Discouraging experiences are inevitable. I heard Mr. Jalen Rose, a retired professional basketball player, say, “Adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it.” When I heard this, I thought about the Jewish Queen of Persia, Esther. She made the choice to risk her life to save her people, who were threatened by a devious plot decreeing their annihilation. When she approached her husband the king to ask for help, she risked being executed immediately, because she walked into his presence without being summoned. Persian law forbade this on penalty of death. However, he extended his scepter of grace to her, welcomed her and honored her request to cancel the evil plot and reverse the decree against her people.
In Esther 4:14, Esther’s uncle Mordecai said this to her: “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” In spite of the terrible personal risk, Queen Esther made the choice to do what was right. It was a decision she made in the face of fear for her life. This fear was completely understandable, and certainly justified, but could not outweigh the need for her to speak up. Had she not done so, all the Jewish people who were in captivity in Babylon would have been put to death. She answered the call to stand up for righteousness. Doing so resulted in the reversal of the situation. Evil was defeated and grace triumphed. I’m Dr. Bob. Here is my conclusion, in which you will find four biblically supported principles: Queen Esther’s choice to speak out (1) revealed the strength of her character; and, (2) her character revealed the value of doing right above doing nothing. (3) Her actions exemplified the principle that it’s never wrong to do what’s right. We could also add that (4) it’s never right to do what’s wrong.