Women of the Word | The Story of Esther 

Throughout the Bible, we see how God honors and works wonders through His daughters as well as His sons.

Deborah, a prophetess, and judge, led Israel to victory over their enemies. Ruth’s sacrificial love and humility grafted her into the birth line of the Messiah. Mary Magdalene was the first person Jesus appeared to after His resurrection, commissioning her to proclaim the power of His triumph over death.

The stories of Rahab, Leah, Rachel, Ruth, Hannah, Rebecca, and many more illustrate women in difficult or dangerous times who walked paths of courage, obedience, and love and were honored by God. 

No exception is the story of Esther, an orphan girl who rose to royalty for “such a time as this.” 

The Story of Esther | Humble Beginnings

Esther, the woman once known as Hadassah, met with a childhood that hardly looked like the future she would come to know. Her humble origins remind us how God brings beauty for ashes and works through suffering and misfortunes to position us for our true purpose.

• Esther was orphaned, only spared from total abandonment by her cousin—Mordecai—who took her in as a daughter.
• She lived in a foreign land as a Jewish woman, serving a God who was not served or known by the majority of those around her.

Through all of this, the story of Esther shows us God’s hand was upon her, just as Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” God knew her even before she was born and was setting her apart for a divine purpose beyond what she could dream. 

True Identity and The Power of Names

When the king of Persia sought a new queen, young women from around the land were brought to the palace. Hadassah was among them, and she was renamed Esther to hide her Jewish identity. This must have been a terrifying experience for Esther, but God was with her, protecting her and giving her favor. Even in her name change, God was speaking. When we look at the meaning of Hadassah and Esther, we see powerful symbolism and divine intention. 

Hadassah means myrtle tree. Biblically, the myrtle tree is often associated with the recovery and the establishment of God’s promises.

For a season, Esther needed to be Hadassah to recover from the grief of losing her parents and to establish the promise God had for her. 

Esther means star, secret, or hidden. As Esther, she no longer lived in a time of recovery. She no longer stood fixed to one place like a myrtle tree, where only a few might see her. With her new name, she prepared for and entered into her time as queen. 

She was hidden, obeying her cousin as she tucked away her Jewish heritage like a precious secret. But she also, as Esther, transitioned to where she would be seen. And, through the sure faith and favor of God that rested within her, she shone. Like a star shining bright in the darkness.

“Esther had not revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it.” —Esther 2:10

Suddenly, the once-obscure Jewish girl, Hadassah, became the secretly Jewish Queen Esther of the Persian Empire! Yet, even before she became the queen, God was moving behind the scenes, preparing her throughout her life. 

Through her humble origins and childhood, she experienced what living in lack and plenty was like growing in gratitude and gentleness of spirit. When she entered the palace before being chosen as queen, she underwent a year of beauty preparations, symbolizing her preparation for authority and royalty in her God-given role. 

• “Each young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months’ preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women. Thus prepared, each young woman went to the king, and she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the women’s quarters to the king’s palace.” —Esther 2:12-13

The number of women brought to be candidates for queen is not provided in the book of Esther, though it was likely hundreds. Yet, from the first moment of her arrival at the house of the women at the king’s palace, it was obvious that God’s favor was upon Esther…

• “…Esther also was taken to the king’s palace, into the care of Hegai the custodian of the women. Now the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to her, besides her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women…Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her.” —Esther 2:8-9 & 15

Favor For Such a Time as This

Throughout the fear and uncertainty of being taken to the king’s palace, God’s favor protected and positioned Esther for what would come next. Bold courage and uncommon faith would be needed.

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  The level of favor she had been granted throughout her time as Esther had been immense, but to have faith large enough for the assignment ahead—the evidence of things she could not see—would require supernatural strength and courage.

The Rise of the Deceiver 

Not long after Esther came into her role as queen, a man named Haman experienced a rise to power.

• “After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him.”—Esther 3:1

The Agagites were descendants of the Amalekites, an ancient enemy of Israel. It wasn’t long before this spirit of the Amalekites attached to Haman’s lust for power and pride, prompting him to plot an attempted annihilation of the Jewish people. 

