You join me tonight in the book
of Esther, The Gospel According to Esther, Chapter 2. We're going to be in Esther Chapter
2 tonight. We have noticed in this chapter
that as the Apostle Paul shared to the Philippians that the things
that happened to him happened to him for the furtherance of
the gospel. And I think that that would be just a good verse
or a good thought, a theme to keep in mind as we go through
all the books of the Bible, that these things happen for the furtherance
of the gospel. We noticed that there was one
that was probably quite annoyed when he was sold by his brothers,
wondering what was happening to him. And in the end, he was
able to say, you meant it for evil, God meant it for good.
What we're going to notice here in the book of Esther, which
is certainly a tremendous statement of the providence of God. And
also, we find in this book that God always seems to be hiding
behind the lattice. We don't find his name there.
We don't find statements about him. But we do find him in his
marvelous, gracious, providential care of his people. In the first
chapter we notice that there was a great party given by the
King Ahasuerus and that he requested that his wife come and show off
her beauty to a whole bunch of drunk men. And she said no, it
will not happen. And then we find that Ahasuerus
was consulted by some people and they said this is what we're
going to do. We're going to find another wife
for you that will Please you and obey you well, we're in the
chapter 2 now And it tells us after these things when the wrath
of King Ahasuerus was appeased he remembered Vashti and that
she had done and what she was decreed against her, and then
said the king's servants that ministered unto him, Let there
be fair young virgins sought for the king, and let the king
appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may
gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the
palace, to the house of the women, under the custody of Henje, the
king's chamberlain, keeper of the women, and let their things
for purification be given them. And let the maiden which pleaseth
the king be queen instead of Vashti, and the thing pleased
the king, and he did so. Now, we have noticed that the
queen Vashti has been disposed And now there's going to be virtually
a contest. Opened up. by young women from
all over the province. Now we may have our own thoughts
about this, but I'm going to just simply say again, everything
fell out for the furtherance of the gospel. And I'm not gonna
get involved in their social issues that are 4,000 years old
now. So this just, as it plays out
though, is in accordance with the providence of God. God's
purpose is being carried out. And we notice here before the
outcome of the contest that we're introduced to two persons that
are going to play a very vital role in the rest of this book.
We have not heard from them previous to this, but we're now introduced
to them and one of them is the name that the book is named after.
Her name is Esther. But her Jewish name is also given
to us here. And we also find out that she
had someone that was a caretaker. Her parents are dead. So let's
notice here that there was two characters that God purposed
to be here at this time, in this place, where this is taking place. Now, in Shushan the palace, there
was a certain Jew. Now, I find that just as important
as we find over in the New Testament that there was a certain woman
at a well. There was a certain lame man at the pool. There was
a certain, these are there by divine appointment. This is no
mistake that there was this people, these two particularly, but they
had a great deal of their family there also. that there was a
Jew whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei,
the son of Kish, a Benjamite. So it takes us right back to
the tribe of Benjamin. And if we go any further back,
we end up with Adam, just like we do so often with people in
the Bible. And we're going to find out here's
just a man that's a sinner that knows something about God. He's
a sinner that's been revealed grace. And then it says here,
who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity,
which had been carried away with Jeconiah, king of Judah, whom
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had carried away. And he brought
up Hadassah. that is Esther, his uncle's daughter,
for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair
and beautiful whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were
dead, took for his own daughter." Now it doesn't give us any idea
how Esther's parents passed away, but we do find out that they
have passed away, and once again, by the providence of God. And
there happened to be a family member that was interested in
taking care of her, her welfare, by the providence of God. We're
just gonna see this continuously in this book, that the Lord is
with these people. Now, in this book, in 46 verses
of 10 chapters, we have this word Jew, Jewish, Jewess or Jews,
by possession, mentioned, and that is 52 different times in
this book alone. So it covers many times that
this particular word is used in the Old Testament right here
in the book of Esther. Now, for me, that gives me some
understanding that God is really here with these people, because
He's the one that called them His people. that these Jews were
his people. And he uses them for his glory
and his honor and his praise. But we also notice, and I think
it's very important to notice, that many of those people that
were Jews were simply like Judas. I appreciated what was brought
out there Sunday about Judas. You know, he had all the blessings
of the call as an apostle, but he knew nothing of the grace.
