Day 149

Winners of the Beauty Contest

Read: Esther 1-2

The Old Testament is often divided into three main sections: Historical Books, Books of Poetry, and Prophetic Books. Esther is the last of the Historical Books. Actually the events in this book occurred about 30 years prior to those described in Nehemiah.

Esther is a most unusual book. The name of God is never mentioned, yet the book describes God’s providential protection of his people. It contains events which God overrules for the benefit of his people, although the events themselves fall short of biblical ethics. God works in everything for good, even in those things which he disapproves.

Ahasuerus holds a banquet for the rulers of his empire. During the banquet, having drunk too much, he calls for his wife to show off her beauty. She refuses to come and as a result is cast out of his harem. When a beauty contest is held to find a replacement, a young Jewish woman who went by the name Esther, enters the contest. She reaches the semifinals, in which the contestants take turns visiting the king. He is so pleased with her that he chooses her as his new queen. God surely must not have been pleased with many aspects of all of this, yet he uses these events to keep his people from being annihilated. One cannot approve Esther’s involvement in this process, yet this put her in a place of opportunity during this time of exile for the Jews.

PRAYER
Father, use even the failures of your people to accomplish your saving purposes. In Jesus’ name. Amen.