ESTHER

The story of Esther in the Bible has always been one of my favorites. A beautiful,
yet humble girl, raised by a cousin, and who saved a generation through her
bravery. I love this story in the Bible because it so beautifully illustrates how God
can use anyone for His plans and how we, especially women, can fight our fears
and bring glory to God.

Fun Facts from the Book of Esther

Queen Esther’s Hebrew name was Hadassah (“Esther” is Persian)
Mordechai was the first person in history to be called a “Jew”.
He wasn’t the first Jewish person; he’s thought to be the first person to be
referred to as a Jew rather than an Israelite or Hebrew.
Achashverosh searched four years for a queen, during which he considered more
than 1400 contestants, before choosing Esther.
The Word Purim Means Lot –That’s lot as in drawing lots. In this case it refers to
the way Haman chose the date for slaughtering all the Jews in Persia.
The earliest observances of Purim are believed to date back to the 5th century BC.
Mordechai was a very old man during the story of Purim. (He was already a
member of the Sanhedrin, the highest court of Torah law in Jerusalem, 79 years
before the miracle of Purim!)
The day before Purim is a day of fasting, to commemorate Esther’s fasting.
God’s name is not mentioned even once in the entire Book of Esther.

The book of Esther is unique in that it is one of the only two books in the Bible
named for women (the other, of course, is Ruth). (Read below for some more fun
and interesting facts on the Book of Esther).

The author is unknown, but some biblical scholars conclude that it was Mordecai,
himself, who wrote the book of Esther.

The events in the book take place from 483 BC to 473 BC, during the first half of
the reign of King Xerxes.

If you aren’t familiar with Esther, or it’s been a while since you’ve read or hear the
story. I’ve shared my abridged version below.

The story of Esther opens with a lavish banquet at the palace of King Ahasuerus,
(also known as King Xerxes. The king had become drunk on wine and commanded
that his wife, Queen Vashti come at once, to show everyone how beautiful she
was. Queen Vashti refused to obey her husband and didn’t come when he
beckoned. The king was so enraged at her disrespect and disobedience that he
decided to divorce her.
The king then arranged for all the beautiful virgins in his kingdom to come forth – a
type of beauty pageant – so that he could choose a new queen.

Esther, a beautiful young woman in the kingdom, who had been raised by her
cousin Mordecai when her parents died, was among those who were summoned
to the palace. Before she left, Mordecai told Esther not to tell anyone her
nationality as it could be very dangerous for her. There were many who despised
the Jews. There was a man named Hegai who was put in charge of preparing the
women for meeting the king. Hegai was struck by Esther’s beauty, and she was
given special attention.

When Esther was called before the king to “be paraded”, he immediately was
drawn to her for her beauty and placed the queen’s crown on her head. King
Xerxes/Ahasuerus then held a grand banquet for his new queen, Esther.

One night while Mordecai was sitting by the king’s gate, he overheard two guards
conspiring to assassinate King Xerxes. Mordecai immediately told Queen Esther of
the plan and Esther told the king. She of course, gave the credit to Mordecai for his
protection of the king and the two guards were hanged.

The King had a “right hand man”, Haman who was full of pride and haught. When
Mordecai refused to bow down the Haman This bothered Haman to the point of
rage. When Haman found out that Mordecai was a Jew, he decided to kill not just
Mordecai, but all the Jewish nation. To carry out his evil plan, Haman convinced
King Xerxes that the Jews opposed the king and advised that they all be killed to
protect the king. The King, relying on his most trusted adviser, agreed, and set a
date for the Jews to be killed.
When Mordecai learned of Haman and the king’s plan, he told Esther about it. He
implored her to approach the king to stop it. Of course, Esther was afraid for her
own life, too. No one was to approach the king, without being first called before
him. Ester tried to avoid taking any action, but Mordecai again pleaded with
Queen Esther to do something to save the Jewish people.

Finally, Esther instructed all the Jews to join her in fasting for three days and three
nights. At the end of those three days, she would then approach the king with her
request.

