God, in His plan to save the Jews from annihilation, needed a vessel, chosen by Him, to execute this salvation. Do you aspire to be such a precious vessel? How can you become pivotal in God's plan of salvation? This chapter will reveal the answer to you.
Reflection Questions:
In verses 1-5, was the advice given to the King by his courtiers a mere coincidence? Do you believe this was divinely orchestrated? Why would God do this?
In verses 13-15, what character traits do you discern in Esther? Reading verses 9 and 17, why did Hegai and the King favor Esther so much? Was it solely due to her beauty?
Summarize the kind of person Esther was. What character traits did she possess? Examine yourself to see if you possess these traits. If not, how can you improve yourself in the days ahead?
As we read this chapter of the Bible, these events have already transpired. However, at the time, Mordecai and Esther were unaware of what they would face. Entering the royal palace was entering a dangerous place, where the future was uncertain. The author highlights a central theme through these uncertainties: God is seeking and preparing vessels for salvation. God knew beforehand that a Haman would arise (Chapter 3) and that this Agagite Haman would seek to destroy the Jews. At this time, God initiated a plan of salvation, preparing a vessel to save the Jews from the peril of destruction. The crucial question was whether there would be such a vessel available for God to choose. If, at that time, even one Mordecai or Esther could not be found, the Jews would have faced annihilation. Therefore, there needed to be a vessel that could be prepared for salvation.
Our God is a God Who Presides Over Opportunities
We must understand that opportunities are always present. The question is whether we can become usable vessels to seize the opportunities God grants us. We previously discussed how Queen Vashti was deposed. What did she do to be deposed so inexplicably? From the deposition of the queen to the ascension of Esther, many years passed. During these years, countless individuals dreamed of becoming queen, devising plans and schemes behind the scenes. Today, we can know from these passages that Esther would become queen, but at the time, Esther could only act by faith. The throne remained vacant for so many years. Who would eventually occupy it? Only individuals like Mordecai and Esther could discern this. Opportunities are never lacking; what is lacking are the vessels. If you are that vessel, God is willing to raise you up from among the nations. God can remove the person who occupies that position and place you there, making you a blessing to many. This has nothing to do with worldly matters; it is entirely a spiritual matter.
Therefore, now that we understand that opportunities are always present, we must do one thing: imitate Mordecai and Esther, preparing ourselves to become vessels that can be chosen. If you prepare yourself well, God will surely use you, for God is constantly seeking usable vessels.
Esther Possessed a Faith to Live for God
She experienced the fall of Judah, captivity, and the loss of her parents. However, even such ordeals could not strip away the faith within her, nor her hope to live for God. It was after she became queen that her character began to emerge. Before that, she was just an unknown woman. If you are also an unknown woman today, living an ordinary life, but with an extraordinary mission, an extraordinary dream, then God will surely use you.
Thus says the Lord: Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What house will you build for me? And where will be my resting place? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came into being, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. (Isaiah 66:1-2)
God is seeking a person into whom His Spirit can enter. This is a great grace. Whether we can become such a person depends on the choices we make.
Esther Was a Person of Mission
If you were to ask me what kind of person Esther was, I would answer, Esther was a person of great mission. She did not covet the riches and splendor of the queen's throne. She hoped that God would place her in a position where she could be a blessing to many, at least to the Jews. With such a mission, she embarked on a daring enterprise. This was a great gamble; one would not dare to proceed without a measure of faith. We know that the royal palace was a place of intense political struggle. If one could become queen, the situation would be very perilous. If one could not become queen, the outcome would be equally miserable, as she was once a concubine of the king. Most people would prefer to be an ordinary, unremarkable woman. But if you think this way, the crown of glory and honor will not fall upon your head. Throughout history, the vessels used by God recorded in the Bible have been those who have a mission, who hope to be a blessing to many, and who are certainly not those who seek to live a life of mere survival.
I believe that taking risks is an expression of faith, as well as an expression of greed. The key to distinguishing between faith and greed is whether you desire a mission from heaven or earthly riches and glory. If you live for the things of this world, that is greed. If you embark on this risky path to fulfill a mission from heaven, that is faith. There was another risk in Esther's actions, which was to serve the most impulsive king in Persia. You never know when he might impulsively kill or depose you. The future was full of variables. Without faith, there is no way to face such a risk. Know that in this vast world, everything can change. The only thing that cannot change is holding tight to God's heart. No matter how this world changes, we must stand on the rock of Jesus Christ, unwavering. Only by standing on this rock can we live out the nobility, the glory, and the mission that God has for us.
Esther's Character
Esther's character is inseparable from her prayer life. Esther prayed and drew near to God, and she received the grace that God bestowed. Receiving grace, she was loved by all and obtained favor. What kind of character did Esther have?
Esther's first character trait: She was not easily negative. In the later chapters, we can read this character trait of Esther in the lines of the Bible. The reason is that she faced many misfortunes in her life. However, after experiencing so many misfortunes, she was still able to maintain a beautiful appearance, and we can determine that she was not a negative person. If you look in the mirror and find that your appearance is not very beautiful, then you must discover the problems within yourself. If you change from within, the outside will change with it, becoming more beautiful.
