The Book of Esther is a dramatic account which can give us insight into God’s special and purposeful plan for our lives. The story gives us powerful lessons about courage, divine timing and God’s supreme love. As scripture reveals, Esther is a Jewish woman living in a time where the Jews were in Captivity. She lived in Persia and was reared by her cousin Mordecai. She was taken to the King of the Persian Empire to become a part of his harem—but because there was something special about Esther, he made her queen. Mordecai, however, didn’t tell the king about a major detail—Esther’s Jewish heritage.
I imagine Esther as a drop-dead gorgeous woman with flawless olive skin and a tantalizing personality. She charmed King Xerxes so much that after deposing his prior queen, he could have chosen any woman he wanted—but he chose Esther.
Of course there is a scoundrel in the story, too. Haman is a vengeful and egotistical advisor to the king. He hated Mordecai for refusing to bow down to him, and hated the Jewish people because of a deeper more ancient reason, so he plotted to destroy the Jewish people. Haman told the king, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them” (Esther 3:8 NIV). The king gave him authority to handle the fate of the Jewish people. In return, Haman announced a government-issued edict of genocide.
What could the queen do for her people? The king had not requested her presence in a month. Did his affection for her wane? Was she a powerless sex partner? Of all the Jews, only Esther had access to the king. Mordecai persuaded Esther to speak to the king on behalf of the Jewish people reminding her of her unique place in history and that silence is not an option. In one of the most poetic Biblical passages, Mordecai speaks of God’s purposeful timing: “Who knows but that you have come to a royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14 NIV). In other words, Mordecai lets Esther know that even her outer beauty was for a reason and would not go to waste!
Esther knew, of course, that going to the king unsolicited could be her death sentence. Anyone who came into the king’s presence without being summoned could be executed. So what does she do? Before making a life or death decision, she calls for the Jewish people to join her on a 3-day fast. Following the fast she put on her best royal robes, approached the king, and told him of Haman’s plot against her people. The Jewish people were saved, Haman was hanged on the same gallows that had been prepared for Mordecai, and Esther received Haman’s estate. This dramatic unfolding of events moves like a novel and played like a great chess game with several life lessons.
Powerful Life Lessons From the Book of Esther Pt 1
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