Lesson 19: A beauty contest

Read Esther 2

The king’s advisors and officials demanded that he not allow the queen to remain in her position since then all the women of the country would think they could disobey their husbands as Queen Vashti had done. These men demanded that he replace Vashti with a new queen. So the king’s men gathered beautiful young ladies from all over the country and brought them to the palace where the king’s official in charge of his women would take care of them.

We are not told how or where Esther was taken, but we do know that she was not recognized by the officials in the palace as being a Jewish girl. And the Bible says Esther did not tell anyone in the palace either. Did she know where she was being taken? Was she afraid because she had been taken from the loving home of her uncle?

God often takes us to places we have never been before. It may be an uncomfortable place where we do not know how we will have money to care for our loved ones, or a fearful place where we do not know if we will survive, or a lonely place where all our friends have left us, or a place of shame where all those around us dishonor and mock us. But God never leaves us or forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5). These are times of testing us – not because God wants to know how strong we are (He already knows), but for Him to show us how weak we are and how much we need Him.


In Esther’s situation, God had a plan. He gave the man in charge a fatherly love for Esther so that he took special care of her, always making sure she had everything she needed. We are not told details of her life with her uncle, but we do know he taught her about God and His ways. He taught her to love and honor people as well as God. And now, when she found herself separated from her family in this palace full of other beautiful young women, she was a beautiful woman in more than just appearance. She also displayed beautiful conduct and behavior.

We must fully believe and trust that God will never take us where His love and grace cannot keep us (John 17:12). We must fully believe and trust that He allows nothing into our lives which He cannot turn into good for us (Romans 8:28). We can be certain He gives us nothing for which we cannot be thankful (Ephesians 5:20 and 1 Thessalonians 5:17). We can also be certain that nothing will come into our lives here on this earth which will ever be greater than the glory He has waiting for us in Heaven (2 Corinthians 4:17).

*Memorize 2 Corinthians 4:17-18.