What Can We Learn from Esther?
- Jaida Campbell Crosswalk Contributing Writer
- Updated Feb 10, 2022
The Book of Esther tells the story of a young maiden who was brought into the royal palace and made queen of a nation. The king needed a new queen, and he decreed that all beautiful virgins be brought to the palace and shown to him so that he may choose a new wife. Esther was caught up in this net of beautiful women without any control of her own. And in her meekness, humility, and beauty, she found favor right away with the head eunuch who treated her with a special menu and preparations and assigned her specially chosen maidens to assist her in winning the king's favor.
This is a historical narrative, and it is a wonderful example of God making a plan before we know we need a plan. God saw what was going to happen for the Jewish people at the hands of a political advisor of this king, and God arranged things so that Esther would be in a place of influence that would ultimately save the people of God. What an extraordinary story and an extraordinary young lady who found herself in a position of influence whom God could use to change the destiny of a people.
Let's see what we can learn from Esther.
Being a Child of God = a Princess in the Kingdom of God
Esther was an orphan adopted by her cousin Mordecai after the death of her parents. This part of her heritage is very similar to our own. Ephesians 1:5 in the NLT says, "God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure." His plan to send His Son to earth, live as a mortal man, and die and be resurrected for us gave us the opportunity to receive Jesus as our Savior. He took our place on the cross so that we could have fellowship with our Heavenly Father, to be a part of His family.
The minute we are born again, we join this Royal Family of God, the Royal Kingdom of God. We become part of the family, and with that, we inherit all the benefits of this Royal Kingdom. We may not have expected to be a part of a royal family just like Esther, but once we become a member, our first step would be to learn as much as we can about this family, its benefits, and our responsibilities. We would then begin to understand our position in the royal family and those benefits, and we would allow it to affect us and our lives.
It says in Romans 18:17, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together."
Here it is in a nutshell for us to break down, meditate on, and digest it to become a part of who we are. When we can truly appreciate that we are His children, His Spirit and our spirit connecting, and then to understand that not only are we heirs of God but joint-heirs with Christ, we can walk in the boldness of a princess in the Royal Kingdom of God. We have inherited the life of Christ. Jesus chose to come to earth to share His inheritance with us, and He expects us to pick up that inheritance and walk in divine health, favor of God and man, prosperity, goodness, integrity, and everything else that comes with the inheritance of God.
Being a Princess in the Royal Kingdom of God Takes Work
If you are familiar with Grace Kelly, a famous movie star who made 11 films in the '50s, you would know that she was the epitome of beauty and grace. She abandoned Hollywood to marry Ranier III, Prince of Monaco. She became the Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco, and she lived up to the fairy tale of the commoner who became royalty. I recently watched the movie "Grace of Monaco" and found that, like Esther, she had to change her concept of what she believed to be the fairy tale of royalty to the reality of living as a royal. She found that she had to put some real work into it to do what was expected of royalty, not only in behavior and protocols but also in her responsibilities to the kingdom of which she was immediately a leader and role model.
I Peter 2:9 in the NKJV says, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."
As followers of Jesus, we must understand the responsibility of walking in His marvelous light before others so that others may see in this dark world. Psalm 119 says that the Word is a light unto our path. The Word is what we are to live our lives by, make decisions by, love by, to move through life by. We are not to make decisions according to what the world deems acceptable. We are to follow what the Word says we are to do, how we are to think, to live according to His will and purpose.
"With the status of being a "royal" and having the benefits and rights of the Royal Family of God, there is some work to be done to live up to what is expected of us as children of the Living God. We should not be concerned about what is expected by people or the world, but what is expected by our Heavenly Father and to live up to the honor He has bestowed on us when He gave His best, His Son, Jesus Christ, to take our place on the cross for our sins." (Live Like Royalty, p.13)
Knowing without a doubt who we are in the Royal Kingdom of God and being able to walk confidently in that role gives us the ability to walk in the light to dispel the darkness in the world, not only to bring light into our small part of the world but to bring light to all those around us.
Being a Fearless Royal in a Fallen World Takes Strength and Dignity
Proverbs 31:25 says in the NLT, "She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future." When was the last time you freely laughed without fear when thinking of your future, the future of your children, your future as you get older, your financial future? To be able to freely laugh without fear of the unknown, to be able to look ahead without knowing the future and staring it in the face without reservations, but with strength and dignity, takes a woman who knows who she is and whose she is. She has a God who has her back, who goes before her with purpose, who is by her side in all situations, who speaks to her in a still small voice, who thunders when necessary, and who cradles her in His fatherly arms when she needs Him to.
Do you know Him that way? Do you look to Him when you have questions? Do you seek His advice before others? Do you have that father/daughter relationship that carries you through the tough times? Because He is waiting for you to turn His way, to listen to His voice, to spend time with Him.
Esther is a perfect example of living fearlessly in strength and dignity. She ended up the queen under circumstances out of her control, and she could have easily remained in the comfort of her beautiful and luxurious living quarters for the rest of her life. Her cousin Mordecai had initially advised her not to tell of her Jewish heritage when she went to the palace, and she did keep this to herself. When the plot to annihilate the Jews by Haman, a close adviser of the king, was found out, she could have said nothing. She could have stayed out of it, and she would have had no conflict and lived a pampered life. But confronted with the reality of what would happen if she did not take the risk of speaking to the king, she rallied herself with strength and dignity and approached the king, which could have led to death, to appeal to him regarding the fate of her people.
Mordecai said to her in Esther 4:14b, "…Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Could God have had this in the plan a long time ago so that she would be in this position to influence the king? Could the God of the universe have placed you in a position to make a difference in your sphere? Is it possible that God has a plan for you to spread His gospel in whatever situation you find yourself in?
Esther ultimately answered in verse 16b, "…And so I will go to the king, which is against the law, and if I perish, I perish!" Such strength and dignity! She found favor with her king, and he did the right thing to protect the Jews from annihilation. Her strength and dignity in the face of the insurmountable obstacle show us that there is something we can do to make a difference. It may be hard; it may be difficult, but God gives us the strength and dignity to do what He has called us to do. He would never ask us to do something that we are not capable of accomplishing. He gives us the grace, the talent, the gifts, the creativity, the boldness to step out and do that which is expected of us.
"There is a certain freedom that you must be aware of to be able to laugh without fear of the future. Freedom to walk as a princess of the Royal Kingdom of God comes with the responsibility of loving God and loving others. Being able to live fearlessly and laughing without fear of the future is a part of living out our lives as a fearless royal." (Live Like Royalty, p.122)
Excerpts from Jaida’s first book, Live Like Royalty. (Sold on Amazon)