He was not called to grace. And we're going to find that
that's going to be the same way around the world. It's going
to be the same way there with these Jews that are in Shushan
the palace or in the Persian empire. We'll find out it's going
to be the same thing there in the book of Numbers chapter 20
when we start it. A whole bunch of people claim
to have something that don't know anything. And they have
the call. God has made them his people
from a physical standpoint, but they're not his people from a
spiritual standpoint. Well, no doubt we'll find that
here too. She was one of the children of the captivity. That's
very important for us to remember this. And this is the period
of time that's along with Daniel. And this is a period of time
we have some of the prophets that are mentioned, some of the
great statements about the sovereignty of God are mentioned there in
the book of Daniel along the same thing. And she shared with
her people's bondage. She was taken into bondage, just
like her cousin was. And Daniel and his three friends
were promoted to a high office during this very particular same
time. But nothing compared to where this Jewish girl is going
to be promoted, where Esther is going to be promoted to be
the second in the kingdom, to be the queen. Esther was a beauty. There's no question, and I think
it was Dr. Gill said this, Esther was a
beauty, fair of form, and good of countenance. Her wisdom and
her virtue were her greatest beauty. God had given her these
qualities. Now let's turn over to a verse
of scripture in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 24. Jeremiah
has much to say about what is going on here, what has gone
on here as they've gone into a captivity. And in Jeremiah
chapter 24 beginning with verse 1. Jeremiah chapter 24 and verse
1. The Lord showed me, and behold,
two baskets of figs. were set before the temple of
the Lord. After that, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had carried
away captives, captive Jehoiachin, the son of Jehoiachin, king of
Judah, and the princess of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths
from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. So we're talking
about essentially about the same time. One basket had very good
figs, even like the figs that are first ripe. And the other
basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten. They
were so bad. Then said the Lord unto me, What
seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs, the good figs,
very good, and evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten. They are
so evil. Again the word of the Lord came
to me saying, thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, like
these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive
of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans
for their good. For I will set mine eyes upon
them for good, and I will bring them again into this land, and
I will build them and not pull them down. I will
plant them and not pluck them up. And I will give them a heart
to know me." What a statement he is mentioning here about what
God really does for His people, His people from eternity, how
He has chosen them, He has put them in the right place for their
good, even if it is in captivity. And, you know, it doesn't take
us very long to study the Bible to find out that we are born
into a captivity of sin. And the Lord is going to bring
grace upon every one of those that belong to him. And he is
going to make this kind of say, I'll give them a heart to know
me, that I am the Lord and they shall be my people. And I will
be their God for they shall return to me with their whole heart.
Now only regenerated people can do this. He's not talking about
a bunch of Israelites going back under Ezra or Nehemiah. And these people,
because they're so smart to go back, that they're all okay.
There's a whole bunch of them who are just like Judas. They
didn't know the first thing about the gospel, but there was some
among that group, just like there is in all places. And as the
evil figs which cannot be eaten, they are so evil, surely thus
saith the Lord, so will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah and
his princes and the residue of Jerusalem that remain in this
land and them that dwell in the land of Egypt I will deliver
them to be removed from all the kingdoms of the earth for their
hurt." Separation, division, favor to some, disfavor to others. He's not just letting them go.
He is saying, this is what I'm going to do to them. He says,
for their hurt to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a
curse, and in all places whether I shall drive them. He's not
just letting them be separate from the rest. I will drive them
there. What happened to our first parents?
They were driven out of the Garden of Eden. And we find him saying,
there are some figs, very good figs. I'm going to take care
of them. I'll even put them into this place under Nebuchadnezzar
for their good. and I will put these over here
for their hurt. Last verse of this chapter, it
says, and I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence
among them till they be consumed from off the land that I gave
unto them and to their fathers. What a statement that Jeremiah
is caused to bring here with regard to those who are exiled,
those who are still there, and those who, there's not gonna
be a trace of them. Now I'm thankful, even as we
go over to the book of Luke, that there was a woman of the
tribe of Asher. that was of the good fruit. She
was chosen of the Lord. Anna of the tribe of Asher. That's one of those 10 tribes
that was obliterated, but here the Lord lets us know he has
his people wherever he has his people, and one of them is Anna. She's the last prophetess, in
fact. Miriam is the first prophetess mentioned in the Bible, and we'll
be looking at that on Sunday. whom I have sent out of this
place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good. Esther was a
beauty. There is no question about it.
