Esther—the crown and the conspiracy
Last time on Choosing Peace, we explored why Queen Vashti of Persia lost her crown. Then we dug into marriage—the fall, blame, excuses, God’s design for marriage, and more. Listen to this great sermon, “Grace-Driven Marriage,” preached on Sunday. So timely.
The search for a queen
In chapter 2 of Esther, the search began for Vashti’s replacement. Beautiful young virgins from all over the province were brought to the harem in the citadel, where they received a year of beauty treatments. They were overseen by Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the virgins. One of these young ladies was named Esther. She found favor with Hegai. He gave her seven attendants out of the king’s house, and “He moved her and her maidens to the best place in the women’s house” (Esther 2:9b, NHEB). Esther was Hegai’s favorite. There was something about her.
King Xerxes did not take his search for his new queen lightly. He was searching for The One. For his queen. For his wife. Queen Vashti was deposed during the third year of his reign. Esther was brought to King Xerxes toward the end of the seventh year of his reign. In the meantime, many virgins were brought in to the king. Each virgin could bring anything she wished with her. After spending one night with the king, each young woman was transferred to another group in the harem reserved for the concubines, who were in the care of a different eunuch.
Now when the turn of Esther… came to go in to the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the keeper of the women, advised. Esther obtained favor in the sight of all those who looked at her.
Esther 2:15, New Heart English Bible
There was something about her. And Esther was wise. She followed Hegai’s advice. She knew that he was for her.
From destruction to love
Did Esther come from a place of high social standing? Had life been easy for her? No. Definitely not. Esther was Jewish. About 100 years before Queen Vashti was deposed, the Jews were captured and deported to Persia by King Nebuchadnezzar. The temple was burned down. Siege. Famine. Death. Several generations of Esther’s people had lived in a foreign land, far away from home.
After Esther’s parents died, she was adopted by her relative, Mordecai. How did her parents die? How old was Esther when they died? Did she see them die? Did she remember them? We don’t know. Here’s what we do know. Esther was Mordecai’s precious daughter. While Esther was in the harem, Mordecai walked back and forth nearby to check on her every day. He loved her and wanted to know how she was doing.
Mordecai told Esther not to tell anyone that she was a Jew. She obeyed him—not knowing how her story would unfold. Esther trusted Mordecai. She knew that he was for her. Did Esther love Mordecai and call him Dad? In my heart, I believe she did.
Chosen, crowned and celebrated
There was something about Esther. Yes, she was beautiful; but it was more than that. There was something very special about her.
The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she obtained favor and kindness in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown on her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti. Then the king made a great feast for all his officials and his servants, even Esther’s feast; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces, and gave gifts according to the king’s bounty.
Esther 2:17-18, New Heart English Bible
King Xerxes was overjoyed to have finally found his bride. He loved Esther. The celebration spread throughout his vast realm. This wasn’t some reality TV show like “The Bachelor.” This chapter of history was epic.
Favor
Esther found favor with the overseer of the virgins. With all the people who looked at her. With the king who loved her.
Where did Esther’s favor come from? Why were people drawn to her? Was it just because of her beauty? No. All the virgins who were brought to the king were beautiful.
Esther’s favor came from God.
The gift
As our Savior Jesus grew up, he grew in favor with God and man. So did Esther. Her favor was vital. She was set apart for an incredible purpose. Esther’s favor was a gift from God.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights….
James 1:17, World English Bible
Chosen
God blessed Esther with his favor and she was chosen to be the queen of a massive empire.
Targeted vs. chosen
Before we move forward, I need to clarify something. In the Sociopaths series, we explored the concept of being selected or targeted for abuse by a very destructive person. Sociopaths, narcissists and other dangerous people choose their targets with careful intention. In today’s post, when I use the word chosen, I’m differentiating it strongly from the word targeted. A targeted person will be intentionally hurt and used. Someone who’s chosen will be valued and honored.
The difference between being targeted and being chosen isn’t about you. Not one bit. It’s all about the character of the person doing the selecting. The mental health and intentions of the person doing the choosing—or the targeting, as the case may be—make all the difference. When you’re dealing with a dangerous person who has a personality disorder, being chosen—I mean targeted—is obviously a very destructive thing for you, while being simultaneously Party Time Central for the sociopath, narcissist, etc. On the other hand, when you’re dealing with someone whose intentions are honorable, being chosen can be a very good thing for both of you—the person doing the choosing and the one being chosen.
Favored, chosen, protected
Peaceful Reader, it’s time to get out your journal and do some reflecting. Take your time. Pray and ask God to show you what he wants you to see—perhaps in a new light.
