Bibledoorajar says what's in a name?

     We are following the story of a young woman from the tribe of Benjamin named Hadassah. Her name means myrtle as in an evergreen tree which bears fragrant leaves. But now that she has been summoned to the palace, her Uncle Mordecai has cautioned her to not use her real name. We know of no reason that Mordecai would have had to tell her this at this point in the story. Perhaps this cautionary step came to Mordecai from his God without Mordecai really understanding its importance. The Babylonian name of Esther was selected. It means "as beautiful as the moon", "light". Esther is a derivation of the name of the false goddess Ashtar and is in no way a holy name. Why was Hadassah's God not offended by this name selection?  Perhaps it was because he knew it would be a perfect "cover" for the woman that He planned to use so mightily in the fullness of time. If there was a "tare" sown in the wheat at the palace, then God would insure that the converse would also be true. Wheat would be secretly sown among the tares. Hiding wheat among the tares is not a new thing with God. Remember Moses?` Taken to the palace of the one who was trying to kill him, he was given an Egyptian identity. His true identity was not revealed until the fullness of time.
     So God's hidden "seed" is planted in the palace because she has been obedient to her adoptive father. From henceforth it is her intention to not present herself as she really is. No one in the palace questions her. She fits in. Now she is in the women's chamber being prepared to meet the king. She has found it is a place to bathe (wash) and to remove old clothes.  She chooses simplicity but elegance and will not be weighted down with excess as are some of the others.  Next we will see her seeking a spa treatment. It will be long by our standards and very beneficial. Perhaps beyond anything she has ever experienced. This purification treatment is a treatment every believer should long for. Do you?

Bibledoorajar watches Esther's pursuit of preparation

      The excellent storytelling of Esther's journey with the king goes on and we continue to be drawn in. But where is our story headed? What will be the end of Esther's journey? And what of her pursuit of the king? What compels her to do what she does? I say it is the Spirit of God. And I say she was propelled to have faith in her God, the God of her people, the Jews. But I also say she had to answer some serious questions along the way. How can a woman be just before her God? Can she trust Him to mediate for her? If she prepares herself, will He be pleased with her preparation and use her for His will? Will He, in the end, redeem His endangered people? The book never records any answers from God to these questions yet the past history of her people spoke volumes to her faith. Esther carried on.

     Years later, a man was struck blind on his way. He then encountered a period of preparation living alone with the Spirit of God. He too had to answer the same questions that confronted Esther. Finally, his name was changed from Saul to Paul and he was propelled into a ministry sharing what he called "my gospel". His gospel was an illumination of what the prophet Habakkuk had said, "the just shall live by faith". Paul did great things for God and in the face of the unknown had this to say:

"And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem.

I don't know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit

tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead.

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing

the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus--the work of telling

others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God".

Acts 20:22-24

Can we be just as sure as Esther and Paul that all our preparations will be worth it? That even though we might, like Esther, not hear the voice of God we can be like King David and say: "My God, by day I call to you, but you don't answer; likewise at night, but I get no relief. Nevertheless, you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted, and you rescued them. They cried to you and escaped; they trusted in you and were not disappointed". I think that is where Esther came to rest. She came to see her life would be worth nothing without the foundation: "the just shall live by faith". How about you? Do you agree?

Bibledoorajar wonders about Esther's situation

"Try not.  Do or do not. There is no try."

Yoda, Star Wars

     Esther was brought into the king's palace and placed in the hands of Hegai ("meditation"), the keeper of the women. She was aware of the grooming process, but did she know that the mission was going to become bigger than she? She was naturally beautiful, but she was yet to learn what else Hegai needed to instill in the women before he delivered the best candidates to spend a night with the king. Here in the meditation chamber, Esther was instructed about the king. She learned of his position and of hers. She would realize the difference between the two and would come to understand palace protocols. Here in the chamber she would find a place to be washed. Her old clothes would be removed and she would examine and choose what to wear before the king. Esther observed some of the other maidens. They were choosing to excess and weighing themselves down with glitter. Esther turned to Hegai and placed her confidence in his wisdom and knowledge of the king. She chose only what Hegai said she would need to go before the king. Esther had decided to do, not try and she was going to faithfully do as Hegai taught her to do.

