The beauty of the Bible, part 9

Dedicated to Mia, who inspired this post

Esther—trusting and preparing

Let’s do a quick run-down of The Beauty of the Bible so far.

Part 1: My 12 favorite scriptures
Part 2: Samson—the early years
Part 3: Samson fulfills his purpose
Part 4: The resurrection of Jesus
Part 5: The prelude to Esther (chapter 1)
Part 6: Esther becomes queen (chapter 2)
Part 7: Haman plots genocide (chapter 3)
Part 8: Esther agrees to help her people (chapter 4)

The remarkable story of Esther has taken me on a journey into current events.
Part 5: Marriage—God’s design and the attack on marriage
Part 6: Conspiracies—Seven documentaries and the Georgia Guidestones
Part 7: Genocide—Abortion; maintaining a traumatized society
Part 8: The Great Reset—MSM*: Preparing, polarizing, punishing

*MSM = mainstream media

Will today’s post continue down Current Events Alley? Nope. It’s time for a reprieve. Walk with me through The Beauty of the Bible.

United
At the end of Esther chapter 4, Queen Esther asked Mordecai to rally all the Jews in the capital for an extreme three-day fast—from food and water. United as one, they cried out to the Lord to protect and use Esther to save them from Haman’s evil genocide plot.

At the end of the fast, Esther put on her royal robes. She had a mission. A life and death mission. She was going to approach King Xerxes uninvited—a death penalty offense. What did Esther do before she put on her royal robes? A lot.

Focused
The multi-day fast of focused prayer was followed by a day of focused preparation. Esther did not—yea, verily—she did not roll out of bed in her cheap cotton PJs, step into her fuzzy bunny slippers and head down to the throne room, yawning, with her bedhead and morning breath. Absolutely not.

Esther knew and felt the weight and the seriousness
of the times, so she prepared accordingly.

Peaceful Reader, is there something in your life that you’re taking too lightly? Something vital that you’re viewing or responding to casually? Pray and ask God how you need to view and respond to the situation. Follow where he leads. (Yes, the Lord is speaking to yours truly in this area.)

A humble heart
How did Esther prepare for this monumental day? Esther—the queen of a vast, powerful empire? She didn’t pridefully “go it alone.” That would’ve been suicide. She asked for help—from her people, from her maidens, from the Lord her God.

Esther understood her extreme need for God’s help.
And she experienced his provision in the preparation.

The Lord Almighty fueled, sustained and strengthened Esther and her maidens, who’d been fasting—with no food or water.

Is there an area of your life where you need to ask for help? For prayer? For God’s intervention? We must ask God—rightly. Our humble prayers activate God’s power. We have to lay down self-sufficiency and pride so we can humble ourselves like Queen Esther did.

Preparation
I imagine Esther’s day of preparation like this. Ladies in waiting. The most luxurious bath, with special flowers and oils. Getting her hair done just right. Esther’s favorite ball gown. Layers. Gems. Royal robes. Absolutely glorious on the outside—like a bride preparing for her wedding. But genocide was crouching at the door. Snarling. Pacing. The preparation took time. Every step mattered and every step took time. On top of the detailed preparation was an immense weight on Esther’s heart that we can’t begin to fathom.

And the people prayed. Desperately.

A season of preparation
Are you in a season of preparation for something God has for you in the future? Often, we don’t know what lies ahead; yet we sense the forward momentum. Do you see some puzzle pieces coming together? I’ve been in a long season of preparation—writing Choosing Peace for almost seven years. And it’s been an amazing season of healing and revelation and strengthening. But there were dark times too. You’ll read about one shortly.

David was anointed to be king over Israel, but he had to wait and struggle and hide and fight battles for 14 years before he became king of Judah, with another seven years before he became king over all of Israel. And he faced extreme opposition. Life and death opposition. As a matter of fact, the first chapter after David’s anointing was his meet-up with Goliath. Talk about life and death opposition. The plan was clearly in place—and the preparation was extreme.

Years of preparation can often be required as part of God’s bigger plan.

A lifetime of preparation
Esther’s life didn’t begin in this scene. The Lord prepared Esther for these massive milestones in her life. The Lord prepared Esther to trust and follow her dad Mordecai—who adopted her after her parents died. (Not all adopted children do this.) The Lord prepared Esther to trust and follow him. (Not all people do this.) The Lord prepared Esther to be chosen by King Xerxes to be his queen. And the Lord prepared Esther for this vital moment.

Preparation is a gift from God.
Because God loves his children, he prepares
everything he’s called us to do—
no matter how big or small.

And the Lord our God will use everything in our lives—the good, the bad and the ugly—to accomplish the good things he has for us and for others. People have taken to saying “Nothing is wasted.” I like that sentiment—a modern retelling of Romans 8:28.

Standing before the king
The time came for Esther to walk into the throne room of King Xerxes—uninvited and under threat of execution. The Jewish people prepared. They were united in heart, mind and prayer. And Esther prepared—spiritually, mentally, physically.

How did King Xerxes respond? He hadn’t seen his wife for 33 days.

When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight; and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. So Esther came near, and touched the top of the scepter. Then the king asked her, “What would you like, queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you even to the half of the kingdom.” Esther said, “If it seems good to the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”
Esther 5:2-4, New Heart English Bible

From trust to preparation
Prior to and during her three-day fast, the Lord revealed to Esther what she needed to do. What was at the heart of it? Preparation. Prepare in prayer. Prepare in unity with your people. Prepare your mind, body and spirit. Prepare the banquet before you invite the king and Haman. What else was at the heart of it? Trust. Trust in the Lord. The One who revealed the plan. The One who gave Esther favor. The One who made her queen.

