In the books of Esther and
Exodus, we see a type of hardening in both Pharaoh and King Ahasuerus. In
Esther, we can see that King Ahasuerus’ heart was hardened to reason; he was not
able to reason with the truth. He always listened to one person and never knew
the whole story.
In Pharaoh’s case, we see his heart being hardened by the Lord and by Moses’
warnings about the ten coming plagues. Pharaoh did not let the Lord’s people go;
instead, Pharaoh hardened his heart and gave little thought to the consequences
of rejecting the Lord’s and Moses’ warnings.
From this we can learn that we are to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord
and he will lift us up. We also learn that we should resist the devil at all
cost. As a result he will flee from us as we walk with the Lord daily (James
4:7-10).
It’s important that we choose carefully who we listen to (Prov.13:20). In both
Esther and in Exodus, we see King Ahasuerus and Pharaoh making decisions in
their lives that are selfish, affecting not only themselves but others as well.
King Ahasuerus was influenced by evil, which we know comes from Satan. This
influence was the reason for these two men making these types of decisions. If
we think about it, it’s like a chain reaction. By not letting the Hebrews go,
Pharoah caused the twelve plagues to occur, destroying his land. King
Ahasuerus, by listening to one foolish man, almost cost himself the lives of
his queen and her family. Not only that, but also the life of his friend
Mordecai, who had already saved the king’s own life.
In our daily lives, we as Christians should keep our minds on the Lord and be
open to the truth (Phil.4:8). Letting one person, like King Ahasuerus, boss us
around can cause damage to our life as an individual. We should first find the
truth, then we should keep our minds focused on that truth. Jesus refers to
Himself as the truth in John 14:6, when He says, “I am the way, the truth, and
the life.” From this we can find our way, with the Lord working throughout our
lives to guide us along as He opens our minds to new thoughts and feelings.
In both Esther and Exodus, we see two servants of God, Esther and Moses, who
act as messengers between God and the Hebrews. In this we can see the way God
is working in both books throughout these people’s lives. God had a plan for
them, just like he has a plan today for us as Christians. God was with Esther
and Moses during everything they faced, just like He is here with us in all of
our experiences. I think it is important that we realize that God has a plan
for our lives. As we grow with the Lord he will direct our lives in the way He
wants them to be lived. As His faithful servants today, we too must trust Him
with all our hearts (Prov. 3:5).
By: Roberta E. Smith