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Are you seeking to become more attractive and win favor with others? Who isn’t? Join us today at the Spa, circa 479 BC and hear how attractiveness, God’s way, finds favor and how the providence of God unfolds slowly but surely. (The image is an ancient painting entitled Esther Bedecked by Aert de Gerder, 1684, showing Esther bedecked in an ermine-edged coat.)
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 and to witness the crowning of a new queen.
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 showed his status in Jewish lineage. When the Scriptures mention Nebuchadnezzar carried away Kish, the verses are referring 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 and that 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 the circumstances which 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.
God’s Attractiveness Plan
Proverbs 31: 30 and 1 Peter 3: 3 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 and 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.
Links
- You can download Bookmarks from this podcast series at my website: WRAPYourseldinJOY.com.
- For all Esther & Turnaround JOY podcasts click here:
- Check out more podcasts here!
- Click here to find the book: Esther For Such A Time As This: Prayer, Reversals and Joy
