One by one the fair young
maidens gathered from all over the Persian empire are making their
appearance before King Ahasuerus. Each one has been given twelve
months of beauty treatments and is adorned with the finest
accessories available. Finally in chapter two and verse fifteen,
Esther makes her appearance where we read:
Now when the turn of
Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken
her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required
nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the
women, appointed. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all them
that looked upon her.
Our
verse begins, “Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of
Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter,
was come to go in unto the king,...” We discover more
information about Esther in these words. First, Esther was the
daughter of “Abihail” which means “my father is might”.
Secondly, we notice that Abihail is the brother of Mordecai's dad. In
other words, once again we see that Mordecai and Esther were cousins,
and although they were, since Esther was younger than Mordecai, she
became as a daughter to him.
The
verse goes on to say, “she required nothing but what Hegai the
king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed.” Esther,
as we learned in previous verses, was easily instructed. When
Mordecai told her to keep the secret of her nationality and family,
she did, and now she is listening to and obeying Hegai the king's
chamberlain. We remember that the other maidens were allowed to
obtain any accessories they desired before they were presented to the
king. Esther deferred her selection to Hegai who more than likely
knew what the king enjoyed more than anyone else. Great wisdom was
demonstrated by Esther as she allowed herself to be taught, and then
obeyed the teaching.
Our
verse ends, “And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all them
that looked upon her.” When Esther entered the room, it appears
that there was not only the king before her, but others were there as
well. She “obtained favor” which means she gained great
acceptance by all of them. She was so beautiful that she literally
stopped the room. None of the other ladies made this king of
impression, and when Esther stood before them, it was as if they were
breathless.
Let's
consider this for a moment. Who created Esther with such beauty? Who
gave her this wisdom and insight? Who put her in the place and
position that she would be able to have favor “in the sight of
all them that looked upon her”? The answer is simple if we take
a moment to ponder it. It was Almighty God creating, conducting, and
orchestrating behind the scenes. Although these scriptures do not
name Him or even make reference to Him, if we allow ourselves to look
a little deeper, we can see His mighty hand at work even in the
unseen. May we ever more learn that He is at work in our scenes to
give us favor as well.
Next time we see the time of year when
Esther was presented before Ahasuerus, 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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