Your turn
Have you experienced the favor of God in your life? How and when? Write about several examples that come to mind. How have you been seen with favor and chosen? How has being chosen impacted your life?
Have you experienced God’s protection? How and when? How do you think God’s favor and his protection are related?
Prayers
Logan is away at college. What two things do I pray about most for our son? I pray for God’s protection and for Logan’s favor with God and man. And God has been so faithful.
For an amazing example of God’s protection, see these sections—The Hymn, the Prayer and God’s Protection and The Power of Three—in The Holy Spirit, part 6. Logan called me Monday night after his accounting test. He told me about many divine appointments that day—running into at least five people and having conversations—friends, professors and a classmate he hadn’t spoken with before. He was excited. I told him I prayed for his favor with God and man. Those prayers were answered so tangibly. Thank you, Lord.
The conspiracy
Chapter 2 of the book of Esther ends with a surprising twist. God’s favor and protection both play an important role.
While Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, he overheard two of the king’s doorkeepers plotting to murder the king. Mordecai told Queen Esther, who told her husband, King Xerxes. An investigation found the plot to be true and the would-be assassins were executed by being impaled—a common execution method in their day.
…and it was written in the book of the chronicles in the king’s presence.
Esther 2:23b, New Heart English Bible
The recording of this incident in the nation’s chronicles may sound like no big deal, but it will play a major role later—for Queen Esther and for her people—the nation of Israel.
State of the union
Let’s take a detour and dig into the word conspiracy.
A conspiracy is an evil plot. Because there are evil people in this world, evil plots—conspiracies—are alive and well on Planet Earth. They were here in the B.C. era for King Xerxes. They were here during Jesus’ lifetime, as the Pharisees plotted his murder. They’re here now.
Lies and propaganda
Nowadays, the word conspiracy has gotten all garbled up in the U.S. public’s view due to the expression “conspiracy theory”—weaponized with great fervor and skill by the CIA for many decades. See this declassified CIA Dispatch, 1035-960, from September of 1976. Focus on points a and b at the top of page 2. Prepare to drop your jaw or simply shake your head in utter disgust.
People in the public eye who battle the almighty U.S. government and various three-letter agencies therein can find themselves under extreme attack. Just ask Mike Lindell. Even after typing Mike Lindell support patriot in my non-Google, non-Microsoft search browser, it took significant scrolling to the bottom of the second “search results” page to find any of Mike’s own websites. Hmmm. Coincidence? I think not.
Seeking the truth
If you believe the U.S. government and its three-letter agencies are serving We The People, I challenge you to watch the documentaries listed below—every single one. They’re listed in progressive order, from lighter topics to much heavier ones. If you know something’s wrong, but you don’t understand the details, watch the documentaries. If you’re awake and aware, watch the documentaries.
Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid, nor be scared of them:
for the LORD your God is he who is going with you;
he will not leave you nor forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:6, New Heart English Bible
The documentaries 1.0
What are the common threads that run throughout the topics explored in these documentaries? Power. Money. Murder—masquerading as all-benevolent Population Control. The conspiracies are alive and well. They aren’t theories. They’re realities.
1. Food: Food, Inc.
2. Chemicals: The Human Experiment
3. Elections: 2000 Mules
How do election results cause death? The president deploys U.S. troops overseas. The border crisis. Vaccine mandates. (Watch documentary #7.) I could go on.
4. Drugs: America’s War on Drugs
The mere title of this documentary burns me up. *See the important comments below.
5. Anarchy: The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM
6. Media: Out of Shadows on the website or Rumble
7. “The” Vaccines: Died Suddenly
Make sure you watch this documentary all the way to the end of the credits—after Dolly Parton sings her song.
If you’re brave—or if you’d like to be brave—start watching the documentaries from the bottom up. After you watch some of them, let me know your thoughts. What did you learn? How were you changed? Leave your comments below.
*America’s War on Drugs is different from the other documentaries. This four-part documentary watches more like a Hollywood news exposé. Beware. America’s War on Drugs is actually a logic test. Certain facts will be presented, followed by a statement about the alleged motive involved. The primary postulation being that the CIA participates actively in the drug trade due to the higher call of stopping communism. I don’t believe that for a second. As you watch, separate the facts from the assertions. Be very clear about the difference between the two types of “information.” Receive the facts, verify them if you’d like, and determine for yourself what they mean. Also, ask what pertinent facts were left out and what that means. Use your own brain. Use it wisely. Use it critically.
