Of all the fathers in the Bible, one stands out for his decision to be a godly father. He
consciously decided to be an adoptive father to his orphaned cousin, Esther. He could be called
the father of courage, because he instilled this trait in his daughter.
The small book of Esther reveals the story of the beautiful Jewish girl whose clever courage
saved her people. Mordecai raised his daughter to take a stand at the right time, to do the right
thing.
Because of her beauty, Esther becomes Queen of Persia. Mordecai wisely advises her to
conceal her heritage from King Xerxes. When Mordecai refuses to bow down to the king’s
officer, Haman, he places himself in jeopardy because of his convictions. He would bow before
no one other than Jehovah. As a result, Haman conspires to destroy not only Mordecai, but all
the Jews as well.
Mordecai urges Esther to appeal to the king on behalf of their people. “... you may have
been chosen queen for such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14)
Esther must have trusted Mordecai greatly, for she determines to stand before the king for
her people. “And if I die, I die.” (Esther 4:16)
Words of faith, words of courage. Words that a daughter could say because she was
raised by a father who made the right decisions. Remember this: a crisis does not develop
character; a crisis reveals character. The character Esther reveals must have been learned from
observing her father’s character.
As the plot twists and turns, Mordecai and the Jewish nation are saved and Haman is
executed.
Usually, when we study the story of Esther, we see her strength and devotion to her
people. But God used someone else in this story to accomplish his purpose. God used a faithful
father—a father who impressed a young daughter to have courage in her convictions. At the right
time, Esther did the right thing, because she had been raised by a godly father. A father who
knew that the decisions he would make as his daughter grew would help her learn to make godly
decisions later in life.
From MAX LUCADO's
"What Makes A Good Dad"
