Lessons from Esther: Part 3 - How I was Convicted

To say that Esther was a courageous woman would be a massive understatement.  One of my new favorite moments from a woman in the bible is in chapter 4 of Esther.  Mordecai learns of Haman's plan to destroy the Jews throughout Persia.  Even though he knows it will put Esther at great risk, he also knows that she is their only hope, so he asks for her help.

I'm skipping a lot of really good stuff, but to cut straight to the chase, here is Esther's response. (Remember, anyone who approaches the king without a summons is facing a likely death penalty.  Esther also points out to Mordecai in vs. 14 that the king has not called on her in 30 days!)
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day.  I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish. - Esther 4:15-16 (emphasis mine)

This was just one little thing among several that God used recently to convict me about fasting... and the fact that I never do it!  I think if we're honest a good majority of us don't.  We have excuses about how busy we are, how we need the energy, how it's unhealthy, how we would just fail and use it as a way to lose weight, or in my case, how grumpy I get without food.  But we are expected to fast.  Early followers did it so regularly that when Jesus spoke of fasting he said, "When you fast..." (Matt 6:16) Not if, but when. He spoke of it in the same way he spoke of prayer. They go hand in hand.  Jesus himself fasted for 40 days and 40 nights (Matthew 4).

Fortunately, we can start small.  I think the key is to make it a regular part of our worship.  So I've made a new commitment to fast for one meal per week.  Maybe eventually I can build on that, but so far I've already forgotten and found myself munching more than once!  I am not a perfect one here, for sure and for certain...

One thing I love about fasting is how it reinforces my efforts to be joyful always and pray continually.  Hunger is my cue to pray, which means that I do a lot of praying, pretty much continually.  Because hunger is on my mind, God is even more on my mind.  In order to fast, we must humble ourselves significantly and put ourselves in a vulnerable, physically weakened place. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor 12:10.  Spiritually, we soar!  It teaches us discipline and self-control that we need for a spiritually fruitful life.  God will bless any genuine effort we make to take a step of faith and humble ourselves. I have felt and experienced his joy and blessings almost immediately!  So if you're one who has lots of excuses, I challenge you to put them aside and try it!  Esther didn't hesitate to fast when she was in a bind.  In an already vulnerable position, she chose to weaken herself even further to truly let God work and speak in her life.  She even humbled herself to the threat of death.  I want to be more like her...and more like Jesus.

Here are some fasting resources for you:
Cru: Guide to Fasting and Prayer by Bill Bright
Adding Fasting to your Prayer Life - For Dummies!
Tips for Effective Fasting

Lessons from Esther Part II: Bring it all to your king

Dating might be difficult, but I sure am glad I got to date my husband first instead of being put into a situation like Esther was.  She had one night, one night to make a lasting impression on the king so that he would remember her name, one night to convince him that she could be the wife he was looking for.  Talk about pressure.

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. ~ Es. 2:17 NIV

That's it. That's all the information we get about her singular night with the king.  Bummer!  Fortunately, it does tell us quite a bit though - God is awesome like that.  A great tip I learned in Bible Study Fellowship classes is to look up other bible translations of the verse in question, and then go to the dictionary to get more insight into particular words.  Here are some other translations:

The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him... NASB

The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight... ESV

And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight...KJV

The king fell in love with Esther far more than with any of his other women or any of the other virgins - he was totally smitten with her. - The Message

There's only one word used that indicates that the king's infatuation with Esther rested solely upon her beauty: "attracted."  All the other words underlined indicate that the king's feelings for her went far deeper.  Let's see what the dictionary can tell us:

Love - profoundly tender, passionate affection for another, warm personal attachment or deep affection,  sexual desire or passion

Favor - friendly or well-disposed regard, goodwill, a gift bestowed as a token of goodwill, love

Grace - a manifestation of favor, pleasing or attractive quality or endowment, goodwill

Approve - to think or speak favorably of

It's safe to say that Esther brought much much more to the king than her body.  She brought along her mind and her personality as well.  They shared more than just physical intimacy, but emotional intimacy as well.  The king is just a man after all, in need of a woman by his side who he can confide in, just one person in the world with whom he can be himself and be vulnerable.  As king, he must have been constantly surrounded by fake people who either inflated themselves or foolishly kissed up to the king and his every move.  Famous people are just people after all.  Everyone longs to have someone by their side that they can just be real with.  I think Esther was that for the king.  Remember that for your king or queen!

Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. (Says the king!)  Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. ~ Proverbs 31:29-30

Lessons from Esther: Part I - The Lap of "Luxury"

Confession: Although I am a woman who has been studying the bible for 8 years now, I had never read the book of Esther until this week.  

