The Remarkable Story of Esther in the Bible

Hey kids! Today I'm thrilled to share with you the Remarkable Story of Esther in the Bible, one of my absolute favorite stories about courage and faith. Imagine being chosen as queen and then discovering you must risk your very life to save your people!

This exciting story has everything - a beautiful queen, an evil villain, a brave cousin, and a king who makes some interesting decisions. Get ready to discover how an ordinary Jewish girl named Esther became an extraordinary hero when her people needed her most.

The Remarkable Story of Esther in the Bible

Chapter 1: The Search for a New Queen

Our story begins in the magnificent Persian empire, where King Ahasuerus (also known as King Xerxes) ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. After removing his previous queen, Vashti, for disobeying his command, the king needed a new queen.

The king's officials suggested a kingdom-wide beauty contest to find the most beautiful young woman to be the new queen. Beautiful young women from every province were brought to the palace in Susa, the capital city, to prepare for meeting the king.

As the Bible tells us in Esther 2:2-4, "Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king… and let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti." This pleased the king, and he did so.

Chapter 2: Esther's Secret Identity

Living in Susa was a Jewish man named Mordecai, who had been taken from Jerusalem into exile. He had raised his cousin, a beautiful young woman named Hadassah (whose Persian name was Esther), after her parents died.

When the king's decree went out, Esther was taken to the palace along with many other young women. Following her cousin's advice, Esther kept her Jewish identity a secret. No one in the palace knew she was Jewish.

Esther 2:10 tells us, "Esther had not revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it." This important detail would play a crucial role later in our story!

Chapter 3: Esther Becomes Queen

During her year of beauty preparations, Esther won the favor of Hegai, the king's eunuch in charge of the women. He gave her special beauty treatments and the best place in the women's quarters. When her turn finally came to meet the king, something amazing happened.

King Ahasuerus was immediately drawn to Esther more than any of the other women. He placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. The king held a great feast in Esther's honor and even declared a holiday throughout the provinces!

As we read in Esther 2:17, "The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti."

Chapter 4: Mordecai Uncovers a Plot

Even after Esther became queen, Mordecai would walk by the palace courtyard every day to check on her welfare. During one of these visits, he overheard two palace guards plotting to assassinate the king. Mordecai immediately told Esther about this plot.

Esther reported the conspiracy to the king in Mordecai's name. The matter was investigated, the guards were found guilty, and they were both hanged. This important event was written down in the king's official records, though Mordecai received no reward at that time.

Esther 2:22-23 records, "So the matter became known to Mordecai, who told Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king in Mordecai's name. And when an inquiry was made into the matter, it was confirmed, and both men were hanged on a gallows; and it was written in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king."

Chapter 5: The Rise of Haman and His Evil Plot

Some time later, King Ahasuerus promoted a man named Haman to be his highest official. The king commanded everyone to bow down to Haman, but Mordecai refused to bow. This infuriated Haman, who learned that Mordecai was Jewish.

Haman was so angry that he decided not only to destroy Mordecai but all Jewish people throughout the entire kingdom! He convinced the king to issue a decree ordering the destruction of all Jews on a single day - the 13th day of the month of Adar.

In Esther 3:8-9, Haman told the king, "There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people's, and they do not keep the king's laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed."

Chapter 6: Mordecai's Desperate Message

When Mordecai learned about this terrible decree, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes - signs of deep mourning. He sent word to Queen Esther explaining the crisis and urging her to approach the king for help.

Esther sent back a message explaining her dilemma: anyone who approached the king without being summoned could be put to death, unless the king extended his golden scepter. And Esther hadn't been called to see the king in thirty days!

Mordecai sent back a powerful reply in Esther 4:13-14, saying, "Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews. 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. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

Chapter 7: Esther's Brave Decision

Faced with this challenge, Esther made a courageous decision. She asked Mordecai to gather all the Jews in Susa to fast for her for three days and nights. She and her maids would do the same. Then she would go to the king, even though it was against the law.

Esther's famous words showed her brave acceptance of the risk: "If I perish, I perish!" She was willing to risk her life to try to save her people.

