Lessons from Esther

The Book of Esther is a hidden gem that has become my favourite historical book of the old testament. There are many lessons that can be learned from Esther's story, so this Christmas I decided to rewatch the movie 2000 make of the movie 'Esther'. This year marked my second Christmas after I've accepted Jesus, and the 2nd covid-Christmas. Somehow I felt more alone this year (kind of like year-end blues), but I know that such feelings are not from God because I am never alone when the spirit of God is always with me. This time I pinpointed some practical areas that I learned from Esther.

1. Alertness: In my understanding, the story of Esther happened because the Queen decided to disobey the king's commands. The queen's rash statements embarrassed the king in front of his men and caused him great anger which made him give out the orders to throw out the queen. I don't know why she acted this way in an era when disregarding the king's words can result to death at its worse. Her own self-centeredness led to her being kicked out of the royal palace. On the contrary, Esther maintained her alertness during all stages; from first arriving at the castle, to helping her people (the Jews) outside of the palace. A line that she said a lot is "If I have favour with the King", she's always cautious about her words. As the saying goes 'trouble comes from the mouth', we should always think before speaking it out to the world.

2. Identity: Queen Esther never forgot that she was a Jew even when she had to dwell amongst the Persian kingdom. Even though she didn't go around telling people her identity but she always remembers how she got here and about her people. She ordered her people to fast in the Jewish tradition, and did so herself with the people around her in the palace.

3. Wisdom: Esther was humble, and she knew that she doesn't know everything so she asked the people around her for their opinions and experience. She doesn't try to show off & take everything into her own hands. She was also honest with her words & thoughts; and when she spoke you can feel the sincerity in it. That's something I think I can learn especially by using words in such a manner to sympathize and lift up people.

4. Bravery: She was not afraid to face authority, period. But she faced 'power' with her wisdom which allowed her to win in the end. When she brought Mordecai into the castle, I was so afraid that guards were going to come out and catch them red-handed. Esther obviously knew this risk but still decided to take action, and that's how she helped 'her people' from total destruction.