August 6, 2026

As we consider how Vashti was treated when she denied the king's request compared to how Esther was received without summons, we see a contrast that emphasizes the hand of God in this story. If Ahasuerus had been better to his first wife and had not given in so easily to peer pressure, how much of a miracle would it have been for him to accept Esther's petition? The story of Vashti artfully (as God's miracle are always beautiful) sets the stage to prove that a great change occurred in Ahasuerus that can only be described as miraculous.

Another, more direct, show of God's hand in this story is when the night before Haman planned to ask for Mordecai's execution the Jews had been fasting and Ahasuerus could not sleep. He asked for the chronicles to be read and heard how Mordecai had saved his life. There is mighty power in fasting. It shows God we are willing to sacrifice and unlocks the powers of heaven.

Both of these examples illustrate God's power in different ways. Some are more apparent, too coincidental to be coincident, while others are subtle but still noticeable if we look at the difference in pattern of character.

I also find it funny that in a book that doesn't mention God, within a larger collection of books that doesn't explicitly mention Jesus, the last line of the book says "and speaking peace to all his seed". Christ is the prince of peace. It is only through Him that peace can be found, and any true words of peace are His words. Christ is in the Old Testament. Christ is in our lives. He lives. I am grateful for Him.