Preface
These devotions are in one day slots and are designed to get one thinking about the passages that are at the top of each one. We are now working in the Book of Esther. Esther is a short book in the Old Testament that tells the story of a godly woman who finds herself in an ungodly and heathen nation.
Esther was living in a dangerous time and yet had a great faith in the God of her fathers. Although the name of God is not mentioned in this book, yet we can see His hand in the affairs of people all the way through it. Each of the characters in this story has a spiritual equivalent which becomes apparent as we go through it. Let’s make a start on this fascinating story!
Vashti’s Refusal
Esther 1:1-12
God’s people had left Him out of their lives and had turned to follow heathen ways. Because of this, God allowed them to be taken captive to this strange land with another language and different customs. But even among the people of the king’s court, there were those who had come from the land of Israel as captives, and who had risen to positions of authority. A man called Daniel was one of these, and we see how God intervened in his life as he lived in this place. God does not allow His plans for His people to be thwarted and He only allows evil to go so far.
Our story starts, not with the character of the one we are going to study, but with a vastly different type of woman!
The scene is set in the opulence of an Eastern king’s court. The splendours and splurgings of King Ahasuerus are graphically described in this chapter. The beauty of his palace and the richness and length of his feast is beyond our imagination. He called together all his officials and princes and put on a tremendous banquet for them. After that was over, he then put on another feast which was supplied with wine in abundance.
At the same time, Queen Vashti put on a feast for the women of the court. After a whole week of feasting and drinking had gone on, the king decided to call for the queen to come and show her beauty to the men of the court. There are several ways that we can look at Vashti’s reaction to this royal command…..she may have arrogantly refused the king’s command or it may have been from the modesty of not appearing before a drunken crowd of men. Whichever it was, she refused the king’s command and paid for it dearly.
Vashti the queen refused to bring, Her homage to her lord and king; Whate’er her reason, we do not know, The king then said she had to go!
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Vashti Deposed.
Esther 1:13-22
We read here that the king was greatly upset by Vashti’s refusal to come to the party, and so were all his princes. They all felt that it would create a precedent where all the women in the land would go into a revolt against their husbands!
They felt that if Vashti were not made an example of, that she would become a role model for all the women of the day to follow, in disobeying their husbands.
How much we see this today among wives who want to do their own thing, even in many cases to making their own way in life without their husbands! The things that are written in the New Testament (and remember that these things were not authored by sour old men as some people say, but by the Living God) truly make for a happy home. When all else fails, turn to the Maker’s Handbook!
God says many things that cut right across the popular thoughts of today. Things like “women fitting in with their husbands plans”….(Ephesians 5:22 Living Bible), that is, not taking the lead out of his hands. How much do we wives respect and praise our husbands up? Nothing makes a man feel better than to know he is looked up to by his family (Ephesians 5:33b). Not only that, but children will follow this example as well.
One of the things that God takes notice of and appreciates more than anything else in a woman is a quiet and gentle spirit that comes from deep inside her. This is classed as being “precious” to God. Probably because God knows it doesn’t come naturally to we women!! We have to work on it and God appreciates the effort we make in this direction! (1 Peter 3:1-4)
Vashti paid the price for her revolt (for whatever reason, valid or not), and was banished from being queen. Unless we treat our husbands like a king, we won’t be treated as a queen!
God’s ways are right and lead to life, None more so than for a wife, To keep our spirit calm and meek, Is God’s desire for us to seek!
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Enter Esther
Esther 2:1-10
It is wonderful the way that God works in lives and the affairs of people. Here we see the stage being set for a godly woman to change the course of history….
God saw to it that Vashti was deposed and that Esther was among those chosen to be groomed for the position of queen. Not only that, but the timing was right in the political arena as well with the new prime minister not having risen to his zenith of power.
We see that Mordecai the Jew had some sort of job in or around the palace. Mordecai in this story is a type of God’s Holy Spirit who cares for and protects God’s people. Mordecai had the guardianship of his beautiful young cousin and she came to the notice of the officials who were looking around for girls to be groomed in court protocol to be the next queen.
Esther had such a sweet disposition and pretty face, that everyone liked her. Not only was she a pretty girl, but she was obedient to her cousin when he told her not to say that she was a Jewess.
As believers, we must be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as we read the Scriptures, so we can be a blessing to others.
Esther was right in time and place, With her sweet smile and pretty face; She charmed the prince with winsome ways, Learning graces for future days.
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Esther, the Queen
Esther 2:11-23…..
We see that Mordecai walked every day past where Esther was living, to see how she was getting on. It is wonderful too, to think that God’s Holy Spirit is living inside each believer as we go about our daily tasks…..
