This is a book of drama, power, romance and intrigue – the stuff of novels and soap operas. But far from a modern piece of fiction, these words describe a true story, lived and written centuries ago. Let me tell you the short version of the story …
The setting is Susa in Persia, which would be in modern day Iran and much of the action happens in the King's palace. So imagine if you will, opulence, fine dining, the bright colours and precious metals … perhaps a bit like this picture!
The King is King Xerxes and the book begins with his wife, Queen Vashti, refusing to obey an order from him. The King is incensed by her disobedience, and his male advisors are so afraid that their wives would start to disobey them as well, that she is banished and the search begins for a new queen. An order goes out to gather up all the beautiful young women in the Persian empire and bring them into the royal harem. Esther, a young Jewish woman, was one of those chosen to be brought to the harem for a full year of intense preparation, beautification and treatments along with all the other young women. All the stress of being rounded up and then being forced to 'look pretty'! Then there is like a 'Miss Persia' competition and King Xerxes (who doesn't in my opinion fit the description of Prince Charming!) was so pleased with Esther that he made her his queen … I wouldn't fancy that I can tell you! Each young woman had been taken to the King's bed, to see who he wanted to keep. I'm guessing that also meant that because the women were no longer virgins, they would have lost all hope of ever being married too. The stakes really were very high.
Meanwhile her older cousin, Mordecai, became a government official and during his time in office foiled an assassination plot on the King. But the ambitious and self-serving Haman was appointed second-in-command in the empire. When Mordecai refused to bow in reverence to him, Haman because furious and determined to destroy Mordecai and all the Jews along with him. To accomplish his vengeful deed, Haman deceived the King and persuaded him to issue a command condemning the Jews to death.
Mordecai told Queen Esther about it and she decided to risk her life to save her people. She knows that anyone entering the King's presence without an invitation is usually killed and she hadn't been summoned in a month. But Cousin Mo's response is key: If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?
So, she gets the Jews in Susa to pray and fast with her for three days, and overcomes her fears and goes to see the King. Phew! He was pleased to see her. She invited the King and Haman to be her guests at a banquet during which the King asked her what she really wanted. She simply invited both men to another banquet the next day.
That night, unable to sleep, the King was flipping through some records in the royal archives when he read of the assassination plot that Mordecai had thwarted. Surprised to learn that Mordecai had never been rewarded for this deed, the King asked Haman what should be done to properly thank a hero. Presuming the King was actually talking about him, Haman described a lavish reward, with pomp and public acclamation. But to Haman's shock and humiliation, he learned that Mordecai was the intended person to be honoured!
Later that evening, at the second banquet, the King again asked Esther what she wanted. She explained that someone had plotted to destroy her and her people and she named Haman as the culprit. Immediately the King sentenced Haman to die on the gallows which Haman had actually built for Mordecai.
In the final act of this true-life drama, Mordecai was appointed to Haman's position and the Jews were guaranteed protection throughout the land. To celebrate this historic occasion, the Festival of Purim was established. Because of Queen Esther's courageous act, a whole nation was saved. Her life made a difference. And then we hear nothing more about her or Mordecai!
INTERESTING FACT – Esther is one of only two books in Scripture where the name of God doesn't appear even once. And the other one is … anyone know? … Song of Solomon. But even though the name of God doesn't appear, it is clear that He is absolutely at the centre of the book. We don't always have to 'stick a fish on it' or overtly advertise our faith to have an impact!
The author is unknown but some have suggested it might have been Ezra or Nehemiah because of the similarity of the writing style and it was probably written around 470 BC.
So Esther, or Hadassah as her Hebrew name was which means 'myrtle', was an orphan from the tribe of Benjamin living with her cousin Mordecai. They lived in Susa, the capital of the vast Medo-Persian Empire which stretched from the Persian Gulf, to the Caspian Sea and across to the Mediterranean. The Jews in Persia had been a minority since their deportation from Judah 100 years earlier and perhaps one of the reasons that God isn't mentioned specifically in the book is because the Jews needed to live as more secret believers, just like the many people of the Persecuted Church today. There was clearly a depth of racial hatred going on through the acts of Haman and it took great wisdom for them to survive in a hostile world.
So what can we learn from the book and the life of Esther?
- God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things
Mordecai and Esther were just ordinary people. They weren't born into privilege we don't think. In fact, the opposite might well be the case. Mordecai warns Esther not to tell of her Jewish heritage so it seems that they were believers in secret. Being Jewish certainly didn't seem to be an advantage. Esther was an orphan and a young woman, making her pretty low down the ladder of influence in the society of her time. But God used someone who was willing to be used. As Rick Warren says, God doesn't merely call the equipped but he equips the called. When Esther entered the royal harem, she was just one of a group of young women, we're not sure of how many but maybe several hundred.
And maybe you feel like a nameless, faceless entity in your world at times. Just one of a large group. In a place perhaps you really don't want to be in … I doubt Esther or any of the young women relished the idea of where they were. Maybe they would also have been very fearful that they too would be banished. They had already been rounded up and taken from their families. God doesn't just use the 'special' people or spiritual 'superheroes'. He uses ordinary people just like you and me. Why? So that all the glory goes to Him and Him alone. Which leads us to point 2 …
- Our past needn't dictate our futures
Esther and Mordecai went on be very influential for the Kingdom of God. Not only were the Jewish people saved from a massacre, Mordecai became one of the chief advisors to the King able to bring a Kingdom perspective in an obviously secular world.
