The Book of Esther Chapter 2

The Book of Esther 

Chapter 2

1. After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated,  he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. 

(The Book of Esther Chapter 2 verse 1)

Oh God, my Father when I am in a state of anger it is like I am a different person, it is as if I am possessed by the Devil himself. I feel much stronger and full of energy than usual so much that if pushed to the limits I become very aggressive. However, when I retire to somewhere by myself I start cooling down to the point of referring to You in prayer and eventually find peace and tranquillity with You with myself and with the person who made me angry. I thank You for making me humble enough to say sorry and admit my mistakes Amen. Thank You, Jesus and please forgive me for such behaviour.


2. Then the king's servants who attended him said, "Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king. 3. And let the king appoint commissioners in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in the citadel of Susa under custody of Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women; let their cosmetic treatments be given them. 4. And let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti. This pleased the king, and he did so.


(The Book of Esther Chapter 2 verses 2 to 4)



Oh God my Father if only we train our thoughts and attitudes to be like Yours the world would be a better and safer place to live in. If all the advisers joined their heads together in order to solve the existing problem between the King and Queen Vashti they would have done their work better instead of suggesting a form of divorce or separation on the basis of a single argument.



5. Now there was a Jew in the citadel of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair son of shimei son of Kish, a Benjaminite. 6. Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with King Jeconiah of Judah, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried away.


(The Book of Esther Chapter 2 verses 5 to 6)


Oh God my Father, even during our times 2016 people are still being sent away from their homeland and are forced to live in a foreign land at times at the cost of their lives. I pray oh God that we learn to be more humane with each other and give our love and support instead of abiding to legal frameworks that rule out the human aspect of the individual person Amen.



7. Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is Esther, his cousin, for she had neither father nor mother; the girl was fair and beautiful, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai adopted her as his own daughter,  8. So when the king's order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in the citadel of Susa in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king's palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women.


(The Book of Esther Chapter 2 verses 7 to 8)



Oh God my Father, You have a life plan for all of us. Nobody is forgotten by You even though the person may be an orphan, asylum seeker, drug addict or even a person with a criminal record. If it is Your will to change the course of events of that person's life in order to make that person a president, counsellor, social worker or maybe even a pastor, priest or nun, You my God and Father are able to do it. Amen.


9. The girl pleased him and won his favor, and he quickly provided her with her cosmetic treatments and her portion of food, and with seven chosen maids from the king's palace, and advanced her and her maids to the best place in the harem.



(The Book of Esther Chapter 2 verse 9)



Oh God my Father different people have different ways of being of a positive influence on others or even a negative in the sense of being to persuade others to do what they wish them to do in their favor. I pray that we be influential in persuading others to love You and to good acts and not evil ones Amen.


10. Esther did not reveal her people or kindred, for Mordecai had charged her not to tell.



(The Book of Esther Chapter 2 verse 10)


Oh God my Father many times it is not safe or healthy for us to reveal our true self, or delicate information about ourselves our past or even the history of our families, for the sons and daughters may easily be blamed for the sins of the parents. Many people who have a background of being abused have been theoretically been given the title of being potential themselves, even though they may never even consider abusing their partners however the history of the parents may project a negative image on themselves.



11. Every day Mordecai would walk around in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and how she fared.


(The Book of Esther Chapter 2 verse 11)





Oh God my Father if Mordecai took such pain to enquire how Esther was doing, how much more do You take in caring for the welfare of the whole world. I thank You my God and Father.



12. The turn came for each girl to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their cosmetic treatment, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and cosmetics for women.



(The Book of Esther Chapter 2 verse 12)



Oh God my Father it took the girls twelve months of preparation with fine oils to be prepared to appear before the king. As Your subjects, it may take us a lifetime to be prepared to appear before You. I pray that we be fully ready or at least in a good state that is worthy to appear before You Amen.


13. When the girl went in to the king she was given whatever she asked for to take with her from the harem to the king's palace. 14. In the evening she went in; then in the morning she came back to the second harem in custody of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines; she did not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.


