Esther 1: When Culture Gets a Woman’s Value Wrong

If you would’ve asked me even a decade ago whether God saw women differently than men, I likely would've answered yes without hesitating. I wasn’t feeling unloved by the Lord, but perhaps there was even an unconscious belief that my value as a woman was less. I didn’t come to this conclusion because of what someone directly taught me; chances are this was my interpretation based on what I experienced and things I heard. Some of it likely came from the home I grew up in, the churches I sat in, and the way certain passages were presented. Really Im sure some of my interpretation was simply based on my limited perspective. It certainly wasn’t malicious by any means, but it was simply incomplete.

My assumption was men get to lead because they matter more, and women follow or submit because they matter less.

I never said it out loud, but I certainly felt it. When I read stories like Vashti or verses about submission, this belief was likely strengthened. Fast forward to today — as a woman, a mom of both sons and a daughter, someone who has walked through a lot of life with the Lord — I see this topic completely differently. My perspective hasn't changed because the Bible has changed, but because I’ve grown in my understanding of the Word and who God is.

The Biggest Shift God’s design has order, not inequality.

Scripture doesn’t teach that men are more valuable. It teaches that God assigns roles — and every assignment Is different. Order is about function. Responsibility is about calling. Submission is about unity. None of those words have anything to do with worth.

What Helped Me Understand All This?

1. Learning what the Bible actually says. Not what culture portrays. The New Testament word for submission literally means “to willingly align yourself.” Not forced. Not silent. Not weak.

2. Watching Jesus. He submitted to the Father… and He wasn’t “less than” the Father. That alone unraveled so much old thinking.

3. Paying attention to how God parents us. He calls us differently. He gifts us differently. He leads us differently.Different assignments — same value.

4. Parenting my own kids. It clicked that different roles never equal different worth. My sons need things my daughter doesn’t, and my daughter needs things my sons don’t. None of that makes one more valuable. BINGO — the light officially is on.

When I Read Esther Now…I don’t read it as, “Women mattered less back then.” I read it as an example of how culture twisted God’s design. Humans misinterpreted value — not God. That same pattern still happens today. God has always valued men and women equally. Our assignments may be different, but our worth is the same.

Reflection Questions

• How were you taught to view submission and the roles of men/women in the home or church

• Where did those beliefs actually come from — Scripture, environment or culture?

• Is God inviting you to challenge the beliefs you hold?