Esther’s story is filled with bold, courageous faith in the midst of opposition. When her people’s lives are threatened, Esther is given a unique opportunity to leverage her relationship and proximity to the king to save her people. While God is never mentioned in the Book of Esther, we see Him at work through the lives of His people and His divine protection on full display.
When the world feels upside down and fear shakes us to our core, it can be challenging to lean into a bold and courageous faith. Still, we can trust that God is always at work in our lives, even when we don’t see Him clearly.
The story of Esther shows us what happens when we choose courage and trust when the stakes are high.
Where Is the Story of Esther in the Bible?
The Book of Esther is found in the Old Testament. Its events occur after the people of Judah were exiled to Babylon and just before the story of Nehemiah—even though the Book of Nehemiah is typically positioned before the Book of Esther.
During this time, some of God’s people had returned to Jerusalem, and some had stayed in the Persian capital of Susa. This is where Esther’s story takes place.
A Summary of the Book of Esther
- Esther becomes queen. After a few parties go wrong, King Xerxes sets out to find a new queen. Esther enters the contest and wins, but hides her nationality and family background.
- Mordecai overhears an evil plan. While sitting outside the king’s gate, Esther’s cousin and guardian, Mordecai, learns about a plot to kill the king. He tells Esther, who tells the king, ultimately saving his life. Mordecai is credited with saving the king.
- Haman plots to kill God’s people. Haman is a highly ranked official for the king. In that culture, everybody would have been expected to bow down to honor him. Mordecai refuses to bow. To retaliate, Haman manipulates the king into signing a decree to have God’s people killed.
- Mordecai calls on Esther for help. If anybody is going to be able to save God’s people, it’s Esther. So Mordecai tells her about the situation and pleads with her to intervene.
- Esther plans a banquet for King Xerxes and Haman. At the banquet, Esther reveals her nationality and asks the king to save her people. She says Haman was behind the plot to kill her people, and the king has him executed.
- The king issues a decree to protect God’s people. While King Xerxes can’t “cancel” the first decree, he does write a new one, encouraging God’s people to protect themselves.
- A new festival is established to remember this story of deliverance. To celebrate God’s protection and care, His people start an annual festival called “Purim.”
Key Bible Verse
“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 NIV
A Deeper Dive Into the Story of Esther
God is never mentioned in this book, but we can still see Him at work in the lives of Esther, Mordecai, and the Persians.
The story of Esther highlights God’s providence and provision. This means God uses natural circumstances to bring about His supernatural plans. God is never mentioned in this book, but we can still see Him at work in the lives of Esther, Mordecai, and the Persians.
Esther Becomes the Queen of Persia
King Xerxes was the ruler of Persia, and he loved extravagant parties. In the first chapter of this book, we read about one of these parties. King Xerxes’ wife, Queen Vashti, refused to flaunt herself in front of the partygoers. As a result, the king set out to find a new wife through a beauty contest.
Esther, raised by her cousin Mordecai, was brought to the palace to take part in this contest. After enduring 12 months of “beauty treatments,” she was finally able to meet the king, and immediately won his favor. Xerxes made Esther the new queen of Persia. At the same time, she hid her nationality as a Jewish person and kept her family background a secret.
Mordecai Learns of the Plot to Kill the King
After Esther was made queen, her uncle, Mordecai, often spent his days at the king’s gate, where he could keep an eye on his surrogate daughter.
One day, Mordecai overheard two of the king’s officers conspiring to assassinate the king. As soon as he was able, he shared what he had heard with Esther, who told the king. In the process, Mordecai was given credit for saving the king’s life.
Haman’s Plot to Destroy God’s People
After some time passed, King Xerxes promoted an official named Haman, effectively making him his second-in-command. Everyone in Persia was expected to bow or kneel for Haman as a sign of respect and adoration. But Mordecai refused.
Why Didn’t Mordecai Bow to Haman?
Some view Mordecai’s choice not to bow as an act of faith in God, not wanting to bow to anyone other than God Himself. But other scholars note that Mordecai almost certainly would have had to bow to Xerxes. So why not Haman?
The Book of Esther gives us a clue. Esther 3:1 says Haman was an Agagite. That title likely connects him to Agag, the Amalekite king defeated by Saul in 1 Samuel 15.
This matters because the Amalekites had a long, bitter history with God’s people. They were the first nation to attack ancient Israel after the Exodus (Exodus 17), and God said there would be conflict between ancient Israel and Amalek for generations.
This background helps explain Mordecai’s choice. Refusing to bow wasn’t just a matter of personal faith. It may also have been about ancient Israel’s long history with the Amalekites.
In that light, Haman’s furious response to Mordecai’s refusal to bow makes even more sense.
