Esther

What is the weight of the hiding, the secrets?

Commentary on Esther 4:1-17

Song-Mi Suzie Park

Esther, one of the two books in the Hebrew Bible named after a woman, is an action-packed tale about Jews living in Persia (modern-day Iran) during the time of the exile. The exilic period refers to the time after destruction of Jerusalem in 587/586 BCE. The dramatic tale of Esther is filled with intrigue, danger, secrets, reversals, and doubles.

One such doublet is the presence of two main characters or protagonists. One protagonist is an exiled Jewish man named Mordecai. The other is his cousin and adopted daughter, Esther, who is an orphan. Esther, for most of the story up until chapter 4, is portrayed as quiet, meek, and obedient, passively following the instructions of Mordecai and other officials at the palace.

One of these instructions includes Mordecai’s advice to keep her identity as a Jew secret (Esther 2:10). This advice makes sense as secrecy and hiddenness are one of the themes of the book. For example, the name “Esther” might come from the Hebrew word for “hidden” or “secret.” Esther, Ms. Secret, is living a secret double life. By day, she cosplays as queen of Persia. By “night,” her true identity is as a Jewish orphan named Hadassah (“myrtle”).

As such, the book shines a light on those who are hidden, especially those who have to “pass” or conceal their identities or true selves so as to survive in this world. The story raises questions about hiding and revelation: What should you conceal, and what should you disclose, especially if you are an outsider or marginalized in some way? How much should you change or hide so that you can fit in? And what is the weight of the hiding, the secrets? The theme of hiding also brings up issues of isolationism: those people who are “hidden” not by choice but because they are largely ignored by society.

By the time we reach Esther 4, the Jewish community is in crisis. As has been the case so often in history, they are being persecuted and threatened with annihilation by a thin-skinned, power-hungry egomaniac named Haman. The question at hand in Esther 4 is whether Esther, who has been passing as a gentile queen, will endanger herself and find the courage to come to the aid of her marginalized community.

The first message we discern from this passage is a call to action: Don’t just sit on the sidelines, the story asserts; do something to help those who are being persecuted or threatened. Be brave. As Esther notes, some things are worth the threat, worth an act of disobedience. Or as she puts it, “If I die, then I die” (verse 16). Who knows? the book of Esther argues. Your tiny spark of bravery might just be the catalyst needed for change. As the book goes on to show, Esther’s revelation of her secret identity as a Jew leads to the salvation of her entire community.

Through her act of courage, she also saves herself. This leads to the second message of this passage: We are all interconnected. Esther’s first reaction to the news of the catastrophe is to send Mordecai some new clothes so he can stop being so loud in his grief. That is, initially she tries to tune out the bad news, to return to her quiet, comfortable life of hiding and safety.

Mordecai reminds her, however, that just because she has a rich and powerful husband, she should not fool herself into thinking that she is safe and immune. Or as he puts it, she “alone of all the Jews will escape” (verse 13). Rather, Mordecai reminds her that “we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.”¹

This idea is reflected in the celebration of Purim. Purim is the Jewish holiday associated with the book of Esther, and it celebrates the Jewish people’s escape from annihilation. During the holiday, participants are encouraged to give to charity, to dress in costume (that is, dress as someone or something else), and to drink, as the Babylonian Talmud puts it, until they do “not know the difference between ‘cursed be Haman’ and ‘blessed be Mordechai’” (Megillah 7b). Tellingly, all these activities encourage empathy and compel the participant to step into the shoes of someone else, to see themselves in “the other.” They are activities that show and assert our interconnectedness.

Behind this bound destiny, the text asserts, are the mysterious plans of the hidden God. In the book of Esther, God is so concealed, so secret, as to never be mentioned in the text. The missing God of Esther has perturbed interpreters. And some assert that the “another place” referred to by Mordecai in Esther 4:14 is a codeword for God. Others assert that God is all over the place in Esther; you just need to know where to look. Look at all the coincidences in Esther, such as Esther’s timely placement in the royal court as the new queen.

Which leads to the final message: God is made manifest, is revealed in the actions of God’s people. We are the means by which God unfolds God’s mysterious plan of salvation and help. Who knows?, as Mordecai states in Esther 4:14. Perhaps it is for such a time as this that you have been put into this particular place.

Notes

Quote from Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963).

PRAYER OF THE DAY

God of justice, you sent your servant Esther into a life of privilege so that those without would be taken care of. In our privilege, show us how to advocate for those who have less, so that your world might be peaceful and just. We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.