Now, there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai, son of Jair, the son if Shimei, the son of Kish, who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin, king of Judah. Modecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This girl, who was also known as Esther, was lovely in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died. (Esther 2: 5-7).
The story of Esther is illustrative of God’s purposeful agenda over those destined for greatness, irrespective of their peculiar circumstances. It establishes the fact that the circumstances of one’s birth does not determine how far he will go in life, neither is it a factor of limitation. Everything depends on God who gives meaning and significance to life. Even so, the vehicle that facilitates the meaning of life is the purpose of life. Rick Warren, in his robust exegesis about life and purpose, said: “When life has meaning, you can bear everything; without it, nothing is bearable… without meaning, life has no significance or hope.” In the same vein, without God, life has no purpose.
The book of Esther gives us insight to the fate of the Jews who had been confined as exiles among the kingdoms of the Medes (2 Kings 17:6). History collaborates the evidences in the scriptures to confirm the fact that after the conquest of Babylon by King Cyrus of Persia (539 BC), some of the Jewish population taken there by the Babylonians probably moved eastward into the cities of Medo-Persia. Only 50,000 returned to Israel in the restoration of 538BC (Ezra 2:64-67). In this sense, a large chunk of the population remained in exile and had been trained over the period to important positions. Esther can be rightly placed in this category of people.
Modecai’s young, orphaned, and ravishing cousin, Esther, who he has raised, emerged from the shadows and shallows of the royal harem to take on the title role, Queen. Esther emerged from nothing to something in life and remained a figure of hope for the rest of the Jews and humanity who live in the danger of extermination by the world powers and ravaging wolves of our society. She continues to speak the final and definitive word: “No one can eliminate God’s people and His purpose.” Terrorism and insurgency cannot stop God’s definite agenda and purpose for Africa and for Nigeria.
How did Esther emerge to the royal position she found herself? It is touching to see where God went to pick the next queen. God, always seeking to shame the wise, uses the base things of this world to discredit the powerful and the influential.
It is strange to see Esther meet up with the sophisticated ladies of the kingdom in that eventful competition of who becomes the next queen, yet she emerged the best by winning the admiration of the king.
The Lord God Almighty connected her in the most amazing manner. The competitions of life are not always won by those who are disposed or rich in human standard.
“The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all” (Eccl. 9:11).
Mordecai (Esther’s uncle), in preparing Esther for the contest, must have believed and prayed that God would push her forward with His favour. He could not depend on anything less than God’s mercy to make a way for Esther, among so many who came from men of means.
Right from the point of intake, Esther, like Daniel, obtained favour in the eyes of the chamberlain. Her appearance was pleasing to him. It must be God at work behind the scene, in answer to the prayer of Modecai. So Esther obtained favour and kindness from the keeper of the ladies.
Brethren, it is important to note that favour from the Lord is what we need to be positioned on the path of fulfilling God’s call on one’s life. There is a great difference between a man who has obtained favour from God and he who is barely standing on his personal merit in life. Standing on personal merit in life is characterised by struggle, hard labour, stress and all manner of difficulties. On the other hand, when we anchor on the supernatural, His grace distinguishes us and smoothens our course. To stand on grace is to stand on the glory of life.
Grace is the bedrock of divine promotion and favour. Esther was lifted from the down-trodden and grassroots society to a graceful class society through God’s subsisting grace elicited by a corresponding godliness on the part of the maiden. You only need God’s mercy and grace to come to terms with your fascinating dreams in life.