“Esther Becomes Queen”

Bible Bits & Bites
​Daily Devotions for Families

Season 2: Heroes of the Bible
Episode 19: “Esther Becomes Queen”
Today’s Bible Bite: Esther 1-2:20

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JydNSlufRIs... (The Bible Project – for parents and older children)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q94wBYdMwtE (Superbook – Esther watch 0.00-8.34)

“And the king loved Esther more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti.” (Esther 2:17)

King Xerxes was a powerful king. He loved to throw parties and be generous, but he often made rash decisions when he had drunk too much wine. After throwing two parties—one that last 180 days and another for everyone in the kingdom for a week—King Xerxes wanted to show off his beautiful queen to everyone, so told his servants to go fetch her. Queen Vashti had been throwing a party for the women when she heard the king’s order. But, men and women didn’t mix socially in those days—what he wanted her to do was considered a very shameful thing and so she said, “no.” King Xerxes became so angry with her refusal that he demoted her and refused to ever see her again.

After some time, however, he began to think of the queen and regretted his decision. To cheer him up, his advisors suggested that he should look for a new queen. They would hold a huge beauty pageant—all the beautiful girls of the kingdom would be brought to the king, to include as his concubines (a concubine was a sort of wife). The girl he liked best would become the new queen. King Xerxes liked this plan and ordered that all the beautiful young women should be brought to his palace in Susa. That’s how Esther found herself living in the palace. When the king spent time with Esther he liked her the best and she became the new queen…and of course King Xerxes threw a big party to celebrate!

Think about it...
• King Xerxes held a big party and wanted to show off his possessions. Why did he want Queen Vashti to come?
• By the last day of the party, the king and his many guests would have been quite drunk. What would you have done if you were Queen Vashti?
• King Xerxes regretted his rash decision to get rid of Vashti. What did his advisors suggest as the solution?
• Esther was one of the young women brought to the palace. What happened when she met with the king?
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Prayer: Thank you, God, for the story of King Xerxes. Many times the Bible contains stories of people so that we know what not to do. Help us never to be as quick as King Xerxes with his decisions, only to later regret our choices. Thank you, too, for the story of Esther, who you took care of even when she was forced to go to the palace. Though she did not have a say, you still looked after her and she became queen.