When we left our story,
Esther had entered the room during the tenth month and seventh year
of King Ahasuerus' reign, and everyone was stricken by her beauty.
She was immediately taken to the King's portion of the palace, and in
chapter two and verse seventeen, she is made the new queen. We read:
And the king loved
Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his
sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon
her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
Our
verse begins, “And the king loved Esther above all the women,
and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the
virgins;” When King Ahasuerus saw Esther, her preparation, her
accessories, elegance, and demeanor, He was stricken by her. This was
truly “love at first sight” and he did not mind that she was
preferred over all the other women who made their appearance. She
gained “grace” and “favor” in his sight right
away. The word “grace” is “chen” and means
“acceptance”, and the word “favor” is “checed”
which means “goodness, kindness and faithfulness”. Esther
received the acceptance and goodness of King Ahasuerus from the
moment he saw her.
The
verse continues, “so that he set the royal crown upon her head,
and made her queen instead of Vashti.” Not only was King
Ahasuerus stricken by Esther, but he took action after he was - “he
set the royal crown upon her head” which indicated to everyone
that his selection for new queen was made. He made a public display
of his affection and preference to Esther above all the other fair
young maidens, and the beauty contest was over. Esther was now the
new queen, and there was no longer a need for any others to appear.
We are
told in the scriptures that we shall be given crowns for our efforts
and works upon the Earth. However our coronation service will be a
little different than it was for Esther. These crowns will be cast at
Jesus' feet as a form of worship and appreciation for the sacrifice
He made for all of us. As we meditate upon the crowning of Esther
today, perhaps we will ponder first whether He will crown us with
royalty someday, and secondly whether we would have any preparations
made upon the Earth that would give us crowns to cast at His feet in
appreciation. May the Lord bless our thoughts and move us to make our
coronation His some day.
Next time we see King Ahasuerus hold a
feast for Esther, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look for
the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation
to Generation” and the new marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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