And we find that her beauty, internal and external, is a gift
of God. She has this for a reason. God
has given her this gift because it is going to, when she goes
before King Ahasuerus, there's no one else even asked to be
there. How long it took her to get there,
how many passed by before she got there, it doesn't tell us.
But once she is in the presence of King Ahasuerus, no one else
is even looked at, and she is made queen. But let's look at
a few things along this line. Would you turn with me to the
book of James? The book of James, wonderful verse of Scripture,
well, a wonderful book. The book of James, chapter 1,
verse 17. So we look at this passage of
scripture, we find about gifts. And I believe that Esther had
a gift of God. This was beyond just normal good
looks. She had a special gift of beauty
given to her. And it was a beauty that was
not only external, but it was a beauty that was internal. It
was a gift of God to her. And here in the book of James,
chapter 1, verse 17, it says, every good gift. Now, I know
this is speaking about spiritual blessings, but in a sense, she
has been given a spiritual blessing of beauty. Just as we find in
the book of Galatians, it tells us about the fruit of the spirit,
what beautiful qualities God gives to his people that they
normally don't have. And none of that is against the
law. Every one of them are glorious
beauty qualities. All right? It says here, every
good gift and every perfect gift is from above. She could go to
bed at night thankful for the gift that God had given her.
just like you and I can. We have been given a great gift,
an exceedingly great gift. We have been given the gift of
grace. We've been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. But more
than that, we've been given the gift of the great gift, the Lord
Jesus Christ. We had no beauty of ourselves.
It's all been given to us. And this is a wonderful thing
as we study this. Every good gift and every perfect
gift, and where do they come from? They cometh down. We're saved from above. It comes
down to us. Every good gift and every perfect
gift cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variable
us, neither shadow of turning. And we're thankful for that,
that he's not going to back up on his promise of a gift. Along
the same line, over in the book of Romans, we find a verse of
scripture in chapter 11. Romans chapter 11. As we think
about the gift, the special gift that Esther had, God is going
to give her favor with the Chamberlain, going to give her favor with
other women. She's going to be having a special attention given
to her. Why? Because God gave that. He gave it to the Chamberlain.
He gave it to the other ladies. This is a very special person.
We're going to take care of her. And that's what happened. Here
in the book of Romans chapter 11, we find this wonderful passage
of scripture in verse 29. The gifts, for the gifts and
calling of God are without repentance. Now that means it's irrevocable.
God gives a gift. He does not revoke the gift.
He does not call it back. He doesn't say, well, you didn't
do much with it. Well, we know we're not going
to do anything with it, so He's the one that works in us both
to will and to do of His good pleasure. So he had Esther at
the right place at the right time, and her stepdad, Mordecai,
encouraged her to be one of those that was brought before the king
when the queenship had been vacated. these gifts that God gives to
us. It just reminds me, we looked
some time ago, but I would like to look at it again, just two
or three verses in the book of Exodus. Exodus chapter 31. In Exodus chapter 31 as we look
at God giving gifts. He gave gifts to Esther. He gave
her her beauty. He gave her her attractiveness.
He gave her a quality about her that other people saw and were
willing to do more than they were for other people. God did
this in a miraculous way on her behalf. And here in the book
of Exodus chapter 31 and verse 1, it says, And the Lord spake
unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleliah, the
son of Uriah, the son of Hur, the tribe of Judah. And if you
follow this out, he says, I've called him to do some very special
work. He's going to have all knowledge
of workmanship. Verse four, to devise cunning
works, to work in gold and in silver and in brass. What a gift
had been given to this individual. Now he was not born with it.