The day when I wrote this section, I awoke around 4 A.M. with the song “Abide” flowing through my mind. Now I know why. This song speaks the word trust to me. Not trust in myself. Trust in my Lord, my Savior, my all. Then I got A Kiss On The Head From Jesus when we sang the song at church yesterday. Drink it in.

How can we be prepared for the unexpected? See Preparing for The Sneak Attack, part 3 from the first series. Sometimes we find ourselves facing a serious, shocking event, and we can feel totally unprepared. Overwhelmed. Traumatized. If that reality feels familiar, I hope you’ll find—as I have—that traumas provide us the opportunity to come closer to God. To lean in very close. My example? I encountered a stalker a few years ago. I learned a lot about heart-racing anxiety and prayer during that season. The Lord never left me. He protected me, he taught me and he saw me through it all.

Nothing is wasted. Trust in the Lord.

Hidden—or not
Some scholars scoff at the book of Esther because it doesn’t say the word God or Lord. I find that interesting. If Esther didn’t trust and revere the Lord her God, she would not have called on the people to fast. (See part 8.) Nor would she have patiently followed his plan. The whole story of Esther demonstrates God’s love for his children—his faithfulness, his might. God’s plan and power to save his people may have been quiet and behind the scenes, but we will see his fingerprints all over these events as the story unfolds. That reminds me of the section called The Aftermath in the resurrection post.

Just because God doesn’t put up a billboard like Samson did doesn’t mean his leading, his presence and his power aren’t abundantly clear.

These are the questions. Do we have eyes to see him? Do we have ears to hear what he’s saying to us? Esther did. And so did her dad, Mordecai.

Banquet 1
What happened when Esther invited King Xerxes and Haman to her banquet?

Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that it may be done as Esther has said.” So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
Esther 5:5, New Heart English Bible

While they were drinking wine afterwards, the king asked Esther to tell him her request. She invited the king and Haman to a banquet the following day, stating that she would answer his question then. In my humble opinion, Esther was clearly following the Lord’s plan because of the patience it required. Another day of preparation. Another banquet. But the unfolding of events was critical.

Check it out.

The narcissist
After the first banquet, Haman was pumped. Super pumped. Until he saw Mordecai at the King’s Gate. Mordecai didn’t stand, bow or cower, and Haman was hoppin‘ mad about it.

The show
Nevertheless, he “restrained himself” (Esther 5:10a, NHEB), invited his friends over, and went on a narcissistic Showboating Exhibition for his wife and friends—I mean for himself.

Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches, the multitude of his children, all the things in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and servants of the king. Haman also said, “Yes, Esther the queen let no man come in with the king to the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and tomorrow I am also invited by her together with the king.”
Esther 5:11-12, New Heart English Bible

Sounds like the intro to “The Everybody Loves Haman Show.” Ugh.

The drama
Here’s the next scene:

“Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the King’s Gate.”
Esther 5:11-13, New Heart English Bible

Translation: “Life isn’t worth living—despite all the aforementioned glory of me, myself and I—since my enemy still breathes.” What a narcissist. Drama, drama, drama.

The violence
And his accomplices were true to form.

Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made [50 cubits, i.e., 75 feet] high, and in the morning speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on it. Then go in merrily with the king to the banquet.” This pleased Haman, so he had the gallows made.
Esther 5:11-14, New Heart English Bible

Who were these people? Wait a minute. They sound like some of our relatives. To explore the danger of accomplices, see part 4 and part 6 of When the Need to Forgive Has Been Hidden. (To learn about malignant narcissists, see this post from the Grieving series.)

Truth and honor
Let’s zip through a condensed version of Esther chapter 6. That night, after the first banquet, King Xerxes couldn’t sleep, so he ordered someone to read the chronicles to him—the memorable events of his reign. The king learned how Mordecai had uncovered the murder plot against him and saved his life. The king asked if Mordecai had been honored for this, and the answer was no. Then the king asked who was handy. Haman had just arrived—planning to ask the king about hanging Mordecai. The king called him in and said:

“What shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?” Now Haman said in his heart, “Who would the king delight to honor more than myself?”
Esther 6:6b-c, New Heart English Bible

Who, indeed. Thus thought The Best Narcissist in The Empire. Haman advised the king to have the honored man wear some of the king’s royal robes, put him on the king’s horse, and have a nobleman lead the horse around, declaring to one and all: “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor” (Esther 6:9d, NHEB). The king thought that was a great idea, so he told Haman to hurry and do it all—to honor Mordecai.

Stop the press.

Turn of events
Haman did as the king instructed and then scurried home, “mourning and having his head covered” (Esther 6:12b, NHEB). The top dog—I mean the narcissist extraordinaire—had just been publicly castrated and was absolutely freaking out.

Let’s end “The Everybody Loves Haman Show” with this cliffhanger:

Haman recounted to Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him, but you will surely fall before him.” While they were yet talking with him, the king’s eunuchs came, and hurried to bring Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
Esther 6:13-14, New Heart English Bible

Tune in next time for Banquet 2 and much more.

Southern version
When I found the brand-new song below, I smiled. The country quilt held and worn by the singer reminds me of Esther’s royal robe. As you listen to the song, can you hear Queen Esther—humble Esther—singing this song? I sure can.

Coming next: I’m not sure what the next post will include. Will it cover the last four chapters in the book of Esther? I wonder. What will God have to say to us through this great series of events? This epic story? Come back next time and we’ll find out together.

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 86:1-7

Song: “Never Walk Alone” by Hope Darst