Chapter Fifteen/She Stood Up for God's People - She Won Favor "in the Eyes of Everyone Seeing Her"

 Esther found herself ushered into a world that was entirely new and strange to her. She was among "many young women" who had been gathered from far and wide in the Persian Empire. Their customs, languages, and attitudes must have varied greatly. Placed under the charge of an official named Hegai, the young women were to undergo an extensive beauty treatment, a yearlong program that included massages with fragrant oils. (Esther 2:8, 12) Such an environment and lifestyle might easily have bred an obsession with personal appearance among those young women, along with vanity and competitiveness. How was Esther affected? 

No one on earth could have been more concerned about Esther than Mordecai was. We read that day by day, he made his way as near as he could to the house of the women and endeavored to learn of Esther's welfare.  (Esther 2:11) As bits of information trickled out to him, perhaps through cooperative servants in the household, he must have beamed with fatherly pride. Why? 

Next time: She Won Favor "in the Eyes of Everyone Seeing Her? - Continue

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