I'm sure he was born with talent. He was probably mechanically
inclined. But when it came to the necessity of doing what he
was required to do, God gave him special gift about it. And that's what he's going to
do for Esther in the book of Esther. She is a very special,
called out individual there for God's purpose, and she is going
to fulfill that by showing her gift. her gift of beauty. Verse
5, the cutting of stones to set them in the carving of timber,
the work all manner of workmanship. See, I have called this man to
do this. And in chapter 35 of this same book, we read this
about it. Chapter 35 of the book of Exodus
and verse 30. This is mentioned. There's a
repetition here that God wants those people to know, this guy
is not acting just by his own instinct, by his own natural
talent. I have called him. And Moses
said unto the children of Israel, See, the Lord hath called by
name. Basilio the son of Uriah the
son of her of the tribe of Judah the Lord has called by name You
know every time I read this he has a different name, too And
in the book of exodus chapter 36 exodus chapter 36 and verses
1 through 4 Just we're gonna find the same quality in the
10 chapters of the book of Esther 9 of them to follow we're in
the night of the second chapter. For the next nine chapters, we're
going to see the gift that God gave to Esther. We're going to
see how she is portrayed as a godly woman, a woman of great beauty. And yet, she broke the law of
God in Mary and this nasty guy. There's a study there. We'll
take that up at another time. how often we find in this book
things are not according to our plan, and yet they're according
to the purpose of God. She was never supposed to marry
anybody but another Jew. And she becomes the most powerful
woman in the world at that time, as she's married to King Ahasuerus,
who has one of the largest kingdoms that had been up to that point.
Well, anyway, here in the book of Exodus, chapter 36, Then wrought
Beziel and Ahilub, and every wise-hearted man, in whom the
Lord put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner
of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that
the Lord had commanded. I'll just read that, and I say,
thank you, Lord, for what you do for your people. that it is
not ours, it's not common, it's not something that we're born
with from a physical standpoint. Everybody may have some talents,
but these gifts come from Almighty God. And let's just look a little
further along this line as we look at the gifts in the book
of John chapter three. The book of John chapter three,
as we think about these applying to Esther, and also we find them
as they are applied to the church. These great and wonderful gifts
that God has given, they are good gifts, and they have come
down from the Father. And they're not going to be repulled.
They're not going to be taken away. They are there on purpose
and for our lifetime. And here in John chapter 3 and
verse 27, John answered and said, a man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven."
Now isn't that a statement? A man can receive nothing spiritual. We may receive instruction in
school, but when it comes to spiritual things, flesh and blood
cannot teach it to us. A man can receive nothing except
it were given him from the Father. So we're thankful for the gifts
of God. We're thankful for the gift of
salvation, the gift of Christ, the gift of grace, and then those
gifts that He gives us as we go through this life. In the
book of Luke chapter 10, Those people that went out there in
Luke chapter 10, it's amazing as we just read this a little
bit. Luke chapter 10, they were sent out and they came back.
My goodness, can you imagine what gifts the Lord gave them? Luke chapter 10 verse 17. He
had given these gifts, they came back. Lord, the 70 returned again,
verse 17 of Luke chapter 10. The 70 returned again with joy,
saying, Lord, even the devils, who gave him the gift of that? They had the gift of preaching.
They had the gift of teaching. They had this gift. Even the
devils are subject to us through thy name. This gift was given
to them. And yet the Lord said, I beheld
Satan falling from heaven. Behold, I give unto you to tread
on serpents and scorpions and over all power and enemy and
nothing. Nothing shall by any means hurt you, notwithstanding
in this rejoice not." These are great things. They came back
bragging about what they had been doing. Now it's wonderful
for God sent them out to do His ministry. They're not on a lark. They're out there preaching the
gospel. They've been sent out, and they
have been given enormous gifts of power as they traveled. And yet the Lord said, you know,
those are really good, but don't forget. your names. This is what to rejoice
about. Rejoice not that the spirits
are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because your names are
written in heaven. So, he's just saying, don't get
too over-influenced in your own head about the gifts I've given
you. I want you to remember the real
gift is that your names are written in heaven. That's the reason.
