Esther 1:1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from Indian even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:
The book of Esther is an amazing story! You may well know it. Once upon a time, there was a pretty, but unassuming Jewish girl and Prince Charming came and swept her off her feet. Well, that is not exactly what happened. It was not so much a beauty pageant and living happily ever after. The first words are, “It came to pass,” basically, “It just happened.” You get the impression that this is just happenstance; it just happened.
But, as you read the story of Esther, it is the story of the origination of Purim, a celebration of the Jews to this day where they recognize the providence and protection of God. Purim means “dice” or “a lot.” The idea is the roll of the dice or dumb luck, yet the Bible gives us a story of providence, God’s provision. Proverbs 16:33 says, “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.” You can roll the dice, but God reigns.
It is interesting that God is not once named in this book, yet every verse pictures Him. It is like my grandson. He is not very old. He doesn’t know how to spell or even read my name, but he knows my face when he sees it. You may not see God’s name spelled out in the story of Esther, but He is pictured throughout the entire story.
Esther 1 introduces us to the king. “It came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus.” The Bible talks about how he reigned, his power, his riches, his honor, and his banquet. God is laying out layers of the story to come. Verse 9 says, “Also Vashti the queen.” You are introduced to another character. You read that she was fair and she refused the king, which almost no one did. Verse 19 gives another element, “Let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered.” Maybe you have heard of the proverbial law of the Medes and Persians. It was a law that could not be changed.
So, you read all this, and it is a series of dry facts, or so it seems. In chapter 2 God layers on some more facts. Chapter 3 has more facts and a story starts to emerge. Then, chapter 4 has some tension, a protagonist and an antagonist, a hero, or so we think, and the villain.
By the time you get to the end of the story of Esther, the flywheel is moving so rapidly that no one can even see what is going on in real time. It is happening so quickly. That is the way life is. God is layering His provision. He is layering providence into your life right now. Maybe your life seems like random facts, good or bad, but God is layering His provision into your life.
I have mentioned before the idea of Chekov’s gun, where the idea is if you see a rifle hanging over the mantle in Act I, by Act 3 it will have to be used. In other words, there is a design in the elements of any good story. So as you read Esther, if you are not careful, you will sleep through chapter 1. There is the king, the queen, the law that never changes. By the time things begin to move rapidly and with consequence, you are missing it.
Life can be the same way. You are not going to see all that God is doing today. Esther could only read her own life a chapter at a time, much the way I would if I was reading this story for the first time. Yet, God saw all this and beyond. God could see to the celebration of Purim thousands of years from the time that Esther lived. So, God is layering elements of His story into your life. He is layering provision into your life. God was providing for His people before they even knew they had a problem.
Now, there are three things we should do in response. First, be brave. It is easy to say and hard to do, but doing it at all is a response to who God is, not what you see at the moment. God is layering providence into your life much like He is in the story before us. So, be brave. It is so easy to be swept one way or the other by the forces of culture and by what is going on. Anyone can be virtuous if there is pressure to do so. It is different to do the right thing when there is pressure against doing the wrong thing.
Second, be patient. No story is just dropped into your lap overnight. There are a series of chapters and events. I cannot see today all that God is doing and all He is preparing for tomorrow. So, be brave and be patient.
Third, be true. You and God make a majority. You may not see that today, but I would encourage you whatever the forces are, whoever the ruler of the known world may be at the time, be true to the sovereign over every king, that is God Almighty. We can only see in retrospect. We only see what is in the past, but God knows your prospects, what He is preparing, and what He has in His heart for you today.
You may be facing fear, famine, war, tyranny, or other things on a smaller scale that are really big to you. Be encouraged. You may not see everything today, but God is laying providence into your life. Be brave; be patient; be true.