He is just as concerned about our feelings and thoughts as Mordecai ever was about Esther (Romans 8:9). When we neglect our times with the Lord, He is grieved (Ephesians 4:30), and when we rebel against what we know the Scriptures teach, His voice can be quenched (1 Thessalonians 5:19). But He is always with us.
Esther’s training lasted for twelve months and then it was her turn to go to the king to present herself before him. She made a great impression on him, and he loved her more than any of the other girls. So Esther became queen in the place of Vashti.
Even though she had such a high position, she was still obedient to Mordecai and he always kept near her. In the same way if we stay obedient to the Holy Spirit’s promptings, no matter what position we hold in life, God can use and bless us.
One day, Mordecai heard of a plot against the life of the king. He told Esther about this and she in turn told the king who promptly dealt with the men. Not only that, it was written in the king’s diary which he kept.
Esther now became the queen, And Mordecai was daily seen;
He kept in touch, was always there, And sought her daily life to share.
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Enter Haman
Esther 3: 1-15
We now see the villain of the story come into view. Haman was a very ambitious and proud man who couldn’t stand the sight of Mordecai outside the king’s palace….
When all the other men would bow and scrape to him, Mordecai remained upright. This made Haman boil inside and when he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, that made him even angrier. Who did he think he was? So he plotted to destroy all the Jews.
The king thought so much of Haman that he agreed to do whatever he suggested. Haman made his plans and presented them to the king. The date for the slaughter of all Jews was set and notification sent out.
Haman certainly seems to be a type of Satan who goes around among believers doing all sorts of mischief and looking for those he can devour and trip up. Peter says he is like a roaring lion and we are told to resist him firmly (1 Peter 5:8-9). The only way we can do this is to be firmly based in the teachings of Scripture. This is called the sword of God and it’s no use holding it without using it! (Ephesians 6:11-17)
So we see Haman rubbing his hands with glee at the thought of getting rid of the man he hated so much!
Haman came in so full of pride, But Mordecai he couldn’t abide;
To bow and scrape he’d just refuse, So Haman planned to kill al the Jews.
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Esther’s Preparation.
Esther 4: 1-17
Mordecai had heard the news of the Jews’ danger. He was very upset and grieved, and wore rags of mourning as he marched past the palace. Esther tried to give him decent clothes to put on but he refused, so she made a point of finding out what was wrong….
The lesson for us in this is that if we deliberately do wrong and sin, we grieve the Holy Spirit and we are told to not do this (Ephesians 4:30). We cannot cover sin up, we have to get to the bottom of the matter and put it right with confession and repentance if the fault has been ours.
Mordecai told her that she had to go to the king and tell him what Haman’s wicked plan was. If she didn’t, her own life was in danger along with the rest of her people. Esther knew what the ramifications were…. if she went to the king before he wanted to see her, she could lose her life even sooner!
It wasn’t enough for Esther to find out what was wrong…. she had to DO something about it, and it was Mordecai who told her what to do. In the same way, the Holy Spirit prompts us to do what is right to fix problems (Psalm 51:3-12).
Esther went into a three day fast and prayer session with her maidens before going to the king, and we too must spend much time in prayer before attempting to fix any problem.
Esther’s protector was very sad, She wondered why the news was bad,
But when she heard she then did care, And took it to the Lord in prayer.
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Esther’s Request
Esther 5: 1-9
The queen prepared herself in the best way she could before approaching the king. This is a lesson to us….. we cannot approach God wearing the rags of pride or resentment against others or with an unforgiving spirit (Psalm 66:18)…..
Esther knew that if the king wasn’t pleased to see her, it could cost her her life. But when she appeared before him, she looked so beautiful that he held out his sceptre of acceptance to her. In the same way, believers who have prepared themselves to approach God, can expect to have favour with Him. We cannot expect God to hear our requests until we have confessed our sins first (1 John 1:9).
It is a continual cycle as God wants us to make our requests, and not to worry about what is going on around us. Then when we come to Him wearing the robe of righteousness which is given to every one who believes and is cleansed from their sins, we are beautiful in His sight. Unlike Esther, we need have no fear when we approach God in prayer and praise.
Esther didn’t pluck up courage to make her big request straight away, but asked the king if he and Haman would attend a banquet she was putting on that night.
Haman was so excited and puffed up with pride, when he received his invitation. But how true the saying that pride comes before a fall! As he rushed past the palace gates to go home after the banquet, there was Mordecai standing straight and tall as he watched him go by. How he hated that man! He determined that he was going to rid of him once and for all. Little did he know what lay ahead!
Esther did a feast prepare, Which Haman too was asked to share,
But Mordecai being at the gate, Brought forth all of Haman’s hate!