     The writer of Hebrews ( I believe the apostle Paul) wrote:

"Let us STRIP OFF and THROW ASIDE every

encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that

sin which so readily (cleverly) besets us."

Hebrews 12:1

     We must come to the Holy Spirit and into the meditation room with a determination to do, not just try. Laying ourselves bare, we accept the help that we need to become a worthy candidate to spend time with the king. We reject excesses in our lives in favor of the truth, pure and undefiled.  We are enlightened. We understand that we are being groomed for a mission bigger than we are. We must be made ready. It is that important.

Bibledoorajar Watches God begin to work

     We are about to embark on some amazing events. God is going to elevate Esther to Queen, reward Mordecai for his wisdom and loyalty to Him, providentially rescue His people and undo and reverse the works of evil. This story is amazing. No wonder it is such an encouragement to Jewish people. I just wish more people could see that God is still performing this kind of unbelievable actions through the works of Jesus Christ and His Spirit.
     The story continues with the virgin candidates being taken forcefully to the palace. It was done with force, but they were not in chains. They were not prisoners. They were brought to Hegai whose name means "meditation". He was the keeper of the women and his job was to provide a quiet place for the women to reflect, to realize they might be queen one day. Our heroine was among them. Esther was her Babylonian name and it means "beautiful as the moon" or "light". She was from the tribe of Benjamin. Years before this, Moses had prophesied over the tribe of Benjamin: "The BELOVED of the Lord shall dwell in SAFETY by Him, and the Lord shall cover him all day long, and he shall stand between His shoulders." This Benjamite girl had been born in exile in the city of Shushan in Persia. Shushan means "lily city". Now just how is God going to consider the lily, Shushan? What beauty would he bring there? Esther was orphaned at an early age and was adopted by her cousin, Mordecai who was a descendant of King Saul. Mordecai had been taken captive from Jerusalem during the Babylonian captivity led by King Nebuchanazzar. Mordecai was a righteous Jew and he loved Esther and guided her in God's ways.
     Jesus told his followers that His kingdom would be taken by force. He did not mean that we would be brought to him in chains as prisoners. He meant that through the power of His Spirit we would be brought to Him, into the light. He, our great "Mordecai", guides us into our adoptive Father's kingdom with great wisdom and loyalty. Praise Him!

Bibledoorajar says Ahaseurus 1 Vashti 0

     But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror

the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into 

the same image from glory to glory.

2 Corinthians 3:18

     I don't understand why Vashti "the best" did as she did. It makes me want to suppose. Suppose she was having a bad day. Suppose she wasn't thinking clearly. Suppose she was crazy. Why did she refuse to leave her own party for a better one? Why did she choose to dishonor the king? Why did she not cooperate with the king or be submissive to him? Why was she so unwilling to be called upon for duty. Whatever the answers to these questions, a greater one faced King Ahaseurus. What was he to do with the disobedient Vashti? Her life was now in his hands. 

     The king decided to seek the counsel of his seven chamberlains and his seven wise men. These men knew the king face to face. They knew all about the kingdom, its provinces and its laws and judgement. They were sworn to loyalty and were obligated to satisfy the king with right thinking which would end all strife. They had great influence on the king. The council agreed that the rebellious queen must be divorced and she must be banished from the kingdom. She must be put away for willful disobedience to a court order as dictated by Persian law. And further a new queen must be found. They even came up with a way to make this process more interesting for the king and to keep him from getting further depressed. The counselors proposed having virgins taken from all across the kingdom  to become candidates for the queen. To resist the summons would mean death. 

     This recommendation was accepted by the king and thus there was an opening for God to work on a hidden problem. You see, not all of the king's counselors had the best in mind for certain of the king's people. This proposed a problem for God for these people were His people. They were Jews whom God called His anointed and whom He had counseled should not be harmed.

