Esther
Esther was a Jewish queen of Persia in 478 BC. She is best known for saving the Jews from
death by order of Haman, the prime minister of Persia. Esther was only fourteen when she
became queen and saved the Jews.
RQ 1
According to the ecological systems theory developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner, Esther has
qualities that fall under the Microsystem, Mesosystem, and the Macrosystem.
Microsystem
The microsystem is the direct environment that a person has in their life. Esther’s microsystem is
made up of lots of elements. The first and foremost in Esther’s life would be Mordecai. Mordecai
took in and raised Esther after the passing of her parents. Although he was Esther’s biological
cousin he was more like a father to her. He was with Esther through every step and transition in
her life. Another person that was a part of Esther’s microsystem was Hegai. Hegai was a eunuch
put in charge of Esther’s harem. Another major person in Esther’s microsystem is King Xerxes.
King Xerxes became Esther’s husband after she won his favor out of all the eligible virgins in the
land. Finally, Haman is a part of Esther’s microsystem. He is the main antagonist in Esther’s life
as he was persecuting the Jews.
Mesosystem
The mesosystem is the relationship between the microsystems in a person’s life. The faith of
Mordecai plays a role in the mesosystem of Esther. Mordecai cared for the Jews with a passion
which in turn caused Esther to feel the same way. Another social element was Hegai favoring
Esther out of all the women in the harem, this allowing Esther to be given special treatment.
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Esther
Esther was given access to beauty products and extra food that was not given to other girls in the
Harem. Esther’s royalty that allowed her to stand up and save her people from death can be
considered a part of the mesosystem in Esther’s life. Her royalty gave her a platform of
confidence and power that she may not have had before.
Macrosystem
The macrosystem is culture of an individual. The macrosystem in Esther’s life was her race,
socioeconomic status, and her life in Persia. Esther was a Jewish Iranian who started her life off
being raised among Jewish exiles by her cousin Mordecai. Mordecai was a Jew of the tribe of
Benjamin carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. Esther’s Hebrew name is really
Hadassah, but she is called by the Persian name Esther by none Jews. Esther’s transition from a
Jewish exile living in Susa, to living in a harem, to living in a palace as queen caused her culture
to change. Her life as queen was much different than her previous life. She now was put in a
place of power where she had more responsibilities to fulfill. Esther’s previous Jewish roots were
considered lowly and now she was the queen of Persia.
RQ 2
The Spiritual elements of the ecological system are physical, intellectual, emotional, social,
moral, and spiritual. Esther was especially influenced by three of the elements, physical, social,
and moral.
Physical
Esther was especially influenced by the physical element. Esther was a beautiful, young virgin in
Persia. This physical beauty first won her favor with Hegai. Hegai saw that there was something
especially beautiful about Esther, so he treated her differently and started her of with the beauty
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Esther
treatments immediately, unlike the other girls who started later. He then gave her special food,
seven maids, and put her in the best suite in the harem. She went on to win the favor of everyone
who came in contact with her. After her special treatment she was brought to the king who was
won over by her beauty. This in turn was how she was chosen as queen. Esther’s beauty was
what God used to bring her to a place of royalty.
Social
Esther was influenced by the social element because of her rank as queen. Esther’s reign as
queen gave her the power to save her people, the Jews, after she found out about Haman’s plans
to kill them. Without this social influence the Jews would have never been saved from their
persecution.
Moral
Esther was influenced by the moral element during her reign as queen. She knew that she needed
to stand up for her people and that of she didn’t many lives would be lost. This is a moralist part
of her life. Without good morals she wouldn’t have stood up for what was right.
RQ 3 & 4
God used Esther to influence both the local community and the kingdom of God during her reign
as queen of Persia. God used Esther to save her local community. Without her being chosen as
queen many of the Jews would have lost their lives. If the previous queen, Queen Vashti, had still
been in power or if any another virgin had been chosen, then the Jews wouldn’t have been saved
from Haman’s persecution. God used a fourteen old girl to save a nation of people. God used
Esther to further the Kingdom of God because by her courage to stand up for the Jews, they were
able to see God work. They saw how God used such a young girl to be unashamed of who she
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Esther
was and who her people were in order to save them. It was God who put a Jewish exile in a place
of power. This most likely strengthened the faith of the Jews and also may have brought more
people to have faith in God. If such a young girl can have the courage to stand up for her people
in front of the king, then they can stand up for their Jewish faith.
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