Introduction
Good morning, everyone. Let us continue our study of Esther, Chapter 2. The theme is "God is Preparing Vessels to Save Israel." Although the entire book does not mention God, and we cannot see what God is doing, we can see God's work.
Why Did God Choose Esther and Mordecai?
Let me tell you, what kind of person you are and whether God chooses you are two different things. If you do not yearn for God, do not want to be a vessel for God to save Israel, and do not want to have a Mingding Doctrine, but just want to live your life every day, then it is difficult for God to choose you. What is it that you seek in your heart? God watches from heaven, and God chooses those who seek Him. This is a very important logic!
Let me give you a few examples. For example, Rahab, although she was a Jerichoite, she called upon God, and God saved her. Later, Ruth appeared. She yearned in her heart to be an Israelite, and God helped her.
How do I know this? For example, Rahab told the story of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt better than the average Israelite. What was she studying this for? Because she wanted to know the God of Israel.
Looking at Rebekah before Isaac took a wife, she heard that Abraham's son Isaac was offered to God, and then God promised him that he would possess the gate of his enemies. So Rebekah always yearned for this, and told her brother and father, "I just want to be Isaac's wife. I want to possess the gate of my enemies, and my descendants will be as numerous as the sand on the seashore and the stars in the sky! I want to be the mother of millions."
Otherwise, how could Abraham's servant have found her after traveling all that way? How could there be such a coincidence? All of these things are people seeking God, and God is also looking for people. If you are a person who seeks God, and God happens to find you, it is not a coincidence. In fact, God is looking for you. This is what the Chinese Mingding Doctrine says about "Mingding." Why are you living?
Why did God choose Esther and Mordecai? Because they both had this "burden" in their hearts. Although the Bible does not say that they prayed every day, I can confidently tell you that they both prayed and sought God every day.
Otherwise, you can try it! If you are seeking to find a boyfriend or husband, perhaps God can give you that. But if you are seeking to live for God, God will surely use you. Although what you seek may not be so correct, it does not matter. These things are all obtained through seeking.
But if you do not seek God, what will God use you for? Do you think God chooses with His eyes closed? No! If you are usually thirsty, God will use you! If you do not have that Mingding, you will not be thirsty to serve God! But if you have this Mingding and are also thirsty to serve God, then you are not far from God preparing you to be a vessel of salvation.
God Prepared a Beautiful Esther
In the previous chapter, we talked about King Ahasuerus deposing the queen because this woman was used to being willful. After a while, he finally calmed down his anger. Last week, many of our sisters were also repenting, saying, "I cannot be willful." Actually, you do not need to repent so deeply, because your husband is not King Ahasuerus. Actually, whether or not you are King Ahasuerus's wife is not important. What is important is to be an "Esther."
If you observe carefully, you will find that what is in people's hearts is all on their faces. For example, some sisters look very kind, while others have a "pastor's wife face," and still others look like someone owes them a lot of money, because what is in their hearts is showing.
But if you want to be a beauty like Esther, pray well every day, and you will become beautiful. Our church has a very typical situation, which is that many brothers and sisters take out photos from twenty years ago and compare them with now, and find that they are actually more beautiful now than they were then!
Let me tell you, if you pray often and you love God, you will become beautiful. Therefore, Esther loved God, and she became very beautiful, her temperament became very gentle, and she looked like a blessed girl. So people's thoughts affect their appearance.
If you discern good and evil for a long time, you will grow a "face of discerning good and evil," and even if you do beauty treatments and put on makeup, it will not help! So if you want to be beautiful, you must have a Mingding. Then the sisters will say after listening, "I want to pray more, I want to have a Mingding, I want to be an Esther."
Actually, Esther's life was not very good. She lost both parents at a young age and lived in her cousin's house. There is a difference between a cousin and parents taking care of you, so her life was a bit bitter. Therefore, Esther learned how to behave from a young age. Otherwise, if she lay on the sofa and watched TV after dinner, threw things around, and pouted and slammed things when asked to wash the dishes, she would definitely be finished.
But Esther knew how to handle things from a young age. She became an orphan at a young age. She could be spoiled by her parents, but in her cousin's house, she had to be trained in how to behave. Actually, it is not the bitter environment that is to be feared, but the inability to behave. Many people's parents are very good, but their children do not know how to behave, and are "silly" and annoying, because they were spoiled from childhood.
Although Esther's life was bitter, she did not feel bitter. Otherwise, she could not have grown up to be beautiful. She was beautiful in form, and this was God's choice. Think about it slowly, appearance is very important, so the Bible says, "When an ugly woman gets married, the earth will shake."
