The Queen’s Secrets

Claire Black: Welcome to True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. Together, we’ll explore God’s truth for us one drive at a time. Buckle up! You’re about to grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus! 

This season we’re “Finding Esther.” Dannah Gresh and Staci Rudolph have been examining evidence from the archeological dig of Susa. Their goal? To remind us that the Bible is a historical document that can be supported by other historical documents . . . and to get us excited to study the book of Esther. 

The archeological findings of Susa have provided some of the most thrilling evidence that the Bible really is full of detailed, accurate accounts of happenings in ancient times. For example, in the ruins of Susa, they located an inscription from King Darius (King Xerxes’ father) that describes the construction of the palace courtyard. It said that the materials used included lapis lazuli (a preciousblue stone), turquoise (also blue), and carnelian (a precious red stone), in addition to lots of marble. 

In the King James Version of Esther 1:6, the author describes the pavement or streets of the palace courtyard. It reads that people, including Esther, walked “upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black marble.”

Wow! In other words, what the book of Esther describes, archeology is finding to be super accurate! Isn’t that amazing?

Dannah Gresh and her cohost Staci Rudolph have been examining some of the treasures of Susa in the world-famous French art museum, the Louvre. So far, we’ve found evidence for Susa and evidence for King Xerxes. Will they find Esther today?

Let’s catch up with them in the Persian Collection of the Louvre for episode 4 of Season 13, titled, “The Queen’s Secrets.”

Staci Rudolph: That bathroom break and these smoothies were just the thing I needed! I’ve got a second wind. Ready to find Esther!

Dannah Gresh: Okay, Staci, let’s go see that ancient bracelet I was telling you about.

Staci: Lead the way.

Dannah: I think we’ll find it right over here. Yeah, there it is in this glass case.

Staci: Well, now when you said we were going to see artifacts from Esther’s city, I was thinking this is the kind of stuff we’d see. Tiny little trinkety things.

Dannah: I think the word you used earlier was “dinky.”

Staci: Yes, that bracelet is size . . . dinky!

Dannah: But it’s no trinket. It’s probably worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Staci: It’s really gorgeous too. Hey, let me be the “sign-tist.” Here’s what the sign says: “Gold lion’s head bracelet with inlaid turquoise. Location: Susa, Iran. ”

Dannah: Well, that was a concise sign.

Staci: It’s like a little piece of treasure from an ancient Bible story. You have to look closely, but that gold bangle has not one but two tiny lion heads on each end . . . and carved with such detail! You can see the fierce expressions on those tiny faces! It’s almost like they are protecting the bracelet. 

Dannah: Seems like something that a queen might have worn long ago. Not just jewelry, but a symbol of strength and bravery, just like a lion!

Staci: Oh, Dannah! You don’t think? Is it possible Queen Esther wore this?

Dannah: No way to know and unlikely. But in Esther 1:13 we read something about the first time she met King Xerxes. It says something like, “When it was time for her to go to the king’s palace, she was given her choice of whatever clothing or jewelry she wanted.”

Staci: It could have been something like that.

Dannah: Exactly!

Staci: Well, Dannah, we still haven’t really found Esther. Wasn’t that the goal?

Dannah: Sort of. I don’t think we’re going to find the same evidence for Esther that we’ve found for Susa and Xerxes. I’ve looked. It seems Queen Esther still likes to keep secrets. You know, like how she kept her nationality of being a Jew a secret from the king?

Staci: Well, I have a secret. While you were in the bathroom, I googled, “Did Esther really exist?”

Dannah: And?

Staci: I did find something fascinating. Two Greek historians— Herodotus and a guy named Ctesias both documented details of Persia! Well, these two record that the queen of Xerxes was named Amestris. Did you hear that? That queen’s name contains the word, Esther. 

Do you think that was her?

Dannah: That is interesting. But I’m not sure.

This is probably a good place for me to tell you something we should never, ever say.

Staci: What?

Dannah: We should never say: “Archaeology proves the Bible.” Such a claim would be putting archaeology above the Bible.

Staci: We don’t want to do that!

Dannah: Right, and there are thousands of facts in the Bible that are not capable of verification because the evidence has long since been lost. 

