What is a series on women with learning from the story of Esther, or her Jewish name (which I like better), Hadassah. If you have read the story of Esther, you know she was one of many young women chosen as a potential bride for the king. It was like the original Bachelor.
Esther was beautiful and God gave her favor, and she ended up becoming the new queen. However, she kept her Jewish heritage a secret. When Haman, a man in the king’s favor, tried to annihilate the Jews, Esther had a choice to make. She hadn’t been called into the king in many weeks, and if she just went in, if he didn’t hold out his scepter to her, she’d be killed on the spot.
I’m sure it was sort of a heart in your throat moment when she appeared before the king without being called, but the king held out the scepter. Esther asked he and Haman to come to several banquets before she revealed that Haman evil plan.
Essentially, Esther saved the day. The most memorable verse of the entire book is probably found in Esther 4:14 where it says, “And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” Mordecai is responding to Esther’s initial reluctance to appear before the king.
There are a lot of interesting lessons we can learn from Esther’s life and the book with her name on it.
Even when we can’t see God, it doesn’t mean He isn’t there. Interestingly, in the book of Esther, the name of God is never mentioned, but that doesn’t mean He isn’t all over the story.
Fear is never an excuse not to obey God. Esther had every right to fear going in to the king – she could literally lose her head. She was between a rock and a hard place – if she went before the king she could die, but if she didn’t, Esther would die anyway with her people. Thankfully, Esther got to the place where she surrendered and said, “If I perish, I perish.” The fear of death can rob you of the joy of life.
Our destiny is never about us. Our destiny or calling is not ultimately about me. If I live my destiny, people shouldn’t see me, they should see God.
We are most prone to attack after we have been set free from a stronghold in our lives but haven’t really yet arrived at God’s destination for us. Our minds are usually the most vulnerable to this kind of attack. Satan can’t touch us, unless God allows it, but he sure can whisper in your ear, and half the time we believe him! Beth Moore once said in one of her Bible studies, “Respond to temptation out of your mindset rather than your mood.” In other words, stop letting your emotions lead you around by the nose. Emotions are good things. God gave them to us, but they can be totally untrue. We have to set our minds on Christ and take every thought captive; otherwise, when our emotions come calling, we can easily be led down a rabbit trail that has nothing to do with reality.
Doing nothing out of fear of doing the wrong thing is still a decision, albeit a passive one. My boys play baseball. If the other team doesn’t show up, they forfeit the game. It’s the same way with us, if we simply don’t show up in our lives because we are trying to protect ourselves from whatever looms in the horizon, then there is no game. We have forfeited our option to play on God’s diamond, and we certainly have no chance of winning a game we refuse to show up for. If Esther had done nothing, that would have been a decision because not deciding IS a decision.
We can be in bondage to a person. I know in my own life, I can get so caught up in gaining certain people’s approval that I get tangled up in bondage to that person. The truth is, it isn’t the person but our thoughts that ensnare us. The only person who can handle my obsessions and insecurities is Christ. He’s the only one that will fulfill every need I have, so I can go into relationship with others without demanding that THEY fulfill me. No one person can really shoulder that burden for long, anyway.
We are meant to be warriors for God. We aren’t fragile blossoms, ready to be crushed by people, events or circumstances. The Bible tells us we are equipped for our calling. We have everything we need, even when things aren’t going the way we planned or we come up against the enemy. God gave us a whole set of armor to wear, and a sword (His Word) to fight the enemy with. God assures us that even when we are waiting for the battle – that’s what most soldiers hate the most, the wait!- if we are waiting on God, He will renew our strength. He’s got all the bases covered.
I love how God has so many things to teach us and show us. How many times have I heard the story of Esther? That is the awesome thing about God’s Word, we can read and reread it, and each time, there is something there for us to take with us that can change our lives!
~Blessings, Rosanne
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