Today's Bible character study is on Esther. The story of Esther is one of the popular examples used when people talk about great woman of the Biblical Times, along with favourites such as Deborah, Dorcas, Ruth and even the Proverbs 31 woman. And what a coincidence that yesterday happened to be International Women's Day.
I've decided to split this into a two day study because I think there's so much to learn from this book that might not all fit in one post.
A little background on the book of Esther
Fun fact is that, the name of God is never mentioned in this book, despite it being centered around God's people, Israel. That however doesn't mean that God wasn't involved in the story. On the contrary, the way events align so perfectly in this story only goes to show how God is orchestrating things behind the scenes in order for everything to work out as it should.
The story takes place in Babylon, years after the exile of some of the Israelites from the Promised land. The King, Xerxes, hosts a great banquet, where he summons his Queen, Vashti, to show her off to all the nobles and guests. Reading this, it can be seen how the request objectifies the Queen, making her seem nothing more than a trophy of some sort. The Queen clearly didn't want to be showcased like a prize, so she refused to go, which didn't go down well with the King. She was later deposed and a beauty contest was held to find a new Queen.
Among the candidates was Esther, a Jewish orphan who had been brought up by her cousin Mordecai. Esther was able to gain the favour of the eunuch in charge of all the candidates, who in turn helped her in gaining the favour of the King. At this point, her identity as a Jew was still being concealed as she had been told by Mordecai not to reveal who she was. I found it a little weird that they clearly either didn't see background checks of the candidates as something necessary or they weren't thorough enough in their checks. This however helped Esther because revealing her identity too early might have ruined her chances to save her people in the nearby future.
Source: Ashton Mullins
Esther was eventually chosen to be the Queen but in all this, her cousin Mordecai discreetly continued to play the role of her guardian. Now, one of the king's nobles named Haman was later promoted, earning respect and being paid homage by all. All, except Mordecai. The Bible says that this infuriated Haman and after learning that he was a Jew, he decided that he wanted to get rid of all Jews in the land (Esther 3:5-6). This might also have stemmed from the fact that Haman was an Amalekite, an enemy of the Israelites.
After persuading the King and choosing a day, Haman's plan was all set. After hearing about it, Mordecai informed Esther, pleading that she do something about it. She was initially afraid, considering that anyone who appeared before the King without being summoned would be put to death, unless the king's golden sceptre was extended to them, which was a rare case. But Esther later realised that it was her responsibility once she was in a position of influence, to aid her people. So gathering up enough godly courage, she instructed Mordecai and the rest of the Jews to go into a period of fasting and praying, while she went to the King.
“Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”
~Esther 4:16
God's favour was with her when she went before the King, and not only was she spared, but the King willingly offered her anything she desired, even if it was up to half the Kingdom. Esther was able to expose Haman's plot against her people and he was later killed. She and Mordecai then successfully saved their people from Haman's plans and a day that would have been the death of all the Jews, ended up being a day of celebration. All because Esther was able to boldly go before the King, despite the consequences.
A few lessons to be learnt from the character of Esther are:
1. When God puts you in a position of authority, be ready to take responsibility
Being Queen meant that Esther had anything she wanted at her disposal. But a time came when she had to take responsibility in the role she was in. Many of us have been put in positions of great influence or one day will be. The question is: when it's time to take charge, what do you do? God puts you in a position to do great things, not just to benefit from the advantages.
2. Esther didn't neglect her roots
Despite being Queen, Esther was still humble when it came to her identity. She didn't neglect her people in a time of crisis just because she was Queen. We also shouldn't forget the people who were there with us in our low points and always remember our roots. A change of environment shouldn't mean forgetting your background. Esther continued to take care of Mordecai and treat him as family even when she became a person of high status.
3. Listen to your mentors, no matter how successful you become
Esther could have easily refused to listen to Mordecai and act arrogant and pompous, ignoring his advice. But she didn't. Despite being Queen, she continued to always heed Mordecai's advice, which kept her safe and even gave her the courage she needed to face the King.
You're never to great to take the advice of your mentors, guardians and teachers.
4. Help others even in your high position
Esther used her position as Queen to help others, not just enjoying the benefits. Part of the story of Esther involves Mordecai finding out about an assassination attempt against the King by some of the guards, which he reports to Esther. Esther, when telling the King, doesn't take any of the credit but gives it all to Mordecai, who is later rewarded for this. Esther used her position to help Mordecai rise to a position of power too. She wasn't jealous or selfish; she let another person receive the reward they deserved.
We should also help others to succeed when we succeed, instead of getting envious and angry. And we should do so in a morally upright way. Helping others to succeed doesn't mean using corrupt means, especially if they don't deserve it.
5. Step out in faith and confidence, God will do the rest
It took a lot of godly courage for Esther to take that step of going to the King, although it meant that she could die. Many times we're scared to take action for a good cause because the consequences seem frightening. But when we believe that God is on our side and step out in faith, His favour and grace give us the results we need and even more.
What other lessons could you draw from the story of Esther? Share in the comments below or email/message me your thoughts. Have a great day!
Stay blessed and stay a blessing.
@Emmanuella Addei Interesting. That's another thing that could come to mind. Never thought of that before.
Yay to a new post! It was nice seeing the notification again.
Esther did not leave God out of the equation. They fasted and prayed before she took the step, as you said.
One rendition brought to notice the fact that she probably looked leaner when she approached the King, but it didn't limit his favour -- evidence of God's grace, perhaps?