Put into story format by: Betty Benson Robertson
I will never forget the day my friend, Rebecca, said, "Esther, I heard the most exciting news. There is trouble at the palace. The king ordered the queen to appear before all his guests and she refused! Just flatly refused and he was very angry."
And, sure enough, the king sent the queen back to her home. An edict was sent out that all the most beautiful girls in the empire were to be gathered together.
My cousin, Mordecai, raised me like his own daughter after my parents died. He kept telling me that because of my beauty and loveliness, I could be the next queen. He had told me often that I was special - unique - created for a purpose and that God had a special plan for my life.
I never believed Mordecai because I was only a Jewish orphan. Well, it ended up that I was one of those kept in the palace for a year, given beauty treatments and trained to meet the king.
It has been years ago, but I will never forget how scared I was to met the king! I was just a plain girl and I chose not to wear elaborate clothes like all the others. The only jewelry I put on was this bracelet that had been my mother's.
The king said, "Esther, you are the loveliest thing I've ever seen. You are the first to make me laugh and to make me curious about what goes on in your mind. You have captured my heart. You will become the new queen."
The king appointed Haman as prime minister. All the king's officials bowed before Haman in deep reverence whenever he passed by, as the king had commanded. But Mordecai refused to bow, saying he did not have to because he was a Jew.
Haman was so angry! But he decided rather than to punish just Mordecai, he would destroy all the Jews in the whole kingdom.
The king had no idea I was a Jew. Mordecai had always told me to keep that a secret.
The king agreed. He took off his own ring from his finger and gave it to Hamen to seal the edict, which meant it was final, and could not be changed.
I was frantic! Young and old, women and children were all to be killed on the 28th day of February of the following year, and their property given to those who killed them. Throughout the kingdom, there was great mourning among the Jews, fasting, weeping, and despair at the king's decree.
Immediately Mordecai sent word to me that I must go to the king and plead for my people.
I sent back the message that said, "All the world knows that anyone who goes into the king's inner court without his summons is doomed to die unless the king holds out his golden scepter; and the king has not called for me to come to him in more than a month."
Mordecai sent another message to me, which said: "Do you think you will escape there in the palace, when all other Jews are killed? Perhaps God allowed you to become queen for just such a time as this."
You know the rest of the story, for it has been told throughout history. Because I did what was right, regardless of the consequences, the Jews did not perish.
God engineers circumstances just as He requires, to accomplish His perfect will and purpose. God is sovereign. All nations, people and lands are under His control.
Present world happenings may upset us, but they never take God by surprise. God is never taken unaware by the events of history, for He makes history! He knows the end from the beginning. What a comfort to know our God is not only the Master Designer, but also the Master of detail!