The Book of Esther is not ancient history.
It is spiritual reality — replayed in every generation.
Esther teaches us four enduring truths:
God has a plan for your life.
Satan has a plan for your life.
You have a choice.
God has the answer.
And nowhere do these truths come into sharper focus than in the contrast between Mordecai and Haman.
Mordecai lives to worship God.
Haman lives to be worshiped.
Mordecai stands in integrity.
Haman demands submission.
Mordecai trusts God’s justice.
Haman plots revenge, fueled by rage.
Haman’s spirit — pride, cruelty, domination, and genocidal hatred — has resurfaced repeatedly throughout history. It was present in Pharaoh’s heart, in Herod’s massacre, in the Roman persecutions, in the medieval expulsions, in the Holocaust, and now again in Hamas.
Just as in Esther’s day, Satan still seeks to destroy God’s people — physically, spiritually, emotionally. And today’s testimonies of freed hostages reveal that same evil at work.
“I Choose Life”: A Mordecai Spirit in the Hands of a Modern Haman
On December 3rd, The Jewish Chronicle published a devastating interview with freed hostage Alon Ohel, who survived 738 days in Hamas captivity.
His story echoes the spiritual battle of Esther: one man choosing dignity and life even in the grip of monstrous cruelty.
According to Ohel:
“I choose life.” — Alon Ohel, reflecting on the moment he was thrown into a truck on October 7 while bleeding, covered in debris, and nearly blind.
Ohel described starvation, beatings, and sexual abuse used systematically as tools of control by Hamas.
He also exposed a critical truth ignored by many in the West:
Ordinary Gazans celebrated the massacre and helped the terrorists. — Alon Ohel
This is not unlike the Persians who bowed to Haman, empowered him, and allowed his hatred to grow unchecked.
Haman demanded worship.
Hamas demands submission.
Both sought the destruction of the Jewish people.
Both cloak their evil in political rhetoric.
Both reveal the enemy’s ancient plan:
Steal. Kill. Destroy. (John 10:10)
And yet — just like Mordecai — Ohel refused to let hatred define his soul. His words “I choose life” are the modern echo of Mordecai standing tall while everyone else bowed.
This is what spiritual resistance looks like.
The Call of Esther in a World Still Facing Haman
The Book of Esther is not merely a tale of political rescue. It is the story of two spiritual paths:
Haman’s path:
Pride
Revenge
Violence
Worship of self
Destruction of the innocent
Mordecai’s path:
Worship
Integrity
Courage
Trust in God
Choosing life
Every generation faces this choice.
Every believer faces it.
Every nation faces it.
And today, as Hamas openly embraces the same genocidal ideology as Haman — and as freed hostages tell the world what that spirit looks like in practice — we are reminded that the battle between worship and domination is still raging.
But God still has His Esthers.
He still has His Mordecais.
He still raises up people who refuse to bow, refuse to hate, refuse to surrender hope.
Four Lessons Esther Still Teaches Us Today
1. God has a plan for your life.
Even when the world looks chaotic and evil seems to flourish, God is always working behind the scenes.
2. Satan has a plan for your life.
If he cannot destroy you physically, he will try to destroy your peace, integrity, or identity.
3. You have a choice.
Esther could have remained silent.
Mordecai could have bowed.
Neither did.
And that choice changed history.
4. God has the answer.
He overturns the schemes of the enemy.
He remembers what others forget.
He rescues His people in ways no one could imagine.
As Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said — a modern Mordecai whose integrity cost him his life —
“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil.”
Esther calls us not to silence, not to fear, not to bow — but to stand.
In a Generation of Hamans, God Still Raises Esthers
The spirit behind Hamas is ancient.
The courage God calls us to is eternal.
Whether we are confronting evil in the world, bitterness in our hearts, or a moment of moral pressure in our own story, the message remains:
Worship God, not people.
Trust God, not revenge.
Choose life, not fear.
Stand firm, even if you stand alone.
Just like Mordecai.
Just like Esther.
Just like Alon Ohel.
For such a time as this.
Source:
“The Jewish Chronicle – ‘I choose life’: Ex-hostage Alon Ohel reveals brutal treatment at the hands of Hamas captors,” Dec. 3, 2025. https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/alon-ohel-brutal-treatment-hamas-captors-v8p27gzr
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