Then Esther went again before the king, falling down at his feet and begging him with tears to stop the evil plot devised by Haman the Agagite against the Jews. —Esther 8:3
The term Agagite is used in the Book of Esther to describe Haman, a power-seeking socio-political climber. An Agagite is an example of an ethnonym, which is a name referring to an ethnic group, tribe, or people. Queen Esther is spot on when she bravely shares with her husband, King Xerxes, what shatters her heart: Haman the Agagite does have an evil plot to destroy her people, the Jews.
Our hearts shatter today when we see power groups bully, malign, minimalize or try to annihilate others based on a race, group, or designation. “Injustice!” we shout, and should. This cruelty is fundamentally, incredibly, and tragically wrong.
In the face of plots such as this, what hope is there? Specifically, what ways do we seek and see justice?
One way is through Esther, a woman who changes her life, the lives of her people and all people who study her. She doesn’t quit, even though the situation is dire. Her death, and the death of her people, is more than likely, yet she persists. She pursues.
We are called today to do the same. Persist. Pursue. This isn’t easy. Some days we see breaks of promise. Other days all we have worked for is lost, or seems lost. Notice, however, that Esther doesn’t hold any stops. She begs. She has tears, real tears. We will do well by remembering this same all-out ammunition can be our arsenal, too.
Evil plots still exist. But so did Esther. And so does God. This makes the difference. This is the difference. Seek and see justice.
PRAYER:
Lord, there is so much that is so wrong in the world. So many experience daily injustices. Help us plan, persist and pursue so that the justice we seek we will see. Amen.