A Woman Who Fears the Lord: Sermon for the Funeral of Esther Veldhuizen
Click here to listen to this sermon. "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised (Proverbs 3:30). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! A long time ago, about 2,500 years, in fact, there was a woman named Esther, known for her great beauty and wit. The ESV says, “The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at” (Esther 2:6). This beauty set her in the running to be the next queen of Persia even though she was not of noble birth. Esther was an orphan, an exile who had been captured from her homeland of Judah and brought to the kingdom of Persia. Esther’s charm captivated Hegai, the man who had charge of King Xerxes’ harem, leading him to advance Esther to the front of the line. Coached by Hegai, Esther “won grace and favor in [Xerxes’] sight” more than all the other young women. The king gave a great feast in Esther’s honor and made her queen. Esther was much more than just a pret