Esther 1-2 (Feb.4)

Esther 1-2
Life's Twists & Turns
(February 4, 2007)

“Now there was a Jew who lived in the palace complex in Susa.
His name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish—a Benjaminite.
His ancestors had been taken from Jerusalem with the exiles and carried off
with King Jehoiachin of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon into exile.
Mordecai had reared his cousin Hadassah, otherwise known as Esther,
since she had no father or mother.
The girl had a good figure and a beautiful face.
After her parents died, Mordecai had adopted her.
When the king's order had been publicly posted,
many young girls were brought to the palace complex of Susa
and given over to Hegai who was overseer of the women.
Esther was among them.” - Esther 2:5-8 (MSG)

This little snippet not only sets the stage for our main character in the book of Esther,
it also highlights what she shares in common with each of us.

Life is FULL of twists and turns that are often unexpected and scary,
but always wonderfully perfect as God unfolds His plan in our lives.

Ref: Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ”

What twists and turns are you experiencing right now?

Do you have faith that God is using these challenging circumstances for His glory and your ultimate benefit?

For today (or this coming week), how can I best respond to my challenges?

1. Accept the Changes

2. Adapt to the Challenges

3. Avail Yourself of Opportunities

Some quick facts about the story:

1. Takes place about 483-471 B.C.
   (within the timeframe covered in the book of Ezra
   and about 30-40 years before the events in Nehemiah)

2. Set in the Medo-Persian Empire (modern-day Iran),
   after the conquest of the Babylonian Empire (modern-day Iraq) in 539 B.C.

3. Although names tend to get “criss-crossed” in different texts, the king in this story is:

• The grandson of the Persian king (Cyrus the Great)
  who conquered Babylon and first started allowing the captives to return to Jerusalem

• The son of the Persian king (Darius) who stopped the construction of the temple

• The father of the Persian king (Artaxerxes)
  who allowed Ezra and Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem

4. The book's author is unknown
   (could have been Mordecai, Ezra, Nehemiah, or even some non-Biblical character)

1. Accept the Changes

There are actually 3 characters in the first part of the story who are experiencing a massive change in circumstances:

1. King Xerxes (Ahasuerus)-

   1. Fails in trying to expand the Medo-Persian Empire into Europe
      by losing a massive naval battle with Greece

   2. Dismisses his queen under less than honorable circumstances (Esther 1)

2. Queen Vashti- goes from the “penthouse” to the “outhouse” in virtually one night (having been asked to parade in front of the king and his party wearing only her crown, she refuses, which creates a political “no-win scenario” for the king)

3. Esther-

   1. Is forcefully taken from her life in Susa (the winter capital of the Empire)

   2. Goes from the “outhouse” to the “penthouse” as the new queen
      (which sounds nice, but look at what happened to the last queen)

How did each of these people respond to his/her changes?

1. Xerxes- Appears to have grown lonely in his defeats
   and continued to forcefully control his way out of his misery
   (the guy will continue to fall in trap after trap)

2. Vashti- She disappears
   (some scholars believe she was beheaded as part of her dismissal),
   in other words, her circumstances completely overtook her

3. Esther- She quickly accepted her change
   and clothed herself with a faithful and positive attitude,
   which bred a positive response from those she could easily have dismissed as enemies
   Ref: Esther 2:8b-9a (NIV)
   “Esther also was taken to the king's palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. The girl pleased him and won his favor.”

Obviously, God calls us to accept our changes similar to the way Esther did.
God is in control of what's “fair” and “right” and will take care of His children.

Ref: Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ”

2. Adapt to the Challenges

As we pick up in v.9, Esther is given the opportunity to adapt.
Ref: Esther 2:9b-10 (ESV)
“And he [Hegai] quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her portion of food,
and with seven chosen young women from the king's palace,
and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem.
Esther had not made known her people or kindred,
for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known.”

Esther (and Mordecai) displayed purposefulness here that clearly describes an adaptation to the challenges placed before her.

Having accepted the changes in my life,
how does God want me to adapt to my new circumstances?

How does life need to be different?

Although, the text does not explicitly detail the source of Esther's wisdom,
we can infer that she sought God's guidance.

Ref: Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ”

3. Avail Yourself of Opportunities
   So Esther finally gets her chance to meet the king

Ref: Esther 2:15-16 (NASB)
“Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the women, advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her.

So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus to his royal palace in the tenth month which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.”

She persevered through at least a 12-month preparation process.

Having faithfully accepted changes and adapted to her challenges, Esther successfully avails herself of the opportunity.

Ref: Esther 2:17 (NLT)
“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.”

God begins to bring His plan for Esther to fruition.

Ref: Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ”

Conclusion-

You and I live in a world that will never cease to change.

Some of those changes will be immediately enjoyable and some of them will not.

We must trust the long-term prospect. That God is in control. That He loves me and wants the best for me.

Ref: Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ”