Esther: The Courageous Witness

Esther – The Courageous IntercessorWitness

Welcome back, truth-seekers, to another captivatingepisode of the “Witness Series,” part of “2 Minutes with the Lord” on Spotify!I’m your host, Fr. Veigas Dominic SVD, and today, we’re diving into anextraordinary story from the Old Testament, featuring a young woman who rosefrom obscurity to royalty, and then risked everything to save her people.

In this fifth episode of Season 7, we focus on Esther,“The Courageous Intercessor Witness.” In a moment of existential crisis for herpeople, God strategically placed Esther in a position of influence, empoweringher to intercede and act with incredible bravery. Her story is a powerfulreminder that God orchestrates circumstances and equips ordinary people forextraordinary purposes.

Esther’s life resonates with us today because itspeaks to the moments when we are called to step out in faith, even when fearis present. Her witness reminds us that God often uses our unique gifts andpositions for His divine plan, especially when it involves defending thevulnerable and speaking truth to power.

Today, we’ll unpack Esther’s life, her powerfulmessage as a courageous intercessor, and how her example can inspire our actsof faith and advocacy. Let’s get started.

Who was Esther?

A young Jewish orphan girl named Hadassah, living inexile in Susa, the capital of the vast Persian Empire. She was raised by herolder cousin Mordecai. Through a remarkable turn of events – including QueenVashti’s dismissal and a kingdom-wide search for a new queen – Hadassah, nowknown by her Persian name, Esther, found herself chosen to be Queen to KingXerxes.

The book of Esther, chapter 2, describesher ascent to the throne, saying in verse 17: “The king loved Esther more thanall the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more thanall the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queeninstead of Vashti.”

But her new royal position came with an unimaginablechallenge. A wicked and ambitious official named Haman concocted a plan toannihilate all the Jews throughout the Persian Empire, manipulating King Xerxesinto issuing an irreversible decree. Mordecai, upon learning of this decree,urged Esther to intercede with the King.