Focal Passage: Esther 7:1-10
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, a hobbit named Frodo inherited a magnificent ring from his uncle Bilbo.
According to the story, the evil Sauron forged the ring in order to rule over all the peoples of Middle-earth. Having lost the ring in battle, it eventually came to Bilbo who gave it to Frodo.
At a council, elves, dwarves and men debated the use and purpose of the ring.
Some wanted to wield it. Others thought about destroying it.
Then Frodo bravely offered, “I will take the Ring, though I do not know the way.”
In the movie adaptation, Frodo spoke up rather quietly but firmly in the midst of a cacophony of arguments and voices. Sometimes, someone needs to speak up.
Esther was divinely positioned as Ahasuerus’ queen to speak up for her people. At this second meal prepared for the king and Haman, she spoke up regarding the evil plot that Haman had envisioned against the Jewish people.
She requested her life and the lives of the Jewish people. She also identified Haman as the scoundrel who was attempting to destroy her people.
While God could have protected His people using other means, He used Esther’s voice to serve His sovereign purposes.
Let’s be clear. God doesn’t need us. God doesn’t need anything. But quite often God positions us in places of influence with other people.
He desires our voices to bring about His purposes. It is not incidental to this narrative or to the biblical storyline that God uses our voices to spread His story.
If we are going to participate in His redemptive plan for mankind, we must do so by standing up to speak – to speak for justice, to speak for forgiveness, to speak for grace, to speak the glories of the gospel of Jesus Christ.