Let me tell you, a person who suffers, but does not feel bitter, is amazing, with a very strong heart! Esther was a very strong person. She was smart, knew how to speak, and knew how to behave. Later, she became Mordecai's daughter. Actually, Mordecai was her cousin, but he treated her like his own daughter.
Think about it slowly, what God prepares is amazing! Joseph in Genesis was also handsome in appearance. Remember, if people do not discern good and evil, do not complain, do not shirk responsibility, and do not blame this or that, they will definitely be handsome in appearance and have wisdom.
Esther's relationship with her cousin was like that of a real father and daughter. Some people are like "threshold monkeys" at home, "bullies at home," but are nothing outside. This Esther was very smart. For example, Mordecai instructed her, "You must not say that you are a Jew." And some people with a strong religious flavor will think, "What am I afraid of? I tell everyone that I am a Christian." That is not called having faith, that is called being very "cocky," without wisdom.
If Mordecai says not to say it, then do not say it first. Do not let that stubbornness come up and act "silly" and hard. This matter laid a foreshadowing. If Esther had confessed her identity from the beginning, then there would have been no way to deal with Haman in the future.
God prepared a beautiful Esther, which is so good! God is also quite "ruthless," letting Esther lose both parents, just to train Esther. Maybe you cannot understand it, but in God's eyes, it is the same whether a person dies early or late. It is just that your view is a bit different from God's view.
Even if the emperor asked Esther, "Are you a Jew?" she would answer, "I am not, I have no religious beliefs." Do you think it is easy to live in the palace? They are all living "with their heads in their hands," who knows what will happen one day?
God Made Esther Queen, and the Road Was Smooth
The emperor gave an order that all beautiful girls had to be sent to the palace, and then Esther was sent to the palace by Mordecai. This thing is too divine. At that time, the eunuch was called Hegai. He felt that Esther was lovely no matter how he looked at her. This is difficult to explain with reason. There is only one reason, which is that God made Hegai like Esther. This is Hegai's aesthetic. Actually, everyone has aesthetics. For example, some people have thick lips, small squinting eyes, and dark skin, but some people think they are beautiful.
If Hegai and Ahasuerus's aesthetic was not like Esther's, then it would be bad! Then she could not be queen. But they just liked her. How can I explain it? That is because God made him have such an aesthetic, and everything looked good. Let me tell you, once God decides to choose you to be His vessel, then it is very magical!
Whether your boss likes you or not, who decides? God decides! Do not think that the devil is in control. God is in control. God made Hegai partial to Esther, giving her the best place to live and giving her good perfumes to use.
Hegai was pleased with Esther and showed her favor. He quickly provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem. (Esther 2:9)
If you please God, you will not live miserably, so it is amazing to have a Mingding. But some people are stupid and always think that I have to live for myself. If you live for God, that is an amazing investment. Actually, Esther usually prayed silently, and God's hand was working there. God made the eunuch like her.
When she went to see the king a year after entering the palace, after training in many etiquettes and walking, Esther learned the best and fully conformed to King Ahasuerus's aesthetic. When she walked over, it was amazing! The king thought: Fortunately, I deposed the queen, so I had the opportunity to see such a good girl as Esther.
Because of Esther's appearance and temperament, the king was very happy. The king held a big banquet and exempted taxes. As a result, the whole world received grace, and Esther became a blessing to the people of the world! The king invited the leaders and palace ministers to see Queen Esther, showing off to the people, and feasting the officials. The officials flattered her very well!
Then the king placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts in keeping with his royal generosity. (Esther 2:17-18)
People with God are different! But some of us are afraid of the boss at work. Actually, you should fear God! Otherwise, God will make your boss dislike you and hate you. Seeing you will make him upset, and no matter how you do it, it will not work. Then what can you do? But if God wants to make your boss like you, then there is nothing wrong. No matter how you do it, it is good!
God made Esther's path to becoming queen smooth. Unlike some people, they live for themselves, and as a result, nothing goes smoothly. Then you have to think about it? Why is it that sixty points is passing, but I scored fifty-nine and a half? How can this person be so unlucky? Sixty points and fifty-nine and a half points are a qualitative difference. How can an unlucky person be a person who loves God?
So loving God is not a loss. In the past few years, my career path has been very smooth. I became a senior executive in my thirties because I love God. I do not rely on my own ability, but God is gracious to me. From the time I started believing in the Lord, I recognized that God was my treasure. Although I have not yet sacrificed my life for God, it is almost the same. I can have nothing, but I cannot be without God. That is how I have come.
Now I have founded the Chinese Mingding Doctrine. My Bible study is different from the outside. Genesis is really God's revelation, not something I made up. We have established a systematic theology that everyone can understand. That is not something that can be understood by human wisdom. Esther became queen, which is really Mingding! What is called Mingding? It is called "destiny," which is really good!
