BE READY TO STAND
How often do we seek opportunities in life for our own benefit? We look for jobs, pastime events, and responsibilities that we feel we would enjoy or for which we are prepared. While there is probably nothing wrong with that, but we need to realize that God has placed us in a specific situation- working a certain job, living in a particular location, or surrounded by different people- for a greater purpose: to point to Him and further His kingdom. There are so many people who believe that they don’t have to include God in everything or they just don’t think about God in many situations. However, when we become Christians we are to include God in everything- no matter what the event. This will put us in the right place at the right time so God can lead us to His purpose.
Read Esther 2:5-7
The events in Esther occurred during the reign of King Ahasuerus (from KJV), also known as Xerxes. He ruled the Persian Empire from 486-465 BC. In the third year of his reign, this king convened a royal banquet at Susa, his winter capital located in modern Iran. We all know this story and it happened because Queen Vashti refused to go to this banquet. So, the king dethroned her and started a search for a new Queen. This is where God entered the situation. God is always at work behind the scenes.
The story of Esther is one of the most exciting and inspiring in all the Word of God. 0″Esther” (a Persian word meaning Star) is the more familiar name of a Jewish girl named Hadassah (which is Hebrew for Myrtle). The events of the book of Esther occurred between 483 and 473 BC. They actually fit historically between Chapters 6 and 7 of the book of Ezra. If the Book of Esther was chronological placed between these two chapters, what would that do to the understanding of Ezra? By that time Babylon had been taken over by the Persians. The Jews had been given permission to return to their homeland to rebuild, and thousands did so, led by a man named Zerubbabel. However, during the 70 years of captivity many others had settled down in Babylon and preferred to stay there. The book of Esther concerns those Jews who remained in Babylon (or Persia). One of these was young Esther, an orphan whose cousin, Mordecai [MOR-da-kai], raised her as his own daughter and treated her as his own. Esther thought of Mordecai as her father.
There is a most unusual fact about the book of Esther–one which might not be noticed with a casual reading of it. God is not mentioned once in the entire book. No one is ever specifically said to be praising Him, or praying to Him. On the surface it seems like a totally secular story. This is not because the writer did not believe in God. (Quite the contrary!) He has done it by design, as a kind of literary device, suggesting a God who was hidden but at work. When the Jews went into captivity, it was because they had turned their backs on God, and had departed from His ways. They were out of fellowship with Him. God was absent from their lives. But although this was so, the Lord had not ceased to love His people. In Esther, we see the Lord working behind the scenes to rescue them. Though His presence is not obvious, the Lord acts in a wonderful way to deliver the nation from harm.
Verses 2-4 reveal an ironic twist to the situation. The king’s servants had found an added way in which the rebuffed king could avenge himself and prove his authority. Queen Vashti had refused to parade before him and his friends. Therefore, instead of having only one woman parade before him, he would have all the beautiful young virgins in his kingdom at his beck and call. The Persian historic custom was that the king would marry only Persian, but the story seems to be saying the king called in women of non-Persian background (this may have played into the story later).
In verses 5-11, the writer (officially unknown but possibly Ezra or Nehemiah) paused his narrative to some background information about two persons. Then specifically in these three verses (just read), the writer spoke briefly about Mordecai, a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin, who left Jerusalem in the deportation of 597 BC. This may be the same Mordecai mentioned in Ezra 2:2 and Nehemiah 7:7. Mordecai probably held some type of minor position in the government. As indicated in Ezra, the Babylonians deported the best
of Judah’s leadership and used these leaders to good advantage during the exile (does that remind us of Daniel?). Mordecai followed the Jewish tradition of relatives taking care of their own kinfolk, especially in the case of orphans and widows. The relationship between Mordecai and Esther had a significant bearing on what the author was about to tell. The story also reveals the unexpected way God worked in behalf of His chosen people.
Read Esther 2:8-10
Verse 8 picks up the main thread of the story again. The king’s officers brought many beautiful maidens to the palace, as ordered. Esther quickly gained the favor of Hegai (the one in charge of the women). She received the best place in the harem, as well as ointments, food, and seven maids from the king’s house to attend her during her twelve-month beauty program (verse 12). Verses 8-9 clearly imply that Hegai considered Esther the most likely choice to fill Queen Vashti’s place. Mordecai had instructed Esther not to reveal her Jewish identity or her relationship to him. The writer did not explain why. Presumably it related to prejudice between Jews and Persians. The narrative gives no reason to believe that Esther refused non-kosher food or followed other Jewish regulations during that time. In the meantime, Mordecai checked on her daily to see how she fared (v.11).
With virtually no rights and little access to the king, it was better for Esther not to reveal her identity. While boldness in stating our identity as God’s people is our responsibility, at times a good strategy is to keep quiet until we have won the right to be heard. This is especially true when dealing with those in authority over us. But we can always let them see the difference God makes in our lives.
In Esther 2:11-14, the writer informed us of Mordecai’s faithfulness to his cousin after her entrance into the king’s harem. Esther demonstrated loyalty to his instructions, and Mordecai’s actions reflected his fidelity to her. Daily he walked by the harem’s courtyard to check on Esther in her new surroundings. After the woman appeared before the king the first time, we learn that woman would never entered the king’s presence again unless he specifically summoned her. However, Esther was not the queen yet, as we learn more in the next verses.
Read Esther 2:15-17
Here we find out the name of Esther’s father-Abihail, which means “my father is powerful”. Also, Esther gained favor in the eyes of everyone who saw her. Esther used good strategy in winning the king’s approval. She followed Hegai’s advice and asked for nothing except what Hegai told her to request. She found favor in the sight of all, but especially the king. He finally made her queen in the seventh year of his reign.
Verse 16 says Esther was taken to the king in the tenth month which was known as Tebeth, in a seventh year of the king’s reign. The tenth month in the Hebrew calendar overlaps our months of December and January, and it was a rainy month. This is yet another indication that the Hebrew time is different than ours as I wrote in my article on the Sabbath. Esther 1:10-22 and 2:1-4 gives us indication that after Queen Vashti refused to appear at the banquet the position may have been vacant for 4 years. During that time King Ahasuerus had fought unsuccessfully against Greece- one of Daniel’s five “future” kingdoms. This factor helps to explain the lengthy lapse of time before his selection of a new queen. Esther had been waiting to see if she was the choice of the new queen.
Verse 17 reveals that Esther’s wait and preparation had not been in vain. The king loved Esther more than all the other women. Esther had won the favor and approval of the king and he placed the crown on Esther’s head. God placed Esther on the throne even before the Jews faced the possibility of complete destruction (3:5), so that when trouble came, a person would already be in the position to help. No human effort could thwart God’s plan to send the Messiah to earth as a Jew. So just as God placed Esther in her position to help her people, as described later in the Book of Esther, God also places us in situations where we can help others. This is another case where it shows that God is in control. God may be placing us in a position where He wants us when the need arises. Vashti’s name does not appear again in the Book of Esther. Esther was ready to stand and play a major role in God’s deliverance of His people.
LEARN TO BE A MORE POSITIVE PERSON AND HAVE MORE JOY
REVELATION: What are Christians Affirmations? They are a method to reprogram your mind to gain spiritual confidence in agreement with God's word. It is a marvelous way to gain an amazing insight into God's loving character. Affirmations that lift your life.
