As Queen Esther stood before
King Ahasuerus, she touched the end of his extended golden scepter
which meant she was accepted in his presence even though she entered
uninvited. In chapter five and verse three we learn that as he looked
upon her he asked her some important questions. We read:
Then said the king unto
her, What do you wish queen Esther? and what is your
request? it shall be even given you to the half of the kingdom.
Our
verse begins, “Then said the king unto her, What do you wish
queen Esther? and what is your request?” Let us
imagine being in Esther's place for just a moment. There she stood
before the raised scepter of the king, and perhaps her head was
lowered and she was only looking up at him from moment to moment. As
he gazes upon her and she upon him, he perceives that she has a
desire, and he wants to know it. He simply asks and then repeats,
what is it that you wish? We can almost hear his desire to fulfill
her request even before she asks it. Let us not forget that he is the
king and his resources are quite extensive. Not only is he interested
in her wish, but he is more than likely able to fulfill it.
The
verse goes on to say, “it shall be even given you to the half of
the kingdom.” As if to encourage Queen Esther not to hold back
on her request, the king offers her “up to half of the
kingdom”. This is quite the offer when we think about
how large the “kingdom” was. One hundred and twenty-seven
provinces, palaces, riches, etc. filled the Persian Empire, and
surely Esther's desire could be fulfilled by all of these. King
Ahasuerus' liberality toward Esther's bold move of faith was an
extensive reward compared to the manner in which he managed his
former queen, Vashti, who would not appear before him even when he
requested her appearance.
Jesus
said in the gospel of Luke in chapter eleven and verses nine and ten:
And
I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall
find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asks
receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be
opened.
When we
make an invited appearance before Jesus Christ, He not only receives
us but He also asks what we desire. As an Almighty resourceful God,
Jesus can fulfill any desire that we may have. Alignment with Him is
our first responsibility, and after we comply with His will, we will
only desire that His purposes be done. As we humbly approach our King
of Kings Jesus, may He ever more extend to us His scepter of grace
that we may find help in our time of need, and may we continue to
discover what His purpose and will is for our lives that we will not
be desirous to ask him for anything that is outside of His will.
Next
time Esther will give her answer to the king, 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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