Esther 1-9

The story of Esther is a story of courage! 

Esther, a young Jewish woman, lived in a Kingdom far away from home. It’s here that all Jewish people have been taken into exile and that she finds herself in a very unique situation. 

The ruler, King Xerxes, began looking for a new queen. He searched through his entire kingdom for the perfect woman and eventually found Esther.  Esther was beautiful inside and out. She caught the eye of the king because of her outward beauty, and was made Queen. But unnoticed inside her heart was a love for God and her people.

Fast forward in this story and a new character is revealed: a bad guy named Haman. One day, Haman decided that he was going to exterminate all people of Jewish decent in the Kingdom, including Esther! Esther head about this plan and, with some coaching from her uncle Mordecai, finds herself in a place where she can stop it from happening. She was a beacon of hope to the Jewish people at this moment of their history! 

But, it wasn’t going to be easy. She was the Queen, but did not have permission to come in front of the King unless He commanded her to. If she did, she could be killed. Saving the Jewish people would take a huge amount courage: Esther had to stand up to the King and speak out in truth, potentially costing her her life. 

Have you ever been in a situation where someone was doing something that you knew wasn’t right? How did you feel when that was happening? 

Did you have the courage to speak out with truth from God’s Word in that moment? Why or why not?

Esther’s story has a slight fairy-tale ending. She stepped up to the King’s table, revealed Haman’s plan and had him disposed of, saving all the Jewish people! Esther acted in courage and trusted in God’s plan to love and care for His people.

What should we do with this story? We can look at Esther as a model for those who believe in Jesus. When you know something is wrong, you should have courage and stand up for it. That is easier said than done. Standing up for what you believe in during a moment of need can be scary. 

Maybe someone is speaking with foul language or using the Lord’s name in vain when you know that God said that is not ok. (Eph. 4:29, Ex.20:7) Maybe it is something big, like racial discrimination or gender inequality, when you know that God has made all of us in His image and everyone is important to Him (Gen. 1:27, John 3:16). 

We must stand up for those things that God’s Word declares as truth. As believers we are blessed to know what is right and wrong specifically because of God’s Word.

Here is a challenge for you this week: In the moments where you sense the Spirit telling you that something isn’t right, have courage and speak up! Standing strong on the Word of God! 

“Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always overflowing in the work of the Lord.” (1 Cor. 15:58)