Day 110 – Esther: Introduction

“Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14 NLT

Drama, power, romance, and intrigue are the stuff of which best-selling novels and movies are made. But far from being a modern piece of fiction, the book of Esther is a true story, lived and recorded centuries ago. More than entertaining reading, it is a story of the profound interplay of God’s sovereignty and human will. God prepared the place and the opportunity, and His people, Esther and Mordecai, chose to act.

The book of Esther opens with a scene in which Queen Vashti refuses to obey an order from her husband, King Xerxes. She is subsequently deposed, and the search begins for a new queen. A decree is sent to gather all beautiful young women, and Esther, a young Jewish woman, is one of the chosen who becomes queen.

Meanwhile, Mordecai Esther’s older cousin became a government official and, during his tenure, foiled an assassination plot. But the ambitious and self-serving Haman was appointed second-in-command in the entire empire. When Mordecai refused to bow in reverence to him, Haman became furious and determined to destroy Mordecai and all the Jews along with him.

The plot thickens as you engage with the characters and see God’s providence sketch through the story.

Prayer: Father, thank You for showing us a different view of Your nation and Your providence and provision throughout. Allow us to see our situations from a different angle and look for Your providence within. Amen.