What Makes Esther So Special In The Bible

What Makes Esther So Special In The Bible

KEY SCRIPTURES: Esther 1-10

Esther 2:7 “And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.”

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INTRODUCTION

Esther’s story started from the search for a maiden for King Ahasuerus after Vashti was removed from being Queen in Shushan palace of Persia. The book of Esther is one of the only two in the Bible named for women, the other is Ruth. The book of Esther was set during a time when the Jews suffered much racial hatred being a minority in Persia for years. Esther was an orphan raised by her uncle called Mordecai. She was born at a time when Israel was in captivity due to their disobedience to God and she was part of the minority race held in low esteem. After the removal of Queen Vashti, she was part of the maiden taken from her home to live in the palace. Though She was a Jew, but She was advised by her uncle not to reveal her nationality or family background. God gave her great favour among all there and after She appeared before the King, she was chosen to be the Queen to replace Vashti. 

During the time she became Queen, King Ahasuerus promoted one of the prince over the other princes called Haman and due to the promotion, everyone at the gate of the King reverence him but Esther’s uncle called Mordecai didn’t reverence him and this made Hamn to hate Mordecai. Haman’s hatred for Mordecai was transferred to the Jews and Hamn devised a means to kill all the whole Jews in Persia since they are a minority in the land. Haman made the King sign a decree to kill all the whole Jews on a certain date. Initially, Queen Esther was first relaxed about this, but her uncle sent a strong message to her at the palace, though she was giving excuses but later sent a message back to her uncle on what to do. She acted courageously and made a decision to gather Shushan’s Jews, fast and approach the King even when it was forbidden to do so at that time. She was courageous in planning her feast and later begged King Ahasuerus to save the Jews which led to Haman’s demise and gave room for further requests. In this article, we will be looking at six reasons that make Esther so special in the Bible. 

1. She was obedient: Even though she was raised by her uncle after the death of her parents and was in a strange land as a slave, she was still obedient to her uncle and listened to him. She was not bitter or resentful over the situation she found herself in. Esther 2:20 talks about how she listened to all instructions given to her by her uncle, she wasn’t rebellious but yielded to good upbringing by her uncle, Mordecai. This act taught us as Christians that no matter the situation or painful circumstances we found ourselves, we shouldn’t question God’s goodness or grow distrustful towards him and others, but we should develop the kind of Esther’s heart for she was tender and noticeably kind towards others. Even when she was taken into the palace in which she has no say on what will happen to her, she was humble. When she became Queen, she never loses her humility or turned into a proud person, but She trusted in God in all things.
2. Esther was used by God: Esther was an ordinary girl in a strange land that she was even advised to hide her nationality because she was a slave and from a minority, but God already knew she would be useful in the palace one day and had to create a situation to bring her into the palace. God has a purpose for every existence, and nobody is born to earth by mistake. God used Esther’s story to teach us that he works sovereignly in the lives of ordinary people who submit themselves to His ways. No matter where you are, God has a plan for your life, you just have to submit all to Him to take full control of your life.
3. Esther was never prideful: In Chapter 2 of Esther, it was learnt that Esther was so beautiful and when she was taken to the palace, she had the opportunity to enhance her beauty for twelve months but with all this, she was still humble, gained the favour of all and listened to Hegai. When it was her turn to see the King, when all other maidens were asking of different things to take with them to see the King during their turn to see the King, she didn’t ask for anything except what Hegai advised her and this made the King to favour her among all and chose her to be his queen. God directed the heart of the King to favour her which shows God’s sovereignty over the heart of the King, and this tells us that even in our present world we can pray to God to direct our leaders to do the right thing for the country they are chosen to serve. We should also know that no matter the status God elevated us or any good things that come our way, we should not neglect the good background and upbringing we have in Christ. We should not be swept away by all the glitters of life but maintain our humility in Christ.
4. Esther needed Older Mentors: Esther 4: 1-17; Esther couldn’t have existed alone after her parents died if no mentor like her uncle Mordecai in her life. Her uncle mentored her well to have a good upbringing in Christ. After she was taken into the palace, he was still concerned about her well-being and always sought information about her in the palace. When Mordecai heard about the plotting of the people that wanted to kill the King, because he didn’t want Esther to be a widow in a strange land, he told her about it, and she related the information to the King which saved the life of the King. When the plan to annihilate the Jews by Haman started, Mordecai implored Esther to step in, though she was fearful at first but her mentor, Mordecai helped her to realize the reason God chose her to be the queen. This shows that God’s plan is that He wanted the older ones to mentor the next generation how to discern and follow His ways. We should learn from Esther’s example and look for a godly and wise mentor to guide us through uncharted waters with eyes on Jesus Christ only.
5. Esther waited for God’s Timing: After Mordecai reminded her the reason for her existence, Esther didn’t jump into action as a superhero, but she spent time praying, fasting, and waited for God’s perfect time on how to approach the king. Unknown to her that God had already started working on her behalf. God caused sleeplessness to fall on the king which launched the king towards the events that happened in the record which led to Mordecai being honored by the king and protecting the Jews from being annihilated. Esther turned to God for strength and didn’t depend on the fact that she is a queen. Waiting on God’s timing might be difficult, but His timing is always perfect. Esther’s story taught us to always pray, fast and trust that God is at work to bring all things to come to pass at His own time.
6. Esther’s sacrificial love: After Mordecai’s reminder of the reason while she was a queen at that time, Esther realized that she had to put her people first, though it was forbidden to approach the king when she wasn’t summoned by king which can lead to death for her, but she depended on God and even put her life on the line for the sake of her people. Just like Jesus Christ sacrificial love for mankind, Esther always laid her life on the line for the Jews. Her love for God and her people took precedence over her love for her own life. We must always resolve to always do God’s will no matter what it will cause us as individuals.

CONCLUSION

Esther’s story inspires us Christians to trust in God’s providence to sovereignly accomplish His plan through anyone that surrenders to His will and ways. God can use anyone to His glory if we submit ourselves to his leading and control. God is over all and there is nothing too difficult for him and no situation too bad for him to turn around for good. Just believe, trust, obey and leave all to Him.