The scene is being set, and
the providential hand of God is at work. As we have met one of our
characters in the book of Esther, Ahasuerus or Xerxes I of Persia, we
have learned that he ruled over one hundred and twenty seven
provinces at this time and was in the winter palace of Shushan. In
chapter one and verse three we see more of the story. We read:
In the third year of
his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the
power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces,
[being] before him:
The
scripture begins, “In the third year of his reign, he made a
feast unto all his princes and his servants;” This must have
been quite the affair as we remember there were one hundred and
twenty seven provinces over which he ruled. Princes, servants and
those who governed over others were called and invited to participate
in this great feast. This massive banquet must have taken great
efforts and logistical coordinations from a vast supply of people
just to give notification to the guest. Imagine all the planning,
equipping and preparation for the feast to be set, the food to be
ready, and the travel arrangements for those who were invited. This
was going to be the event of Ahasuerus' reign, and those who would
attend would be a privileged group.
The
scripture continues, “the power of Persia and Media, the nobles
and princes of the provinces, being before him:” This gives us
even greater insight into the guests. These are the “power”
which means the strength, the ability, efficiency, wealth, force and
army of Persia and Media. These were the people who made Persia and
Media the reigning empire of the day. They were nobles and rulers,
chiefs and vassals, heads and overseers, elders and wardens of
different areas throughout the empire, and all of them and their
servants were invited to participate in this feast. In other words,
anyone who was of stature and power throughout the empire was invited
to be a guest of this massive banquet. Though the management of this
feast must have been quite the undertaking, Ahasuerus managed to pull
it all together and now his guest, “being before him” were
in position for him to pontificate as he desired upon their listening
ears. We shall learn what he had to say to them in our next verse, so
we will have to wait until then to know what he said. We must keep in
mind as we continue our study, the planning of God is vastly superior
than we know in the dealings of man, and His providence goes well
beyond our ability to comprehend.
Next time we will see Ahasuerus showing off his riches, so read
ahead, and let us join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look for
the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation
to Generation” and the new 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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