The Brave Ones: Esther

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2 The Brave Ones: Esther Parent Guide I had an idea a few weeks ago to create a devotional series based on the brave men and women of the Bible. The idea came to me after watching THIS webinar from Sally and Sarah Clarkson (I HIGHLY recommend it!). Sally talked about the times she read the Bible to her children when they were young and impressionable. She wanted them to be exposed to the brave men and women of the Bible because she wanted them to learn how to become fearless followers of Christ. That really spoke to my heart. Sure my children have heard the stories of David, Esther, Moses, Miriam, etc, but I never emphasized their bravery and courage. I read some of their stories and honestly, I thought to myself, in this day and age, would I really be able to make the stand and have the faith that they had? I want my faith and bravery to grow, right along with my little ones. I decided to start with Esther, only because my daughter is infatuated with princesses right now and I thought it would be fun to teach her about a Godly, brave, real life queen who save her people. Thank you for downloading and I hope this blesses you and your family!

3 Read: Esther 2:5-18 We just read how King Ahasuerus [uh-haz-yoo-eer-uh] was looking for a Queen. He had all the unmarried women come to his palace. The king then chose several ladies he liked and for the next twelve months these ladies were taken to different houses and were given all kinds of beauty treatments. They were bathed in very expensive oils to make their skin soft and pretty and I am sure they were given fine clothes to wear. One of these ladies was Esther. Esther was a Jew who was raised by her uncle, Mordecai. Mordecai told Esther not to tell the King that she was a Jew. She obeyed him and didn t tell anyone. A year past and the women came before King Ahasuerus one more time for him to finally pick his queen. As soon as the king saw Esther, he knew he wanted her to be Queen. He loved her above all the other women and she obtained grace and favor in his sight. He gave her a crown and a feast and gifts. God was behind the scenes, though, and had just positioned Esther to save her people, the Jews.

4 Read: Esther 3 Haman was a very bad man. He despised Queen Esther s uncle, Mordecai, because Mordecai would not bow down before him. Haman found out that Mordecai was a Jew and came up with an evil plan to kill all the Jews. He went to King Ahasuerus and talked the King into making a decree (which is a fancy word for a rule that can t be broken) to carry out his plan. Do you remember Queen Esther? Do you remember that she hadn t told anyone, including the king, that she was a Jew? What do you think will happen to her? You will have to wait until tomorrow to find out!

5 Read: Esther 4 Mordecai heard about Haman s evil plan to kill the Jews and he was very upset. All the other Jews in the nation was upset as well and they cried and wept. Queen Esther heard about the plan and sent a servant to talk to Mordecai and find out what was going on. He sent the servant back with the decree the king had issued and told him to tell Queen Esther to go talk to the king. In those days, you could not go up to the King and start talking to him. If you did, he could have you killed. There was only one way that you would not be killed. The king held a scepter, which was a long rod, usually made of gold, and if he pointed his golden scepter out, only then would you be safe. Queen Esther knew this and was very scared for her life. The king hadn t told her to come before him and she knew she would be risking her life to go talk to him. She sent the servant back to Mordecai and told him those things. Mordecai then sent the servant back to Esther and told her, If you don t do this, you will also die. Who knows if you were made queen for this reason? To save your people. Esther told him she would go to the king, but for him and the Jews in the city to fast and pray for her for three days. Esther and her maidens would do the same thing. Can you imagine how scared she must have been? Knowing that when she went to the king, she might die if he did not point his golden scepter out? Wasn t she so brave to go and talk to him? I hope that I might have the bravery Esther had, don t you?

6 Read Esther 5:1-8 After her three day fast, Esther put on her beautiful royal clothing and went into the king s throne room. I am sure as she stood there, she felt very nervous. Would the king hold out his scepter for her or would he order her to be killed? When King Ahasuerus saw her, he held out his golden scepter and she came forward to speak with him. He asked Esther what she wanted. Esther was saved from death! In fact, the king loved her so much, he offered her half of his kingdom, if that was what she wanted. At this time, she did not tell the king that she was a Jew and would die because of his decree. Instead she invited him and the evil man, Haman to a banquet she had prepared for them. A banquet was a fancy dinner. When they got to the banquet, the king, once again, asked Esther what she was wanting. Esther invited him and Haman to another banquet the next day. She was waiting for just the right time to tell him she was a Jew.