(Queen Esther, Edwin Long, 1878, Public Domain)
Esther 4:14

Esther did not live the life she expected, but she was called for a purpose.

A fickle king

King Ahasu-erus of Persia, known an Xerces to history, was not someone you wanted to cross. He was a fickle king, prone to anger and quick to act. One night, the king had a party and wanted to show off the beauty of shi wide, Queen Vashti, to his guests. Queen Vashti refused to come. The king was furious and had her killed (Esther 1:10-12)! On another occasion, Mordecai, Esther’s uncle and adoptive father, uncovered a plot against against the king. The king was saved and the conspirators executed (Esther 2:21-23).

A girl on the rise

The king started a search for a new queen. Like an ancient season of “The Bachelor”, beautiful girls from all over the kingdom were brought to the palace to “compete” for the king’s favor (Esther 2:8-9). Among them was a Jewish girl named Esther. After twelve months of beauty treatments, Esther was brought before the king. The king was pleased with Esther and made her queen (Esther 2:17). But did Esther want to win this contest? Certainly she had her own dreams and plans for her life. But she was now queen. She had a new purpose.

Time to choose

That purpose would soon become clear, thanks to the king’s highest ranking official, Haman. Haman hated the Jews, especially Mordecai, and convinced the king to decree that all Jews in the kingdom should be killed (Esther 3:9). Now Esther had a choice. Should she risk her life by going before the king to beg to mercy on her people? Or should she remain silent and watch them be slaughtered? Was this her purpose (Esther 4:14)?

Frozen with fear

Esther made her choice. As she approached the king, she look beautiful on the outside, perfectly put together, arrayed in glory. But on the inside she was “frozen with fear” (Esther 5:15). Often often do we put on appearances, as if all is well, but inside we simply cannot act, paralyzed with fear. Was this the Holy Spirit in action? Certainly Esther was given the gift of fortitude to complete her purpose. An indeed she did, saving the Jewish people.

Into the deep

For more, read the entire story of Esther.