(The Book of Esther Chapter 2 verses 13 to 14)



Oh God my Father and king of all kings, You find pleasure in us as You found in Your Son when he had the nature of a human, regardless of how attractive we look. Oh God humans satisfy their pleasure as based on the external that is determined by instinct and carnal pleasures, however, Your pleasure is on the spiritual and all the positive acts that we do in Your name by means of Your prompting Amen.



15. When the turn came for Esther daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had adopted her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king's eunuch,  had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was admired by all who saw her.


(The Book of Esther Chapter 2 verses 15) 



Oh God my Father, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, when we come into Your sovereign presence we will not come with others who will speak in our name, we will not present certificates in Masters or Bachelors. We will come as we are and whom we are, exactly as You created us along the plan that You had fashioned for us, even before we were born. Amen. I sincerely thank You for creating me as I am Amen. 


16. When Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus in his royal palace in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, 17. the king loved Esther more than all the other women: of all the virgins she won his favor and devotion, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 


 (The Book of Esther Chapter 2 verses 16 to 17)  



Oh God my Father even though the king was married, instead of resolving the conflict, he sought another wife among his subjects and divorced his first wife. I pray for protection of married couples's for the evil one is attacking the family in full force. May our eyes and senses seek Your pleasure and not that of the world Amen. 


¹⁸ Then the king gave a great banquet to all his officials and ministers-"Esther's banquet." He also granted a holiday to the provinces, and gave gifts with royal liberality.


 (The Book of Esther Chapter 2 verses 18) 



 Oh God my beloved Father, if a king of the earth could make such a bountiful banquet in Esther's name I can only imagine the type of banquet that You will hold when we meet together in heaven. I pray that I be really and truly worthy of such a banquet Amen.



¹⁹ When the virgins were being gathered together, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate. 


 (The Book of Esther Chapter 2 verses 19)



Oh God my beloved Father, many times You send us to places for a particular reason, that is not knowledgeable to us, however during such moments You permit us us to either see or hear events that are very important, either for ourselves or even for others. I thank You for using me in such situations so that I could be of help to others Amen. 



²⁰ Now Esther had not revealed her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had charged her; for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him.



 (The Book of Esther Chapter 2 verses 20)



Oh God my Father I thank You for the gifts of humility and obedience. I admire people such as Esther who although found herself in a position of high power still remained faithful and obedient to Mordecai and did not treat him indifferently. Oh God my Father I pray for the rulers of all nations and even for supervisors, coordinators and line managers and all other people who have different roles, so that we all remain humble and obedient to You and our superiors even though we may not always agree with them Amen.



²¹ In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Ahasuerus. 



 (The Book of Esther Chapter 2 verses 21)



Oh God my beloved Father many times You send us at the right time and at the right place, in order to pass on to us particular messages, or witness sensitive situations, either for our good or for the good of others. I thank You for such moments and bless You for each of them Amen. Today I have been offered an opportunity of a meeting with a particular person, however I am doubting the nature of the visit, I am suspecting that he either seeks to obtain information or maybe has some proposition to offer. I would like You to enlighten me my God and Father, if I am to attend or not Amen.



²² But the matter came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai.



 (The Book of Esther Chapter 2 verses 22)



It seems oh God my Father, that You are telling me not to attend for this session. If I am understanding the thoughts that You are passing on to me by means of this verses, is that if I had to accept a proposition to change jobs, this would be a fatal blow for the agency that is already facing limitations, and this move would lead to its assassination. On the other hand if knowledge of this affair would reach my line manager (The Queen) she would inform the King (The Director) and both parties especially myself would end up in big trouble id not terminated or accused of conspiracy against the kingdom.


23. When the affair was investigated and found to be so, both the men were hanged on the gallows. It was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.



 (The Book of Esther Chapter 2 verses 23)



Oh God my beloved Father, the outcome of the plot ended up negatively for both conspirators, I would not like to end up in a negative situation Amen. I thank You for giving me such insights when I needed it most Amen.


