Esther's Feast Esther 2:18 - Equipped for Battle

After naming Esther the queen of the Persian Empire, King Ahasuerus desires to celebrate. As we read chapter two and verse eighteen, let us keep in mind that Almighty God is working behind the scenes of what appears to be normal circumstances. We read:

Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king.

We might imagine for a moment that after four long years, King Ahasuerus finally has a new queen. Esther has been chosen among all the fair young maidens throughout the kingdom, and it is easy to think about both Esther and King Ahasuerus' delight. Our verse begins, “Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast;” We have not read of such a feast in all the four years since King Ahasuerus banished Queen Vashti from the throne. We are not sure whether there were any feasts in between, and we could hardly blame King Ahasuerus if he didn't because of what happened at the last one. However, things have changed, and now that Esther is his new queen, it is time to celebrate once again.

This feast is called “a great feast” which means it was on a large scale. As the feast we read about in the first chapter of Esther, this one was open to “all his princes and his servants”. It's as if anyone “in the know” was invited. Notice too that it was called “Esther's feast”. Esther who was the orphaned, displaced, younger cousin of Mordecai was now the queen of Persia, and this was cause for celebration upon many levels. Of course, these advancements for those who seemed underprivileged are often God's invisible hand at work.

Finally we read, “and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king.” First the king “made a release to the provinces” which means he gave them a day of rest or a holiday from all their specific duties, and then he also “gave gifts” which means he bestowed and granted portions, presents, contributions and offerings to the princes and servants. These are demonstrations of a man who is delighted in his queen, and his liberality was felt throughout the kingdom as he celebrated Queen Esther.

As we think about these things, let our minds take us into this vast celebration. What was it like to be there among the joviality, the feasting, the dancing, and music? How was King Ahasuerus intermingling among his guests, and what was Esther doing while she was there? Perhaps this wonderful feast will remind us of the “marriage supper of the lamb” spoken of in the book of Revelation for those who have received Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Indeed there will be feasting. Indeed there will be laughter and music, and indeed the King of Kings and Lord of Lords will be celebrating as His bride comes to be with Him someday.

Next time we see the young maidens gathered together for a second time, 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.