15 Now Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle from whom Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter. And when it was her turn to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the king’s trusted official in charge of the harem, had advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of everyone who saw her.

16 She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

17 And the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she found grace and favor in his sight more than all of the other virgins. So he placed the royal crown upon her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.

18 Then the king held a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his officials and servants. He proclaimed a tax holiday in the provinces and gave gifts worthy of the king’s bounty.

19 When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. 20 Esther still had not revealed her lineage or her people, just as Mordecai had instructed. She obeyed Mordecai’s command, as she had done under his care.

21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, grew angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

22 When Mordecai learned of the plot, he reported it to Queen Esther, and she informed the king on Mordecai’s behalf.

23 After the report had been investigated and verified, both officials were hanged on the gallows. And all this was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles in the presence of the king.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

Two things stand out to me from this passage. Firstly, God is working out all things for the good of his people. He raises up Esther to be queen because he knows a great threat is coming to his people and his plan is to use Esther to save them. The same is true for each of us. God has placed each of us right where he wants us in order to work out his good purposes through us.

Secondly, in contrast to Queen Vashti, notice the sensible way Esther follows the advice of wise people and obeys those over her. She takes the advice of the king’s trusted official Hegai on what to take with her when it’s her turn to go to the king. And she obeys her adoptive father’s Mordecai’s command not to let on that she is a Jew. Let’s thank God for the wise people he has put over us and listen to their advice and obey them as appropriate.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is an Assistant Minister with our Bossley Park morning and Fairfield early congregations.