Esther 2:1-17
Life Lessons From The Life Of Esther:
1. SHE WENT FROM MYRTLE TO STAR!
This man (Mordecai) had a beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah, also known as Esther. Esther 2:7
Abihail and his wife (who would soon die and leave their daughter an orphan to be raised by her cousin Mordecai) named their beautiful daughter Hadassah which in Hebrew means myrtle…
The myrtle was a tree that bore beautiful flowers used for perfume in the Hebrew culture… the Myrtle tree was also used as a symbol of peace and joy among the people of God in the ancient world.
By the almighty hand of God this young Jewish girl was raised by her godly cousin Mordecai, and she ascended to the throne of the Persian empire.
once she married Ahasuerus, the Persian King, her name was changed from Hadassah to Esther, which is Persian means “star”.
only through the province of God could an obscure Jewish orphan become, not only a queen in Persia, but also a deliverer of her people.
this is the way of the Kingdom of God: when God finds a person whose heart is toward Him and available to be used by Him, their humility escalates them to greatness.
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; He seats them with princes, with the prices of their people. Psalm 113:7-8
Joseph went from prisoner to prince, Aaron went from slave (Egypt) to High Priest, Saul went from obscurity to the Throne of Israel. David went from Shepherd to Monarch, and Daniel went from captive (Babylon) to Premier over Babylon.
when you cast your lot with the King of kings you can become a star in the royal diadem of the Sovereign Lord.
How many Christians are held back by human limitations of education, social status, or financial brackets, when all they really need is to set their EYES On THE GREATNESS OF GOD;
to make themselves available to the Master’s hand and walk HUMBLY with their Lord. Throughout history God has transformed many Myrtles to Stars… will you yield yourself to the Master’s hand?
2. SHE WAS USED TO PROVIDE AND PROTECT
On the day of her ordination as queen Esther must have seen the invisible hand of God on her life as she went from obscurity to the throne of the Persian Empire.
The crown upon her head was more than just royal status it was a divine appointment… Esther had been crowned not for herself, but for her people and her nation. to provide and to protect the Jewish people.
Esther 2:21-23
Esther’s lineage is traced back to the tribe of Benjamin… who produced many soldiers and rulers but now a feminine crown would have to deliver Israel from the lions mouth.
If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. What’s more, who can say but that have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this? Esther 4:14
Esther’s cousin Mordecai was the vessel that God used to bring to light to Esther the reality of her ascension to the throne when he said… you attained royalty for a time such as this..
God is working in your life right now for a time such as this… perhaps not only for your own deliverance but for the betterment of your family… for such a time as this… God will bless you to be a blessing…
I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing. Genesis 12:2
Abraham was blessed to be a blessing…Joseph was promoted to protect the Hebrew children, so Esther obtained the crown for the benefit of her people, Israel.
Our position in life, our jobs, our promotions, our sphere of influence have all been given to us by the Hand of God to prosper not only our families but the Kingdom of God.
Many times when doors open up for the believer… jobs, places to live they need to ask themselves at that moment… Is it for such a time as this that I am enjoying God’s blessings? Are you being blessed to bless? Is the raise in your salary an opportunity to give more to the Kingdom… to missions…?
Do we see ourselves and our lives through the eyes of eternity and what we can accomplish for the Kingdom?... or do we live for the pleasures of this temporal existence… are you in the home to have favor in the court system or to be a blessing to the body of believers as you are blessed???
only you can answer these questions… but let me tell you your actions speak louder than your words… I know what I feel inside, yet we know what you are showing outside… I want my family to change but I don’t want to be obedient to the structure of the Home..
3. SHE COUNTED THE COST AND CALLED A FAST
Esther 4:10-17
the law of the land in the Persian empire was that all people were forbidden, even the queen to enter into the kings presence unsummoned. If anyone did than one of two things happened… either the king would enter the scepter and entertain the guest or we would NOT extend the scepter and they would die.
the King had not summoned Esther for over a month, and for her to enter into his presence could prove deadly… her options were limited… either risk her life to save her people or to save her life and watch her people die.
the bible is not clear about how much time she spent thinking this over but we do know that in the final analysis she said, “IF I PERISH, I PERISH”
she had counted the cost and chose to trust the Lord to protect her from the possible tyranny of the King of Persia.
it wasn’t living or dying that mattered, but instead doing the will of God. nad protecting the Hebrew race (the family of believers.) so she took a deep breath, put on her royal attire and went into the kings throne room.
she died to self and was ready to stand in the gap of Israel, regardless of the cost.
He (Christ) must become greater; and I must become less. John 3:30
Christians today must make a similar choice daily, to serve God regardless of the cost, or to live for yourself…to be an Esther in their generation or to enjoy the comforts of Persia.
are you willing to die to yourself for Him???... how do you prepare for this kind of a commitment? you must fast and pray…
fasting is a lost art in our culture but in the culture of the Kingdom of God fasting prepares the believer for what lies ahead in Kingdom service.
esther was in a difficult place, which many would have deemed impossible, but that is when God works best. Esther knew where her strength was and she called on the Jewish people to fast. (Esther 4:15-17)
to obstain from the desires of the flesh, to focus on the things of the Spirit, to humble both body and spirit is to cast all your trust on the everlasting arms of the Almighty God of Israel.
many great beliviers throughout history have utilized this great weapon of fasting… such as Daniel, the apostle Paul, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Jack Hayford, Billy Graham. when these men were faced with overwhelming odds they reached into their spiritual arsenal and found the formdable weapons of fasting and prayer.
Proper fasting… too often there is a selfish agenda behind fasting…
Is not this the kind of fasting that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Isaiah 58:6
two prerequisets must accompany fasting in order for it to be effective… they are prayer and a pure heart. to fast without praying is to load a gun and not fire it…
to fast with a polluted heart is to fire that same gun with a plugged barrel. fasting humbles the heart, repentance breaks up the fallow (hard) ground and prayer moves the mountain
when is the last time you fasted and what is at stake in the lives around you if and when you fast.
