You Don’t Have To Settle For Second Best!

The letter ‘X’ is no doubt an interesting letter to find. Friends have been curious to see what I come up with.

I found Xerxes in the Bible.

King Xerxes was a powerful Persian King. In the book of Esther, it opens with his dramatic record.

Esther 1:1-2 says, “This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush: At that time King Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa,”

The king loved to give extravagant parties and the story of Esther shows that indulgence. He was noted for his excessiveness, which contributed to the saga of him deposing of his wife and taking on another wife.

Esther 2:17 says, “Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.”

However, Esther did not reveal her Jewish identity but when the plot to wipe out the Jews was uncovered by Esther’s cousin, he asked her to appeal to the king on behalf of her people.

The famous verse  in Esther 4:14b reads, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther’s courage, wit and bravery is seen when she becomes a spokesperson for the Jewish people. The outcome was that the perpetrators were dealt with and the Jewish people were saved. To this day the Feast of Purim marks that event in history.

In Esther 10:2 there is a record of the great works of King Xerxes. “And all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whom the king had promoted, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia?”

We learn from this account that God can use anyone who is obedient to fulfil His plans. He can turn powerful kings like King Xerxes to be instruments of deliverance of His chosen people. ◊

Linda Pearl