Esther 1:2 …king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace…
I suppose that most of us are enamored by royalty, by the monarchy. We love kings, queens, princes, princesses, and the romance of the princess being married. We have been programmed by Disney to think in this romantic term, and even the English monarchy is a vestige of the pomp and circumstance of such ruling in Europe and other places.
Esther is the story of a queen, a Jewish woman, and of someone who was thrown into circumstances beyond her control. Yet, this story shows the providence, the looking ahead, the “provide-ance,” of God. The Bible says, “Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over a hundred and seven and twenty provinces:) That in those days when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace.”
It goes on to talk about this king, the power of Persia and Media, the riches of his glorious kingdom, the honor of his excellent majesty, vessels of gold, and royal wine in abundance. This is a setting of this king who is celebrating his survival. He had killed off all the competitors for the throne. He had bested all the other nations in the known world. This is not a fairy tale of some noble prince and some lovely princess. This is a story of survival, of a man who ruled a kingdom with somewhat of an iron fist, who had a harem, and who chose a queen. This is the story of Esther.
What is interesting in the first chapter is you find wealth, wine, and celebration, but not necessarily happiness. This king had this royal feast in which he became drunk with all his courtiers. They were celebrating the fact that he was still standing, but it does not demonstrate happiness. There’s a little bit of irony here. This king had all kinds of power, but not the respect or trust of his own wife. When she did not do what he wished, he made a law about it and dismissed her from being queen. His supposedly wise men said that this deed would go abroad unto all women and cause them to despise their husbands. So, the king took a domestic incident and made it a national crisis. He had power, but he did not have respect of those who were closest to him.
King Ahasuerus had wise men, yet neither he nor they had good sense. They ended up making things worse. They dismissed this queen because she did not follow the dictates of the king. Then they sent out messengers to seek out the loveliest ladies in the kingdom. This is how Esther, this Jewish woman, became queen in the Persian Empire.
When you read the Bible, God’s people have rarely been in power, but God’s power should always be in God’s people. Many times we want to have political or physical power, but we miss out on trusting the God Who has power. In the book of Esther, don’t be so absorbed by the throne you can see that you miss the throne you do not see, namely the throne of God. This is a book in which God’s name is not once mentioned, yet you see His likeness in every chapter. You do not have to read the name of God in the book of Esther to see His providence, and you do not have to read God’s name on your day to know that God is a God of providence.
Providence means “God’s ability to look ahead” and it is His “provide-ance,” meaning that He is ready to provide for those who look to Him. He has a plan and purpose, and He gives favor to those who need it. So, as you begin the story of Esther, it is a story of great power, but it is a story of power greater than the power you can see. It is the story of the power, providence, and watchfulness of God upon His own.