So what do you think is holding you back from your past? Do you feel your family pedigree is not acceptable? Have you suffered huge losses? Do you feel you are living as a stranger in a foreign land? Have you been abandoned? Have you suffered rejection? Has that led you to live in fear, burdened by worry and heavy laden by the cares of the world around you?
The good news is that in Jesus, all things are made new. Our past, present and future is forgiven by the one who said that when we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. "Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" 2 Cor 5:17
- God places mentors in our lives to teach us wisdom
The two main people for Esther were Mordecai, coming from a godly perspective, a family member. But the other one was the chief servant … an unusual choice perhaps. He was the one who represented their captivity but Esther wisely asked for his opinion and God gave her favour.
Let us never become people who think that we know it all – no one person has the monopoly on knowledge. There is always more to learn and in all things and every situation, there can always be a learning opportunity, even in what seems like a very bleak situation. One of her mentors prepared her to find favour with the king. The other (Mordecai) prepared her to die if necessary! But Esther was willing to take the advice and guidance of them both. Even though she had risen up the ladder of success, she was still willing to listen to her Cousin Mo, even though I'm sure she didn't really want to hear what he said.
John Maxwell, that great leadership teacher has said: "The number one attribute of leading effectively is learning from others, and when we are unable to learn from others, it hurts our chances of success. The best way to begin learning from those around you is to get around a crowd that's above you!" And this is a great quote from Andrew Carnegie: "I owe whatever success I have attained to my ability to surround myself with people who are smarter than I am."
And of course, with the easy availability of written pieces, podcasts and talks, it has never been easier to learn from others. It also shows a humility of spirit when we are willing to learn from others – no one person knows it all … only God alone.
Let's not ever become people who get to the top and then stop listening to the advice of those who got us there! Esther's new position didn't change who she was. She didn't become prideful or develop a big ego.
- Our strength doesn't come from us Because … it's not about US.
Esther had already acknowledged her fears about going to see the King without being summoned. Despite her fears, she rose to the accept the challenge before her. But she was wise enough to know that she needed an intervention of God on her behalf and on the behalf of the Jewish people. She asked her cousin to mobilise the Jews in Susa to fast and pray and arranged for her and her maids to also pray and fast for 3 days. In doing this she was able to draw on the supernatural strength that comes from God alone, our heavenly Father who has promised to pour out his grace into our lives without limits. She had been prepared physically for a year to meet the King, and now she prepared spiritually to head into a spiritual battle.
Here's a question for us – what was the last issue that so disturbed us so much that we prayed and fasted for 3 hours, never mind 3 days?
I wonder have we become so accustomed in our basically comfortable lifestyles, to sorting out all of our own problems and living all the time within our own comfort zones? Ouch?
- Loving others is the most beautiful thing we can do.
"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends" John 15:13
Esther was willing to lay her life down and potentially be killed as a result, in order to save the lives of many. Now possibly not many, if any, of us will be in the situation she found herself in. But we have many other opportunities every day to love others as God commands us to.
Jesus reminded us that love is the greatest commandment of all – Love for God and love for others or as Pastor David Campbell says, "Love God, be nice!". Love when we feel like it and love when we don't. We know that wonderful description of love in 1 Corinthians 13: "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or rude. It doesn't not demand its own way. It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance." Love is the gift that keeps on giving. Again as Rick Warren says: You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving. "These things will last forever – faith, hope and love – and the greatest of these is love."
What can we do to make an impact for the Kingdom by loving this week? Whose life can we impact for good? What need can we meet?
- We can make an impact for generations.
Esther could not have known that her actions would continue to be celebrated well over 2,000 years later, impacting generations of people who have come after her. She obviously knew about the immediate reprieve for her people, but she wouldn't have known that we would still be learning so much from her life and obedience all these years later. Did Evan Roberts know that his obedience to God would impact the Welsh nation and the world in 1902 and 1903 as he called out to God?
And there are so many stories of lives changed in our churches and through Cariad, by people who were obedient … the friend invited to Alpha, the family member encouraged to watch a service online, the gift box to a family in need, the shoebox gifts sent overseas, the Facebook Group shared, the prayers prayed for those worldwide who are imprisoned or in hiding because of their faith.
We will never know how one small act of loving others can make an impact on many. What will you do this week – what will I do this week – to love others?
- Trusting in God completely brings great rewards.
Esther trusted God more than she trusted her feelings … and she obeyed God who spoke to her through her cousin Mordecai. And what joy and amazement she must have felt when everything worked out well – she was OK – her family was OK – her people were OK.
Proverbs 3:5,6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths"
Many of us ask God to guarantee our success before trying what he has asked us to do – but that's not faith. Faith always requires risk. Faith means you obey even when you don't understand. Faith means doing what's right even when it seems absurd or strange, because we never see the full picture. But God does. It may not feel right to forgive a person for a wrong you have experienced. It may not even seem just. But forgiveness is always the right choice regardless of whether we understand it or not, because it's not so much about the other person but it enables us to tap into the power of God in our lives and it sets US free.
God can be trusted – he is all loving and all-knowing and he is good ALL the time.
Why not decide to trust Him for one little thing today, and before you know it, you find out He's so trustworthy you'll be putting your whole life in His hands.
We are not alive right now by random chance. God has a plan and purpose for each of our lives.
You are not here by accident – YOU are not an accident!
You were born for such a time as this!
Myra x
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