     Vashti was positioned in the best quarters of the palace, but she was unwilling to relinquish her will and come to the king joyfully. Now, we will see if a young virgin has the character to determine not only her destiny but the destiny of her people. Will she be able to fulfill the requirements of the king? The answer is yes, for God will enable her to spend sustained time with the king and will help her accept his rule and reign in her life.

    The Spirit is enabling us to spend sustained time with our King and to accept His rule and reign in our hearts. He intercedes for us. He is changing our character so that we might fulfill our destiny to rule and reign with Him. Thank you Holy Spirit! Help me be more open to such a great destiny. Amen.

Bibledoorajar looks at Persian Royalty

     The kingdom of Persia was great at the time of the story of Esther. We learned in the book of Daniel that Persia ruled over 120 provinces at that time. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had previously invaded Jerusalem and taken many Jews captive to Babylon. When Persia defeated Babylon about seventy years later, Persia allowed the Jews to return home to rebuild Jerusalem and God's temple. However, only a remnant of Jews went home. By the time of Esther the remnant was in Israel and royalty in Persia ruled over 127 provinces. These stretched from India to Ethiopia. The kingdom and the kingship was in the hands of Ahasuerus. Ahasuerus was a title rather than a personal name and meant mighty or venerable king. The king's queen was Vashti who was a descendant of the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar. Ahasuerus planned to improve his worldly posture even more by invading Greece. He planned and plotted for a long time about this. He consulted military and political resources who served the king across the vast empire.
      As the story of Esther opens, Persia's mighty king has decided to hold two feasts or banquets. The first would be for the nobles and princes and the second would be for the people of the land both great and small. The rooms of the palace in Shushan the capital would be filled for 180 days and the palace was filled with the dazzling wealth and splendor of the kingdom. The palace and all its' trappings were very elegant. The stewards were told to serve each man what he wanted from the royal abundance of food and wine.
     Vashti, the queen whose name means "the best", also gave a banquet for the women in the royal apartment. While the Queen was involved with her banquet, the king being in high spirits from wine, sends the seven officers who attended him to bring the Queen with her crown in to his banquet. He was anxious to show her off for the record states that she was a beautiful woman. But Vashti refused to come at the order of the king  given by the seven officers. The king was livid. Why did Vashti fail to keep the king's summons? The scriptures do not say. It could be that her ancestry dictated a lack of loyalty to the king and she wanted to embarrass the king. Whatever her motive, her actions backfired on her. 
Vashti reminds us of Israel. God, through seven major prophets, summoned "the best" to return to Him, but she refused. The councils of heaven instituted plans for the church. The temple and its glory passed away and Israel's peoples were scattered. There is a lesson for us here. May it never be said of the church that when God summons us we do not come to him so that He might show forth our beauty. Do you agree?

Bibledoorajar examines power in secular events

     King David proclaimed in Psalms 22...

...future generations will be told about the Lord.

They proclaim his righteousness, 

declaring to a people yet unborn:

HE HAS DONE IT!

 vs. 29-31

        This same sentiment about God echoes in the book of Esther even though His name is never mentioned. The writer of Esther is not named but many attribute the book to Ezra or Mordecai himself. I personally favor Mordecai because whoever wrote the book had a great deal of knowledge about life in the kingdom of Persia. Who better to write the book than an eyewitness to the events presented? And, who better to speak of an absent God doing something in the context of the fabric of a foreign nation in which he lived than a loyal Jew? Some don't believe that God intervenes in secular events, but David also said in Psalms 22 that "the royal power belongs to the Lord and He rules the nations (vs. 28)." Therefore, I believe God orchestrated the events in the kingdom of Persia to achieve an objective...freedom of His people. A pretext to enable a godly objective. Esther and Mordecai were caught up in events not of their own resolution or planned purposes. Nowhere in the story is there a report of their personal strength and resolve but rather the story presents two people who are emboldened in the events by the experiences they have had of God over time.

     The writer of the book spoke assuredly about the events that took place. He said in the opening of the book--"this is what happened" and said in chapter 10 of the book that the events "are written about in the annals of the kings of Media and Persia." To me, it is as if the writer is saying, this is what was going on in Persia when God worked in the secular events of Persia to save His people. HE DID IT! How do you see it?