Ester 1 – 5
Ester is one of those stories about God working in the lives of others. Although I still question that He orchestrates all events, when He does get involved like this there is no doubt.
Verse 1:17 is the start of the ultimate plan:
For the queen’s behaviour will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt, since they will say, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.’
The king was upset that his queen did not obey his order to be paraded before his friends like a Pomeranian. Today we take this and cannot see the problem; her husband was drunk and wanted to show her off. She felt it was demeaning and refused. But that was not done then and caused a major crisis in the kingdom.
This is when the king decides to search for a new queen. Ester is one of his “subjects” who was picked up. This young lady was being raised by her uncle Mordecai, since her parents were dead. She was chosen by the king as one of 12 to be brought before the king for a “review”.
Verse 2:17 tells of the kings first meeting:
the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins, so he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
Here a Jewish captive girl has been raised to the position of queen. This alone is amazing since God is setting something up which at the time no one is aware. She has kept her faith hidden and when her uncle Mordecai discovers a plot to kill the king, they have contact again. Like Moses’ mothers assisting the queen of Egypt to nurse her son without them knowing the truth.
Verse 3:13 we learn why God placed Ester where He did:
Letters were sent by couriers 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, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.
Here the king has unknowingly sentenced his queen to death. Mordecai discovers the plot and relays it to the queen. With this the queen sets in motion a plot of her own to uncover Haman’s evil deed. Interestingly in verse 5:13 we see Haman’s disgust for the Jewish people:
Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”
Here is going to have a feast and party with the king and queen, yet just the site of Mordecai ruins the evening. When we see this hate and disgust of the Jewish people we must know it’s not of God. This is prevalent with a few Christian’s where they persecute the Jews for the evils of Jesus’ crucifixion. Nazi Germany is the most egregious example of “Christians” killing millions for an evil purpose.
Can’t wait to see what God will do with Ester.