God Prepared a Military Exploit for Mordecai
Now Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. Two of the king’s officers, Bigthana and Teresh, doorkeepers, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Ahasuerus. But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai. When the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were impaled on poles. And all this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king. (Esther 2:21-23)
Esther became queen, and the above incident happened. As a result, it was recorded. How could it be such a coincidence that Mordecai heard it? Why did those two eunuchs have bad heads and want to harm King Ahasuerus? These are all coincidences, but that is "no coincidence, no story"!
I especially like coincidences. You see those who do not believe in God, they always want to explain, but they never encounter coincidences. And those who love God, how can they always be so coincidental? There is no way to reason about this. Although you cannot see God, do not think that God's hand does not control these things. God's hand is everywhere.
As a result, it was such a coincidence that Mordecai made a military exploit. What is amazing is that the emperor did not give Mordecai any reward. Mordecai has this personality. He did not discern good and evil and did not have the habit of scolding people. Like ordinary people, if they are wronged, they may scold and complain, but Mordecai did not have this.
God prepared it this way, storing this account for future use. If the credit is used in advance, it cannot be used later. As a result, it was really used later. One day, King Ahasuerus could not sleep, and asked people to bring the past records to read. He saw that two eunuchs wanted to harm the king, and Mordecai reported it and discovered this matter. The king asked if Mordecai had been rewarded? He found that he had not, and then he quickly rewarded him. This credit was used just right!
Unlike some of our brothers and sisters, the boss gave him less bonus than others, and he is entangled, with a dark face, and must see immediate benefits. I really have this kind of nature. For example, if the boss wronged me, I will never make a fuss. Later, the boss found that this matter wronged me, and he thought: This kid was wronged and did not have any emotions, so he was especially good to me.
So Mordecai prepared a military exploit, and God let this military exploit be stored in the historical book of the palace, to be taken out for use at a critical time. Everyone must know that God's hand is everywhere. Do not think that David was chased by Saul, and Joseph was sold to Egypt as a slave, and God's hand was not there. In fact, God's hand is everywhere, and all things are controlled by God!
Some of us have brains that do not work well, and must follow their own ideas. If it does not fit their own ideas, they feel that God is not in control, which is troublesome. God prepared a military exploit for Mordecai, and it was a military exploit that was not rewarded, just to be taken out for use at a critical time.
Mordecai and Esther Will Become Vessels for God to Save Israel
If you want to become a vessel used by God, first you must have this personality, and second you must be a person who practices faith. Esther and Mordecai are both very personable people, and the core of that personality is faith.
They practice faith at all times. They believe that God reigns in the kingdoms of men, and God reigns in King Ahasuerus, the eunuchs, and us. Do you have such faith? If you do not have such faith, thinking that God does not care about the eunuchs, and King Ahasuerus is bigger than God, it is not like that. God is too big!
We train brothers and sisters, first, you must imitate Mordecai and Esther. They really have a heart willing to be used by God. What they yearn for is nothing more than wanting to become a vessel used by God. If you really have this faith, would you live like you are now? So people must have a Mingding in their bones, understanding why I am living?
King Ahasuerus is the father of King Artaxerxes in the Book of Ezra. After the Israelites were taken captive, King Ahasuerus did not issue an edict to build the temple, but what Mordecai and Esther yearned for was to become the salvation of the Israelites and Jews. This is not the salvation of a family. In the colonial environment, although they were captives, they wanted to live for God, not coveting vain fame. They had a strength in their bones, which is called Mingding.
Let me tell you, there is no blessing outside of Mingding! If your Mingding is to be a designer or salesman, that is not the Mingding mentioned in the Bible. The Mingding mentioned in the Bible is to become a blessing to all the families of the earth, to possess the gate of the enemies. So brothers and sisters, you really have to yearn to live for God, and you will never lose out.
Our theme this time is "God is Preparing Vessels of Salvation." We yearn to live for God and become vessels used by God, and we will surely become honorable vessels of God. Do not always care about your own small plot of land, "one acre of land, two cows, wife and children on a warm bed," and then live in a very narrow concept.
If you look carefully at the people God has chosen, this Sunday I will talk about Rebekah. She wants to become the mother of millions, her descendants will possess the gate of the enemies, she hopes that her descendants will be like the sand on the seashore, the stars in the sky, and all the families of the earth will be blessed because of her. She wants to inherit Abraham's promise. These are all amazing people!
Esther, Mordecai, Rebekah, Ruth, and Rahab are all amazing women! Esther is beautiful, has a Mingding, and is protected by God. She is simply an amazing person, worthy of our imitation! We will share this Bible study here. May God bless everyone!
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