Esther: Becoming a Girl of PurposeSample

Read the verses below. Highlight in your Youversion app any words or phrases that tell you Esther was shining like a star in Susa. (That is to say, words and phrases that tell you people saw something special in her.)

Esther impressed Hegai, the guy in charge of the king’s girls. So, he took special care of her. He treated her with kindness and gave her special food and beauty treatments. She even got seven maids. (I do believe she was already shining brightly like the star she was!)

Look again at verses 10 and 11 above. Think of two things that demonstrate Mordecai also cared deeply about his adopted daughter.

Mordecai had some WISE ADVICE for his adopted daughter! What was it? Look at verse 10 to see.

It’s time to zoom out and get some important context.

First, let’s talk about Mordecai so we can understand something very important about the CIRCUMSTANCES he (and Esther) found themselves in. Look back at Esther 2:5.

A Jewish man living in Susa? FULL STOP! This would have been a sentence that stood out to someone reading it back when it was originally written. These were unusual CIRCUMSTANCES. Let’s find out why.

Turn to the map at the beginning of the book. Find the star on the page. Write “Jerusalem” beside it.

Next, draw footprints from Jerusalem to Susa.

Jerusalem was the capital of Israel, which was the special nation God gave to the Jewish people. So, why’s this guy Mordecai living sooooo far away? (Those are interesting CIRCUMSTANCES, don’t you think?)

The fortress of Susa was 765 miles away from Mordecai’s true hometown. Today, it would take twelve hours to drive that far. (You’d for sure be saying, “Are we there yet?” And way more than once.) But back in the day, most people walked. (That’s why I had you draw footprints.)

Why did Mordecai walk that far?

Well, in all likelihood, HE didn’t. But his mom and dad or his grandparents might have. Because 100 years earlier, some super greedy people forced the Israelites out of their home in Jerusalem. They wanted that special land for themselves, so they tied many of the men and women up and forced them to walk to strange places like Babylon and Susa. They were exiles. (That’s what you call someone who is forced to live outside of their homeland.) The Bible tells us that many of them were homesick.

Eventually, some Jews did get to go home to Israel, including two prophets named Ezra and Nehemiah. But some of them stayed where they’d been forced to live, including Daniel. (You know, the one who survived the lions’ den. He stayed in Babylon when the Jews were finally allowed to go home.) Mordecai either could not or did not go back to his homeland when it became possible. He stayed in Susa, the capital of Persia.

Why is it important to know this?

Well, Mordecai and his cousin, Esther, were strangers in the city where they lived along with the other Jewish people who lived there. It was not their home. They were not Persian. And the people who did consider Persia their home did not worship the one true God. This is important background information and it’s why we needed to zoom out today. (These CIRCUMSTANCES also helped point them to their purpose.) Why? Many of the Persian people still did not like the Jewish people! Now, Mordecai knew that some Persians were not kind to the Jews because this was not their home, so he advised Esther not to tell anyone she was Jewish. (We’ll meet one of those people who did not like the Jews in chapter 4.) He was also concerned for Esther’s well-being! He made sure to swing by the palace grounds to check on her and make sure she was OK. How often? EVERY DAY!

God was beginning to invite Esther into her purpose. How? By using the CIRCUMSTANCES of her life and Mordecai’s WISE ADVICE.

As you read your BIBLE, you’ll understand more about your purpose to make God famous. Then, God will use CIRCUMSTANCES to direct and lead you. Be sure to ask for WISE ADVICE from godly people. And, as we’ll see in a few minutes, it’s also important to PRAY for God to guide you and your advisers. You won’t know your purpose right away. But you can always be getting ready to do what God has planned for you. So, let’s spend some time preparing your heart for your purpose. Esther leaves us some important purpose preparation tips.

If you want to learn more about Esther and what it means to be a girl of purpose, check out this TrueGirl Bible Study!
Esther: Becoming a Girl of Purpose