Oh God my beloved Father, I would like to end this second Chapter of the book of Esther with the following prayer:-


Oh God my beloved Father, many times the evil one attempts to catch me in his traps, however by means of prayer on Your Word which is the Bible, You bring to light what is conjured in the darkest corners of the human mind. I greatly thank You for Your unlimited support Amen.


Thank You Jesus Amen.


 



 
 
 

The Book of Esther Chapter 1

 

The Book of Esther 

Chapter 1

1. This happened in the days of Ahasuerus, the same Ahasuerus who ruled over one hundred twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia. 2. In those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in the citadel of Susa, 3. in the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his officials and ministers. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were present, 4. while he displayed the great wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and pomp of his majesty for many days, one hundred eighty days in all.

(Book of Esther Chapter 1 verses 1 to 4)

Oh God, my Father, how nice is humility and simplicity in contrast to pride, pomp and splendour. You who has supreme and absolute power over all the earth and world, chose to be born in a manger that used to serve as a place from where animals eat, while this mortal king boasted of his wealth and power. A human who is conditioned by nature and is programmed to die and leave his inheritance to his followers who might destroy everything that he had built. How nice and important it is to invest in the kingdom of Heaven and not in the power and splendour of the World Amen. 




5. When these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in the citadel of Susa, both great and small, a banquet lasting for seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace.




(Book of Esther Chapter 1 verse 5)





For some reason that could have been either to win the sympathy or support of the people that he was governing and have a more united kingdom, or to continue boasting of his wealth or power, or a matter of genuine concern for the people's welfare, the King held the following banquet.





Oh God my Father how different are You from the kings of the earth. You are not one of pomp, majesty or power, although You deserve it more than all the kings of the earth, but one of love, kindness and humility. During the celebration of the Eucharist You offer Yourself to us, without hidden interests and agendas, may we all imitate You in the same manner and attitude of love and generosity Amen.


6. There were white cotton curtains and blue hangings tied with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and colored stones. 7. Drinks were served in golden goblets, goblets of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. 8. Drinking was by flagons, without restraint; for the king had given orders to all officials of his palace to do as each one desired. 9. Furthermore Queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women in the palace of King Ahasuerus.




(Book of Esther Chapter 1 verses 6 to 9)





Oh God my Father when reflecting on this abundance of generosity and pomp, I cannot fail to ponder if behind the word free offer, lack of control, drink as much as one wants, drinking in goblets of gold, treatment fit for a king or queen, if there was a hidden agenda!





Many times we are offered heaven on earth, especially during times when there is a pending election. The candidates sum up a magnificent manifesto which they never intend to deliver all that they promise, for in the course of time the majority may not even remember what was promised in the original manifesto!




However You oh God my Father have always been faithful, and will always be faithful to Your promises. Since the beginning, You have always kept Your Word even if that word proclaimed blessings or even not so positive outcomes as in the case of the deluge or fire on Sodom as it was merited by the inhabitants and according to Your will.




10. On the seventh day, when the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who attended him, 11. to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing the royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the officials her beauty, for she was fair to behold. 12. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command conveyed by the eunuchs. At this the king was enraged, and his anger burned within him.




(Book of Esther Chapter 1 verses 10 to 12)





Oh God, my Father I pray that we learn how to respect each other's wishes instead of commanding them to do what one wishes. There are some of us, especially the breadwinners of the family who use their power as head of household and resort to financial abuse in order to get what one wants and retains the absolute control of the family and all that goes on. This is not fair oh God my Father, for we are to appreciate all that the other persons do, even if the wife works at home and the children study.  We are never to use monopoly as a means of controlling the family but love.





13. Then the king consulted the sages who knew the laws (for this was the king's procedure toward all who were versed in law and custom, 14. and those next to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven officials of Persia and Media, who had access to the king and sat first in the kingdom):




(Book of Esther Chapter 1 verses 13 to 14)





Oh God my Father at times the easy way seems to be the best way, however, this is not so. As in the case of the King it would have been better to to go and talk to the queen and sort the issue instead of referring to his lawyers in order to seek justification for the disobedience of his wife, who in truth might have been fed up of being treated as property instead of a human being Amen.