All right? And so the Lord shares that with
us. And I see as it's played out in the life of Esther that
the Lord must have given her a great deal of wisdom on how
to deal with the gift that he had given her. And that is true
with every believer. Lord, give us the wisdom to use
the gift that you give us and not get to be too boastful about
it. Rejoice that your names are written
in heaven. And that's enough. My goodness. Well, as we go through
here, Romans chapter 12, and I know
we were in the book of Romans, but I want to go to the 12th
chapter of the book of Romans, and in verse 6, as we think,
no doubt there were many other Jewish girls in Shushan the palace,
in the Persian Empire. There's been quite a few Jews
there. There's going to be quite a few by the end of the book
that are going to be delivered because Esther's in the right
place at the right time. But we have no record of any
of the others being in this contest. Here in the book of Romans chapter
12, let me get over to Romans. Romans chapter 12 and there in
verse 6, Romans chapter 12 verse 6 it says, Having then gifts differing according
to the grace. What does that mean? That means
gifts are sovereignly given. We don't volunteer for them.
I don't think that guy was out there running a sign that says,
vote for me, vote for me, I can build the tabernacle better.
He is a man, a servant, a lover of God, and God gives him this
gift to do this. Great work. And it's out of our
ability to even replicate. We don't have the vision that
Moses had from heaven, and he wasn't able to communicate that
to anybody but those who built it, and there's not enough of
that in the scriptures for us to go build a model of it. Anybody
that does is really practicing idolatry. The gifts, having then
gifts, differing according to the grace that is given to us. Whether prophesy, let us prophesy
according to the proportion of faith. So whatever gift God gives
to somebody, they are gifts according to the grace of God. Now, as
I said, I don't find the record. There may have been. But I don't
find the record that there was one other Jewish girl that was
in all of that contest. I have one. And she has a gift
according to the grace of God. And it differed because that's
what God wanted her to have, purposed her to have. She was
no doubt astonishingly beautiful. But God purposed one man to notice
it. And that was the king. If nobody
else noticed it, it didn't matter. This was for the king. There
was going to be another queen sitting on that throne, having
all of that royal power. All right, in the book of 1 Corinthians,
book of 1 Corinthians chapter 12, would you turn there with
me? 1 Corinthians chapter 12. 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse
four. Now there are diversities of
gifts. Thank God. He uses the human body as an
example. If all were the ear, where is
the seeing? If all was the eye, where is
the hearing? He uses that as an example. And he says, now
there are diversities of gifts, but you know what? There's only
one spirit, the same spirit. The Spirit of God is not going
to give gifts contrary to His will or purpose or word to different
people. There are differences of administrations,
but the same Lord. The Lord is sovereign over all.
So we're having, we may not do this in our culture, but in that
culture, this is what God purposed to do so that Esther could be
put into a position of authority. And then in verse six, there
are diversities of operations, but there's the same God which
worketh all in all. So whatever it is that God gives
us, it is all going to complement. The church will complement the
church. And the church will compliment
Christ. I mean, honor Him, praise Him.
And just as we notice this in the life of Esther, the Lord
chose her to a specific position, and He gave her the gift of her
beauty so that she would be the right person for the right place.
In 1 Corinthians 2, we read this. 1 Corinthians 2. 1 Corinthians
2 and verse 12. Now we have received not the
spirit of the world. So when we study the book of
Esther, we're not gonna, this is not just a beauty contest
to see who's the prettiest one. This lady is there on purpose.
But the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things
that are freely given to us of God. So God is in charge of this
whole scene over there, as we mentioned in times past. God
is the absolute director, the church are the actors, and the
rest are props. And we're gonna have lots of
props around there. All right, Esther, turn back with me, if
you would, to Esther chapter two. The book of Esther chapter two. Esther chapter 2 and in verse
8, Esther chapter 2 verse 8. So it came to pass, when the
king's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens
were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of
Hingei, that Esther was brought also unto the king's house to
the custody of Hingei, keeper of the women. And the maiden
pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him. Who is this
working behind the scenes? Who is making her to be, she
obtained kindness of him? Now, this guy's a eunuch, and
it is his job to watch hundreds of women. And you know, by the end of the
day, they all look the same, except one. One woman stands out, and this
is a Jewish that has been put there on purpose by God for her
own good and for the good of the rest. And she obtained kindness
of Him, and He speedily gave her her things for purification. She's moving through the line.
