9/23/2011 8:07:53 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: The choice of Ester PT. 2-3
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ester 2:8-11
Message of the verses: “8 So it came about when the command and decree of the king were heard and many young ladies were gathered to the citadel of Susa into the custody of Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king’s palace into the custody of Hegai, who was in charge of the women. 9 Now the young lady pleased him and found favor with him. So he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and food, gave her seven choice maids from the king’s palace and transferred her and her maids to the best place in the harem. 10 Esther did not make known her people or her kindred, for Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make them known. 11 Every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and how she fared.”
I mentioned in yesterday’s SD that there are four sub-points to this second main point that Dr. Wiersbe uses in his commentary. I am looking at the second and third sub-points in today’s SD. It must be remembered that the theme of this second chapter is how the hand of God is at work in the affairs of people and in the case of this second main point in the life of Ester.
“The encouragement of Hegai” is the title of this second sub point and it covers verses eight and nine of the second chapter of Ester.
It is not difficult to see the hand of God in this section, for here we have a Persian man whose job was to please the king and so just as in the case of Daniel and also Joseph God brings a man or men into their lives to work out His plans for His people. One can only imagine how often this is going on in different parts of the world even today, that God is working in the hearts of even unbelievers to bring about what He wants accomplished and to also take care of His children. I want to give a couple of verse here that show how the Lord will take care of His own: “Mt 24:22 "Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” 1Pe 2:9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
“The nationality of Ester” is the third sup-point and it covers verses ten and eleven.
Dr. Wiersbe writes: “It would appear that the two cousins’ silence about their nationality was directed by God because He had a special work for them to accomplish. There was plenty of anti-Semitism in the Gentile world, and Mordecai’s motive was probably their own personal safety, but God had something greaten in mind.” He goes on to say “Mordecai and Ester wanted to live in peace, but God used them to keep the Jewish people alive.” Here again we see the hand of God working for the affairs of His own.
“The approval of the king” is the fourth sub-point under this second main point and it covers Ester 2:12-18, and although I had not planned to do this one today it has worked out for me to do so.
“12 Now when the turn of each young lady came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the end of her twelve months under the regulations for the women-for the days of their beautification were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and the cosmetics for women- 13 the young lady would go in to the king in this way: anything that she desired was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. 14 In the evening she would go in and in the morning she would return to the second harem, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not again go in to the king unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name. 15 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. 16 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. 17 The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his princes and his servants; he also made a holiday for the provinces and gave gifts according to the king’s bounty.
Acts 15:18 reads as follows “"Known to God from eternity are all His works (NKJV).” This section of Scripture surely is one of the works of God. We are told that Ester was beautiful in form and features in Ester 2:7 and so this must have been what attracted her to Hegai and who gave her such special treatment, for he knew what the king desired in a woman and therefore she was made ready for the king. I am sure that this would have been a feather in his cap to prepare Ester for the king.
We now see the forth banquet that is seen in the book of Ester, for after the king had chosen Ester he was so happy that he decided to give a banquet in her honor and then he declared a holiday for all of Persia, that could be something like the “year of Jubilee.”
Ester was not put in place to accomplish something great for the children of Israel and this is why she was there at this time in history to save the Jews from destruction.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I don’t know if when we get to heaven that we will be able to see things like this explained to us, but I hope that is the case. I would suppose that the Lord uses us to accomplish things that at times we don’t even realize it. I just really like so much stories like this when I can see the hand of the Lord working and from time to time I have had the privilege of seeing it in my own life when I meet people who are very open to hear the plan of salvation and then accept that into their lives and have the chance to see them begin to blossom for the Lord. These are days and times that really bring about the most joy in my life.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. Be open and ready for those divine connections that God had prepared for me.
2. Continue to learn contentment.
3. Pray that my IBS will not affect what I have to do this morning.
9/23/2011 8:59:47 AM
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