31 Days Of Femininity: A biblical example of strength and femininity

My husband and I have been reading through the book of Esther at bedtime. Some people might not think of Esther as a particularly feminine woman. As a Queen she was in a position of great power. But as we are reading through the story again, it has struck me how feminine she really was.

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As a young woman she kept herself under the protection of Mordecai. In Esther 2:7 it says:

"And he brought up Hadas'sah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter; for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter."

So Esther no doubt looked upon Mordecai as a father and "honored" him as the Law of Moses required. Later, we read that he went and checked on her every day while she was at the palace being prepared to go before the King. Mordecai had given her instructions not to reveal the fact that she was a Jew, and it says in Esther 2:10 that she kept this information to herself. She trusted Mordecai and obeyed, even though she might not have understood why she was to remain silent. 


Once Esther was made Queen, she suddenly found herself in a position that, politically, made her far more powerful than Mordecai. Today we would look at Esther and say she had dirtied herself in politics, thus making her unfeminine.  Many people do not believe in women having any sort of role in politics, but the big difference here was that Esther was not the head of the kingdom. She was not the highest authority. She still had a man over her - her husband, King Ahasue'rus. She was in the role God had placed her, as a wife to a King thus allowing her to eventually save an entire race of people.  

Many ladies have the idea that femininity = weakness. Esther shows us otherwise. Under Mordecai's guidance (and please note, she continued to obey him as Queen) she placed herself in an extremely dangerous position of going before the King without being summoned (which could have ended her life). She organized dinner parties for the King and Haman (who I've always thought of as the King's Vice President). Finally, she petitioned the King for her life and the life of her people, putting herself at great risk. That does not strike me as a weak woman!

Yet she was feminine, because she stayed in her proper role. Esther did not decide how to go about all of this on her own - she listened to Mordecai and spent much time in prayer. She even asked all the Jews to fast and pray for three days, along with her handmaidens and herself (Esther 4:16). There is not the spirit of independence, of "I am woman, hear me roar" in her. No, she was humble, meek, and yet her great strength and courage shone through her submission to Mordecai's request and her humble petition before the King. There's no doubt, Esther possessed great power, even to exceed that of nearly every man in the kingdom; but in the end we find that hers was a power under submission. Oh that we had more of these sorts of women in the homes of our country today!

Ladies, we can be like her. We are in essence in the same role as Esther, just to a lesser degree. Are we not queens in our home? Do we not have a king to submit to (our husband), while at the same time we have a level of authority granted unto us, not only by our husbands but by our heavenly Head? Let us wield it wisely.

I would encourage you today to read through the book of Esther. It is short and would make a lovely sabbath day reading. Find all the wonderful truths contained in the book about femininity and how Esther remained in her God-given role as a helpmeet all throughout her life - to Mordecai, to her husband the King, and ultimately to her people, the Jews. She is a righteous example to us all.

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