以斯帖進場
以斯帖記二章1至18節
1這事以後，亞哈隨魯王的忿怒止息，就想念瓦實提和她所行的，並怎樣降旨辦她。
2於是王的侍臣對王說：“不如為王尋找美貌的處女。
3王可以派官在國中的各省，招聚美貌的處女到書珊城（註：或作“宮”）的女院，交給掌管女子的太監希該，給她們當用的香品。
4王所喜愛的女子可以立為王后，代替瓦實提。”王以這事為美，就如此行。
5書珊城有一個猶大人，名叫末底改，是便雅憫人基士的曾孫、示每的孫子、睚珥的兒子。
6從前巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒將猶大王耶哥尼雅（註：又名“約雅斤”）和百姓從耶路撒冷擄去，末底改也在其內。
7末底改撫養他叔叔的女兒哈大沙（後名以斯帖），因為她沒有父母。這女子又容貌俊美，她父母死了，末底改就收她為自己的女兒。
8王的諭旨傳出，就招聚許多女子到書珊城，交給掌管女子的希該；以斯帖也送入王宮，交付希該。
9希該喜悅以斯帖，就恩待她，急忙給她需用的香品和她所當得的份，又派所當得的七個宮女服事她，使她和她的宮女搬入女院上好的房屋。
10以斯帖未曾將籍貫宗族告訴人，因為末底改囑咐她不可叫人知道。
11末底改天天在女院前邊行走，要知道以斯帖平安不平安，並後事如何。
12眾女子照例先潔淨身體十二個月：六個月用沒藥油，六個月用香料和潔身之物。滿了日期，然後挨次進去見亞哈隨魯王。
13女子進去見王是這樣：從女院到王宮的時候，凡她所要的都必給她。
14晚上進去，次日回到女子第二院，交給掌管妃嬪的太監沙甲；除非王喜愛她，再提名召她，就不再進去見王。
15末底改叔叔亞比孩的女兒，就是末底改收為自己女兒的以斯帖，按次序當進去見王的時候，除了掌管女子的太監希該所派定給她的，她別無所求。凡看見以斯帖的都喜悅她。
16亞哈隨魯王第七年十月，就是提別月，以斯帖被引入宮見王。
17王愛以斯帖過於愛眾女，她在王眼前蒙寵愛比眾處女更甚。王就把王后的冠冕戴在她頭上，立她為王后，代替瓦實提。
18王因以斯帖的緣故給眾首領和臣僕設擺大筵席，又豁免各省的租稅，並照王的厚意大頒賞賜。
信息分享
他的朝臣便建議他舉辦首次「世界小姐選美」，全國127個省每省提供一名當地最美麗的女孩作為候選人參賽，而其中最美麗的那一個當選王后。你可以想像佳麗列隊進宮的盛況嗎？以斯帖就在其中，她原名叫哈大沙，但以斯帖聽起來更美。
以斯帖由堂叔末底改撫養成人；末底改得知王上選后，便鼓勵以斯帖去參加。這127位美女首先要經過12個月的美容療程，然後才去見王。我們不知道以斯帖排在名單的第幾位，但她最終贏得比賽。我們選讀的經文描述她不僅容貌美麗，而且品格也好，兩點都吸引了亞哈隨魯王。若是在今天，這場王室婚禮一定獲得全球電視的大型轉播。
一般人很容易以為，以斯帖是憑著美貌被選為后；但是，我們卻知道，這一切背後，是以斯帖大能的神在掌控。神的百姓將面臨一個極大的危險，但在此之前，神預先把以斯帖安放在一個位置，當有需要，她就能在那裡發揮作用。許多時候，我們未必看到人生際遇的背後有神大能的手安排，然而，祂仍是那位全能的神，總是能預先作出計劃，為我們安排出路。
在本章的結尾，發生了一個意外。以斯帖的叔叔得悉一個暗殺王的陰謀，於是便通知以斯帖，她馬上報告她的丈夫，王。當時沒有人知道這件事後來對神百姓的性命有何等重大的意義，但神卻又一次默默安排他們的未來。以斯帖是一個公眾人物，末底改只是幕後人物；但神卻使用這兩人來拯救祂的百姓。你可能參與公開的事奉，也可能只是在幕後，但神都使用，只要我們把生命的主權交在祂手中。
ESTHER ENTERS THE STORY
Esther 2: 1-18
1 After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed against her.
2 Then the king’s servants who attended him said: “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king;
3 and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to Shushan the citadel, into the women’s quarters, under the custody of Hegai the king’s eunuch, custodian of the women. And let beauty preparations be given them.
4 Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.”
This thing pleased the king, and he did so.
5 In Shushan the citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite.
6 Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been captured with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.
7 And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
8 So it was, when the king’s command and decree were heard, and when many young women were gathered at Shushan the citadel, under the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was taken to the king’s palace, into the care of Hegai the custodian of the women.
9 Now the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to her, besides her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women.
10 Esther had not revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it.
11 And every day Mordecai paced in front of the court of the women’s quarters, to learn of Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her.
12 Each young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months’ preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women.
13 Thus prepared, each young woman went to the king, and she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the women’s quarters to the king’s palace.
14 In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name.
15 Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her.
16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
18 Then the king made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the generosity of a king.
Message
His advisors suggested he should hold the first “Miss World Beauty Contest”. Each of the 127 provinces was to provide the most beautiful girl in their area as a candidate for the contest and the most beautiful was to be Queen. Can you imagine the line-up? And Esther was among them. Her original name was Hadassah, but Esther certainly sounds better.
Her uncle Mordecai, who had brought her up, heard about the contest and persuaded her to enter. Each of the 127 girls was given up to twelve months of beauty treatments and then was presented to the king. We don’t know where Esther stood in the list of 127, but she won the contest. Our reading speaks not only about her beauty but also about her fine character, both of which appealed to King Xerxes. The wedding reception would have made a spectacular television production.
It is easy to say Esther’s beauty won the contest for her, but what’s behind it was the hand of Esther’s Almighty God. There was terrible danger ahead for God’s people but before it came, God put Esther into position so that when needed, she would be there to intervene. We do not often recognise God’s hand in the events of our lives, but He is still the same Almighty God who can plan ahead and smooth the pathway for us.
Another short incident occurs at the end of the chapter. Esther’s uncle heard of a plot to assassinate the King. He reported it to Esther who in turn informed her husband, the king. No one realised at the time what this might mean later in the lives of God’s people, but once again God was silently planning their future. Esther was the public figure, Mordecai was the private figure, but both were used by God to save His people. Your work for God may be public or it may be private, but God can use either if our lives are surrendered to Him.