The Making Of Queen EstherНамуна

It’s important to remember here that for God, the ends justify the means. He is moving everything toward His end, and He gets there in mysterious ways. But the ends justify the means for Him because He is all-knowing and all-wise. We are not all-knowing and all-wise. All we have is the Word He has given us in the Bible. Thus, the fact that God allows and uses the good, bad and ugly to work toward His end does not give us license to disobey His commands in the hopes that the end will make it worth it. God is God, and He alone has this wisdom. We are called to obey.

Esther knew that. Esther trusted that. She also knew this was her one opportunity to enter a higher status in life than she and her family had ever known. Yes, she was beautiful. But we are told that all the women who were chosen to audition for this role were beautiful. It would take more than looks to secure the crown. That’s why Esther remained close to the king’s eunuch, the one with whom she had found favor. If anyone knew the king’s likes or dislikes, it would be him. Thus, when it was time for Esther to enter the king’s bed chambers, she took only what Hegai advised. It says,

Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai who had adopted her as his own daughter. When her turn came to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the king’s eunuch, keeper of the women, suggested. Esther gained favor in the eyes of everyone who saw her. She was taken to King Ahasuerus in the palace in the tenth month, the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. The king loved Esther more than all the other women. She won more favor and approval from him than did any of the other virgins. He placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti. (Esther 2:15-17)

Why did the king love Esther more than all the women? Why did Esther find favor with him similar to how she had found favor with his eunuch a year earlier? The narrative recorded in Scripture doesn’t state it explicitly, but we can conjecture through what we have been told. You’ll notice that all of the other women took in whatever they wanted from the first harem. Whatever they took in was then removed from the king’s chambers the next day and went with them to the second harem. Otherwise, the items would have simply piled up in the king’s room. After a year of preparation, this was their opportunity to secure for themselves a little "something-something" on the side. 

Yet when Esther entered the presence of the king, she took nothing other than what the eunuch advised.

As a king, you don’t know who to trust. When you are a king, you don’t know who is real and authentic. You don’t know who wants you versus who just wants your stuff. Who wants you or who just wants to ride in your chariot. Who wants you or who wants a closet in the palace filled with fine linens and trinkets.

The point that the author of the book of Esther emphasizes is that Esther wasn’t like the other women. Esther didn’t ask for anything. She was not trying to be a drifter or an opportunist in order to get all she could. She wasn’t trying to play the king. Rather, she was trying to win him. There’s an enormous difference between the two.

The king knew that too. So, he made her his queen.

Encouraged? If you would like to read more about God's providence, click here to download a complimentary ebook from Dr. Tony Evans about Esther. 

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