The plot to our story has
thickened once again as King Ahasuerus and Haman are sitting at the
second of two banquets held by Queen Esther. After some time at the
banquet, King Ahasuerus asked Esther what her petition was of him up
to half of the kingdom. In chapter seven and verse three we see the
beginning of her answer. We read:
Then Esther the queen
answered and said, If I have found favor in thy sight, O king, and if
it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my
people at my request:
The
verse begins, “Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I
have found favor in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king,...”
The marvel of this portion of this verse is the humility in which
Esther begins her answer. She says, “if” and “if” as though
to open the opportunity for there not to be favor or pleasing to the
king. Although she was chosen over thousands of young maidens from
all over the kingdom, Esther takes a position that is humble, willing
to be discharged, and rejected. Entreaty in generally a very
affective manner when engaging those who have authority over us.
Note too
that Esther was looking for “favor” and to “please” the king.
The word “favor” means “grace, charm or acceptance”
and the word “please” means “to be pleasant, joyful or
glad”. Each of these were important to Esther if she was to receive
what she desired.
The
verse goes on to say, “let my life be given me at my
petition, and my people at my request:” We
might imagine the furrowed brow and wonder upon King Ahasuerus' face
when Esther spoke these words. First, she began with her own life.
Esther believed herself to be in some favor with the king as he did
indeed choose her over thousands of available others, and only after
the possible threat of his loss of her would she make an appeal for
her people as well. Secondly, she proposed the saving of her people.
We might remember that this was the exact moment in which Mordecai
told her “and who knows whether you are come to the
kingdom for such a time as this?”
This was indeed Esther's time, and her request began with notice to
the king that both she and her people were in danger of elimination.
How
would we act in such a place as Queen Esther? Would we think to use
entreaty and humility as we made our request? Would we place
ourselves in positions of favor and pleasing to the authority above
us or would we simply blurt out our petition? As we ponder this verse
and the actions within it, perhaps we will take a few lessons from
wise Esther as she prepared these two feasts, waited for her moment,
and used humility within her time to speak. As we align ourselves
with Jesus and Our Heavenly Father, may the Spirit of God lead us to
such wisdom in our times of external need, and may we evermore be
governed by the wisdom of God within them.
Next
time we will see more of Esther's answer, 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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