Bridge to Esther

Esther 1:3-4

An Unhappy King

3. In the third year of his [Ahasuerus’] reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power, or the rulers, of Persia and Media were there, as well as the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him:

4. When he showed off the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days (180 days). This entire show was to impress the important people so that they would support King Ahasuerus in his plans to make war.

Something to think about:

In order to organize a war against far away Greece, King Ahasuerus called important people from all over his large empire to meet together in the capital city. Today, we would call it a ‘summit meeting.’ This meeting lasted for about half a year because there was so much to plan.

The Greeks were very strong and it would be a risky invasion. But King Ahasuerus had a bold plan, and his army was large—two million soldiers! In order to win the support of the nobles and princes, he made a splendid show of his power, riches and luxury during that half-year summit meeting.

And what power and magnificence this wealthy king had! His empire was vast: servants surrounded him and supplied his every need and wish; there was no limit to his money—whatever he wanted, he could get. Later, we will read about what a beautiful and luxurious palace he lived in. Not only did he have riches, he also had power. In fact, he had so much control that if he had enemies or didn’t like someone, he simply had them removed or killed.

Do you think that with all his power and riches, King Ahasuerus was happy? No! He wasn’t satisfied with the huge empire he already had, but longed to conquer the Greeks as well. If he was able to have that, do you think then he would be satisfied? You are right, if you think he wouldn’t!

What made this king so unhappy? He was greedy and covetous. All he cared about was himself. He thought people would admire him even more if he could beat those Greeks! Sadly, though he was a king, he was actually a slave. He was ruled by his selfish, greedy heart.

Do you realize how much we are all like King Ahasuerus? When he sent the men to war, he didn’t really care about all the mothers and children who would cry for their husbands and fathers who would never come home again. But think about yourself: Do you really care when you hurt someone by your actions or comments? How easy it is to snub a classmate or snicker cruelly when he or she has made a mistake! We can be very concerned about what people think of us; but are you just as touchy when someone shares a few unkind facts about another person? Do you immediately tell them to stop talking about others?

Do you want to be happy? Then you need to know the real King—the Lord Jesus Christ! The riches of glory He has in heaven are infinitely superior to what King Ahasuerus had. But what is so amazing is that when the Lord Jesus came to this earth, He didn’t look like a king. No, He laid aside His glory, put on a human nature and came to be a servant, so that He could save sinners. He didn’t organize meetings to fight earthly enemies, but He fought and won a spiritual war against sin and Satan. When He is on the ‘throne’ in your heart, He will conquer your sin and you will be truly happy.