Esther 3:8-11

Esther 3:8-11
nglish Standard Version (ESV)

 John Stuart Mill once said, "Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing."  Nature is said to abhor a vacuum, so when good people stand by and do nothing, evil will most assuredly rush in and fill the leadership void.  It is as true of our political situation today as it was over two thousand years ago -- there are leaders in every country of the world who wish ill and violence upon others, and if those who strive for peace and equality do not stand up and advocate for it, then those who strive for evil will move forward with their plans. 
  Here, in the 3rd chapter of Esther, Haman is incensed by Mordecai's refusal to bow before Haman, so Haman sets out to destroy the entire Jewish race.  The king, uninterested in stopping this hateful violence, stands by and does nothing, abdicating his responsibility for those who live under his rule. 
  We as Christians are called to notice where evil is being done in the world today, and we cannot stand idly by.  We must lend our voices to the struggle for equality and justice, for peace and for rights, that those whom might be trampled upon by others would find in the church a champion for their cause.  Jesus invested his life in reaching out to those trampled upon by the powers of the world, and he plucked us out from underneath the powers of sin and darkness.  May we who have been rescued find the strength to stand tall in the world and invest ourselves in trying to emulate our selfless Savior and be for those in danger.