WOW… We are on our 12th day in our 30 / 30 Challenge and I am loving this journey together! And TODAY, we begin ESTHER!!
Here’s the Freebie, Journal Your Way through the Word, if you are using this on your journey. You can click on the link and print it out to make your journaling easy. If not, please be sure to grab your notebook or journal and go grab your 30, sweet friend!
A BIT ABOUT ESTHER:
Esther! I LOVE Esther! I love the whole book and I love her, as a courageous woman who risked her life to save her people. She challenges me to take ground for the Kingdom in the face of danger and for the sake of that which is so much bigger and so much more important than me and my little circumstances and the things I deem significant.
Esther was an orphan girl who was cared for by her uncle Mordecai after her parents died. We aren’t told how they died, only that she was without parents and that she had an amazing uncle who cared for her as his own. Hadassah was her real name but when it came time to look for a new queen, her Jewish name had to remain a secret because the Jews were captive to the Persians and therefore, she wouldn’t have been eligible to ‘try out’ for the role as queen.
No one knows for sure who wrote the book of Esther, but the Jewish Talmud attributes the writing to “men of the Great Synagogue.” They were men who lived during a period of time between the last of the great prophets and the early rabbinic scholars. Some church fathers and historians attribute the book of Esther to Mordecai. Ultimately, only God knows who He inspired to pen this amazing book of the Bible that speaks very powerfully to our own hearts and lives.
Written probably around the end of the fifth century B.C., this book sheds light on how God showed up and delivered his people through a Jewish orphan girl, yet throughout the 10 chapters of Esther, God’s name is never mentioned.
God doesn’t have to be mentioned to be very evidently present and at work.
The story of Esther takes place in the city of Susa during the reign of the Persian king, Ahasuerus… a/k/a Xerxes. It occurred about 50 years after King Cyrus declared that the Jews could return to Jerusalem and about 25 years before Ezra returned to Jerusalem.
While for the Jewish people, they traditionally believe the purpose for the book of Esther is to focus on the observance of Purim, the book of Esther holds great truths for Jews and Christians alike. Esther is read during the observance of Purim and is held in high regard.
Purim is a feast that is typically held in March to celebrate what God did by turning a curse into a blessing when Haman cast lots to choose a day to destroy God’s people, the tables turned and he was the one who lost his life. Once again, God delivered His people as He promised!
Today, rather than doing and in-depth “My Turn,” I’m going to share one very significant point to me and then ask YOU to share how it has spoken to you.
SO…here’s MY TURN:
Esther was a stunningly beautiful young woman, but she wasn’t a DIVA! Esther 2:15 says, “ Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her.”
She could have had anything she wanted, but she submitted to those who would know better than her what would please the king. She could have felt privileged because she was in the running for the position as queen, but instead, her humility was what was the most attractive feature this young Jewish orphan girl possessed.
She was very wise to be submissive to her uncle Mordecai and submissive to the eunuch who knew the king much better than she did.
What an amazing lesson for all of us. Humility is really the most beautiful of all characteristics. It demonstrates we understand that others may know more…and even if they don’t, submitting to those in a position of authority shows the power of humility is the most stunning trait a beautiful woman can have.
She wasn’t a doormat. She was just wise enough to be humble. And her humility was the most attractive part about her.
SO…Esther teaches us all…BE WISE. BE HUMBLE. AND DON’T BE A DIVA!
YOUR TURN: SHARE WHAT THE LORD SHOWED YOU IN ESTHER 1 & 2
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