Esther was a young Jewish woman from the tribe of Benjamin, whose parents died during the Babylonian exile. Esther was raised by her cousin Mordecai in Susan, one of the capitals of the Medo-Persian Empire, during the reign of Ahasuerus – approximately 483 B.C.
The story of the young Jewish woman unfolds after the banishment of Queen Vashti, when King Ahasuerus, at a feast that lasted 180 days, asked her to parade before the guests and she refused. Then he ordered another woman to take the queen’s place.
The king summoned all the virgin and beautiful women of the kingdom, to choose his new queen and Mordecai who served in the palace, arranged that Esther be among the suitors. With this, she was taken by the guards together with the other women to the palace.
Esther did not tell anyone she was Jewish because Mordecai had warned her not to reveal where she came from. One year later, the king started calling the girls he had selected. Finally, Esther was called to the presence of the king, who was delighted with her beauty and attitude, so much so that made her his queen, (Esther 2:17).
In time, Esther proved to be not only a beautiful woman, but also wise and brave. So much so that she risked her own life in an attempt to save her people – the Jews – from the extermination plotted by Haman, the king’s right arm.
The king granted Haman’s request and sent a decree warning all the people living in Shushan that the Jews should be killed. But Esther, under God’s providence, acted at the right time and obtained the favor of the king, who allowed the Israelites to help and sentenced Haman to death. Knowing Esther’s story a little better, now let’s go to our lessons!
1. God has a plan for her life!
Our Lord had a plan for Esther’s life that blessed the lives of His people, just as He has a plan for your life and wants to use you for His work, no matter what the circumstances, what God’s will will be and will bless the lives of other people.
2. God is sovereign and puts you in the right place at the right time!
We can see in the story of Queen Esther that God put her in the right place at the right time. Many times we worry if we are in the right way so that the will of God is fulfilled and logical that we must always evaluate our ways, but remember that our father is sovereign and when we ask for his direction, he will put us in the right place and at the right time.
3. Act on behalf of God’s people
Queen Esther, acted on behalf of the Jewish people and we must be attentive to the situations around us so that we can act with courage and wisdom. There are situations where we need boldness to defend Christian values before family, work colleagues, faculty, neighbors and even before authorities. Don’t be cowardly!
4. Be patient to act wisely
Esther was wise in every decision she made, that’s because she kept her calm and had the patience to act, she was strategic and more than that she did what would please God. So, before acting, ask for direction and wisdom to deal with the situation in the best way possible. Remember, from the passage of Proverbs 15:1, the soft answer deflects anger, but the hard word arouses anger!
God bless you!
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