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Oct 11, 2025 06:00am

From Filthy Rags to Royal Robes: Esther’s Story and Our’s

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On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, in front of the king’s quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. Esther 5:1-2

Esther’s people were in peril. The king’s highest official had convinced him to sign a decree that would wipe out the entire Jewish population. The edict was carried to all the king’s provinces “with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day” (Esther 3:13). When Esther’s uncle found out, he sat at the king’s gate in sackcloth and ashes—a visible sign of mourning and deep distress for his people. He relayed the news to Esther and begged her to go before the king and intervene for her people.

Esther did not go to the king immediately, for she was understandably frightened. She knew that if she went into the king’s court (even as the queen) without receiving his favor, the only outcome was death (Esther 4:11). After more advice from her uncle and three days of prayer and fasting, Esther put on her royal robes and went to the king.

We too are in great danger of perishing, but our peril is because of our own sin. Our only hope to escape the certain death we deserve for breaking God’s law is to approach the King on his throne and ask for mercy. But we cannot enter wearing our own clothes. We must approach him properly dressed.

Queen Esther did not approach the king wearing her everyday attire; she came in her royal robes. This was not only to honor the king but also to remind him of her status before she made her request.

When we try to approach God on our own, we are like the lowest peasant coming before him in filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Our sin makes us unclean, and no amount of work we do can make us clean. To approach the King of the universe, we must be clothed in royal robes. But we cannot obtain these ourselves, nor can we earn them; they must be earned and bestowed upon us by someone else—someone who is royalty and has earned the right to the royal robes. This person is Jesus Christ.

Not only is Christ divinely royal because he is God, but he also lived a perfect life of no sin when he came to earth as a man, thereby accomplishing the perfect righteousness that we could not achieve. When we repent of our sins and place our faith in him (a faith that is itself a gift—Ephesians 2:8), he gives us His royal robes of righteousness to wear in exchange for our filthy rags, which he placed on himself when he died on the cross. God saw those polluted garments on his Son and poured out his wrath against the sin that stained them, as though Christ Himself had committed our lawless deeds.

Without this royal clothing, we only have the fear of death when we approach the throne, because God is so holy and pure that anyone polluted with sin is not allowed in his presence. But Christ has won us favor in God’s sight through his payment for our sin. Now with the royal robes of Christ placed on us, God is pleased when he sees us, and he extends the golden scepter of acceptance and welcome to us. Because of Christ, we can boldly enter the King’s court without fear, as His sons and daughters, crying ‘Abba, Father’ (Hebrews 4:16; Romans 8:15).

We all must face the King of the universe someday—either when we die or when Christ returns to earth. Will you try to face Him on your own merit, clothed in filthy rags? Or will you see your need for cleansing, admit you can’t do it yourself, and ask Christ, who died for you, to take away your rags and place his royal robe of righteousness on you? If you have never asked him to do that, I pray you would today.