From Captive to Queen

Esther 2:5-11, 15-18 (NLT)
 
At that time there was a Jewish man in the fortress of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair. He was from the tribe of Benjamin and was a descendant of Kish and Shimei. His family had been among those who, with King Jehoiachin of Judah, had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. This man had a very beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah, who was also called Esther. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter.

As a result of the king’s decree, Esther, along with many other young women, was brought to the king’s harem at the fortress of Susa and placed in Hegai’s care. Hegai was very impressed with Esther and treated her kindly. He quickly ordered a special menu for her and provided her with beauty treatments. He also assigned her seven maids specially chosen from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem.

Esther had not told anyone of her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had directed her not to do so. Every day Mordecai would take a walk near the courtyard of the harem to find out about Esther and what was happening to her.
 
Esther was the daughter of Abihail, who was Mordecai’s uncle. (Mordecai had adopted his younger cousin Esther.) When it was Esther’s turn to go to the king, she accepted the advice of Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the harem. She asked for nothing except what he suggested, and she was admired by everyone who saw her.

Esther was taken to King Xerxes at the royal palace in early winter of the seventh year of his reign. And the king loved Esther more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti. To celebrate the occasion, he gave a great banquet in Esther’s honor for all his nobles and officials, declaring a public holiday for the provinces and giving generous gifts to everyone.


Reflection

Lights…Camera…Action! The book of Esther reads like a movie, full of intrigue, secrets, and deception. Our heroine, Esther, is young and exceptionally beautiful. She is an obedient servant of God, who gets caught up in events seemingly without rhyme or reason.

King Xerxes of Persia, in a moment of drunken revelry, commands Queen Vashti to appear before him and his guests at a lavish, hedonistic banquet. She refuses to appear and the king is incensed. He strips the queen of her title and banishes her. Now the king needs to find a new queen, and young, innocent, Esther, a Jew who keeps her heritage a secret, is swept up in the search. She is so beautiful and compliant that King Xerxes loves her more than any of the others brought before him. He chooses Esther as his queen!

The book of Esther is very unique in that the God of the Israelites is never mentioned. Yet the events are undoubtedly orchestrated and sanctified by God. Nothing that happens is by sheer coincidence, and that fact becomes more and more apparent as the story of Esther unfolds. God is working behind the scenes and He is in control of everything that happens.

How could a young Jewish woman who finds favor with the king be instrumental in God’s plans to protect and rescue the Jewish people from death in Persia? Even as queen, Esther had few rights. The king would not tolerate her being too assertive, especially since she had replaced a woman who had blatantly defied his authority. Esther, as we will see, demonstrates supernatural obedience and courage in the face of possible death as she seeks to follow God’s will for her life.
Coincidence or God’s will? As queen to King Xerxes, was Esther right where God wanted her to be? Stay tuned as we delve further into the story of Esther.
 
 
Action Steps
 

1. Commit to reading/listening to the Tree Church Daily this week, as the rest of Esther’s story unfolds. Pay special attention to what may look like coincidence, yet is clearly the hand of God at work. Can you remember a time in your life when God placed you right where you needed to be to help someone?
2.  Listen to the song “Joy in the Morning” by Tauren Wells. As stated in the lyrics, “Everything happens for a reason. But you don't know what you don't know.” Can you relate to the lyrics?

Prayer
 
Heavenly Father, You are so good to me. Every day, You reveal something new to me. At times, I am confused and confounded by Your ways, but I know someday when I am in Your presence, I will understand. Thank You for guiding me through my life and watching over me in ways I don’t even see. I love You, Lord. Amen.