But what I wanted you to see on this trip is this: it’s simply remarkable that where confirmation is possible and has come to light, the Bible survives careful investigation in ways that are unique in all literature.

Finding the ancient city of Susa—matching all the details of how it was described in the book of Esther to the archeological finds—this is just another way we can be amazed at the trustworthiness of God’s Word!

Staci: Yeah. I see that.

So, I’m no historian, nor am I an archeologist. But there’s something else intriguing about what these two Greek historians wrote about Queen Amestris, who may or may not have been the Esther we read about in the Bible.

Dannah: What’s that?

Staci: They say she held especially great power and influence during the reign of her husband Xerxes. 

Dannah: Well, either that was our girl or there was another just like her.

Staci: And get this: Queen Amestris was known to be super brave and courageous, confronting the king when she didn’t like how things were going down. For example, one time she interceded to save the life of her innocent son-in-law who was scheduled to be thrown to the lions!

Dannah: Did she save him?

Staci: Yep! Now, doesn’t that just sound like the queen we read about in the book of Esther who interceded with Xerxes to save her people from destruction?

Dannah: You bring up an interesting point. 

Staci: At the same time, I hear what you’re saying: it’s always important to avoid making a claim that someone in the history books might be a person we read about in the Bible. The Bible can defend itself.

Dannah: Precisely. Let’s sit down on this bench. I’d like to open my Bible to the book of Esther. To read something we can know for sure.

Staci: Because the best source for understanding the Bible is always . . .

Dannah & Staci: . . . the Bible!

Dannah: Right.

When you have a question about history that relates to the Bible, the best place to look is in the Bible. So, let’s read something.

You mentioned that Esther was brave and courageous. That is true. But Esther wasn’t born brave. When Mordecai wrote her a letter to tell her about Haman’s plot to kill the Jews, he wanted her to appeal to the king to stop the plan. But she sent a letter back explaining to Mordecai that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited was doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. 

Staci: I remember reading that.

Dannah: Well, let’s read this. It’s Esther chapter 4 starting in verse 13: 

Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”

Staci: Epic!

Dannah: I know, right? 

Well, Mordecai went and did everything she asked. He got the whole Jewish kingdom fasting and praying for deliverance from this evil plan.

Dannah: Now, let’s look at what happens in the next chapter. Here you read this time. Chapter 5. Just read that first verse.

Staci:  

On the third day of the fast, Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace, just across from the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance.

Dannah: Ok, stop. Here’s an example of where comparing something to archeological evidence is pretty cool.

Let me show you the map I found. It’s of the ancient ruins of Susa. I got it back there in the room with the statue of King Darius. Just look at this.

Staci: Well . . . oh . . . I see what you mean!

Based on this map of the ruins of Susa, you can walk from the harem quarters—where Esther’s room would have been— into the inner court, turn the corner, and there you are. You’re facing the king’s private throne room! 

Dannah: Yep. And in this case, the archeology just fits so well. You can trust it. And honestly, Staci, I trust the Bible a whole lot more than I trust archeology and how we interpret it. 

Let’s keep reading. This is my favorite part of the book of Esther. Will she live? Let’s see what King Xerxes did when he noticed her approaching uninvited!

Staci:

When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her. So, Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter. Then the king asked her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”

Dannah: Yes! So good!

Staci: It would be a few days until Esther told the king her secret: that she was part of God’s special people, the Jewish nation. 

She told the king who the bad guy was: Haman . . . and saved God’s people.

Dannah: Yes. Esther pleaded for God’s people to be spared, and they were, in fact, saved. That’s because God loves the Jewish people very much. 

Staci: Ya know, we’re all a little like the Jewish people—needing someone to plead for us. Because of our sin, we’re always in a bit of trouble. I am anyway.

Dannah: Me too!

Staci: And we’re all very loved by God.

A verse I really like is this one. It’s part of a passage of Scripture promising that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Let me recite Romans 8:34 for you.

Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Dannah: That’s a beautiful reminder of God’s love for us, Staci.

Jesus Himself is sitting in the throne room of God the Father in a special place of honor, and He’s pleading for us to be spared and loved, and we are. We are loved.

Staci: I’ve been thinking about the people of Iran while we’ve been on our trip. I know we couldn’t go to Iran to see Susa because it’s not safe for Christians. But Dannah, there areChristians there. They’re living a life a lot like Esther, a life of secrets. They can’t tell people they’re Christians without risking their lives. Kind of like Esther risked hers to go into the king’s throne room.

