Watch the video above and talk about it with a group or mentor. Learn more.
Esther Is Accepted by the King
After the fasting and praying period, Esther went before the king, he raised his scepter, and he spared her life.
Esther 5:2 When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her. So Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter.
Xerxes was eager to grant Esther what she wished. Instead of telling the king about her problem, she invited the king and Haman to a banquet. At the banquet, Esther invited the king and Haman to another banquet the next day.
Haman was still upset at Mordecai, and through the encouragement of his wife, he made a 75 foot pole to impale Mordecai.
God Gives the King a Sleepless Night
The night between the two banquets the king couldn’t sleep.
Esther 6:1 That night the king had trouble sleeping, so he ordered an attendant to bring the book of the history of his reign so it could be read to him.
The king’s insomnia was no accident. This is actually one of the main turning points of the story. God made sure that Xerxes was up that night so that he would be prompted to remember when Mordecai saved the king’s life. It turns out that Mordecai had never been rewarded for saving the king’s life. The king resolves to reward Mordecai immediately. And he puts Haman in charge of the celebration!
Esther Reveals Haman’s True Character
At the second banquet, Esther told the king, finally, that she was a Jew, and that she would be killed because of the law that Haman wrote. Filled with anger, the king walked out of the room. Haman, meanwhile, pled for his life with Esther. When the king returned, he believed that Haman was attacking Esther. Haman was arrested and impaled on the pole he created for Mordecai.
In order to save the Jewish people, the king allows Mordecai and Esther to write a law that saves the Jewish people. The Jews are authorized to defend themselves with the protection of the government. When the day comes, the Jews fight their enemies and are saved. As a result of all of this, Mordecai becomes second in charge of Persia after the king, and Esther is situated as queen.
God Works in Your Life through the Ordinary
What did God do in the story of Esther? There were no miracles. There was no verse that said, “God…” and explained God’s actions. But certainly, God was at work in this story. After all, his chosen people were saved through a series of improbable events.
Well, this demonstrates how God works in our lives. God accomplishes his plans through everyday, ordinary means. We see this demonstrated in the life of Jesus too. Look at how the apostle Peter described the crucifixion of Jesus.
Acts 3:17-18 Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah—that he must suffer these things.
From a human perspective, nothing miraculous happened there. But, of course, God was at work throughout everything that happened in the crucifixion. God was accomplishing his plan of salvation.
This is called God’s providence. God’s providence describes the way God uses everyday events to accomplish his purposes in the world. We need to see how God is working in our lives through his providence. Think about things that almost didn’t happen in your life. Maybe you almost went to a different school. Or, you almost never became friends with your best friends. But you did, and it changed your life.
The story of Esther teaches us to see how God works in the everyday, ordinary parts of our lives.
- Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
- What is your initial reaction to this video? Do you disagree with any of it? What jumped out at you?
- Have you ever seen a miracle? If so, explain what happened. Why do you think that God rarely worked through miracles, even in the time of the Bible?
- Why didn’t God just perform an obvious miracle, or come to Xerxes in a vision?
- What is God’s providence? Describe how you have seen God’s providence in your life or in the lives of others.
- How would seeing God’s work in your life affect your relationship with God?
- Think of a small event in your life that changed everything. What would be different if that event hadn’t happened?
- Think of a major event in your life. How did God use that event in your life for good?
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
