Queen Esther

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Scripture Reference:
Esther 1-10

Suggested Emphasis:
If God gives us a blessing or opportunity, then use it to help others.

Memory Verse: “Do not forget to do good to others. And share with them what you have. These are the sacrifices that please God.” Hebrews 13:16, ICB

Story Overview:

King Xerxes (son of Darius) now ruled Persia. Because he had deposed his queen in a drunken feast, a search was made throughout the kingdom for a new queen. Under the direction of her cousin, Mordecai, Esther was put forward and chosen. Not knowing that his beautiful queen was Jewish, Xerxes fell in with a plan to destroy the Jewish exiles living in his land. Queen Esther saved her people by revealing her Jewish origins to the king and convincing him to let the Jews defend and protect themselves.

Background Study:

Note to Teachers: To understand Esther’s story, read the entire Book of Esther. This will require a commitment of time on your part, so keep this in mind when preparing to teach.

The Book of Esther is unusual because God’s name is not mentioned once throughout the book. His presence is obvious, however, as He works behind the scenes.

At the time of Esther’s story, the Jews have been in captivity for many years.  Once, Babylon held them captive, but the ruling power was now Persia.

Chapter 1-2: How Esther Became Queen

Xerxes (sometimes called Ahasuerus) succeeded Cyrus and was now the ruler of Persia. Xerxes and his queen, Vashti, lived in the winter capital of Susa. The king gave a six-month-long feast. He invited many important men of the kingdom to the feast. The men drank much wine. At the climax of the feast, King Xerxes asked Vashti to come in so all the other men could see what a beautiful wife he had. Vashti refused to obey the king. We are not told what her reason was, but we do know that her refusal angered the King so much that he deposed her as his queen.

Following this, the king’s servants suggested that a new queen be found. He could choose from all of the beautiful young women of the kingdom. Girls were gathered together and taken care of in the palace for one year.

One of the girls who went to the palace was a young Jewish girl named Hadassah, or Esther. Her cousin, Mordecai, had taken care of her since her parents had died.  The king chose Esther as the new queen. At Mordecai’s suggestion, Esther did not reveal that she was Jewish.

It was also during this time that Mordecai happened to overhear an assassination plot being hatched. He told Esther, who, in turn, told the king. The would-be assassins were hanged, and Mordecai was honoured. All were recorded in the king’s annals (record books) (Esther 2:23).

Chapter 3: Haman Abuses Power and Tries to Destroy Mordecai and the Jewish People

Five years passed. A man named Haman also gained favour with the king, and royal officials were ordered by the king to bow to Haman when he passed. Mordecai refused to bow to him. Haman’s anger was such that he began to plot to kill not only Mordecai but all of the Jews as well.

Haman convinced the king that the Jews were a menace to Persia and should be destroyed. Not knowing that his own queen was a Jew, the king passed a law that the Jews could be attacked.

Chapters 4-8: Esther Saves Her People

Mordecai heard of the plan and went straight to Esther. He asked her to use her position to save the Jews. Esther knew she needed to approach the king but had to do so very carefully. She could not have forgotten what happened to the last queen who had displeased King Xerxes. Esther took a big chance by approaching the King. It was not the queen’s place to approach the king; instead, the king summoned the queen when he wanted her. She also knew she had a duty (4:14).

The king accepted Esther when she approached him. He told her he would give her anything she requested. Esther knew she could not ask him to change his own law, but she set forth a plan to let the king make the needed discoveries himself. The king granted her request to throw Haman a banquet the next day.

Haman must have been filled with self-importance to be invited to a banquet with the king.  This made it even more aggravating that Mordecai still refused to bow to him.  Before the banquet, Haman ordered a gallows built on which to hang Mordecai.

The hand of God is seen in the fact that the night before the banquet, the king could not sleep, so he asked that his record books be brought and read to him.  The king listened to the old account of Mordecai, uncovering the plot to kill the king. It occurred to him that he should honour Mordecai.

Ironically, it was Haman whom the king ordered to honour Mordecai.  Considering Haman had just ordered gallows built, he now found himself in a dangerously awkward position if the king were to find out.

And the king did find out.  Esther used the setting of the banquet to reveal to the king that she was a Jew.  If this was not surprising enough to the king, she then went on to reveal all of Haman’s plots.  Haman had tricked the king into decreeing the Jews killed, and now, he was about to have Mordecai hung.