The ten commandments 2.0
If you’re unfamiliar with the Georgia Guidestones, read this article. Here’s a summary. The globalists had their ten commandments carved in multiple languages on massive stones. The structure was also called The American Stonehenge. Their first commandment called for the eradication of 93% of the world’s population because they love the world oh-so-much. The creation rocks. The people are a pariah to be exterminated.
Golly, peeps. I’m just thinking out loud here. But I’m beginning to wonder if the globalists, the cabal, the deep state—whatever you want to call them—actually hate people on a grand scale. If they hate people who were made in God’s image and want to eliminate us, that tells me that maybe—just maybe—they hate God too. Do you think they might be working for the other guy? Is this a satanic thing?
Yes, indeed. Thankfully, the Georgia Guidestones were blown up in July 2022. Call it The Turning Point. Thanks be to God.
I like how patriot podcaster Mel K asks these basic questions: Who created the world? God did. Who created the people? God. Did God create a world that wasn’t capable of sustaining the people he created? Uhhh, no. That wouldn’t make any sense.
Waking up
A word to the wise…
Wake up. Speak up.
As for me, I’ll be eternally grateful for the two people who woke me up—my pal Charlene and my chiropractor, Dr. Payne.
Peaceful Readers, remember this. God is on his throne. Do not be afraid. If you’re feeling discouraged or losing hope, I recommend Steve Deace’s 4/24/23 podcast, “Do NOT Give Up. Keep Doing Good.” It will feel slow at first, but the takeaways are well worth the wait.
Remember this too. God does not want his people to be misled. During this monumental chapter of history, millions of people are coming awake. Leaving the matrix. Hungering for truth. And those are good things. Essential things. Empowering things. To battle the darkness, we must see and think clearly. I’ll say it again.
God does not want his people to be misled.
A patriot’s prayer
God, bless your faithful ones. Strengthen us and lead us to the truth. Give us wisdom, discernment and courage. In the holy name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
God’s favor and protection
Okay. That’s enough of Frankie Ann’s Red Pill Reality News for today. Let’s get back to the amazing story of Esther. Where were we? Oh, yes. The murder plot against King Xerxes was thwarted. The conspiracy was real, and so were the executions.
Unknowingly, Mordecai was entrusted with a very important task. He was physically positioned in the right place at the right time to save the life of King Xerxes, his son-in-law. He was close enough to hear a very private conversation—one that would’ve been spoken discreetly, with extreme caution. God’s favor on Mordecai and Esther saved King Xerxes’ life. (The extent of God’s favor on Mordecai will be revealed later.)
God’s protection can be activated through God’s favor.
Can you think of a time when God put you in the right place at the right time—for a moment or for a season of your life or for even more than that?
Right place, right time
Six months after my divorce, I met Brandon at a Valentine party hosted by a Christian dating service. It was my first social event with the group. It was Brandon’s last. He’d taken a number of young ladies out on dates, and he hadn’t met anyone worth pursuing. Then we met, and the rest is history.
How did I end up at that Valentine party? A lady in my Sunday school class—I’ll call her Cassie—invited me to go with her to a Christian women’s conference. We’d never done anything together before. I went. On the way, Cassie talked about the dating service she was in. I already knew that I’d meet my next husband through a Christian dating service. Don’t ask me how; I just knew. I also knew it wouldn’t be the big dating service advertised on the radio. While Cassie was talking, I knew that I’d join the dating service she was describing. And I did. Cassie and I planned to go to the Valentine party together, but she got sick. I went anyway, even though it was out of character for me to go by myself. I knew I needed to be there. Brandon and I met, began dating and got married later that year.
Oh-so-great and oh-so-personal
Here’s the funny part about our How We Met story. Brandon had taken Cassie out on a couple dates. That makes me smile. We say, “Small world.” Actually, it’s a very big world created by our unfathomably big God. (Cassie got married too.)
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
and his greatness is unsearchable.
Psalm 145:3, King James Version
How did I know that I’d meet my new husband through a Christian dating service? Through the working of the Holy Spirit—in my thoughts, in my heart, through the people he brought into my life, and so much more.
More than I can remotely comprehend.
Coming next: If you found today’s conspiracy interesting, you’ll be blown away by the conspiracy that starts unfolding in chapter 3 of Esther. How will the next chapter of history from ancient Persia tie in with current events? We’ll find out together.
Come back next time. Thanks for reading and for Choosing Peace.
Blessed by truth and music
Peaceful Readers, I’m deeply blessed by God’s word and music. I hope the scripture and song that I share at the end of each post will bless you too.
Truth from The Word: Psalm 147:1-11
Song: “Good God Almighty” by Crowder