April 26, 2024
Daryel O'Barr, pastor/evangelist
I was talking to a friend and we were remembering some of the stupid things we did as teenagers. One of our favorite things to do was to spend all week working on my car to take it to the drag strip on the weekends. After a few painful and expensive experiences of replacing carburetors, clutches, rear ends, and tires, I realized it was a pretty stupid thing to do.
We all do stupid things. We all make bad decisions. Our decisions are our own.
Today we will look at some decisions made in the book of Esther 2. It had been four years since Queen Vashti had been sent away. During this time, King Xerxes had went to Greece to try to take over Athens. He was defeated in the Battle of Salamis and the Battle of Plataea. The Persian Army was much larger than the Greek Army; but they were defeated and humiliated by the Greeks. King Xerxes returned home in shame. He also returned home to no wife, due to his stupid decision to send Queen Vashti away.
When you make a decision, remember to…
Be careful who you take advice from.
The King returned home to no wife and so his attendants decided to invent a way to solve his problem. These men had to come up with an alternative plan since they were part of the reason Queen Vashti was no longer there and the decree could not be changed.
When you make a decision, remember to…
Not make your decision based on outward appearances.
There is nothing wrong with beauty; but you need to be careful that your decisions are not based solely upon outward appearances. This beauty contest to find King Xerxes a wife was based only on beauty.
Now, God is still in charge. He did give King Xerxes the right Queen. God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.
Consider others' needs. Mordecai adopted Esther as his own daughter when her parents died. It was another mouth to feed and another person to watch over. Most of our decisions benefit us; but sometimes, we need to “look out” for others regardless of how it helps us personally.
Be on God's time. Timing is everything. Just because you do the right thing doesn’t mean that it is the right time. That’s what patience is- Following God’s time. If Esther revealed her nationality and family background at the wrong time, things could have got very bad.
Keep it simple. Esther was allowed to take whatever she wanted to on her night with the King; but she did not. She kept it simple, and in the end it proved to be to her benefit.
Be teachable. We need to understand that Esther didn’t choose to be a part of this contest. She was taken to the harem to learn how to please the King. Instead of being bitter and angry, she learned what she needed to and she made friends. We are all teachable.
Do the right thing. Mordecai overheard the plot and he went to Esther and told her so that she could tell the King. The bottom line is that we as Christians need to simply do the right thing.
