Esther for This Time #3 – The Spa & A New Queen

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Esther Bedecked by Aert de Gerder, 1684; The Painting shows Esther about to be crowned & bedecked in an ermine-edged coat

The Spa & A New Queen

Are you seeking attractiveness and favor with others?  On the way to becoming queen, Esther offers us an example of attractiveness, God’s way. Join us today at the Spa, circa 479 BC, and hear how the attractiveness of heart wins friends and favor and witness the providence of God unfold.

Persia, 479 BC

• Four years have passed between Chapters One and Two of Esther (see Esther 1:3 and 2: 16). According to Greek historian Herodotus, during that time, King Ahasuerus suffered a great military defeat by the Greeks and returned home to consume himself with overindulgence and sensuality.
• He also missed the lasting relationship with his beautiful wife, Queen Vashti, whom he dethroned at his last party. The king’s advisors suggest a beauty contest with exotic spa treatments to help find a new queen. So today we are off to the spa to witness a new queen’s crowning.

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Mordecai Brings Up Esther (Esther 2: 1-8)

• Mordecai was introduced as a Jew in the family line of Kish (King Saul’s family) of the tribe of Benjamin. (Calling him a Jew repeatedly suggests that he was somehow still a foreigner and not completely accepted into secular Persia.) A person’s family line shows his status in Jewish lineage. When the Scriptures mention Nebuchadnezzar carried away Kish, the verses refer to the Babylonian captivity, with a second forced removal involving King Jeconiah of Judah in 597 BC. Likely, Mordecai’s grandfather and family members were among those taken captive in 597 BC.
• Mordecai was born in Susa of Persia after the defeat of the Babylonian Empire. He and his family had chosen not to return to Jerusalem when Cyrus the Great allowed the Jews to return home beginning in 539 BC.
• Esther was introduced as Mordecai’s younger cousin (Esther 2:7) whom he raised because she had been orphaned. Likely, her parents died when she was young. So it would have been Mordecai who taught her the Hebrew Scriptures and the Jewish faith

Esther & The Spa Treatments (Esther 2: 9-12)

• The beauty contest was not the usual Persian way to select a queen. Normally, kings took their wives from the families of the Persian nobles, which is probably how King Ahasuerus crowned Vashti. However, a self-indulgent and powerful king could choose any woman he wanted for a wife.
• In Susa, Esther was given seven servants plus food, probably laden with oils to fatten her up and help her display the Persian ideal of beauty. The women were given oil baths of delicious-smelling flowers and herbs to soften the skin and add a fragrant aroma.
• At Susa, Divine Providence – God unfolding his purposes – becomes more visible to the spiritual eye, as we notice Esther found favor with Hegai.

Esther is Crowned Queen (Esther 2: 12 -18)

• After twelve months of beauty treatments, it was Esther’s turn to come before the king.
• Esther pleased the king, even though we do not know the details or how this happened in one evening. Obviously, the king saw her inner and outer beauty—the first woman that pleased him since Vashti. It was Divine Providence behind the scenes that surely turned the king’s heart toward Esther, even if she was only cooperating with circumstances that were beyond her control.

Esther’s Banquet

• When King Ahasuerus crowned Esther as his Queen, he. gave another party, calling it Esther’s Banquet. This celebration included both men and women, generous gifts, and even tax relief.

Personal Reflection

Today, our story teaches us:

• The Lord can turn the heart of a leader. We can trust and pray that He does in our times as well.
• God is at work even though we don’t see him right away. We can pray to see God active in the scenes of our lives, for he is surely there at work.
• Ultimately it is God who turns the heart of the king. He gave Esther favor, and her inner beauty seemed to capture the king’s favor and love.

Personal Application & God’s Attractiveness Plan

• Read Proverbs 31: 30 and 1 Peter 3: 3 to summarize God’s beauty plan.
• Proverbs 31: 30. Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting, but a woman who fears [worships, honors, and respects] the Lord is to be praised. (GNT)    Obviously, with age, beauty fades, but to worship, honor and respect God creates a lasting attractiveness that appeals to others too.  God blesses all of our attempts to honor Him. So how is your attractiveness quotient when you consider spending time daily to worship and honor God is an important part of any beauty plan?
• 1 Peter 3:3-4. Don’t depend on things like fancy hairdos or gold jewelry or expensive clothes [outward adorning] to make you look beautiful. ⁴Be beautiful in your heart by being gentle and quiet [with a calm temper and contented mind]. This kind of beauty will last, and God considers it very special [precious in His sight]. (GNT)  It’s not that God objects to putting our best foot forward, so to speak, or trying to look our best at any age, but His Word suggests an attractiveness plan.
• Does your attractiveness plan include a gentle, quiet spirit with a calm temper and contented mind or demeanor? Ask the Holy  Spirit to help you. Ephesians 5:  22 says, the fruit of the Holy Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, and more in our lives. 

Cup of JOY Women

• Consider forming a weekly one-hour Cup of Joy Women’s small group. Brief study guides accompany this podcast series, and you can begin anytime.  You will meet for only ten weeks and it’s free! Pray about accepting this opportunity to engage others and gently evangelize by meeting with one or more friends over coffee or tea in your home or church.
• For information, email Karen or go to Cup of Joy Women.

Links

• Download Bookmarks from this podcast series: WRAPyourselfinJOY.com.
• Check out more podcasts here!
• Click here to find the book Esther For Such a Time As This: Prayer, Reversals, and JOY
• Join my newest podcast  Ruth – Finding JOY in Tough Times and Trusting in God’s Goodness. 

Esther for This Time: The Ten-Part Series over the Book of Esther

• Esther for This Time #1—The Backdrop & the Party ~ Esther will show us that God never abandons us; He was faithful 2500 years ago and is faithful to you today.
• Esther for This Time #2 – The Queen, the Refusal & the Bad Advice  ~ Pursue God’s true wisdom instead of worldly counsel from those motivated by power.
• Esther for This Time #3 – The Spa & A New Queen   ~  Hear how the attractiveness of the heart wins friends and favor and see God’s providence begin unfolding quietly.
• Esther for This Time #4 – Unwavering Resolve & the First Edict   ~ Only God can deliver a people from destruction; With prayer and resolve, He can and He will.
• Esther for This Time #5 – Your Mission For Such a Time as This ~  View powerful examples of interceding for a nation in desperate times.
• Esther for This Time #6 – Pray, Wait and Discern   ~  Esther demonstrates the value of prayer, but also why it’s important to wait and discern God’s solution.
• Esther for This Time #7 – God-Designed Comedy  ~ Enjoy the change: God reverses calamity with a sense of  ~ humor.
• Esther for This Time #8 – Reversals Begin ~ God loves reversals and offers creative solutions to problems; He can make them happen for you, too.
• Esther for This Time #9 – Creative Solutions and MORE Reversals  ~ Watch the reversals unfold through prayer, and the nation’s deliverance brings a desire for conversion.
• Esther for This Time #10  –  Celebrate God’s Goodness & the Feast of Purim  ~ Join the celebration; God delivers his people from their enemies and will do the same for you.