The story of Esther ep. 2 - empress Esther

Will I appear as a simple young woman before the great and dreaded king Ahasuerus? Esther was wondering. Will he find out that I'm Jewish? Besides, there's so many other beautiful young women being brought into the palace. What are the chances that the king would choose me? Welcome to the second episode of Esther's beautiful and thrilling story. We resume our journey through Persia, more precisely to the palace of King Ahasuerus, situated in the capital of Susa. There were indeed many young women at the palace, each more beautiful than the last, dreaming that they might be chosen to become queen. The king's servants offered them everything they could wish for and prepared them in many ways for the great meeting with King Ahasuerus. Among them was Esther, a young Jewish woman. She was taken from her home by the king's servants because of her beauty, and she was brought to the palace according to the king's commandment. Esther's parents died when she was just a child, and Esther was raised by Mordecai, her older cousin. Mordecai was a faithful and God-fearing man, and he raised Esther in the same way. It was certainly not easy for Esther now, a faithful young woman living in a pagan world. Here she was among strangers who did not know the God of the Jews. But Mordecai took great care of her and prepared Esther in advance. It is very important not to reveal to anyone at the palace that you're Jewish, Mordecai told Esther. Once it is found out, your life may be in danger. This is our secret. The Lord made Esther find favor among the king's servants. They gave her seven maids and the very best room. Every young woman had to prepare for 12 whole months for the meeting with the king. After 12 months, the young woman would appear before the king, and in turn, King Ahasuerus would choose the most beautiful of them as his new queen. Mordecai came daily to the palace court to find out how Esther was doing. He was not allowed to enter the palace to meet Esther, but the palace servants always brought him news about her. How's Esther doing these days? Is she okay? Mordecai asked one of the palace servants. Yes, Esther's fine, the servant replied. She is preparing for the meeting with the king just like the other ladies. Everyone around here loves Esther. She was even given the best room in the women's house. Mordecai prayed that Esther might continue to keep the secret of her identity, that she was Jewish, but he couldn't ask anyone about that. He could only trust God. Esther, however, listened to Mordecai and did not reveal to anyone her nationality. When each young woman appeared before the king, she could choose to wear whatever she wanted, jewels and all kinds of fancy clothes. Every young woman wanted to be the most beautiful so that King Ahasuerus would choose her as queen. But when it was Esther's turn to go to the king, she chose a simple outfit. Without fancy jewels and accessories, her beauty stood apart, and she did not require any fine jewelry or fancy clothes. When time came to appear before the king, Esther was very nervous, and she thought to herself, Will I appear as a simple young woman before the great and dreaded King Ahasuerus? Esther was wondering, Will he find out that I'm Jewish? And besides, there's so many beautiful young women brought to the palace. What are the chances that the king would choose me? She trembled in fear at first as she appeared before the king, not knowing what was going to happen. But Esther then remembered what Mordecai had taught her as a child. Trust in God's plan. Great King Ahasuerus, a servant announced, I present you Esther. When the king saw her beauty and simplicity, he was deeply charmed by Esther. He loved her more than all the other women. In fact, King Ahasuerus loved Esther so much that he chose her as his wife, put a crown on her head, and made her his queen. The capital of Susa hosted once again a great celebration. After much searching, King Ahasuerus found a queen. On this special occasion, the king organized a large party and gave generous gifts to his servants. Although she was now queen, Esther continued to listen and obey Mordecai, just as she did when she was brought up by him. Also, she kept her promise and did not reveal to anyone that she was Jewish. One day Mordecai was near the gate of the palace and he overheard two of the king's servants hatching a plot. The two were very angry with the king and planned to harm the king. Mordecai quickly sent a message to Queen Esther telling her, I heard a plan between two of the king's servants intending to harm him. Mordecai's message read, you should inform the king as soon as possible about this plot against him. Esther immediately informed the king. Investigations were made, the conspiracy was uncovered, and the two were found guilty. They were punished and Mordecai's good deed was recorded in the book of the King's Chronicles as Mordecai's name was written there. But in time, the king forgot about Mordecai and neglected to thank him or reward him in any way for his deed. Many times people do not praise or thank us for what we do, but we as children of God should not expect a reward from people, but we should have faith that although people do not know how to appreciate what we do, God will reward us in his goodness. After these events, King Ahasuerus decided to elevate Haman, one of his servants, to a position of high power. Thus Haman's seat was set above all other servants of the king. Moreover, the king gave the following command, let all my servants bow down and kneel before Haman. As Haman walked proudly through the gate of the king's palace and all bowed before him, Mordecai was the only one who did not bow. The other servants saw this and asked him, why do you break the king's command to do not kneel before Haman? Mordecai told them that he was a Jew and that God had commanded to kneel only before him. It was the king's command against God's command. Mordecai chose to obey God. When they saw that Mordecai stood by his decision, the servants told Haman, Master Haman, that Jew named Mordecai refuses to bow down before you. Thus, the servants continued, not only does he disobey you, but over and over again he violates the king's command. When Haman saw that Mordecai kept refusing to bow down before him, he was filled with anger. He was so angry that he wanted to take revenge not only on Mordecai, but on all Mordecai's people, the Jews. So Haman went to the king and told him, King Asurais, Haman stated, there is a certain people in your kingdom who has different laws than ours. They obey their laws and they do not keep the laws given by the king. Such people should not be allowed to live. Haman continued. Your Majesty, my advice to this, issue a decree to have these people destroyed, and in exchange I will give 10,000 talents of silver to the king's administrators for the royal treasury. Will King Ahasuerus agree with Haman's proposal? Will the Jews be killed along with Mordecai? Will Esther have the same fate? We invite you to join us in the next episode to continue the adventure in Esther's life. No matter what comes next, we have learned from Esther and Mordecai to trust God. What does it mean to trust in God? It means to always be sure that God knows what He is doing. He rules over the whole earth. He created me and you. He loves us and He always knows what is best for us. Just as was the case for Mordecai, Esther, and the Jewish people, when we are deeply troubled or when others are unfair to us, we should always listen to God and trust His plan. You can find it on YouTube, as well as on Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming platforms.