Is Sarah Palin a Modern Day Esther?

I recently received a rather lengthy email forwarded from a pastor in Ohio, who chronicles his experience delivering a message to Sarah Palin he believes he received from God. It appears this email is receiving the sort of viral forwarding that many emotional stories do capped off with an urging to forward to as many people as possible to ensure the word gets out. The email itself recounts all of the details surrounding both the receiving of the message and the miraculous events that took place to put him in the path of Governor Palin, her husband and John McCain. His message to her: you are a modern day Esther.

I didn't understand what this meant but the email referred to her as "anointed" and repeated a few times that she was "chosen to reign". It included encouragement to "stay strong" and not to "fear man" for she would encounter hateful criticism in the weeks to come but would prevail in this "God-calling". I searched the pastor's web site looking for a clearer idea of what it meant to be a present day Esther and decided the best thing to do was to read the book of Esther myself to gain some insight.

After reading the entire book, I have decided that he is absolutely right! You see, Esther saved her people (the Jews) from slaughter at the hands of the king's Prime Minister Haman. Not with forcefulness or intelligence. She was in no way extraordinary or exceptional but for one thing: she was beautiful. It was the king's love for her, along with a few coincidences, that led to her people being spared.

Let's look at the story and the parallels to today's political environment: The king (John McCain) had fallen for her (Sarah Palin) because she was more beautiful (appealing to women voters) than any of the other virgins he had been offered (Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Condoleezza Rice, etc.). He made her queen (Vice Presidential candidate), and it was due to his feelings for her that she was allowed to approach him (join the ticket), even though he had not requested her presence (ever expressed any interest in her political career). When she did approach him (join the ticket), she wasn't completely up front about everything (abuse of power as Governor) and had never told anyone she was a Jew. She invited him to a feast prepared by her (changes in Wasilla) and when he asked what she wanted, she expressed that she wanted him to spare her and her people (Republicans) from slaughter (no explanation needed here), and he did. She was quite brave to do this for at the time approaching the king without an invitation was punishable by death and the story does point to virtues of patience and humility that made her likable. At the time though, she had no choice; the alternative to not approaching him was also death.

Sarah Palin is no different. Her party needed to attract women voters and appeal to the ultra conservative so she had no choice but to run whether she was ready or not, and it requires the religious conservatives rally support for her as Esther did and ask them to pray. This rallying of the people is the true intent of this email and an attempt to fulfill the prophecy. It stirs up emotion and a belief that this woman is somehow going to save the nation in spite of the fact that she has little national political experience and is naïve about international diplomacy. Blind faith can be dangerous and Sarah Palin is in no way prepared to be first or second in command of our nation and a few months on the campaign trail are not going to change that.