以斯帖进场
以斯帖记二章1至18节
1这事以后，亚哈随鲁王的忿怒止息，就想念瓦实提和她所行的，并怎样降旨办她。
2于是王的侍臣对王说：“不如为王寻找美貌的处女。
3王可以派官在国中的各省，招聚美貌的处女到书珊城（注：或作“宫”）的女院，交给掌管女子的太监希该，给她们当用的香品。
4王所喜爱的女子可以立为王后，代替瓦实提。”王以这事为美，就如此行。
5书珊城有一个犹大人，名叫末底改，是便雅悯人基士的曾孙、示每的孙子、睚珥的儿子。
6从前巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒将犹大王耶哥尼雅（注：又名“约雅斤”）和百姓从耶路撒冷掳去，末底改也在其内。
7末底改抚养他叔叔的女儿哈大沙（后名以斯帖），因为她没有父母。这女子又容貌俊美，她父母死了，末底改就收她为自己的女儿。
8王的谕旨传出，就招聚许多女子到书珊城，交给掌管女子的希该；以斯帖也送入王宫，交付希该。
9希该喜悦以斯帖，就恩待她，急忙给她需用的香品和她所当得的份，又派所当得的七个宫女服事她，使她和她的宫女搬入女院上好的房屋。
10以斯帖未曾将籍贯宗族告诉人，因为末底改嘱咐她不可叫人知道。
11末底改天天在女院前边行走，要知道以斯帖平安不平安，并后事如何。
12众女子照例先洁净身体十二个月：六个月用没药油，六个月用香料和洁身之物。满了日期，然后挨次进去见亚哈随鲁王。
13女子进去见王是这样：从女院到王宫的时候，凡她所要的都必给她。
14晚上进去，次日回到女子第二院，交给掌管妃嫔的太监沙甲；除非王喜爱她，再提名召她，就不再进去见王。
15末底改叔叔亚比孩的女儿，就是末底改收为自己女儿的以斯帖，按次序当进去见王的时候，除了掌管女子的太监希该所派定给她的，她别无所求。凡看见以斯帖的都喜悦她。
16亚哈随鲁王第七年十月，就是提别月，以斯帖被引入宫见王。
17王爱以斯帖过于爱众女，她在王眼前蒙宠爱比众处女更甚。王就把王后的冠冕戴在她头上，立她为王后，代替瓦实提。
18王因以斯帖的缘故给众首领和臣仆设摆大筵席，又豁免各省的租税，并照王的厚意大颁赏赐。
信息分享
他的朝臣便建议他举办首次「世界小姐选美」，全国127个省每省提供一名当地最美丽的女孩作为候选人参赛，而其中最美丽的那一个当选王后。你可以想像佳丽列队进宫的盛况吗？以斯帖就在其中，她原名叫哈大沙，但以斯帖听起来更美。
以斯帖由堂叔末底改抚养成人；末底改得知王上选后，便鼓励以斯帖去参加。这127位美女首先要经过12个月的美容疗程，然后才去见王。我们不知道以斯帖排在名单的第几位，但她最终赢得比赛。我们选读的经文描述她不仅容貌美丽，而且品格也好，两点都吸引了亚哈随鲁王。若是在今天，这场王室婚礼一定获得全球电视的大型转播。
一般人很容易以为，以斯帖是凭着美貌被选为后；但是，我们却知道，这一切背后，是以斯帖大能的神在掌控。神的百姓将面临一个极大的危险，但在此之前，神预先把以斯帖安放在一个位置，当有需要，她就能在那里发挥作用。许多时候，我们未必看到人生际遇的背后有神大能的手安排，然而，祂仍是那位全能的神，总是能预先作出计划，为我们安排出路。
在本章的结尾，发生了一个意外。以斯帖的叔叔得悉一个暗杀王的阴谋，于是便通知以斯帖，她马上报告她的丈夫，王。当时没有人知道这件事后来对神百姓的性命有何等重大的意义，但神却又一次默默安排他们的未来。以斯帖是一个公众人物，末底改只是幕后人物；但神却使用这两人来拯救祂的百姓。你可能参与公开的事奉，也可能只是在幕后，但神都使用，只要我们把生命的主权交在祂手中。
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.