The king was enraged and ordered Haman to be hung on the very gallows he had built.

Chapters 9-10:  The Jews Defend Themselves and Celebrate

Despite the fact that the king might have regretted making the new law to kill all the Jews, he could not change it. His solution was to issue a decree that allowed the Jews to protect themselves. In this way, the Jews protected themselves and were saved. The “Feast of Purim” celebrates this victory.

Way to Introduce the Story:

Begin the class by playing hangman. Use words like “bible, God, king, beautiful, kingdom, queen, Jews, and honour”. Let this lead you into the story. Tell the children these words, and the gallows will be in the story.
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The Story:

King Xerxes was the King of the Persian Empire, which meant he was king of the biggest kingdom in the world at that time. King Xerxes was rich and powerful, but he did not believe in God. The king did something very bad. He threw a big party and told his queen that she had to dance in front of everyone. Queen Vashti refused to obey the king, and he became so angry that he told her she would be banished.  He never saw her again.

The king’s helpers searched the whole kingdom to find the most beautiful girl to be the new queen. The girls were brought to the palace, given the best makeup and perfumes, and spent a whole year learning how to be queens.

One of the girls was Esther. Esther did not have a father or a mother so her cousin, Mordecai, had raised her and treated her like a daughter. Mordecai told Esther that she should not tell anyone at the palace that she was Jewish. Jewish people were captives, and the people in charge would not want a captive to be queen.

When it came time to choose the new queen, the king chose Esther over all of the other girls. Esther became the queen. The king did not believe in God, but Esther did. But Esther always kept this secret. Even the king did not know.

She never forgot her cousin Mordecai or that she was one of God’s people. Sometimes, it was hard for Esther because the other Jews were treated badly. They did not have the riches that Queen Esther had.

But Esther did help her people. One time, Mordecai heard that someone was trying to kill the king. He told Esther about it, and she told the king. The plan was stopped. Mordecai saved the king’s life! This was very special and was written in the king’s record book.

As time passed, a man called “Haman” became famous in the kingdom.  The king thought Haman was a good man, but he was actually very bad. The king ordered everyone in the kingdom to bow down to Haman, but Mordecai knew he was bad and would not bow. Haman was so angry that he planned a way to kill Mordecai and all of the Jews. When Haman told the king that the Jews were bad, the king believed him.  The king made a law that people could kill the Jews and not get in trouble. Haman was glad.

When Mordecai heard about the plan, he told Esther. “God has blessed you, Esther. Now it is time for you to use these blessings to help others. Maybe God let you become queen so that you could save our people.”

Esther was very frightened. She had never told the king that she was a Jew. Would he be mad at her like he was mad at the first queen? Esther knew that even the queen could not go to the king without an invitation. He could even have her put to death.

Finally, Esther went to the king. She was so relieved when he pointed his sceptre at her and told her to come to him. The king liked Esther, and he told her she could have anything she wanted.

Esther had a plan. She told the king that she wanted a special feast just for the two of them and Haman. Esther and the king planned the feast for the very next day.

The king went to bed that night, but he could not sleep. Sometimes, reading a book helps you sleep. So the king asked one of his helpers to bring one of the old record books. The helper brought the book and began to read to the king about things that had happened long ago. He read about the time Mordecai had saved the king’s life! The king got very excited. He wanted to do something special for Mordecai.

Haman was nearby, so the king called for Haman to come into his chamber. Haman was happy because he thought the king was going to do something nice for him. The king asked Haman what should be done for someone who deserved honour. Haman thought the king was about to honour him, so he said: “That person should be given a royal robe and one of the king’s horses. They should be led through the streets so everyone knows the king likes them.”

“That is a great idea,” said the king. “Go and do those things for Mordecai!”

Haman was shocked! He could not believe that the king liked Mordecai. Now, Haman knew he had a big problem. The king liked Mordecai, but Haman was trying to kill him. What would the king do when he found out?

And the kind DID find out! The next day, when Haman went to the special feast with Esther and the King, Esther told the king everything.

First, she told the king that she was a Jew and that Haman had tricked the king into making a law that said people could kill Jews.  Then she told the king that someone was trying to kill the good man, Mordecai. When he heard this, the king was very angry. He said that the man should be put to death.