 15. According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus conveyed by the eunuchs?"


(Book of Esther Chapter 1 verse 15)


Oh God, my Father instead of seeking understanding many times we become judgmental and seek to pass judgment on a situation, rather than trying to understand the person and the situation, and the person in the situation. Oh God my Father that we may calm down and seek You before referring to the law and negative sinful action Amen.





16. Then Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, "Not only has Queen Vashti done wrong to the king, but also to all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.


(Book of Esther Chapter 1 verse 16)


Oh God my Father, many times we try to act on what 'Should be done' instead of what is best to be done and many people end up being hurt and even the loss of life may result. At times it would be better to refer to the book of Love that is the Good News in the Bible, instead of worldly laws and statutes which many times provide negative consequences and no positive solution for the injured party. Amen.



17. For this deed of the queen will be made known to all women causing them to look with contempt on their husbands, since they will say, 'King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.



(Book of Esther Chapter 1 verse 17)



Oh God, my Father I agree that we are not to set a bad example to others because this may be imitated and a vicious pattern will be created. On the contrary, I pray that positive examples such as charity towards others especially to disadvantaged people such as elderly, people in hospitals or in prison or others who have nobody left to visit or care for them will be practised and that such practice will become like a bonfire that never burns out Amen.



18. This very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen's behavior will rebel against the king's officials, and there will be no end of contempt and wrath!



(Book of Esther Chapter 1 verse 18)



Oh God my Father when we try to reach a possible solution if we have a positive attitude and complete faith in You above all we may reach a sound conclusion, however, if our attitude is negative we will keep on focusing on the negative consequences of that situation and thus inflate it by bringing it out of proportion and thus the conclusion may be totally false and disastrous Amen. May we be positive people Amen.



19. If it pleases the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not be altered, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. 20. So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, vast as it is, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike."



(Book of Esther Chapter 1 verses 19 to 20)



Oh God, my Father I pray that You forgive those people who are persuaded by the forces of evil to pass on negative laws such as that of divorce or separation, that bring a marriage to its end. Oh God some laws as is the one mentioned was implemented in order to influence other women to obey their husbands in fear of the consequences that were planned to befall Queen Vashti. I pray that we learn to obey You not as a consequence of fear but out of love Amen.



21. This advice pleased the king and the officials, and the king did as Memucan proposed; 22. he sent letters to all the royal provinces, to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, declaring that every man should be master in his own house.



(Book of Esther Chapter 1 verses 21  to 22)



Oh God, my Father laws such as these shift the power and authority in a household on to one side and creates disharmony, where one is placed in a position of superiority over the other. Thus according to this law, women were subjects to their husbands, who were given the authority to exercise this power as masters over their household, which may lead to physical and verbal abuse of the wife and children who would end up in an inferior position. Oh God, I would like to offer this prayer for women or wives who end up abused physically and emotionally and even financially by their husbands who abuse of their role as head of household and create a state of disharmony in the family. Oh God, I also pray for husbands who end up dominated by their wives, who end up having to literally slave or worship their wives on hand and feet in fear of being whipped or trampled under their high heels or boots if they do not obey their wives. Amen.


(I strongly recommend that this link is viewed by adults and not in the presence of children)



Case of a man abused by a woman




Oh God my Father, I would like to end the first chapter of the book of Esther with the following prayer:-



Oh God, my Father this morning I would like to pray for all couples in wedlock and even out of wedlock who are going through a hard time in their relationships. I also include my own marriage which is also in a crisis. I pray oh God that You protect us with the power of the Holy Spirit so that the unity in marriage, that only You can give will be present. May our marriages become even stronger and may we all be humble enough to admit our mistakes and repent from them Amen. 

Thank You, Jesus