Hey guys, happy Saturday! I'm so happy it's the weekend and even more grateful for the wonderful Bible study meeting we had last night. For the last 3 weeks, my bible study group has been digging into the book of Esther and it has been amazing! With everything happening in the world at the moment, it seemed like great timing (God's plan) for us to have very meaningful discussions about what it means to be an Esther wherever God has placed us. In my previous post, I talked about some of the similarities between the injustice faced by black people globally and the injustice faced by the Jews in Esther's time. As I've continued to reflect on the life and story of Esther and current affairs, especially the #BlackLivesMatter movement, I've just been reminded that there is nothing new under the sun. Anyway, because we had such great discussions in our group meeting, I wanted to share some of that on here:
God is always in control: Although there isn't any mention of God instructing anyone in the book of Esther, there is no denying He was with Esther and Mordecai and led them to deliver the Jews.
Faith: There is nothing we can say about Mordecai and Esther's faith that can be disputed. The entire process that Mordecai and Esther went through required immense faith and they had it all the way through!
Responsibility: Both Mordecai and Esther took their responsibilities seriously. As a father to Esther, Mordecai was always checking in on Esther in the palace and advising her on important matters. Esther showed the same responsibility when the time came for her to step up and approach the king.
Courage/Boldness: Maybe this should have been point number 1 because I really do admire the courage Esther and Mordecai showed in the face of adversity. Mordecai is refusing to act against his faith and Esther in approaching the king even at the risk of death.
Wisdom: From Mordecai advising Esther not to reveal her identity to Esther mobilising the Jews to fast and pray, it was clear that Godly wisdom was used in spades!
Mentorship/Relationship: There is no denying that Mordecai's mentorship was key to Esther's success in the palace. Esther was a great mentee who, having been raised by Mordecai, didn't neglect his guidance and direction. Even when she became Queen.
Environment: Your environment mustn't stop you from doing what God says. Whilst in the palace, Esther could've cut herself off from the world outside her walls and not stepped in when needed. Equally, the fear of being found to be a Jew in the palace could've (and almost did!) stopped Esther from helping to save her people. This goes to show, regardless of where God has placed you, He will protect you!
God can use the people around you: When we delved deeper into the characters of the people in the book of Esther, we saw that each of their characters played a role, for good or bad, in how the Jews were saved. Xerxes's generosity and willingness to listen to his advisors and Haman's pride were all used, ultimately to bring glory to God's name.
There are so many other lessons that can be taken from the book of Esther but these are a few of the lessons that we focused on in our discussions over the last few weeks. Feel free to share anything you have learnt in the comments section!