We Know the End January 29, 2017

¹⁰ Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, ¹¹ “All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days."
Esther 4:10-11 ESV 

Imagine Esther's confusion and concern when the very person, Mordecai, who had told her to keep her Jewish ascestry and faith a secret now tells her to approach her husband, the king.  Usually visiting one's spouse would not be an issue, except in this case an uninvited appearance could result in death.  Not an argument.  Not divorce.  But death.  Loss of life.

By reading further in Esther we learn that King Xerxes not only spared Esther's life, but also that her brave visit resulted in the cancellation of an order that would have resulted in the death of an untold numbers of Jews.  Esther's obedience saved thousands.  Yeah, Esther.  You go, girl!

What we must not overlooked is the fear that Esther must have felt as she spent time in preparation for her visit.  This is the king that had already disavowed his former wise for not attending a drunken orgy.  He is the same man that had ordered the extermination of an entire group of people, which happened to be the very group to which Esther belonged.  She did not know the outcome.

Her act was one of extreme bravery, not just as exciting story for a child's picture Bible.  Her actions could have resulted in actual physical death.  Not just ridicule by coworkers.  Not a few negative comments on Facebook.  But end of life.  Cessation of physical existence.

When we read the stories presented in the Bible, we must not overlook the humanity of the people in the stories.  The pain, the anxiety, the doubt, the fear were real.  We know the happy endings, they didn't.  Rahab, Esther, Gideon, Andrew, and Paul.  Their stories were lived in real time.  No crystal balls showed the end of their saga.  Faith was not just a sermon for them.  

We don't know the end of our lives, but are we willing to enter into that seemingly impossible situation if God calls?  Is our faith complete even with incomplete knowledge?