HealingStrong's Around the Word

Episode 46 - The Esther Series: Jewish Orphan Girl to Queen of Persia (Esther 2:15-18 NIV)

• HealingStrong • Episode 46

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We explore Esther's journey from orphan to queen through her encounter with King Xerxes, highlighting how her humility and God's favor positioned her for a greater purpose. The passage reveals how Esther's wise decision to seek counsel from those who knew the king best demonstrated a humble spirit that would later enable her to fulfill her divine mission.

• Esther displayed remarkable wisdom by seeking counsel from Hegai, the king's eunuch, rather than relying on her own judgment
• God's favor was evident as Esther won approval from everyone who saw her, distinguishing her beyond mere physical beauty
• The contrast between the king's self-serving culture and Esther's humble approach highlights God's subversive work through unlikely people
• Esther lived through this experience with uncertainty and fear, not knowing the divine purpose behind her elevation
• The twelve-month preparation period equipped Esther with royal knowledge she would need for her upcoming mission
• Esther's story demonstrates how God positions people strategically for His purposes, even when they cannot see the bigger picture

Suggested Resources:

BIBLE PLAN - Trusting God's Plan When You Don't See Him: Lessons From the Book of Esther

PODCAST - Genesis to Revelation Bible Reading

TOOLS - Refresh Your Spirit through God's Word


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Speaker 1:

We're reading the story, we know how it all ends. We see what's going to happen If we put ourself in Esther's position. She's got to be terrified by this whole process.

Speaker 2:

Well, hello, dear listener. My name is Cheryl and you are listening to Healing Strongs Around the Word. Who are we? We're a group of friends that love God and we love learning about His Word. So each day, you'll hear me reading a Bible passage, and then we'll chat about what we're learning from it. Today's passage is from Esther, chapter 2, verses 15 through 18 from the NIV version of the Bible.

Speaker 3:

So join us.

Speaker 2:

Around the Word Esther, chapter 2, verses 15 through 18. When the turn came for Esther the young woman Mordecai had adopted the daughter of his uncle Abahel to go to the king she asked for nothing other than what Haggai, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested, and Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her. She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the 10th month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. Now, the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. And the king gave a great banquet, esther's banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.

Speaker 2:

That was our Bible reading for today. Now let's listen in on the discussion around the word. This is the part of the story where everything changes for Esther. It's when she goes in and sees the king. Very short passage today, but let's discuss what we see.

Speaker 4:

Well, what I see here is a young girl who is wise, she can take anything she wants in to meet the king, but she looks to the king's advisor and ask him and he tells her and you know, through that she gains favor, through him and goes into the king's presence and he likes her more than any of the other women. It says that you know her favor, that she was favored more than anyone else, and so I love that, because favor, I think, is something that comes from the Lord.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, like almost like God's glow about her too, because I'm sure there were other very beautiful girls out there, possibly even prettier than her. But there's something else whenever you've got God's anointing on you that you would stand out.

Speaker 3:

Well, she had a humble spirit, she realized where she was and the stakes that are before her, and so she was not afraid to say I'm unfamiliar with what would be best, and she sought wisdom from others that didn't know what would be the best opportunity for her success.

Speaker 4:

And so it's interesting because she wasn't going and seeking wisdom from the other girls or, you know, she sought wisdom from the one who knows him the best.

Speaker 3:

Absolutely the one who knows him the best. Absolutely and so. But she was humble enough not to come in and say I know exactly what I'm going to do. You know she, she sought wisdom. So she remained humble and meek and didn't make it all about her. I love that about her personality.

Speaker 1:

Well, I'm always fascinated by the concept of eunuch. It's another, in my opinion, sign of depravity of that generation. The king would take some of his more powerful officials and he would have them castrated and then they were called eunuchs so that they would not have children that could promote an uprising against him. So it was all for his purpose. I mean, you know, that is, I'm going to use your life for my purpose. I'm going to your loss too yeah.

Speaker 1:

And I'm going to prevent you from having a family. It's such a selfish attitude, a worldly selfish attitude versus the humility of Esther and how she presents herself.

Speaker 3:

And God's favor really was all over her, because it says here that the king loved Esther more than all the other women. And so God is already working and we can see the orchestration of him, positioning Esther to where she needed to be, because God was able to see what was coming and we will too later on what is coming and the vital role. And Esther needed to be humble, she needed to be one that would seek wisdom. But later we're going to see. Can she stand up and be as courageous as all that God has done for her? Is she willing to stand and do what God requires us to do, even in this terrible culture? Is she willing to stand up for what is right in God's eyes, beyond what anyone else will say? Spoiler alert Now she has been made queen.

Speaker 2:

Yes, that favor was on her and he chose her over all the other young ladies. He chose her and he gave a big banquet for her. It says yeah in verse 18,. The king gave a great banquet to Esther's banquet for all his nobles and officials. So I guess it makes you wonder if he's wanting to showcase again that hey, now we got a new queen in town.

Speaker 1:

But I think it's worth pointing out that, you know, esther knew none of this. We're reading the story, we know how it all ends, we see what's going to happen. Esther, if we put ourself in Esther's position, she got to be terrified of this whole process. I mean, she doesn't know how this is going to end. She surely doesn't know what's going to happen pretty soon. So, her little self being humble, the Lord's favor being on her, all of a sudden, this little orphan Jewish girl is elevated to the queen of this empire.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, the queen of Persia.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah that's pretty amazing, yeah, and we can only hope that, in that year-long preparation that they had and the fact that, because of the favor on her, she had seven handmaidens that were attending to her, that she was most likely learning some things about what it's like to be a queen, what it's like to have attendants take care of you, what it's like to have people that can be your advisors as well.

Speaker 2:

This was all happening during that 12 months before she was crowned. Esther has a ton of things she's having to learn, but I love that we've been spotlighting her humility and God's favor on her, because, as we'll see, god has a big mission and plan for her and her life to save her people. Thank you so much for joining us for Healing Strong's Around the Word podcast. I hope you are encouraged to go check out Esther's story on your own. Open up your Bible and see what it says and, if you have time, check out our website too, healingstrongorg, where you can find out about our mission and our community groups. Until next time, remember, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.