She was objectified. She won the beauty contest, and became a trophy-queen of the self-absorbed and aloof king. She knew what it was like to be marginalized in her own house, and would spend days on end without ever seeing her husband-king.
But, deep inside of her was an inner fortitude. She found the time and place to flourish, and to commit to a redemptive life-path for her and her family. She was willing to take death’s challenge even if it meant dire consequences for her. In essence, she went from being objectified to being a woman of courage. She became a “liberator” for her people: both male and female. God had placed her in a certain place in time and space to serve Him and His kingdom people. I am sure that there were many times when she probably thought twice about her place in vindicating the Jews living in Persian exile. But, she found the chutzpah to stand for truth. She found her chutzpah to stand for justice in the face of an oppressive state. In essence, we are blessed today, as men and women, because Esther was able to find an inner moral compass of courage.
In contrast to Esther are Xerxes and Haman, two men who are epitomized by self-focus, and are myopically blind to their own gratifications. They are the poster-figures for pride. Pride that desires to control understanding and truth.
Esther’s qualities are what the church needs today: prophetic people who are willing to speak truth in love without recourse to consequences.
Jesus says, “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses His life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the who world, yet, forfeits his soul” (Matthew 16:25-26)?
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