As promised, Esther went to King Xerxes after the period of fasting. The king asked
her what her request was and told her she could have up to half the kingdom if
she pleased. Queen Esther requested that the king and Haman join her at a
banquet the next day. The king said yes, of course, and asked Esther to tell him
about her request at the banquet.

Meanwhile Haman was still so infuriated with Mordecai that the morning before
the banquet, he went to set up the pole to impale Mordecai.

Did you ever have one of those nights where you tossed and turned and couldn’t
sleep? Well, the king could not sleep that night and began to read the book which
listed all that occurred during his reign. The king reread and was reminded of how
Mordecai saved his life by exposing the plot to assassinate him. He decided that
Mordecai deserved a reward for this good deed, so he called Haman to seek his
advice.

He asked Haman what should be done for a man whom the king “delights in”.
Haman, being the self-centered, boastful man that he was, thought the king was
referring to him. He responded by saying that the man should be rewarded by
land, gifts, and honor.

When the king revealed that the one who he was delighted by was Mordecai,
Haman was furious!

The next day, during the banquet Queen Esther had arranged for the King and
Haman, the king again asked Esther what her request was.

Esther, using all the bravery she could muster, boldly requested that she and her
people be spared. She further shared that Haman had been the one plotting to kill
all Jews. The king was filled with anger against Haman and had him hanged on the
very pole that Haman had set up for Mordecai. Talk about poetic justice!
For an ironic twist, Queen Esther and Mordecai were given Haman’s estate and
were honored with royal garments. The king also wrote a special decree to protect
all Jews.

Whew! What an action-packed story, right? Intrigue, suspense, gratitude, bravery

– all in one beautiful story in the Bible.

If you want to watch a fantastic movie about this story of Esther in the Bible, this is
One Night with The King, a story about Esther. It is a full-length feature film, so
grab the popcorn, because you won’t want to miss any of it!

There’s much we can learn from Esther and her story. Although, I’m sure there’s
even more, here’s my take on what we can learn from Esther in the Bible.

What we can learn from Esther in the Bible

God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things

Remember that Esther lived in a time when Israel was in captivity consequently to
their disobedience to God. She was just an adopted daughter of a cousin living in a
foreign land. Other than her beauty, she was not unique in any way. In fact, she
was a Jew, which was a minority race that was frowned upon and at times scorned
or worse.

On a typical day in the Kingdom of Xerxes, God used Esther to carry out His plan. A
plan that He ordained before she was even born.

God can use you, too, for His plans. You just need to submit to His will and go
when and where He calls you. (If you are struggling with finding God’s calling for
your life, see this post).

Beauty should not make us boastful

From all biblical accounts, Esther was a very beautiful woman. And, given a whole
year of pampering and beauty treatments, her beauty could only have been
enhanced.

The king was enthralled with her physical beauty, but her quiet and humble spirit
shone through, especially to Hegai, the eunuch charged with preparing the virgins
for their time with the king.
When the king summoned one of the young maidens, each was permitted to bring
in with her anything she felt would help her to be more attractive. Esther,
however, took only what Hegai advised, and the king was very pleased. So pleased,
that he chose her to be his queen. She could have requested anything. She could
have been demanding, but she was humble and let her inner beauty and her faith

in God shine through. You may have been born with physical good looks, but if
your attitude or personality is sour, no amount of beauty will cover that up.
Remember that God has blessed you with your looks, but it is up to you to treat
people with respect, be humble and gracious and remember Who created you.

With God’s help, we can step out in faith and fight our fears

Esther was a Jewish woman (a lowly esteemed group) who was wife to a powerful
king. No one, not even the queen, was to approach the king without being asked.
And remember, that King Xerxes had an evil member of his cabinet, Haman, who
had already convinced the king to kill all the Jews. Can you imagine the fear she
would be feeling?
Her first reaction was hesitation. She did not want to approach the king. Instead,
she prayed and fasted for three days and then bravely approached the king.

When you are faced with something scary, do as Esther did: Pray. Fast. And then
bravely face your fears.

