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Esther replied that if anyone came into the king's court without being called by the
king, that person would be put to death unless he held out the golden scepter. She also
told Mordecai that the king had not called her for the last thirty days.
Then Mordecai sent a further reply to Esther which we quote:
"Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, `Think not with thyself that thou shalt
escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy
peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from
another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth
whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?'." (Esther 4: 13, 14).
Esther called all the Jews to fast for three days and she and her maidens would
likewise fast. Then she would approach the king and "if I perish, I perish".
But when Esther, dressed in her royal robes, stood in the king's court, the king held
out the golden scepter and received her. She was very diplomatic, for Haman was still
held in high esteem by the king, so she had to move slowly and discreetly. She asked the
king, with Haman, to attend a banquet which she would arrange. The story unfolds
gradually throughout chapters 5:-9: which we cannot relate in detail owing to lack of
space but in the end, the king realized that Haman had plotted against Mordecai who had
been faithful to the king. Mordecai was advanced and Haman was put to death; letters
were sent to the 127 provinces reversing the previous orders, and the Jews were saved
from persecution and murder.
Esther was raised up to protect and defend the Jews. She was indeed appointed queen
"for such a time as this". Her coronation as queen was timed perfectly for her to act on
behalf of the Jewish nation. It was the "right time" for such an appointment.
The coming of Jesus Christ to this earth, and all the details of His life on earth were
according to God's plan and happened at the "right time". Paul writing to the Galatians
confirms this:
"But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a
woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of sons" (Gal. 4: 4, 5).
It is evident that Paul believed that God sent forth His Son at an appointed time; he
says that when the fullness of the time had come God sent His Son, but he does not
enlarge on this statement.
In the first chapter of Matthew, we have details of the generations of Jesus Christ,
starting with Abraham. At the end of the long list we have the comment:
"So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from
David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the
carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations" (Matt. 1: 17).