Christian Devotional – October 24, 2020

Pageant Queen with a Purpose, #7

Chosen. Esther was chosen by name. Here we see all that she went through to get ready for the moment when she would have her opportunity to meet the king. Read Esther 2:10-17.

Esther did not make known her people or her kindred, for Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make them known. Every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and how she fared. Now when the turn of each young lady came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the end of her twelve months under the regulations for the women-for the days of their beautification were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and the cosmetics for women- the young lady would go in to the king in this way: anything that she desired was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. In the evening she would go in and in the morning she would return to the second harem, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not again go in to the king unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name. Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the women, advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her. So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus to his royal palace in the tenth month which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
Esther 2:10‭-‬17 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/est.2.10-17.NASB

With all the ladies that were chosen to go through this process, we see that they really did go through quite an ordeal to be ready. There was a lot of preparation and a lot of planning that went into their meeting the king. Esther did everything that she was told and was obedient to those that she was around.

But the big criteria that had to be met was that the king had to remember her by name. The king needed to know her name and remember it and choose her. And he did. Esther made an impression on everyone she was around. When we think about our lives and the impact that we make on others, do we leave an impression on everyone we are around? And if so, what is that impression? Are we pointing people to Jesus Christ because of the way in which we deal with adversity and handle difficult situations? Are we pointing people to Jesus because of the way we praise him and give him thanks when we experience blessings and success?