When you are faced with something scary, do as Esther did: Pray. Fast. And then
bravely face your fears.CLICK TO TWEET
Our past doesn’t dictate our future

As I’ve mentioned, Esther didn’t come from much, but God had a plan for her life.
Esther, an orphan, living in a strange country, probably didn’t dream of being
queen. No matter where we come from, where we live or the mistakes we’ve
made, we can put that all in the past and move confidently forward knowing that
God has plans for us, for hope and a future. You, too, my friend. Your past does
not dictate your future – only God can!

God places mentors in our life to teach us wisdom

Mordecai proved to be a wonderful mentor and parent to Esther. He gave her

good advice before she went to the palace with the other virgins (don’t share that
you are Jewish) and he continued to give her advice after she became queen.

Mordecai was also very loyal. Remember that he went to Esther when he
uncovered the plot of the guards to murder the king.

When he learned of the plan to kill all the Jews, he asked Esther to go before the
king. We now know that this timely advice, from her trusted advisor, saved a
nation.

We all need God-loving mentors in our life will advise, correct and at times,
rebuke. God places these special people in our lives to raise up the next generation
and help them to follow His ways.

If you are facing a struggle, seek the advice of a mentor who will help you discern
and guide you with the Bible as your compass.

Look, too, for other women that you can mentor. Titus 2 calls “mature” women to
teach the younger women. You can touch the lives of others by acting as a loving
guide.

(For more on mentoring and the Titus 2 relationship, see this post)
Our strength does not come from us

When Esther was reminded that she may have been made queen “for such a time
as this”, she drew on strength to save her fellow Jews, but that strength was not of
her own. Her strength came from God. She fasted and prayed and drew on the
supernatural strength from God to approach the king and save a nation.

When you feel weak. When life’s struggles seem overwhelming, and you feel like
you just can’t do it. Don’t. Give it to God and let Him do it for you. Let Him fight
your battles.

I love this song that reminds us that He will fight our battles for us. He, alone, is
our strength and stronghold.

God’s timing is perfect. Ours is flawed.

I struggle with this one, myself. I’m so type A. A planner. A doer. When I see that
something needs to be done, I jump right in. That’s not always the best course of
action, however. Sometimes, I need to wait on God and let His timing play out. It’s
always perfect. Mine, however, not-so-perfect. If I act immediately, sometimes I
mess things up. I’m working on stopping. Praying and waiting for God to reveal His
timing. I’m a work in progress.

When Esther learned of Haman’s plan to massacre the Jews, she didn’t instantly
jump up and run to the king. Rather, she prayed, fasted, and waiting for God to
prompt her on when to approach the king and how to do it.

While Esther, Mordecai, and the other Jews faster and prayed, God was keeping a
certain king up at night and pointed him to read the book of the kingdom.

If Esther had immediately approached the king when she heard of the plan to kill
the Jews, the king would not have had the opportunity to read the book and be
reminded of Mordecai’s good deed of saving his life. This, in turn, opened the door
for Mordecai to be honored and Esther to ask the king to save the lives of the
Jews.

God’s timing is always perfect. The story of Esther in the Bible reminds us to pray
and wait for God to work.
Loving others is the most beautiful thing we can do

Jesus reminded us when He paraphrased the Torah and said that love is the
greatest commandment. Loving God and loving others. THAT is what it’s all about.

Esther knew this in her heart and said “When this is done, I will go to the king,
even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16).

Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do
not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast
as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I
perish.

ESTHER 4:16 (ESV)

She was willing to risk her own life to save the lives of many.

While there aren’t too many of us who would be faced with this type of situation, I
pray that, if the situation called for it, that I would call on God and be willing to risk
my own life to save others.

Since many of us won’t ever, thankfully, be faced with this type of decision, we
have many other opportunities each day to love others as God commands us to.
You can get some ideas and learn more in this post.

We can make an impact for generations

When Esther stepped up and spoke to save the Jewish people, she couldn’t have
known that she would be impacting generations to come. Her selfless and brave
act have been celebrated since that time.

Could inviting that friend to church and leading her to Jesus be a catalyst in her
whole family being redeemed? Could that prayer you pray for the inmate, turn
their life around and be the encouragement for them to study at seminary and
become a renowned pastor who reaches millions?

You will never know how one small act of loving others can make an impact on
many. What can you do today which can impact a generation?