Esther: Silent but SovereignНамуна

Once in the harem, it would have been easy for Esther to have been swept along with the frenzied competition to become queen. She could have become so busy rushing from one pampering session to the next that her ties with Mordecai could easily have become severed. It’s a mark of her humility, respect, and teachable spirit that Esther continued to follow Mordecai’s advice even after leaving his home.

Esther had not told anyone her nationality because Mordecai had warned her not to (v.10). Having gained Hegai’s favor, Esther could have become complacent about following this advice. She could easily have thought that her position in the harem was secure because of her beauty and winsomeness, but she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions and did so even after she had been made queen (v. 20). 

Verses 9, 15, and 17 tell us that Esther pleased and won the favor of Hegai, King Xerxes, and everyone who saw her. Esther’s external beauty would have been enhanced by the twelve months of beauty treatments, but all of the women would have benefited from these treatments and all would therefore have appeared more beautiful than when they were first taken to the harem. Why did Esther especially stand out? 

Despite her difficult circumstances, God worked in Esther’s life to develop the characteristics of grace and humility that won the favor of everyone who saw her. ‘Everyone’ implies even the women in the harem who were competing against her for the king’s attention. Ultimately God made Esther so attractive to Xerxes that ‘he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen’ (v. 17). He demonstrated his delight in Esther by throwing a banquet in her honor, proclaiming a national holiday, and distributing extravagant gifts (v. 18). 

Esther is a beautiful example of grace, but she is not the most beautiful example of grace in the Bible. She points to Jesus, who embodied grace in all its beauty. John 1:14 says that Jesus came from the Father ‘full of grace and truth’. Like Esther, Jesus experienced loneliness, brokenheartedness, humiliation, and separation from His Father. But He was consistently characterized by grace, even towards his enemies. He was submissive to the will of His Father. He was humble and patient. He was compassionate and forgiving. 

God has placed us in our individual circumstances, with our own set of challenges and pressures, but He has also given us His Spirit so we can reflect His grace in them. How can we develop the qualities of grace that will be evident to everyone who sees us, even our enemies? We need to trust God to control the circumstances around us and seek to develop the beauty and dignity that will draw attention to Him.

Reflection

Are you waiting until your circumstances change before you allow God to shine His grace through you? 

Pray that God would transform you in your circumstances, however humiliating or frightening they may be so that His grace and power are seen in you.