in your family, in your marriage, in your neighborhood, or in our society will likely bring us to the point where we have to decide whether we identify with the people of God or the people of the world. May God give us grace and courage to be like Esther in that day.
Fourth, God put you where you are. Mordecai wanted Esther to consider why she was where she was. Could it be that God put her there “for such a time as this”? Could it be that God has you where you are “for such a time as this”? You may think, “But my life isn’t nearly as important as Esther’s. I’m not part of dramatic series of events that will save the people of God.” But if you’re a child of God, the Bible says that you were “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that you should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). Before time, God prepared things for you to do. The Lord decided in eternity past how we would serve him. He decided which part of the King’s army we’d serve in. Some will be in the trenches. Some will tend the wounded. Some will keep the army fed and nourished. Some will storm the gates of the enemy. Some will strategize. Some will train more soldiers. The important thing isn’t what we’re doing in the king’s army, but that we’re in the King’s army. The God who created heaven and earth enlisted us to serve him, to do “good works” in his name.
This means that the ideal place for you to serve God is right where you are. You may think, “If only I were on the mission field, then I’d really be serving God.” But this is incredibly shortsighted. The Commander in Chief has positioned you right where he wants you. He may move you to another field, but his plan for you right now is for you to do faithfully what you’re doing right now. This means that if you’re a new mom, your work in changing diapers and wrangling toddlers is a divine activity. This means that if you’re a college student, studying a specific discipline is a divine calling. This means that if you’re an engineer or nurse or business person or whatever, God has put you there “for such a time as this.” Who knows what purposes he has for you in what you’re doing? God knows. He put you where you are because he has unique things that only you can do for him there. The ideal place for you to serve God is right where you are because God put you where you are.
Fifth, one of the ways we faithfully serve the Lord where we are, is that, like Mordecai, we must mourn over the injustice in the world. And like Esther, must choose to move out of our cocoon of comfort and identify ourselves with the people of God. We must move out of ignorance and into awareness and action.
How can we move out of ignorance and into awareness? We can start by getting to know other church members and our neighbors and learn about what they’re going through. You may not know what people are going through because you haven’t taken the time to ask, or made the effort to get to know them. You can watch and read the news, preferably from multiple sources, to learn about what’s going on locally, nationally, and internationally. You can follow The Voice of the Martyrs to learn about what our brothers and sisters in Christ are going through around the world (www.persecution.com). You can check out “Dispatches from the Front,” available in the church library. In the information age, ignorance about what’s going on in the world is really more of a choice than an accident.
What actions can we pursue? We can pray regularly for the nations and the persecuted church, give to the local church so that more missionaries can be sent, serve in the community in a way that blesses people and promotes justice in Jesus’ name. We can take risks by sharing the gospel with a friend or family member who’s far from God or by going on an international mission trip. We can serve God faithfully where we are, even if we’re not sure why we’re there and don’t really want to be there. “Who knows whether or not God put you there for such a time as this?”
We Need a Mediator
Because the world is broken and under the curse of sin, the world is a place of urgent need. What do you feel when you see and hear of these needs? Do you mourn with those who mourn? Are you so comfortable in the cocoon of your comforts that you feel nothing about what’s going on in the world?
We need a mediator to save us from our carelessness. We need someone to do for us what we can’t seem to do for ourselves. In grace, God has provided one for us. 2,000 years ago, a young Jewish believer courageously followed God’s will and went into the place of power and judgment to plead for the deliverance of his people. Unlike Esther who faced the possibility of death, this mediator faced the certainty of death. He chose to perish so that his people could survive. He chose to die so that we could live.
God sent Jesus to mediate between us and him, to save us from the edict of judgment decreed against us, to lift God’s golden scepter of mercy and grant us entrance into the presence of the King of the universe. The cross of Jesus Christ was the only way for our sin to be judged and for us to be saved. God loves justice and always does what is right, so something had to be done about our rebellion. And God loves mercy and offers it to everyone who turns away from their sins and puts their faith in Jesus Christ.
Because of Jesus’ mediation, God has given us an audience with himself and happily pursues relationship with everyone who’ll trust in him. And because of Jesus’ mediation, the people of God will one day feast instead of fast in the presence of the King. While we wait for that day, may God grant us an awareness that leads to action.