I just love it sometimes when I'm in line and someone says,
oh, this cash register is open over here. Would you come over
here? Well, sure I will. I try not to do it on purpose,
but if I'm invited, I jump right at it. And here she is being
invited to the different line. She's going to be faster. She's going to be moving through
quicker. Just because God gave her a gift and there's a people
there, they're pagan people, But they're going to look on
her with a special kindness. And it goes on, and he speedily
gave her her things for purification, which such things as belong to
her, and seven maidens, which were meet to be given her out
of the king's house. Seven helpers. The guy in charge
likes her, moving her through the rotation quicker. out of
the king's house, and he preferred her and her maids unto the best
place of the house of the women." How many times in that one verse
of Scripture do we have that Esther had preference? God gave
her preference. Gave her preference where she
was, gave her preference who she was, gave her preference
to who was around her, gave her preference with a boss, and gave
her preference where she was going to live. Everything about
it. is beyond her control, and yet it is God's preference for
her. And Esther had not showed her people, nor her kindred,
for Mordecai had charged her that she should not show it. Esther pleased this man, but
we noticed he noticed her. noticed her, gave her preference,
gave her a special place in the line. The Lord had His sovereign
hand over all this, and God gave preference to Esther through
these individuals, even through the king. Now, turn with me,
if you would, over to the book of John, chapter 5, and we will
close this out. In John, chapter 5, verse 1,
We find this principle throughout the ministry of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He gives His lost sheep preference. They get to move to the head
of the line. Here in John 5, beginning with verse 1, it says, After this there was
a feast of the Jews. Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And
now there is at Jerusalem, by the sheep market, a pool, which
is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk. I don't know
how many young ladies had been gathered from all over that province,
but it's a large province, 129. There's a very important place
to be filled, the queen, And there's a whole bunch of people
that are hoping if they can get the right person to be queen,
they will also have a very important place. That's my feeling about
it. And there's a whole bunch of
impotent folk here, folk blind, hall, withered, waiting for the
moving of the water, for an angel went down at a certain season
into the pool and troubled the water, whosoever then first after
troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever
disease he had. A certain man was there that
had an infirmity 30 and eight years. When Jesus saw him, I
don't know how many people there are there, but it says that there
was a lot, and they were infirm, and halt, and blind, and maimed,
and they're all waiting for the activity of some water. Now,
I don't know if this is, would they actually be healed, or if
it was just, they were just told it would, I don't know. But there
was a certain man that had been, had this infirmity for 38 years,
and when Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long
time in that case, he said unto him, come to the head of the line. Now all the rest of them We have
no record that he did anything. But he called this one man who
had this infirmity for 38 years to come to the head of the line.
The rest of them, they're waiting for some movement of some water.
This man, wilt thou be made whole? And the impotent man answered,
sir, I have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the
pool. But while I am coming, another steppeth down before
me. Jesus said unto him, you're at the head of the line, rise,
take up thy bed and walk. And immediately the man was made
whole and took up his bed and walked. And on the same day was
the Sabbath. Now we know that there's a big
story behind that. But the point I want to notice
here is that how often the Lord was in a great host of people
and he picked out one person to call to the head of the line.
And we see that with Esther. She has special favor given to
her because she's God's favor. And special attraction is given
to her because God has put that attraction in her. She has a
special gift. God has given her a gift. Her
gift is her beauty. Her gift is a reflection of her
Savior. That beauty is a reflection of
all that the Savior is for his people. What did we read? I'll give you a new heart, and
you shall love me. That's a wonderful thing. And
so, as we watch this whole scene unfold, we're going to notice, for who maketh thee to differ from another? Who made Esther
differ from all the rest? And what hast thou that thou
didst not receive? Now, if thou didst receive it,
why dost thou glory as if thou hast not received it? Now, that's
the Apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians in chapter 4 of 1
Corinthians in verse 17. But what a statement is left
to us here with regard to the events that are taking place
in this wonderful gospel book of Esther. Esther has been promoted. She's been brought to the head
of the line. You know, we know the story. I wonder how her stepdad
felt through all of this, because you know what? We find him inquiring
every day how she's doing. We'll stop there
for tonight, and we'll pick this up the Lord willing.