Whew, ok. Now that that's off my chest, I would like to state for the record that Esther is a new favorite of mine.  If there are any other women (or men) out there who have not ventured over to those pages of your bible, I suggest you do so very very soon.  Only 10 chapters, packed to the brim with action and drama and life lessons - which is why this post is "Part I."  Esther is officially added to my list of people that I would like very much to have dinner with in Heaven.  Maybe even coffee.  I feel like we could be friends.  So, I want to focus on her and her character.

Esther is an orphan who has been adopted by her cousin Mordecai (who would be another amazing character study!).  We know that she is an extremely beautiful young virgin.  She and Mordecai are Jews living in Susa, a citadel of Persia.  Susa held a magnificent fortified acropolis and palace complex for the king.  The king at the time is Xerxes, who ruled from 486-465 BC.  Historically, he's best known for his invasion of Greece (and his eventual loss).  When Esther meets him, he's about 40 years old.  The law of the land was that no one could approach the king without a summons - ever. Any offenders would promptly have their heads removed from their bodies, unless the king lowered his scepter and allowed them to proceed, which was rare for him to do.

Lightning fast summary of chapter 1: Xerxes throws a massive party for all of Susa.  He becomes drunk and asks his eunuchs to bring him his Queen, Vashti, so that he can parade her in front of his guests as eye-candy.  Vashti must be another woman of some strength and character, because she refuses even though she surely knows the consequences will be severe.  In his anger, the king banishes her and plans to find a "better" queen.

Chapter 2 opens 4 years later, after Xerxes has returned from his battles against Greece.  For him, his homecoming is not so warm because he no longer has a wife!  So his attendants basically propose a competition, like a Bachelorette reality show of epic proportions.  They round up many young girls to be Queen candidates.   Enter Esther!
Es. 2:9 ...Esther also was taken to the king's palace...
Esther had no choice in this matter as she was taken away from her father and protector and whisked into the palace.  She was removed from everything and everyone she knew and lost all of her hopes and dreams she likely had of meeting a nice Jewish boy, marrying for love and bearing his children.  Now the man she had to look to was the king of the empire!  Quite literally, the king of her known world.

And here's what was ahead of her:  12 months of beauty treatments, 6 months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics.  She would then choose anything she wanted to bring with her when she went for her one single night with the king. After that she would be sent to the king's harem with the concubines where she would remain unless the king summoned her by name (Es. 2:12-14).  So there were two ways this could turn out, she would be Queen or she would be one of likely hundreds of concubines living out their days in vain awaiting the call of king.

Can you imagine being a commoner suddenly thrust into such a spectacle? For a taste of the lavish lifestyle which she found herself in, look back in chapter 1 verses 4-8 where the king's city-wide party is described.  Words pop out like: enclosed gardens, linens, marble pillars, couches of gold and silver, gold goblets, mother-of-pearl, and an open bar to the entire population of the city!  Add in all those months of beauty treatments, and we don't have to think too hard about what this could mean for all these young women.  A similar parallel today could be those who are suddenly made famous by a hit song or a movie.  We know how those stories turn out. We see them splashed all over our check out lanes on a daily basis.  How easy it would be for our heads to inflate and our pride to run away with us, taking our hearts and our rational minds with it.  Imagine the drama, the envy and jealousy, the snide remarks, the cliques that would crop up within days in such circumstances.

So, Esther was put under the charge of Hegai, the eunuch who was head of the harem.  And, The girl pleased him and won his favor.  Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food.  He assigned to her seven maids...and moved her into the best place in the harem - Es. 2:9 emphasis mine.

Hegai, who sees hundreds of these young women, immediately takes notice of Esther.  She must not have been crying her eyes out, flaunting herself, or gossiping with the others.  She must have had an inner peace, humbleness, and grace, that emanated from her.  We know that Esther does not reveal her nationality and continues to obey all of Mordecai's teachings (Es. 2:10, 20).  In this, she remains true to herself, her family, and her faith.

Sadly, we don't get to hear about her 12 months of preparation and beauty treatments.  How I would love for more insight into that time of her life and how she kept her head and her heart intact!  The story skips straight to her night with the king and we are told, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai...suggested.  And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her - Es. 2:15 emphasis mine.  It kills me that we don't know what this item was, and when I meet her it will be one of my burning questions!  But we can presume that while the other girls are probably throwing on as many impressive pieces of jewelry and extravagant gifts for the king that they can think of, Esther keeps it simple.  She does not presume to be a know-it-all.  She humbles herself and asks for help and advice, and then she takes it!  The other girls must have thought she was nuts.  I imagine them saying, "Represent yourself!  How will the king ever remember you with so little?"  But, Esther isn't just bringing her body, she's bringing her whole self to the king. And that is part II.