The Enigma of Esther: A Tale of Courage and Royalty.
In the heart of ancient Persia, where the sun kissed the golden sands and whispered Jewish secrets to the wind, there lived a young woman named Esther. Her Hebrew name, Hadassah, meant “myrtle,” a delicate flower that thrived despite adversity. But Esther was no ordinary blossom; she was destined for greatness that replenished itself through the ages.
"For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14
Her story began with a king’s lavish banquet—a spectacle of opulence and royal excess that echoed through the marble halls of Susa, which now stands on the precipices of modern-day Iran. King Xerxes I, a ruler both feared and revered, sought to display his power and indulge his fleshly whims. Amidst the silken draperies and jeweled goblets, Queen Vashti, known for her covetous beauty, stood her ground. She refused to dance before the king’s drunken guests, defying tradition and womanly pride. Her defiance cost her the throne, and she vanished from the annals of history as one of the most rebellious women of the Susian empire.
Esther emerged from the shadows, a hidden gem waiting to dazzle the world. Her beauty was like moonlight on still waters—captivating, mysterious, and impossible to ignore. When the king’s decree summoned all eligible maidens to vie for the title of queen, Esther stepped into the spotlight. Her almond eyes held Jewish secrets, and her grace concealed determination. The palace buzzed with anticipation as the king’s gaze lingered on her.
The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
(Esther 2:17)
But Esther carried more than beauty. She bore the weight of her people—the Jews—scattered across the vast Persian empire. Her cousin Mordecai, a wise and steadfast man of God, had raised her as his own. He whispered ancient Hebrew tales of faith, resilience, and deliverance. And so, when Esther ascended the throne, she wore her crown not as a mere ornament but as a beacon of hope for God’s chosen people.
Within the palace walls, danger lurked. Haman, a mirrored image of a modern-day Hitler, the king’s highest official, harbored a venomous hatred for the Jews, seeing Esther as a royal threat. His twisted ambition fueled a sinister plot: the annihilation of the entire Jewish race. The lots were cast—the Purim—ironic in their randomness. On a fateful day, the decree would seal the Jews’ fate.
Mordecai’s words echoed in Esther’s heart: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house, you alone will escape. Relief and deliverance will arise from another place, but you and your family will perish.” Esther faced a choice: to remain silent or to risk everything for the love of her people.
She unveiled her secret identity—the Jewish maiden who had become queen. With trembling hands, she approached King Xerxes, her heart labored with fear and resolve. “If I perish,” she vowed, “I perish.” Her plea reached the king’s ears, and he reversed Haman’s decree. The Jews were saved, and Esther’s name was etched into Biblical history, the Jews’ records, and eternity itself.
But Esther’s legacy extended beyond her daring act. She became the embodiment of Biblical courage—the myrtle that bloomed amidst adversity. Her story danced through generations until it reached the minds of present-day believers, whispered by mothers to daughters, etched onto scrolls, and celebrated during the Feast of Purim - the day of the lots fell in Esther’s favor, the woman who saved Israel. The irony of the lots—the Purim—was not lost to the Jews. For Esther, her appointment by the Hebrew God had woven her life into the Jewish and Christian faiths, their/our sacrifice, and triumph over an evil plotting world.
And so, in the quiet moments when the palace slept, Esther would gaze at the stars. She wondered if the heavens whispered secrets too—of love, courage, and the enigma of her existence. Perhaps the myrtle understood, bending gracefully in the moonlight, its roots anchored in history, its petals reaching for eternity.
Esther—the queen who defied fate, the myrtle who blossomed in darkness—remains a beacon for us all. Her story reminds us that even in the grand eternal prophecies, it is the seemingly insignificant threads that weave miracles, miracles that bloom in darkness.
And so, my faithful readers, when you see a myrtle bloom, remember Esther. Her life in full bloom is compared to the “Easter Lilly,” which represents our Savior saving the Jews/Gentiles from the wicked plots of Satan himself.
The story of Esther is the blessed salvation testimony of the saving Grace of Jesus Christ. For within the delicate leaves of both flowers lies the echo of a queen’s courage—an authentic recording that transcends time and whispers: “You, too, can change the course of modern-day plots to eradicate the Jews.”
Media & Essay: The Life of Esther