Esther

For the past two weeks, the four of us have been studying the life and ministry of Esther, and so now, it's time for a brief summary of what I personally have found intriguing about this fascinating young queen of Persia...

Before I begin, let me state that there are many, many exemplary character qualities and personality traits manifested in the life and person of Esther, such as the fact that she was respectful of authority, loyal, sweet, mature, visionary, calm, emotionally controlled...and the list goes on. I don't pretend to be giving a complete synopsis of the life and character of Esther, because if I did, you would quite possibly still be sitting here reading it at this time next year. (Michelle did a nice summary below, though!)

That being said, there were a few facets of her story that jumped out at me in a new way during these past 14 days, and it is these aspects that I'd like to focus on.

One of the first things that stood out about Esther was that, in spite of everything that happened to her, this young woman chose to see herself as a victor in the midst of her circumstances rather than as a victim of her surroundings. While she could easily have come into the situation griping ("What a horrible, miserable life! Everything was going so great with Mordecai, and I had all these phenomenal friends, and now I'm stuck in this abysmal palace with all these snooty girls undergoing tedious beauty treatments...facing the option of either being stuck in the house of the concubines for the rest of my life or, what's probably worse, being married to a grouchy, miserable, insecure king old enough to be my dad!"), she entered the situation with a quiet joy and peace, radiating the true beauty of godly character, so that she soon "obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her." (Esther 2:15)

There are those in life who sit back and watch the world change, and there are those who quietly come in and change the world. Esther was definitely a member of the latter category, choosing to live excellently and make a positive impact despite a difficult set of circumstances.

The second thing I noticed about Esther was that she was keenly aware of her place in the great timeline of history and humbly viewed herself as only a small piece of a gigantic puzzle, rather than arrogantly setting herself up as "the big cheese," as Haman did, with rather fatal results. Why do I make this claim about Esther?

Consider this: when faced with the terrifying prospect of a massive ethnic cleansing which would have obliterated the Jewish population in Persia, Esther is reminded by Mordecai that her responsibility is to act on behalf of her people, regardless of the consequences to herself. Instead of responding self-centeredly ("Off with your head, Couz! How dare you speak so to the queen?!"), she graciously acknowledges his statement, and her subsequent actions show that she sees herself only as an instrument in the hands of an Almighty God, to be used however He pleased.

It's all too easy to become caught up in the idea that the world begins and ends with one person: me. But Esther realized that the show had begun long before she came on the scene, and that it would continue long after God chose to remove her from the stage of human existence. It was this knowledge that enabled her to say (albeit with some fear and trepidation!), "I will go to the king...and if I perish, I perish!" (Talk about a scary hubby, huh? Yowza!)

Her desire was to be faithful in her duty towards God and towards her people, regardless of personal consequences. She recognized that she could most effectively serve God not by striving to preserve her own life at all costs ("Sorry, not sticking my neck out for a bunch of people just because they happen to share the same bloodlines!"), but by seeking to pour herself out in whole-hearted service to her Almighty Lord, resting confidently in the assurance that this would be best for the whole of the human race, even if it meant an early (and perhaps seemingly pointless/needless) end to her own life.

I end with this: may God grant each of us the wisdom to live as victors even when our circumstances take an unexpected turn and we feel completely out-of-control...may He give us the grace to accept our place in the timeline of history, to become fully cognizant of our own insignificance and dispensability, to be joyfully willing to give our lives if this is the sacrifice He asks.

~Thea