• “Then the king’s scribes were called… and a decree was written according to all that Haman commanded… And the letters were sent by couriers into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions.” —Esther 3:12-13

The king had been tricked into signing this decree–and he had no idea his beloved queen was of Jewish heritage. When the decree went out, the Jewish people went into great mourning. Mordecai sought Esther and implored her to use her authority and position to expose Hamon’s plot and rescue her people, even if it came at a cost–knowing the cost of silence would be far greater.

• “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” —Esther 4:14

At the time, the king had not called for Esther in 30 days. No one, not even the queen, could appear before the king uninvited, and entering his presence without his initiation could prove fatal. Despite this, Esther chose incredible courage and sacrificial devotion to the God of Israel and the people of Israel. She called for a fast and prepared to face the king. 

• “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” —Esther 4:16

God’s favor again poured out on Esther in the midst of her courage, and the king held out his golden scepter towards her, sparing her life (see Esther 5:1-2). Esther invited the king and Haman to a banquet as part of her plan. 

When they came to the first banquet, she didn’t expose Haman but invited them to a second banquet the following night. This apparent delay in revealing her true request was part of God’s purpose. During the 24 hours between the first banquet and the second, several things happened: 

• Haman, thinking he was building a gallows for Mordecai, actually built his own. 
• God directed the king’s steps to rediscover how Mordecai had saved his life.
• The king, wishing to honor Mordecai, asked Haman how to honor a person of great valor. Haman, of course, thought he was the one to be honored by the king and suggested the way Mordecai would be honored.
• Haman, humbled by God, had to lead Mordecai through the streets in the same manner he had thought he was to be led.
• Because the king now favored Mordecai, Haman did not press the king to put Mordecai on his gallows.
• The Jewish position was strengthened because the king not only favored Esther but now, unknowingly, the cousin who raised her.

Divine Reversal | Plans for Hope and a Future

At the second banquet, Esther exposed Haman, telling the king all the evil that was about to befall her people:

• “Then the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden; but Haman stood before Queen Esther, pleading for his life, for he saw that evil was determined against him by the king. When the king returned… Haman had fallen across the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, ‘Will he also assault the queen while I am in the house?’…” —Esther 7:7-8

Hearing that Haman had built a gallows for Mordecai—Esther’s cousin and the man who had just been honored for saving the king’s life—the king ordered that Haman should be hung upon the same gallows…

• “Now Harbonah, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, ‘Look! The gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke good on the king’s behalf, is standing at the house of Haman.’ “Then the king said, ‘Hang him on it!’ “So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath subsided.” —Esther 7:9-10

God had performed a divine reversal, but even though Haman had come to justice, the Jewish people still lay in peril due to the irreversible decree. 

The king gave Mordecai and Esther full authority to author another decree, allowing the Jewish people to defend themselves from the coming assault against them.  

• “By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives—to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them…” —Esther 8:11

With the decree set forth, the Jewish people were victorious against all who hated them, and this day ordained for sorrow became a day of great joy!

Esther and Mordecai enacted another decree to honor what God had done and remember it always, implementing the celebration we know today as Purim.

• “And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus,”…“Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter about Purim.”—Esther 9:20, 29

Queen Esther’s Legacy

While we do not know much about Esther’s life after these events, we do know that she was blessed. She was given the house of Haman, which she gave to Mordecai to tend, and both she and Mordecai were responsible for not only the decree that saved the Jewish people in Persia but also for enacting the festival of Purim.

Many biblical scholars also believe that Esther was the mother or grandmother of Darius II, the Persian king who allowed the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. If this is true, Esther not only saved her people from annihilation but, through her offspring and impartation of her faith in the God of Israel, influenced and impacted the building of the second Temple!

The story of Esther is one of incredible faith and courage. She wrote decrees of justice, righteousness, and deliverance with full authority. She did not remain silent in the face of evil but spoke the truth boldly, reflecting her deep love for God and her people. 

Her legacy lives on, and may her story inspire us to live lives of courageous obedience, devoted to speaking truth on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves, even if it means speaking and standing alone. Just as God gave Esther favor, fought for her, and ultimately worked through her to do more than she could ask or imagine, He will be faithful to you as you partner with Him in your Kingdom purpose “for such a time as this.”