The Favour of God

At times, when you read the word of God you wonder “what in the world is going on?” We must admit that God’s words can often seem far fetch or simply not just make sense. This alone should humble us because we don’t understand God. His ways are not ours indeed. I am reminded of the word of God spoken to Isaiah telling him to walk naked and barefoot (Isaiah 20:1-3). In today’s religious world, such a thing would be unthinkable. Many would disobey God’s commands if he were to instruct them to do the same today because it would simply not make sense to our finite mind. Ironically, I doubt these commands made sense to the prophets of old either yet they obeyed. When God speaks to us and commands us to do certain things, the time is not for questioning but simply obedience. When God spoke to Peter and told him to eat of the animals that were seemingly unpure according to Peter, God’s expectation was simply obedience. However, Peter’s intent was not to disobey, in fact, out of obedience he did not want to eat something unpure but God had to tell him that He is the one who defines purity (Acts 10:11-16). In other words, what I tell you to do, just do. It is with this thought that I would like to lead us today in the topic of God’s sovereignty and might as displayed in the book of Esther. My goal is to remind us that whatever we are facing, God is in control.

The book of Esther is one of the two books of the Bible that does not mention God explicitly. Yet, in the seemingly absence of God, it is quite impossible to miss the hand of God woven throughout the book. As I began studying the book this week, I was intrigued by the mind of God and how He works in unsuspecting ways. The story starts with the description of a mighty king who rules over a huge kingdom expanding from India to Ethiopia. This king has just taken possession over a city and to mark this great achievement threw a huge party for his guests consisting of his officials –the army of Persia and Media, nobles and governors – and the party lasted six full months! I am still puzzled by that. How do you party for six months non-stop? Even a party animal gets tired but it seems in the Persian and Media kingdom, this was not an issue. I wonder, who was leading the kingdom when all government was partying? We are told the reason for throwing this party was to show the “riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness” (Esther 1:4). What a depiction of this king! He clearly lived for the applaud of men. It was such an important aspect of his life that he was willing to throw away so much money to engrave in the minds of his officials his might, his rulership, his influence. The reality is, this king was at the end of the day a prisoner to the perception of his subordinates. The story continues with a request of the king that is denied by the queen. Such a proud king does not expect anyone to disobey him and certainly not his wife. When summoned to come in the king’s presence because the king wanted to showcase the queen’s beauty before his guests, the queen refused to obey the king. The bible tells us that this request of the king was made while he was under the influence of alcohol which means, this is not a request he would have normally made. I guess the alcohol has a tendency to reveal what is always in a man’s heart but cowardice hides it. With the open refusal of the queen, the king is rightly angry and receives counsel from his advisors who tell him that the queen has to be punished for such an act otherwise, this act will be perpetuated by all women in the kingdom who will no longer honour their husbands (Esther 1:16-17). Those advisors definitely saw the power behind models. Because the queen was someone all women looked to, her actions, good or bad would have been replicated across the kingdom. Indeed, a king must be above reproach, that is why it is not fit for a king to have wine among other things, as we learn in Proverbs (Proverbs 31:4-5). After this incident, the king’s fury had subsidized and he received advice from young mates who told him to get a replacement for the queen. This replacement was to be chosen among the young virgins of the kingdom that would please him or find favour in his eyes. So, there was a decree to get all virgins of the kingdom in the palace for a beauty preparation to meet the king. This beauty preparation lasted twelve months and it included skin care and diet (Esther 2:9). We are not privy to the details of that beauty preparation beyond that. It is in this context that comes Esther a Jewish lady, orphaned who had been raised by her cousin Mordecai. Up to this point, the story seemed to focus on the king but now new characters are introduced and the more we read, the more we see their importance. When the king’s edict became official, Esther was taken in along with other young virgins to be trained for the king. The whole ordeal is both surreal and unfair. To many of these young women, it was not a life of their choice, yet at the same time it must have been a great privilege to them and their families to be selected to meet the king. As life would have it, of all the virgins, Esther is the one that finds favour in the eyes of Hegai, the king’s eunuch who had the charge of looking over the beautiful young virgins. I get the sense that Hegai was a man of honour, trustworthy and a protector. A bit like a father figure who could ensure the safety of these young girls. Why was Hegai drawn to Esther? This remains a puzzle to the human mind. I also doubt Hegai could answer that question logically. Anyway, because of the favour Esther had, Hegai treated her with privilege and took her under his wings. Esther received a personal coaching that was different from what other young girls got, and because of this, she had an advantage; that was the favour of God at play. This showed even more when the time for Esther had come to meet the king. She was favoured by the king; in fact, he chose her and made her queen in the place of Vashti the previous queen. The Bible tells us that “Esther was winning favour in the eyes of all who saw her” (Esther 2:15) and the king was no exception to that. This is something that only God can bestow upon a person’s life. It is not a work of one’s effort but simply the grace of God that gives favour. The story continues and we are told that after some time, Esther’s cousin Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate and while there, he got to witness a complot against the king by two of his eunuchs who were plotting to kill the king. Mordecai told the information to his cousin Esther who then relayed it to the king. When the information was proven to be true, the culprits were arrested and hanged. Just like that Mordecai was at the right place, at the right time and saved the king. How was Mordecai able to have this access? Who directed his steps so that he could be in this strategic position? May I suggest the same person that had been granting favour to Esther all this while. The same one who ensured she was chosen by the king, this is none other than Yahweh, the One true God. I have not gone further in the book of Esther but even in the first three chapters, we can already see the silent hand of God working in mysterious ways to perform his wonders. The sovereignty of God is palpable in the story especially when you read the entire story and see what God was orchestrating through the lives of Esther and Mordecai to redeem His people. For now, I believe there are some lessons that we must take into account when looking at this preliminary account of the lives of Esther and Mordecai. First, we must be conscious of the sovereignty of God in all of lives’ situations we go through. This means reminding ourselves of the fact that God knows everything that is happening in the world and to us. He also created all things. He is all knowing for a reason. Second, God is in control of everything and everything belongs to Him. The Psalms tell us that “the earth is the Lord’s and its fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell in it” (Psalm 24:1). Proverbs also tells us that the “the king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1). As the creator who is also very invested in His creation, the Lord ensures all things work out according to His purposes for His glory. Therefore, it should not be surprising to us to see that God uses hardship for His glory. Third, God is not under anyone. He is king over all. He does not have to answer to anyone. Therefore, He can bestow grace on whom He’d like to just as He can have favour on whom He desires to have favour on. 

With this in mind, we ought to be grateful for where the Lord has placed us because He has done so strategically. We did not arrive where we are right now by our mere efforts. I do not care whether you are the brightest in your class, the sharpest in the office, the richest in your circle of friends, do not be swayed into thinking that the work of your hands has gotten you where you are but instead, know that the grace of God has brought you this far. The moment we start thinking that we are the masters of our lives, we welcome pride and become opposed to God. However, when we are conscious of the sovereignty of God, of his manifold wisdom, of his authority, his might, we know He is taking care of any situation that comes our way and so when we bring our request to Him, we bring it confidently. Not only do we serve a mighty God, we also serve a loving Father who gives good gifts to his children (James 1:17). If you do not know this great God, let me invite you to get to know Him by reading His word, the Bible and getting acquainted with Jesus, His one and only son whom He sent into the world to die as a substitute for us so that we could be reconciled with God and receive eternal life (John 3:16). For those of us who know this great God, may we rejoice in the mighty God He is and confidently wait upon Him in whatever difficulties we traverse. Amen.