Second character trait: Under Mordecai's training, Esther became a person who was not impetuous, nor extravagant. From the scriptures, we can see that she could have taken much, but she did not. She did not engage in bribery or scheming behind the scenes. She simply did one thing: to draw near to God.
Third character trait: She had a strong presence of God. In life, if others treat you poorly or even wrong you, do not be discouraged. Know that it is because we are not close enough to God. In the Bible, anyone who has the presence of God is pleasing to all. God controls the thoughts in people's hearts. Whether your boss likes you depends not on the boss, nor on what you have done, but on how God controls your boss's thoughts. Sometimes you have done nothing, and the boss likes you and appreciates you for no reason. This often happens to our brothers and sisters in the church. Those who draw near to God are pleasing to others.
Fourth character trait: Esther was an obedient person. Even after becoming queen, she was not impetuous or extravagant. She still listened to Mordecai. Such people have true wisdom. If one becomes impetuous and proud with a little achievement, it is easy to fall into corruption.
My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:1-6)
Esther did according to these words. She did not try to please everyone, but everyone liked her. This is favor. These are Esther's four key attributes.
God Also Prepared a Mordecai
Esther possessed these character traits because Mordecai also possessed them. Mordecai clearly understood what God was doing in that generation. Even though God removed the kingdom of Judah in that generation, and even through the experience of captivity, Mordecai's faith in God remained unshaken. This Mordecai was taken captive to Babylon, perhaps a contemporary of Daniel. This Mordecai was a remarkable figure, and God prepared such a vessel that could be found. God also caused Esther's parents to die, placing Esther in Mordecai's home, to be raised by Mordecai, in preparation for this vessel.
To Depart from Vile Matters, One Must Be a Vessel of Honor
Mordecai consistently affirmed that his life was under God's control. This allowed him to be fearless in fulfilling the mission God had for him. In life, we must be professional in our work, but there is no need to be fearful, for God is in control of every aspect of our lives. This also tests whether we have faith in God, keeping His commandments; those with faith will surely be blessed. Therefore, God, at the end of this chapter, also granted Mordecai an opportunity to perform a meritorious deed—saving the king's life. None of this happened by chance. When I first believed in the Lord, my faith in God was absolute. In my first year working at the polytechnic, my English was so poor that I often struggled to communicate. God gave me many opportunities to solve complex technical problems. Eventually, only two advanced workers were selected in the entire school, and I was one of them. Many years later, the other advanced worker and I found ourselves working at the same company, both as department heads. I do not know about that other person, but I know that I was completely undeserving.
Therefore, if all things are in God's hands, and opportunities are created by God, then what can you and I do? The only thing we can do is to choose to be vessels of honor. In Paul's view, some are vessels of honor, and some are vessels of dishonor. We must choose to be the gold and silver vessels in the emperor's hand, not the dirty toilet bowls in the restroom. For to depart from vile matters, one must be a vessel of honor. If you are a vessel of honor, God will surely place that opportunity in your hands. Many brothers and sisters who have come to our church have seen their finances turned around. In this world, money cannot solve any problems, but our God blesses whom He wills and has mercy on whom He wills. The key is whether you are the one who can receive mercy. If your heart is filled with things that do not please God, always doing vile things, unwilling to depart from them, you cannot become a vessel of honor. Like our Sunday sermon, even if new wine is given, your old wineskin will burst. Without a new wineskin, how can you receive God's blessing?
You might ask: God, why don't you give me two hundred thousand or three hundred thousand? Such a question is not wise. How do you know God is not giving it to you? Have you prepared yourself? Queen Vashti was not deposed by King Ahasuerus; she was deposed by God, because God wanted Esther to be queen. Why did a Haman appear? Because God wanted Mordecai to take the position of prime minister. Even the position of queen God could give to Esther, even the position of prime minister God could give to Mordecai. If God is able to do such things, if you and I become people who please God, God has already prepared opportunities for you to become a blessing to many. God will surely lift you to that position, so that you can become a vessel that manifests God's glory and brings salvation.
Scripture:
Est 2:1 Later, when King Xerxes’ fury had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what he had decreed about her.
Est 2:2 Then the king’s personal attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king.
Est 2:3 Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them.
Est 2:4 Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it.
Est 2:5 Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish,
Est 2:6 who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin king of Judah.
Est 2:7 Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she was an orphan. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, was lovely in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.
Est 2:8 When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem.
Est 2:9 Hegai was pleased with Esther and showed her special favor. He 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.
Est 2:10 Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so.
Est 2:11 Every day Mordecai walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.
Est 2:12 Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and cosmetics.
Est 2:13 This is how each young woman entered the king’s presence: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace.
Est 2:14 In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name.
Est 2:15 When the turn came for Esther (the young woman Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her.
Est 2:16 She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
Est 2:17 Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
Est 2:18 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 with royal generosity.
Est 2:19 When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.
Est 2:20 Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.
Est 2:21 During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.
Est 2:22 But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai.
Est 2:23 When the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were impaled on poles. And all this was recorded in the royal annals in the presence of the king.