Day 13 – Esther 2:1-10
Opening Prayer: Father, give me the boldness of Vashti and the courage and faith of Esther to obey You without fear, believing that You are my protector and defender.
Read: Esther 2:1-10
In your 4R journal:
- Record: After reading this short story, what verse stood out to you?
- Respond: Write a short prayer of praise in response to what God has shown you.
King Xerxes no longer had a Queen and he wanted one. Thus, the King’s attendants, appealing to his vanity, suggested that all the beautiful, young virgins be gathered into his harem so he could choose a Queen among them. Like a modern-day spy novel, the drama opens with a conflict that instantly leads to a crisis. For the common people this was traumatic. After all, their daughters were taken from their homes without hope of returning. In fact, ALL the beautiful, young virgins in EVERY Province (127) were rounded up and forced to join the King’s harem. Imagine hundreds, if not thousands of women taken from their homes and forced to live in the palace in Susa. Although they were pampered, they were also separated from their loved ones. (Imagine the tears!)
Then there is our Esther with her adopted father, Mordecai. I can see him whispering his last instructions to her as she is pulled to the door, “Don’t tell anyone, Hadassah, that you are a Jew. Your name is Esther.”
“Yes, Abba, my name is Esther.” And she is gone.
Interestingly, Esther is thought to mean star and yet may have been derived from the Hebrew root s-t-r which means “hide” which is exactly what Esther was to do–hide her identity. It’s just like God to “hide” a nugget like that in His Word!
Reflection:
- When have you felt you had to hide something about yourself?
- How has God redeemed that situation?
My Verse: Esther 2:9, “She pleased him and won his favor.”
My Response: Oh Father, how I long to please You and You alone! Give me a single-minded devotion to Jesus.
While in the harem, during her beauty treatments, Esther was in the care of a Eunuch named Hegai. “She pleased him and won his favor.” Because of this she was elevated to the best place in the harem. Remember, there were at least several hundred women, all beautiful enough to be queen. But God pushed Esther to the front of the pack, not because she was better but because she was willing and prepared.
Reflection:
- How has God prepared You for something difficult?
- What was the outcome?
There was a time in my life when I was willing and prepared for a move across the country with a man who was not a believer at the time. I’m certain Esther didn’t want to be gathered like a fish into the king’s harem. Like her, I didn’t want to move. But God had bigger plans. Because I knew it was God’s will I left all that I knew to be safe and comfortable. What God had for me was not easy but it was more than I could ask or imagine. As a new believer I wanted to please God, yet I was afraid and even angry. God’s grace was like an overwhelming current as soon as I jumped into the water by faith. In the same way He sustained Esther, He also sustained me and guided me through the uncomfortable reality of being married to an unbeliever in a foreign land. But He also knew the future. Only fourteen years later, my husband was to be His child too.
Oh, Lord, may I please You and find favor in Your eyes! May I always obey You even when it’s hard and confusing because You are trustworthy!
The next step:
When the Spirit leads, in the comment section below, chose a response to share:
- When have you felt you had to hide something about yourself?
- How has God redeemed that situation?
- How has God prepared You for something difficult?
- What was the outcome?
Or
- Share your 4R Response
