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Esther: Woman of Bravery

God called Esther “for such a time as this.” She obediently and bravely faced possible death to physically save her people from certain death. Likewise, Jesus obediently and bravely faced the agony of death on a cross to take the punishment of your sin so you could be saved from spiritual death. God is also calling you to bravely affect your culture “for such a time as this!” 

Esther was a beautiful, brainy bride and a bold, brave believer. 

The story of Esther, a beautiful orphaned Jewish girl, began around 483 B.C. in Susa. Susa was the capital of the Persian Empire. Years earlier, many of the Jews, God’s chosen people, had been exiled there.  Mordecai, Esther’s Godly Jewish relative, adopted her as his “daughter,” because her parents had died.

Around that time, King Xerxes, the cruel king of Persia, divorced his wife because she refused to dance before his drunken friends.  Before choosing his new queen, King  Xerxes commanded the most beautiful woman in his kingdom, including young Esther, to go through a year of beauty treatments before he made his choice. Esther obeyed Mordecai and kept her Jewish identity a secret for fear it would put her in danger. The Jewish people were looked down upon and didn't have the full rights as those from Susa. At the end of that year, Esther was the woman who won the king’s heart and the queen’s crown!  Mordecai often paced nervously outside the gate to hear palace news, (especially about Queen Esther). He overheard a plot to kill King Xerxes.  Secretly, Mordecai got word to Esther, and she bravely informed her husband, King Xerxes.  This required bravery because by law if a queen approached the king without an invitation, she could be killed. King Xerxes then had the assassins hung.

Now it's time to meet a new character that required Esther to be brave once again. His name was Haman, second in command under the king. He was evil, self-promoting, prideful, and thrived on people bowing before him. He also hated the Jews, specifically Mordecai, who, for love of God, would not bow. So, Haman made plans to kill all Jews and built a gallow at his home to hang Mordecai.  Haman convinced King Xerxes that the Jews were a threat to the empire. Xerxes publicly announced the mass executions.  In every province, there was weeping and wailing among the Jews. Queen Esther was unaware, so Mordecai, secretly sent her news of their impending doom. Knowing she must tell her husband, King Xerxes, she also knew that by law, she could be killed for approaching him without an invitation. Anxiously she sent her father, Mordecai, a message about this law. He firmly replied, “You won’t escape just because you live in the king’s palace. For if you keep silent, and deliverance for the Jews comes from another place, you and your house (your people) will still perish. Who knows, maybe you became queen "for such a time as this!” Bravely, Queen Esther answered him, “Ask the Jews to fast with me for three days and nights, and then I will go to my husband, the king, even though it is against the law; and if I perish, I will perish!” So again, Esther bravely decided to put her own life at risk in order to save her people. After she spoke with the king, out of love for Esther, King Xerxes saved the Jewish people and killed Haman instead. 

God called Esther “for such a time as this.” She obediently and bravely faced possible death to save her people. Likewise, Jesus obeyed His heavenly Father and bravely faced the agony of death on a cross to take the punishment for your sin. If you place your faith in Christ, you can be saved from spiritual death and go to heaven when you die. Like Esther, God is also calling you to bravely affect your culture “for such a time as this!”

Think About It:

1.  Like Esther, you have gone through difficult times.  Think about one of those hard moments. Did you stand firm? How did that experience help your faith to grow?

2.  Esther bravely stood up for her people. Has there been a time when you didn't bravely stand up for a friend? How did that make you feel?

3. Have you had the opportunity to share your faith with someone? Did you share God's love with them? Why or why not?

4.  When your friends tempt you to do something wrong, what helps you find the strength to bravely walk away? 

Esther was an incredible, unlikely leader whom God mightily used. God honors uncompromising bravery!