She Stood Up for God's People

 "Beautiful in Appearance"

One day, Shushan was buzzing with gossip about turmoil in the household of the king.  At a grand feast. where Ahasuerus was entertaining his noblemen with sumptuous food and wine, the king decided to summon his beautiful queen Vashti, who was feasting separately with the women. But Vashti refused to come.  Humiliated and enraged, the king asked his advisors how Vashti should be punished. The result? She was deposed as queen.  The king's servants began searching througout the land for beautiful young virgins; from amont them the king would select a new queen.  - ESTHER 1:1-2:4.

We may imagine Mordecai gazing fondly at Esther from time to time and noting with a mixture of pride and concern taht his little cousin was grown up-and had turned out to be a remarkable beauty  "The young woman was pretty in form and beautiful in appearance," we read. (Esther 2:7)  The Bible presents a balanced view of physical beauty-it is delightful, but it needs to be coupled with wisdom and humility. Otherwise, it may breed vanity, pride, and other ugly traits of the  heart.  (Read Proverbs 11:22) Have you ever seen that to be true?  In Esther's case, what would beauty turn out to be-and asset or a liability?  Time would tell.

The king's servants noticed Esther.  They gathered her up in their search, taking her away from Mordecai and off to the grand palace across the river.  (Esther 2:8) It must have been difficult parting, for the two were like father and daughter.  Mordecai would not have wanted his adopted daughter to marry any unbeliever, even a king, but events were out of his control.  How eagerly Ester must have listened to Mordecai's words  of advice before she was taken away!  As she was led to Shushan the castle, he mind was filled with questions. What kind of life lay ahead of her?

Next time: She Stood Up for God's People - She Won Favor "in the eyes of Everyone Seeing Her" 

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