Parties and drinking and divorce and beauty contests and murder plots and…God turned it to good?
Seven days of partying, one drink-fueled whim, followed by one brash decision. “After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed against her” (Est 2:1). History is replete with examples of those who do things under the influence, only to discover when sober that their life has been tragically changed forever. So it was with Ahasuerus. But a servant of the court knew how to distract him from any regret. “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king…And let beauty preparations be given them. Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti” (vv 2-4). A Miss Persia Contest to replace Queen Vashti! You can only imagine the flurry of activity in the boudoirs of the realm as mothers fussed and young ladies primped, with dreams of the palace at Shushan dancing in their heads. It so happened that living in the citadel “was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite” (v 5). He “had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful” (v 7). We’re not sure if Mordecai had a part in the decision to include her in the contest: “when the king’s command and decree were heard,…Esther also was taken to the king’s palace” (v 8). The pageant would prove to be “No contest” when the king saw Esther. Notice that the two books in the Bible named after women show a startling comparison and contrast, as we’ll see. Ruth was a Gentile discovered by a princely Jew; Esther was a Jew presented to a Gentile king. Both turned the tide in rescuing the Jewish people and the Messianic line!