Hadassah better know as Queen Esther, was a beautiful Jewish girl raised by her elderly cousin Mordecai. This classic bible character is one of the many role models that make excellent examples that you can use for your daughters. As we go through this post we will be using the names Hadassah and Queen Esther interchangeably.
Insights About Hadassah
Hadassah was raised by Mordecai after the death of her mother and father. Mordecai believed and loved God, he lived to please God and taught Hadassah to do the same. I think we can safely say he loved her as his very own daughter. Hadassah lived in Persia with her uncle, who worked as an official of the King. He was “in the know”.
Here’s an amazing woman of faith for your daughter to glean from
Mary – Blessed and Highly Favoured
King Xerxes at the time had a massive banquet and Vashti his wife held a banquet for the wives of the kingdom. Read from the bible here. The king had an idea to show his beautiful queen to everyone. Surprisingly Vashti refused and the king was wrath. His officials encouraged him not to ignore the matter and so Queen Vashti was banished. By that time Hadassah was older, and Mordecai knew she was a suitable candidate for the latest press release, “new queen needed”. We have no idea how many women entered Ms. Susa’s pageant, but Hadassah was crowned the winner and became Queen Esther.
So what life lessons does Hadassah provide for our girls to follow; here are a few lessons highlighted below.
Life Lessons From Hadassah
Life Lesson #1
Courage and Self Sacrifice
Hadassah, now queen Esther became concerned when news of Mordecai’s sackcloth and ashes reached her ears. This caused an inquiry where she found out what was decreed. Mordecai responded with specific instructions for Queen Esther regarding the matter. He ended his discourse by saying to Queen Esther “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this? ” Esther 4:14
At first, she was hesitant since she was aware of the protocols involved in meeting with the king. Nevertheless, her response became, join me in prayer and fasting. Esther was fully aware of what the consequences could be if this went wrong. Her wrong response to the situation could cause a nation to die. While an unfavorable response from the King could cause her to die. When weighed, it may seem better for one life to be lost than many. So she took the risk of self-sacrifice, her words “If I perish, I perish” Esther 4:16.
It took courage to take this risk. Esther’s courage and self-sacrifice came into effect as she took wise counsel from her adult uncle and dared to break the earthly kingdom rules to save an entire nation. In all this, there was one person she knew could have taken care of her fears. So she places her life in His hand. Who exactly? God almighty of course.
Courage and Self Sacrifice Application For Girls
1. Following Christ also requires self-sacrifice. In our world today there is a decree against righteousness and living a life that pleases God. Serving God can be a challenge since it requires us to be “set apart”. Many of the things we practice as Christians seem odd, strange, unnecessary to those who do not share our beliefs. It takes courage to stand up for righteousness.
2. It is critical to teach our young ladies to stand up for righteousness. Righteousness breaks the modern world mindset, righteousness leads to eternal life. Righteousness will help others see a difference in our girls’ lives and give them the opportunity to share their faith with others. Fill their minds with the need to depend on God alone for the courage to live right. Show them the rewards of those who were courageous from God’s word, share with them times when you had to be courageous. Let them know they can be courageous in every situation even when you are not with them.
As you teach them to be courageous and lay God’s word as their foundation, they will benefit from these seeds you plant at the right moments in life.
Life Lesson #2 – PREPARATION
HADASSAH LEARNT THE IMPORTANCE OF PREPARATION
Hadassah had to go through twelve months of preparation before she could have been presented to King Xerxes. Hadassah was placed in the care of the King’s servant Hegai and imagine, even before the “pageant” started, she already won his favor. Read more in Esther 2. The preparation began and Hadassah received preferential treatment. This preparation included special skin and beauty treatments among other things.
However, her preparation didn’t start there. I want to risk saying that her life as a Jew is where her preparation began. Preparation had to be done for the Sabbath day every week. It would have required that she did several things, in order to keep God’s law of rest.
Preparation Application For Girls
1. Intentionally teach our girls the importance of preparation. We certainly do indirectly teach preparation, those times when they prepare for school, dance, swimming, and so forth.
Now focus on intentional preparation for those things related to God’s kingdom. Prepare them in the word of God. Teach your daughters the word of God, prepare their hearts with the word of God daily. Challenge them to memorize scripture. Help them understand what God is saying and how it applies to them.
2. Prepare them for service to God. Give your daughter simple tasks that will help them, learn what service to God involves. Talk to them about what it means to serve God and how their lives and the lives of others can be affected. Let them know that God sees service as greatness.
3. Prepare them to be witnesses for the kingdom of God. Very often my son would mention children from his class that may do things that they should not, or behave in ways they should not. In moments when this happens, I use it to help him know that He can share God’s love with his friends. Of course, it is also important to help him understand what is a good response when these situations arise. Use moments like these to prepare your daughters to be witnesses.
As you apply these, the ability to prepare well, will take root and be active in the lives of your daughters., They will benefit in this life and as they prepare for eternity.
Life Lesson #3 – respect for authority
Hadassah was now Queen, however, we are not told how much time passed before the decree against the Jews was pronounced by Haman. It was general knowledge that not anyone could go to the King at any time. Though Esther was Queen, her status did not remove her from under the law set regarding visits to the King. She respected this law, hence, her initial response to Mordecai “The King has not summoned me” Esther 4:11
Hadassah also respected the authority of her uncle Mordecai who had been her guardian. In his wisdom, Mordecai told Queen Esther not to reveal her original identity. She submitted to the authority of her uncle and guardian as she enters the lineup of women being prepared to meet the king. Probably, if she had made any mention of her identity she would have been automatically disqualified. Thank goodness for her example of respect for the authority God had placed in her life.
Respect for Authority Application For Our Girls
1. Let your daughter know that God has all authority. As they grow, teach them to respect God as they pray, listen to God’s word, and go to church. Teach them about reverence to God. This is not always easy since children are naturally playful, but it certainly can be taught, like everything else we teach them. Help children understand that God requires respect for authority that includes pastors and other church leaders, governmental and community leaders.
2. Teach your daughters to pray for those in authority. Queen Esther prayed and fasted for three days. We may conclude that she acknowledged God as ruler over every situation and everyone. Her prayers regarding the situation may have also included prayer on behalf of the King. It’s important for children to understand the importance of praying for leaders. And finally, use this example to show your daughters that prayer can change situations
I pray that as you look at the life of Hadassah, this wonderful role model you will be inspired, by the lessons shared.
If you are reading this post and you have not asked the Lord to be your Saviour and friend and you would love to make that decision in order to know and love God. Feel free to email me for more information at momandministry1@gmail.com. The best way to lead our heritage in the way that God wants them to grow is by first following Jesus ourselves.
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Be sure to stay safe and blessed. And as always thank you for reading this post.