“Haman is the one trying to kill Mordecau!” Esther told the king.

The king was very angry.  How dare Haman try to hurt the man who had saved the king’s life?  How dare he trick the king into making a bad law about the Queen’s people?

The king ordered Haman to be put to death.  He was to be hung on the very gallows that he had built for Mordecai.

The king was very sorry that he had made the law that anyone could kill the Jews. Even the king could not change the law. So Queen Esther asked the king to make another law – a law that said the Jews could fight back if someone tried to kill them. From then on, if someone tried to hurt the Jews, then the Jews fought back. Soon, no one wanted to hurt the Jews anymore.

Mordecai and all of the Jews were saved because of Esther.
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Ways to Tell the Story:

This story can be told using various methods. Always remain true to the facts found in the Bible, but help children connect to its meaning by using drama, visual aids, voice inflection, student interaction, and/or emotion.
Click here for visual aids and story-telling methods.

The life of Esther is told as one story in today’s lesson, but the Free Bible images above break it down into three different slideshows.  Click on the links below to download these illustrations and/or slideshows directly from https://www.freebibleimages.org/ :
Esther Story Part 1 
Esther Story Part 2 
Esther Story Part 3

Be selective.  Each teacher is unique, so only use the illustrations that best relate to how YOU tell the story in THIS lesson. Too many illustrations can be confusing, so eliminate any that cover other stories or details you do not wish to emphasise in this lesson.

Review Questions:

  1. Who was the young Jewish girl who was chosen to be queen? Esther
  2. Who was Esther’s cousin? Mordecai
  3. What did Haman try to do to Mordecai? Hang him on the gallows
  4. When Esther approached the king, what did he point at her? His sceptre
  5. Who did Haman have to lead through the streets in honour? Mordecai
  6. What finally happened to Haman? He was hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai

Song Suggestions:

Learning Activities and Crafts:

(How to choose the best learning activities for my teaching situation)

Activities:

  • Write talents or blessings on cards (money, cooking, singing, etc) and let the children take turns drawing a card and telling the class how they could use that talent to help other people.
  • Play hangman with words from the story.
  • Read Esther 2:7, 17 and 1 Peter 3:3-4. Divide the board into two columns. Head them with “Inward Beauty” and “Outward Beauty”. Write examples of each in the columns.
  • Costume Example (4)(Costumed Bible Characters) A little play-acting is often a fun way to tell the story or review what has been learned.  Here are some ways you might use the idea:
    • After telling the story, guide the children in dressing up in costumes and acting it out.
    • Or, you can dress up in a simple costume to act the part of one of the Bible characters.  As you begin to speak, “get into character” as if you were the person in the story visiting the class today to tell them what has happened to you.
    • Or, later in the class session, as a review, the teacher can also use the same method to ask the children review questions as if they are one of the characters in the story talking to the children.

Crafts:

  • Write each child’s name at the top of a blank paper and then ask them to draw a picture or write about what they might like to be when they grow up.  Then, let each child share their answers.  As each child shares their answer, ask the class how a person doing that job might help others.  Then, guide the discussion toward specific ways people in these jobs might share the good news of Jesus.  You may have to lead younger children in answering, but older children will be able to answer for themselves.
    Example:  “I want to be a fireman when I grow up.  If someone is in a fire, I can save them.”  You might add…”And, if a fireman gets hurt you might ask to pray for them.”  Once you have done this a few times, the children will probably begin to think of other ways they might share their faith in various occupations.
    You could do this same activity but use flash cards instead of drawing.  I found printable flashcards at http://www.kids-pages.com/folders/flashcards/Occupations.htm
  • Make and decorate crowns. Use glue and glitter to write the name “Queen Esther” on the crown.
  • Print bookmarks, trading cards or timelines (printable pages).
  • Visit the Teaching Ideas page for additional activities and crafts.

Other Online Resources:


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9 thoughts on “Queen Esther”

    1. How about relay races fetching a crown, robe and a sceptor? The children could also use their bodies to form the letter for the name E-S-T-H-E-R.

      Reply

      1. Here’s an example of making letters with your body. That’s what I had in mind for spelling the name of Esther.

        Watch “Classroom Activity: Make Letters with Your Body [Alphabet Rockers arts workshop]” on Vimeo:

        ref=em-v-share

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