Series: God Is Here [#2]
HOW TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS
Esther 2:1-23
Introduction:
I was talking to my brother and we were remembering some of the stupid things we did as children. One of our favorite things to do was hoist our bikes up from the Mulberry Tree and then jump our bikes off of the roof. After a few painful experiences, my brother and I got pretty good at jumping our bikes off of the roof. Now, dad knew something was up because the rims of our bikes were always bent. Just like my brother and I, we all do stupid things- We all make bad decisions. Our decisions are our own.
It had been 4 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.
Esther 2:1-4 (NIV)
“Later when the anger of King Xerxes had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what he had decreed about her. Then the king's personal attendants proposed, "Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful girls into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them. Then let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti." This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it.”
When you make a decision, remember to…
1. 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…
2. 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.
Esther 2:5-9 (NIV)
“Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin king of Judah. Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This girl, who was also known as Esther, was lovely in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died. When the king's order and edict had been proclaimed, many girls were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king's palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. The girl pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven maids selected from the king's palace and moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem.”
When you make a decision, remember to…
3. Consider other’s 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.
Esther 2:10-11 (NIV)
“Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.”
When you make a decision, remember to…
4. 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.
Esther 2:12-19 (NIV)
“Before a girl's turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics. And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king's palace. In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name. When the turn came for Esther (the girl Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her. She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 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. And the king gave a great banquet, Esther's banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality. When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate.”
When you make a decision, remember to…
5. 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.
When you make a decision, remember to…
6. 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.
Esther 2:20-23 (NIV)
“But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai's instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up. During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai. And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were hanged on a gallows. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.”
When you make a decision, remember to…
7. 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.