Esther 4:16 records her courageous statement: "Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!"

Chapter 8: The First Banquet and the Sleepless Night

After three days of fasting, Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace. When the king saw her, he extended his golden scepter, inviting her to approach. Instead of immediately making her request, Esther invited the king and Haman to a special banquet.

At the banquet, the king asked Esther what she wanted. She surprised him by inviting both him and Haman to a second banquet the following day. Haman left the palace feeling extremely proud to be invited to the queen's exclusive banquets.

That night, however, the king couldn't sleep. He ordered the royal records to be read to him, and discovered that Mordecai had never been rewarded for exposing the assassination plot. This "coincidence" was actually God working behind the scenes!

Chapter 9: Haman's Humiliation

The next morning, Haman came to the palace to ask permission to hang Mordecai on a tall gallows he had built. Before he could speak, the king asked him, "What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?"

Thinking the king meant him, Haman suggested an elaborate parade through the city streets on the king's horse, wearing the king's robe, with a noble official proclaiming, "This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!"

To Haman's horror, the king ordered him to do exactly this - for Mordecai the Jew! Esther 6:11 tells us, "So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, 'Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!'"

Chapter 10: Esther Reveals the Plot

At the second banquet, King Ahasuerus again asked Esther what she wanted. This time, she revealed her Jewish identity and exposed Haman's plot to destroy her people. She begged the king to spare her life and the lives of her people.

The king was furious when he realized Haman had tricked him into ordering the destruction of his own queen's people! In his anger, he went out to the palace garden. Meanwhile, Haman fell on Esther's couch to beg for mercy.

When the king returned and saw Haman near the queen, he thought Haman was attacking her. Esther 7:9-10 records, "Now Harbonah, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, 'Look! The gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke good on the king's behalf, is standing at the house of Haman.' Then the king said, 'Hang him on it!' So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai."

Chapter 11: The New Decree and Celebration

Because the original decree to destroy the Jews had been sealed with the king's ring, it couldn't be reversed. Instead, the king authorized Mordecai (now promoted to Haman's position) to write a new decree allowing the Jews to defend themselves against anyone who attacked them.

On the day that had been set for their destruction, the Jews instead defeated their enemies. To celebrate this amazing reversal, Mordecai established an annual festival called Purim (named after "pur," the lots Haman had cast to determine the day for destroying the Jews).

Esther 9:20-22 tells us, "And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday."

What Can We Learn From the Story of Esther in the Bible?

1. God works behind the scenes - Though God is never directly mentioned in the book of Esther, we can see His hand guiding events, like the king's sleepless night that led to Mordecai's honor.
2. Courage comes from faith - Esther found the courage to approach the king because she trusted that God had a purpose for her life, even if it meant risking everything.
3. Our positions may have divine purpose - Mordecai's famous words, "Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" remind us that God may place us in certain positions for specific purposes.
4. Preparation comes before action - Esther didn't rush in immediately but prepared with prayer and fasting before taking this risky step.
5. God can turn mourning into celebration - What was planned as a day of destruction for the Jews became a day of victory and celebration, showing how God can completely reverse situations.

Trivia Quiz About Esther for Kids

What was Esther's original Hebrew name?

Esther's Hebrew name was Hadassah. Her Persian name "Esther" may have been given to her when she entered the palace.

How was Esther related to Mordecai?

Esther was Mordecai's cousin. After her parents died, Mordecai raised her as his own daughter.

Why did Haman want to destroy all the Jewish people?

Haman became angry because Mordecai refused to bow down to him, and when he learned Mordecai was Jewish, he plotted to destroy all Jews.

What holiday celebrates the events in the book of Esther?

The Jewish holiday of Purim celebrates the salvation of the Jews from Haman's plot. The name comes from "pur," meaning "lot" (as in casting lots).

How did Esther prepare before approaching the king uninvited?

Esther asked all the Jews in Susa to fast for three days and nights, and she and her maids also fasted, before she risked her life by going to the king.

If you enjoyed this story about Esther's bravery, you might also like to hear about "Daniel in the Lions' Den" - another exciting story about someone who stood firm in their faith even when facing great danger!