For Haman, this may not have just been about a personal disagreement. It could have felt like history repeating itself, a reminder of old wounds.
This could be why Haman escalated the situation so quickly, not just looking to punish Mordecai, but to manipulate the king into exterminating all of the Jewish exiles. Haman may have seen a chance for the Amalekite story to finally end in victory instead of defeat.
Mordecai Asks for Esther’s Help
When word of the king’s decree got out, Esther’s nationality was still a secret. Mordecai found ways to communicate with Esther from the king’s gate and pleaded with her to do something to prevent Haman’s plans for mass murder.
Through their conversation, Mordecai shared his faith and belief that God would rescue His people, regardless of Esther’s involvement.
Still, Mordecai believed that Esther was placed in the king’s palace at this specific time to save her people. This was God’s strength on full display, despite Him not being mentioned in the text.
Esther Plans a Party
After meeting with Mordecai, Esther made plans to invite King Xerxes and Haman to two special banquet feasts. This required approaching the king without being summoned first—a choice that could have resulted in her death. But the king was pleased to see Esther when she appeared before him, and both Xerxes and Haman accepted her invitation to the banquet.
The evening after the first banquet, the king remembered Mordecai’s protection and care for his life. He forced Haman to publicly honor Mordecai, inadvertently humiliating Haman in the process.
The next day, at the second of Esther’s banquets, the king asked her what she needed from him. She boldly petitioned for her people, revealing her nationality and requesting that they be saved from Haman’s decree.
Haman Is Executed and Mordecai Is Elevated
After learning about Haman’s plan, the king was furious and had him executed. The king then worked with Esther to write a new decree, allowing God’s people to protect themselves from the decree that Haman had originally issued.
Everybody celebrated, and the holiday of Purim was established. The word “Purim” comes from the word “pur,” which refers to the dice Haman threw to originally pick a date for his decree. What he intended for evil and destruction, God used for good in protecting His people.
Why Is Esther’s Story in the Bible?
Esther’s story illustrates God’s providence—His ability to use seemingly ordinary circumstances to bring about His supernatural plans.
This story reminds us that God is always at work, even when we don’t understand.
This story reminds us that God is always at work, even when we don’t understand. Additionally, it shows us how to have bold and courageous faith in the face of high-stakes situations.
At the time this story was written, many of God’s people had turned away from Him. So this story would have encouraged ancient people that, despite their moral failures and shortcomings, God still cared deeply for His people—and He was still moving when it wasn’t evident.
What Does Esther’s Story Teach Us?
When God calls us to take a courageous action, we can trust that He has good plans. Faced with an impossible challenge, Esther decided to take the step of faith to advocate for her people. In doing so, she bravely trusted that God would provide deliverance and protection.
God is moving, even when we can’t see it. Remember, one of the unique qualities of this Bible story is that God isn’t mentioned once. Still, we can look with curiosity to see the ways a series of “coincidences” ultimately saved His people.
Why Is Esther’s Story Important Today?
We will all have a time in our lives where we need bold, courageous faith. This could look like choosing to step into difficult conversations with grace and compassion, or standing up for what’s right in a world that celebrates what’s wrong.
God honors our bold faith.
When we look at these seemingly impossible situations through the lens of Esther’s story, we can be encouraged that God honors our bold faith. We can courageously step into these situations in faith, believing that God is working all things together for our good and His glory.
Common Questions About the Story of Esther
Why Didn’t Esther Share Her Nationality With King Xerxes?
Mordecai instructed Esther to hide her nationality from King Xerxes. While we don’t know exactly why Mordecai instructed her to withhold her nationality, this choice paved the way to put Esther in a unique position where she could rescue her people from the deadly plans of Haman.
Why Doesn’t the Book of Esther Mention God?
The Book of Esther is a story of God’s providence. We have the opportunity to approach this story from a place of curiosity, taking notice of the different ways God was at work throughout the Bible. This book serves as a reminder that God is always at work, even when we don’t see it.
What Does ‘For Such a Time as This’ Mean?
One of the most famous Scriptures from this story is Esther 4:14, when Mordecai reminds Esther that her royal position could be used “for such a time as this.” The context of this comes as Mordecai is pleading for Esther to save her people.
While Mordecai believed that God would protect His people no matter what, he also believed that Esther was uniquely positioned to intervene. Similarly, we can remember that we are uniquely placed at this time in history, in our respective families, with the jobs we have, to make a difference for God’s kingdom.
Reflect or Discuss
- What part of Esther’s story feels most relatable to you?
- What situation in your life feels impossible or hopeless? How can you have courageous faith like Esther to intervene for what’s right?
- What step of bold faith will you take this week?