阅读经文 

当以色列民在一个肤浅的异国君王统治之下生活时，神兴起了一个勇敢和能干的王后。以斯帖的故事有一个近似神话、飞上枝头作凤凰的开始；她是一个被选入宫的穷苦孤女，后来却贵为王后。可是，在这个表面看来浪漫的故事背后，却隐藏着一个恶梦般的现实。

以斯帖被送入王宫，她要遵守一套苛刻的规例。事实上，她像一个被卖的奴隶、多过像一个兴奋的选美会参赛者，她被选为一个愚昧君王的花瓶娇妻，起初她对整件事都持着缄默和恭顺的态度。难道这就是神的子民的遭遇——默默地跟随这个邪恶的世界的做法吗？

然而，当一件邪恶的事冒头、而以斯帖也知道后，她便不再保持缄默。有人要除灭国中所有犹大人的计谋被揭露了，身为犹大人的以斯帖便采取行动来挽救大局。她勇敢地去见王，不计较自己可能会因此丧命，她巧妙地精心策划整件事来扭转局面，藉此拯救了很多神的子民的生命。

耶和华神是真正的君王，祂提拔以斯帖得到王后的位份，“是为现今的机会”。在圣经记载众多的君王故事中，这位王后的故事最为特出。她为自己的同胞冒了一切风险，她所作的，便成为基督的慈爱王权和牺牲的预表了。

While Israel was living under a foreign, shallow king, God raised up a courageous and competent queen. Esther's story has a sort of fairytale, rags-to-riches beginning. She's a poor orphan who goes to live in the palace and eventually becomes a queen. But the romantic facade of this story hides a nightmarish reality.

Esther is taken to the palace and subjected to a cruel process. She is more a trafficked slave than an eager contestant in a beauty pageant. She is made into the trophy wife of a foolish king. She is, initially, silent and subservient to this process. Is this what is in store for God's people—going along silently with the ways of a sinful world?

But when evil rears its head and Esther learns about it, she finds her voice. A plot to kill all the Jews in the kingdom comes to light, and Esther, a Jew, rises to the occasion. She courageously goes to the king even though it could cost her life. And she cleverly orchestrates a turn of events that saves the lives of many of God's people.

The Lord God is the true King. He has been raising Esther to her position "for such a time as this." In the Bible's many stories of kings, the story of this queen stands out. She risks everything for the sake of her people. And in doing that, she foreshadows the loving kingship and sacrifice of Christ.