*** *** *** Promotion of Good.
Esther 5: 20 — 6: 3
We see God moving in every chapter of this story…
. Chapter one shows the old queen removed (the old nature in a believer’s life); chapter two tells of Esther being given the place of honour (the new nature in a believer); chapter three brings the villain into the picture (Satan as a roaring lion)…..his hatred of Mordecai (the Holy Spirit protecting and guiding) brings about his own demise ultimately. Chapter four shows Esther begin to bring about the solution, and chapter five sees Haman’s pride and impatience to get rid of Mordecai immediately.
He was so excited as he rushed home to tell his wife and friends of the great honour of being the only other person invited to the queen’s banquet. The words tumbled out of his mouth and then his face fell as he remembered Mordecai. His wife said she didn’t know why he put up with him, why not build gallows and then get permission from the king to hang Mordecai and get rid of him for ever? No sooner said than done! So that evening they were built.
That night the king could not sleep. He tossed and turned and in the end he called for one of his scribes to bring his diary and read of his great deeds. After a few minutes, the story changed and he heard how there was a plot against his life, and how Mordecai had reported the danger. “What was done for this man to thank him for this?” he wanted to know. “Nothing, Your Majesty”, was the reply. “I must see to that in the morning” he thought, and rolled over to fall asleep immediately.
We can see how God was preparing the ground for Mordecai’s and Esther’s promotion although no-one realised it at the time. We too, never know what God has for us around the corner. It pays for us to be preparing ourselves for whatever might lie ahead in the future. Take every opportunity that comes your way and make the most of it (Romans 12:1-2). This was not organised or pushed for by Mordecai; he was totally unaware of any future change in his circumstances.
We are not to seek or push for promotion, but be ready to take whatever God sends our way. We might have some talents that seem irrelevant and unimportant now, but we are to keep our skills up. When God’s time is right, He will open the way for you to use them for His glory.
Mordecai is waiting in the wings, Until God’s time promotion brings,
Keep up your talents, hone your skills, For you to use when God so wills.
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Pride Comes Before a Fall.
Esther 6: 4-14
We see now that Haman’s star has begun to slip badly. Here he was rushing in to see the king first thing in the morning to get permission to see Mordecai swing from the gallows…
The king meantime, had just woken up and was still thinking about his lack of a reward for Mordecai for saving his life.
His first words to Haman were, “What should be done to the man who the king wants to honour?” Haman in his arrogance immediately thought, “Who would that be but me?” As his pride rose to the top, he told the king to have him robed in the highest uniform and insignia of the day, the king’s own clothes and crown in fact. The man was to be put on the king’s own horse and paraded around the city streets with trumpets blaring and placards saying that the king was honouring this man. How his face must have fallen when he was commanded to do this himself to his hated enemy Mordecai!
He nearly fell over in shock, but knew that to refuse was to sign his own death warrant. It would be impossible to know exactly how Haman felt, having to do this to the man he hated so much! Every step would have been like a sword turning in his heart.
He rushed home in mortification and went to bed sulking with his face to the wall. His wife was no comfort to him either, she merely said “You’ve begun to fall from grace, be careful now!” As she was speaking to him, the servant came rushing in reminding him that he was late for his appointment to the queen’s banquet this night as well.
This is one of the most graphic stories there is, illustrating the fact that pride comes before a fall. Our Lord Jesus tells a parable concerning this very thing and points out that it is better to stay humble and wait for others to give one honour than to take it for oneself! (Luke 14:7-11)
Haman so proud was told to go, And put Mordecai on public show,
“Here is the king’s honoured one”, He had to shout as this was done.
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Evil Dealt With.
Esther 7:1-10
As the king strolled into Esther’s banquet room, he had no idea of all the emotions that had torn Haman apart that day. Haman was broken emotionally and before the evening was over, he would be totally destroyed…..
But at the banquet, he had to pretend that nothing was wrong, when in fact his pride had been trodden on with every clop of the horse’s feet that day. He was as shamed and as angry as a man could be. Not only that, but he had got no comfort at home from his wife and friends.
Now he had to look and act pleasant in front of the king and queen. The king was asking Esther once more, what her request was and what was the reason for the banquet. There she stood looking so sweet and beautiful, revealing the fact that she was one of these hated Jews who were scheduled to be destroyed shortly. The enemy was none other than the king’s favourite, this “wicked” Haman. The king rose up in anger, and paced up and down in the garden taking all this in.
Haman threw himself onto the queen’s couch begging for mercy. This only made the king angrier and when the servant piped up and said that Haman had built gallows for Mordecai, the king ordered him (Haman) to be hung on them. Less than twenty-four hours after they were built, Haman was taking his last breath there.
