“Then let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti”
In this season of The Bachelor: over 25 beautiful young virgins have been brought from all over the provinces of Persia to the citadel of Susa. They’ve endured 12 months of beauty treatments for one chance to become queen. But there’s only one rose. Who will King Xerxes choose to replace Vashti (v.1-4)?
To find his true love, the King will “date” a different girl each night. To prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime rendezvous all the girls are given first class spa treatments, fragrant oils and perfumes, cosmetics, and, I would imagine, a gorgeous up-do and outfits made from exquisite fabrics. In addition, each girl can take with her items of her choice to make a good impression on the King (v.12-14).
With so many beautiful women, how can Xerxes possibly choose? An unanticipated plot twist to this season: amid the sea of similarity is an unknown beauty named Esther who captures the attention and admiration of those around her. Lovely in form and features no one would ever suspect that she was born a Jew. This secret could put her ahead of the crowd, or it could be off with her head! How will she change the course of this competition (v.7, 10)?
Yet another twist is that King Xerxes will deviate from the standard Bachelor format and choose not to visit the women’s families. This could be an advantage for our wild card Esther; she was orphaned at a young age and raised by her older cousin Mordecai. Keeping her family situation a secret will prevent Xerxes from knowing she is not of royal blood, and could send her straight to the throne (v.5-7)!
The final Rose Ceremony is tense; the King has spent time with so many dazzling women who each have individual qualities that stand out to him. But as each girl eagerly awaits the rose to be handed to her, only one woman has completely won Xerxes over. He is head over heals for Esther! He hands her the final rose, names her queen, and immediately orders a banquet and celebration in her honor. But the audience is left to wonder: did Xerxes make the right choice, or is his kingdom now in jeopardy (v.17-18)?
Key Verse: “Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti” (v.17).
Seed Thought: Xerxes chose a queen based on superficial criteria: appearance, fragrance, poise, humor, etc. Can you imagine what it would be like if our Lord chose his disciples (us) using that method? Most of us wouldn’t have a chance! But praise be to our God that he “does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
