As the ESV Study Bible says: “The book of Esther never
mentions God’s name, yet God clearly orchestrated all of its events.” In these
first two chapters we see the beginning of the story which takes place between
the first return of the exiles from captivity and the time when Ezra and
Nehemiah came back to Jerusalem. Esther’s uncle Mordecai was obviously a very
old man for he had been among those taken into exile from Judah. Esther was
born during the exile.
As I read these chapters, one thought occurred to me while
thinking of what to say in this devotional. The scene is being set, the
intrigue is building, God is clearly about to do something, but one thing
stands out — we are not to the end of the story yet. And that’s exactly where
we find ourselves today, isn’t it. We know that Jesus came, lived a perfectly
sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, rose again on the third day and
ascended to be with the Father. But not, the intrigue is building…the scene is
being set…Jesus is going to return…but we are not to the end of the story yet.
So what do we do in the meantime? Just like Esther, we are
to make ourselves ready for his return. Esther was over a year in preparation
to make herself as beautiful as possible before meeting King Ahasuerus. We do
not know how much time we have before we meet our Savior, whether through death
or rapture. But we are to beautify ourselves through holy and righteous living
for that day. Think of your opportunity in this life to adorn yourself with
Christ-likeness because, “Beloved, we are God 's children now, and what we will
be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him,
because we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)
Prayer: Father, help us to live in such a way that in the
moment we see you we will not be ashamed but filled with ecstatic joy and
meeting you face to face.
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