Truly, pride comes before a fall! Proverbs 16:18 -20 makes this very clear and the crux of the whole matter is contained in verse 20 where it shows that those who trust in the Lord are the ones who are happy. Those who are always trying to climb the social ladder are chasing a will-o’-the-wisp that will never bring real joy and satisfaction.
We see here in our spiritual picture, that Satan is going to meet his doom one day, and although he seems to be flourishing in the world today, it is not going to last. He is doing his best now to drag God’s people down, but he will not have the last say.
Haman was filled with shame and dismay, As the queen told the king the truth that day,
He was overcome with panic and fear, Knowing that his end was near.
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Peace for God’s People.
Esther 8:1-17
We see here that Esther was a woman of great influence with the king. This was no doubt God’s doing and she was able to see to it that Mordecai was advanced to a high position….
But Esther wasn’t satisfied with just that….. the evil that Haman had put in place had to be reversed. So she begged the king that further letters be written to release the Jews from the sentence of death that was still hanging over them.
Not only was this done, but authority was given to them to destroy those who were their enemies without fear of reparation. What a wonderful day of rejoicing that was for the Jews! Not only that, but many of the surrounding people saw the Jews’ deliverance and “became Jews” themselves. If we live our lives as God intends us to, people around us will see that we are different and want to know the peace of God as well. This is when there will be a listening ear and a ready heart to hear what God says to them.
It will be the same for all of God’s people at the end of time too, to see all wrongs righted and evil put away for ever. What great rejoicing there will be in heaven in that day! But before that time comes, it is up to God’s people to put right as much as they can of wrong in their lives and families now, so there will be no shame when they see the Lord face to face. (1 John 2:28)
What a wonderful day when wrong is put right, When there’s day without end and no more dark night;
The master of evil no more to be seen, We can’t understand what all this will mean!!
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Only Good Reigns.
Esther 9:1-32
Chapter nine seems to go back in more detail over what has already been said in the previous chapter….
Mordecai was now promoted to Haman’s position, and whereas Haman was evil and self seeking, Mordecai was God-fearing and seeking the good of others. We see here the picture of Satan who always tries to tear down, and the Holy Spirit Who tries to encourage and build up God’s people. What a contrast!
We can also see in these two men the difference between a person who is godly and trying to do God’s will in obedience to His Word, and one who is selfish, greedy and ambitious. In other words the difference between a Spirit led believer and one who is controlled by the flesh. Sadly, there are Christians who allow the flesh to rule their lives.
So we see that when good is promoted what a difference it makes to a nation. There is prosperity…. notice that the Jews did not plunder their enemies…. and peace in the whole land once evil is dealt with and done away with.
We see God’s hand come in for good over His people….. in this case they had physical prosperity… but we as believers can also see God’s hand for good in our lives. It may not always be for physical good, but it is always for our spiritual good. Paul could write, ALL things work together for good to those who love God and who are called according to His plan (Romans 8:28).
We can see when we look back over our lives, that we always learn more of God’s care, provision and protection in the tough times than in the good times.
To learn from life is the main way, As we walk life’s path ev’ry day,
We see God’s hand around us all, He picks us up whene’er we fall.
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Challenges.
Esther 10:1-3
From being a despised and endangered people, the Jews were now protected and provided for, as well as being assured of their future. Mordecai was promoted next to the king, as his own people the Jews respected and looked up to him in this position…..
The hinge of it all was an obedient and godly woman, Esther. As Mordecai reminded her when the trouble first began, “Don’t think that you will escape! If you keep quiet at this time, then deliverance will arise from some other source and you will be killed yourself. Who knows whether this isn’t why you have come to the throne for such a time as this?” (chapter 4:13-14)
None of us can see into the future, and we will never know why some things have happened in our lives. But rest assured, there is One Who knows the end from the beginning. We just have to rest in Him Who holds us in His hand. What safer place could we be in?
Lessons to Learn…..
- Take opportunities when they present themselves. Esther took the opportunity to be one of the king’s women, and she did her very best even if she was taken against her will. We are told that whatever we do, we are to do it heartily as to the Lord.
- Be obedient to God’s Word…. Esther was obedient to what Mordecai told her to do.
- Be prepared to risk everything to do what is right. Esther was prepared to risk her life to save her people.
- If you have to go into desperate situations, make sure you go surrounded by prayer….yours and others with you.
- Do things correctly and don’t bend the rules. Esther made the best of herself by approaching the king in the correct way and he was won by her manner and appearance. (Colossians 3:23)
Esther did the best she could, To follow this is what we should,
Do what’s right and leave the rest, To Him Who knows what is the best!
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