Esther

If not you, who? by Dr. Frankln L. Kirksey The saying, “If not you, who? If not now, when?” is attributed to Rabbi Hillel. Someone explains, “Hadassah, better known by her Persian name Esther, is a central figure in the Old Testament Book of Esther. Her account is one of courage, faith, and divine providence, illustrating how God can use individuals to fulfill His purposes.” King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) of Persia chose Esther to become Queen. These words from Mordecai to Esther come from Esther 4:14, a key verse in this book, “Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Let’s note three movements in this biblical account. First, Esther faced a pressing need. Her people, the Jews, were in peril, and they were about to encounter a terrible ordeal. The situation was desperate, filled with a sense of urgency and emergency. But does a need alone constitute a call? On a worldwide scale that would be impossible for one person. Edward Everett Hale penned this poetic reminder: “I am only one, But still I am one. I cannot do everything, But still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something I can do.” All these years later, do you see pressing needs that call for attention. Obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit will guide you in the right way and guard you from the wrong way. Second, Esther faced a present opportunity. How quickly a present opportunity passes, never to return! It has been said, “Four things come not back -- the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity." Often an opportunity must be seized in the present tense or be lost forever. You do not always have the luxury of a long deliberation, and you never know how soon it will be too late. Third, Esther faced a presumed duty. Mordecai appealed to a solemn obligation and a sense of duty, when he encouraged Esther to come to the aid of her people. In French, the words noblesse oblige means literally “nobility obligates.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary also provides this simple definition, “the obligation of honorable, generous, and responsible behavior associated with high rank or birth.” This line from a hymn by George Duffield could be applied here, “where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.” In his classic titled, If I Perish, I Perish, Major W. Ian Thomas explains, “I believe that such a moment comes in the life of every child of God—the moment when God’s purpose for your life hangs delicately in the balance. It may be that at this very moment, these words find you too, poised upon the threshold of that for which Christ redeemed you, and at one that the same time you are both frightened and excited at the prospect.” So, when you are faced with a pressing need, a present opportunity, and a presumed duty, remember, if not you, who? Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey, Author of Don’t Miss the Revival! Messages for Revival and Spiritual Awakening from Isaiah and Sound Biblical Preaching: Giving the Bible a Voice [Both available on Logos and Amazon © July 27, 2026 All Rights Reserved