Love does not envy or boast

Let’s explore the life of Esther as an example of someone who was elevated to a position of authority but she didn’t boast about her position. Instead, her walk continued to be lavished with humility and love for her people. Esther was a Queen not just in the physical sense, but also in the way she carried herself. I often enjoy reading the book of Esther because there was purpose written all over her life. She looked fear in the face and continued to step out in faith to protect God’s people. Now, that is love.

If you don’t know the book of Esther, I’ll give a very short and quick summary. However, reading the book of Esther will be much better.

Esther was living with her uncle Mordecai (as both her parents had died) when the King had decided that he wanted a new wife. The King’s previous wife had treated him in what he saw as a disrespectful manner. Due to this, the King’s advisors had told him to change his wife for fear that other women, across the land, would copy her example and not respect their husbands.

As a result, many young virgins were called to go through a process of preparation where they were getting ready to be presented before the King. This preparation period would determine who would gain favour in his eyes. However, even in the preparation, behind the scenes, Esther had received the favour of the man that was overseeing the whole process. I’m going to pause here and just say that when God puts you in a particular place, He really does provide provision for you there.

What I’ve always found interesting is that during the whole time, Esther had decided to hide her identity. She couldn't share her background: not only does that demonstrate wisdom in knowing when to share things but it also shows her level of self-control. Esther respected, and listened to, the advise of her uncle, Mordecai.

Once Esther stood before the King, she won his favour and he made her his new Queen. But she didn’t become boastful in her position. There is nothing in the Bible that tells us that she thought she was better than everyone else when she became Queen. Esther continued in her purpose and she even showed her humbleness when she was concerned about going before the King without being summoned. She knew that the only way she would be able to do that is if her uncle, her community and her went into a time of fasting. She knew that in order to do the very thing that she needed to do, she had to depend on Christ. She knew that without the Lord going before her, she was nothing.

You can imagine that it would’ve been easy for many people to envy the favour that Esther had on her life without truly knowing her story. But when you think about what she went through and the evenings she must have spent worrying about the King finding out her true identity, you realise that envy is not the answer.

Love means that we do not envy and we do not boast. We don’t seek things in our own strength. When you read about a lot of the people who had been elevated to positions of greatness in the Bible, you realise that more often than not they had to go through a period of refining and letting go of self. They went through a period of hardship before they were elevated. Therefore, we can’t envy people, it doesn’t make sense to; especially when we don’t know what they went through before they were taken to the next level in their purpose. Instead, we should celebrate when we see people being used for the glory of God and the furtherance of His Kingdom.