| 亞哈隨魯王發現了我們許多人發現的真理，當他怒氣平息之後，便後悔自己在怒氣驅使下的所為。他想念王后瓦實提，他能做甚麼來取代她的位置呢？ 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。 |
| King Xerxes discovered what many of us have found true - after his anger had subsided, he regretted what he had done while carried away by his outburst. He missed the presence of his Queen, Vashti. What could he do to replace her? 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. |
沒有留言:
張貼留言