Summary
of her story (Esther 1-10):
Esther, a Jewish girl, is chosen to be queen by the Persian king after he rejects his previous wife. With the guidance of his cousin, Mordecai, an attempt to eradicate the Jews is thwarted. It all begins one day when Mordecai refuses to bow down according to the law before Haman, one of the kings counselors. When Haman learns of this, he vows to kill all the Jews. He tricks the king into declaring and edict stating that anyone who does not bow down before him will be executed. This edict cannot be reversed. Mordecai pleads for Esther to go talk to the king but she risks death in doing so as the queen is not allowed to see the king without him summoning her. Eventually, Esther does summon the courage to see the king and tells the king of the Hamans plot. Haman is then hanged for his plot.
Her
Character Traits:
She is bold. She is brave. She
has integrity.
She takes care of the well-being of
her people before her own life.
She listened to her cousin Mordecai, and understood what was going wrong, that her Jewish people was under a courtiers massacre plan.
She went ahead bravely to point out the problems despite danger.
She went into see the king uninvited despite the possible danger of losing her life.
She put herself in danger because she broke the traditional rules in court.
She is wise.
She considers the advice of her cousin, that she might have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.
She is reliant on God before carrying
out a dangerous plan.
Before she made her attempt to go to the king uninvited, she asked Mordecai to gather the Jewish people to fast, not eating or drinking, for her for three days.
What could have held Esther back?
Her own life. Her reputation as a queen. Her privilege as a queen. Her fear and worries.
Her story stands today as an example
of one who fearlessly took chances and did all she could to right the wongs done
her people, even when her actions could have led to her own death.
Colleen Reece, Women of the Bible