Would You Rather?: Ask or Disobey

Would you rather is a fun game to play, particularly when getting to know someone. A person is asked to choose betwen two things of equal desiring—making it hard to decide and opening dialouge as to why the person chooses the option they choose. Recently I stumbled accross several versions of "Would You Rather?: Bible Edition" and found the questions quite intriguing. I've decided to answer one every Sabbath. Let me know your answer to today's "Would You Rather?" in the comment section.

Would you rather risk your life approaching a king to request salvation for your people or risk your life disobeying a king and refusing to worship his idol?

Answer: Approach to request salvation

Backstory

Esther Approaches the King

After Esther rose to the position of quuen, a hateful man close to the king convinced the king to issue a decree that would cause all the Jews to be put to death. Esther's people were in danger, and she was the only one with access to the king; they needed her to convince the king to overturn the decree. However, in Persia, no one was allowed to approach the king without permission, not even the queen. If a person approached the king and he did not hold out his staff to acknowledge or accept the person, they could be killed![1]

Meshach, Shadrach, and Abed-Nego Refuse to Bow

Most people are familiar with the story of Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego refusing to bow to Nebuchadnezzar's gold statue.[2] Nebuchadnezzar issued a decree that everyone was to bow when the music played or else they would be thrown into the fiery furnace. These 3 young men stayed true to God's word despite the threat of death.

Rationale

In both of these situtation, the person (or people) had to risk their lives, just under different circumstances. When I first thought of this question, I leaned toward refusing to bow to the idol, mainly because these three gentlemen had each other for support. Having close friends standing beside you as you make difficult life decisions definitely takes the pressure off. Ultimately, however, I decided that I would rather take on Esther's situation.

¹⁶Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”Daniel 3:16-18 NKJV

The reason I settled on Esther's situation is because I feel like it would have been an easier decision to make. Although Esther didn't have two friends at her side ready to die with her, she didn't have much of an option. Had Esther chosen not to approach the king, the decree to kill the Jews would have caught up to her eventually, and she still would have died. Knowing this, I think, would make it easier to make the decision. Also, because Esther wasn't quite put on the spot, she was able to fast and pray going in to the action, whereas Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego didn't have time to think about it.

And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. Esther 4:13 NKJV

Which would you rather do?

References and Footnotes

1. Esther 4-5
2. Daniel 3