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Introducing our next woman from the Women of the Bible series... Esther!
Esther's story has been touching the hearts of women for ages. Many claim this to be their favorite book in the Bible, and quite frankly, it isn’t hard to see why. Her story is not only impactful but proves that our God sees and hears the cries of His precious daughters. Not only that, but God can use us amid life's toughest trials to do very bold things!
Esther has quite the compelling story and leaves behind a pretty amazing legacy. One we can tuck in our hearts, begging to also live with such boldness; striving to leave behind a legacy that shows faith in action!
Speaking of legacies, my mother left behind one that reminds me a bit of Esther. While she was far from being bold like Esther, her gentle spirit and kind-hearted soul longed to love others with such passion, especially when it came to “her people.” My momma lived intentionally and with purpose. We see Esther live with the same intentionality, risking her own life for the sake of others.
Who Was Esther
The recap of Esther’s story goes a little something like this: Esther is an orphan raised by her cousin, Mordecai (Esther 2:7). The King of Persia (a man known for his need for women to make him feel validated) saw Esther and was immediately taken aback by her stunning beauty. Esther quickly becomes the new queen since the other queen didn’t follow the king’s orders (Esther 2:15-17). Esther, being a Jew, was asked by her cousin to conceal her identity (Esther 2:20). The plot thickens when a man named Haman has a secret plan to kill the king (Esther 2:21-22). So, a decree gets passed to destroy the “people of potential danger,” a.k.a.—the Jews (Ruth 2:8-9).
This is where the story gets even more juicy. When Esther, the orphaned child, embraces her new role as queen, it’s as if a new woman emerges. This is often the image we tie to Esther – a bold, awe-inspiring queen. Yet, there are many layers to peel back here. While we don’t see many of her emotions spilled out in her story (we will touch base on why this is later on), we can conclude she was a determined woman that was led by faith.
As the story goes, Esther and Mordecai devise a plan to reveal the truth to the king (Esther 5:3-7). Then as things develop and the sequence of events goes, Mordecai is eventually recognized and honored for his honesty and saving the king’s life (Esther 6:11), while Haman (the bad guy) is hanged (Esther 7:10). Esther asks to have the decree lifted and her people freed (Esther 8:5-6), and the king agrees. But the story doesn’t end there.
Read her full story on Crosswalk...
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