Even so, the gospel is spreading like wildfire, and lots of Iranian people are coming to Jesus every day. They are taking risks!

Dannah: Yes, I know. I’ve read about it. I pray for the people of Iran often, especially my Christian brothers and sisters.

Staci: Well, do I have some exciting news for you. Remember back in my apartment before we flew to France, I played that Revive Our Hearts episode for you?

Dannah: The one where Pastor Aslan was taken to jail and interrogated?

Staci: Yes. Well, his wife Sabrina was a little Persian girl. Let me grab my phone. You have to hear this.

Got it. Okay, let me just find the Revive Our Hearts app. Alright, this is Sabrina Aslan.

Sabrina Aslan: When I was ten, I heard the gospel from my aunt. She heard the gospel from some missionaries back many years ago in Iran. She was born again, and she just told me that even though I was born in a Christian family, I needed Christ as my Savior. She introduced me to the gospel, but it took me some years, almost to when I was thirteen years old. 

I went to the youth group of one of the evangelical churches in Tehran. And, again, I heard the gospel, and I surrendered my life to my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Staci: When Sabrina was a little girl, people in Iran could go to church much more freely. They even had Christian conferences. But eventually, the governments closed all those doors to people, especially Persian-speaking churches.

Dannah: That’s so sad.

Staci: It is. But Sabrina is really hopeful. She has confidence that God is at work. She reminds me of Esther. Listen to this.

Sabrina: I am sure that God has a plan for that area. The media is just giving us bad news about killing, about fighting, about genocide, which is true. But God is doing His plan and His job, His work despite all of those situations. God has His own people over there, and He provides for them to be saved.

Dannah: Wow! That is a lot like Esther’s story. God was at work in the Persian land then, and God is at work there now. 

Staci: Yes. In fact, Pastor Aslan and Sabrina are part of His work. They translate a lot of the Revive Our Hearts content into Farsi, the Persian language. And they’re part of the reason so many people are surrendering their hearts and lives to Jesus.

I love that.

Dannah: Me, too, Staci! Hey, before we get one more look at the artifacts of Susa, how would you feel about praying for the people of Iran—right here, right now?

Staci: I’d feel really happy about that. Can I do the honors?

Dannah: You bet.

Staci: God, I just come to You, thanking You. I thank You so much for who You are, what You are, a loving God who cares for us, who provides for us. I thank You for what’s happening in Iran, Lord, even though the government is so against You and the Bible and Christ. We see that You are working, Lord. You’re using Pastor Aslan. You’re using Sabrina to spread the gospel of Christ. We just thank You for that. 

I just pray for the courage and the persistence of our Christian brothers and sisters in Iran. I pray that they would just rely on You and trust You to bring about the work You have planned. In Your name we pray, Lord Jesus, amen. 

Dannah: Amen.

Claire: I’m so happy Dannah and Staci took time to pray for the people of Iran. God is still at work there, just like He was at work to save His people back when Esther was alive.

If you want to learn more about how Pastor and Sabrina Aslan are part of God’s work in Iran, visit ReviveOurHearts.com and search for “God Is at Work in Iran.” 

And if you want to study the book of Esther, you might want to get a copy of the Bible study Esther: Becoming a Girl of Purpose, by Dannah Gresh. It’ll help you understand the book of Esther better. You can get a copy of the book by visiting MyTrueGirl.com and clicking on the Bible studies menu. 

We hope you’ll join Dannah for a live, online mom-daughter study on the book of Esther starting in October! Register at MyTrueGirl.com.

Oh, and don’t forget to sign up for the True Girl Pop-Up Party! That’s on November 1–2 at the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C. Dannah and Staci will both be there, along with others on the True Girl team. You’ll get to explore the museum and participate in some fun activities! Again, find out more at MyTrueGirl.com.

Well, that’s it for this season, “Finding Esther.” But we’ve got another season releasing soon, so be sure to subscribe to the True Girl podcast with Dannah Gresh and Staci Rudolph.

The True Girl podcast is produced by Revive Our Hearts, calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.

All Scripture is taken from the NLT.

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