HOW TO SUCCEED IN LIFE - PART 2
DA 172: Part 2 of 4 of the HOW TO SUCCEED IN LIFE blog entries.
If you love really compelling stories, you have to love the book of Esther. Romance, intrigue, plot twists; it has it all. And as I discovered, it also has some lessons about how to succeed in life. In the first section of this Old Testament story they were mostly lessons about what not to do, and some of those continue. But today there is also a positive example.
When we last left the story, the King of Persia, only in his third year of rule, banished his queen because she would not attend a drunken party King Xerxes was hosting. So the search began for her replacement. Enter, new characters to our story.
Chapter 2 introduces us a very interesting man. Mordecai was a Jew, one of the people groups the Persians had conquered and deported from their homeland. Since the timing of this story places it after Ezra led the first group of exiles back to Israel to build the Temple and before Nehemiah and the second group completed all the walls, Mordecai was most likely the son of the original exiles and born in captivity. A lifelong cultural patronization would explain how he was eventually acceptable to become a palace official.
Knowing the time period in which Mordecai and Esther were at the center of a national crisis really adds gravity to the consequences that are at stake. Esther was Mordecai's young cousin who was "adopted" into his family when her own parents died. To her, he was like a father.
2:8 As a result of the king’s decree, Esther, along with many other young women, was brought to the king’s harem at the fortress of Susa and placed in Hegai’s care.
As we learned with Vashti, the option to refuse did not exist. Esther, no matter what her dreams might have been for her future, had them altered with that decree. She was no longer free to hope for another future. Yet, it must not have created bitterness in her because her character, even in such an uncertain circumstance, won her favor.
9 Hegai was very impressed with Esther and treated her kindly. He quickly ordered a special menu for her and provided her with beauty treatments. He also assigned her seven maids specially chosen from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem.
Only one woman from the vast Harem would be selected as queen. The rest would remain in the
harem for the rest of their lives, forgoing all opportunities to marry. The stakes were very high and the favor she found was crucial, and she needed every advantage if she wanted to succeed and become queen.
10 Esther had not told anyone of her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had directed her not to do so. 11 Every day Mordecai would take a walk near the courtyard of the harem to find out about Esther and what was happening to her.
Part of her plan for success seemed to be in taking advice from the right source. She took it from Mordecai, and she took it from Hegai.
15 When it was Esther’s turn to go to the king, she accepted the advice of Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the harem. She asked for nothing except what he suggested, and she was admired by everyone who saw her.
After 12 months of beauty treatments, and nearly four years after Vashti was banished, Esther won the heart of the king.
17 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.
Yet, she still kept her nationality a secret on the advice of Mordecai who she "obeyed and respected just as she did when she was living in his home." As for Mordecai, he kept his link to Esther secret as well. In time, he was promoted to a palace official.
21 One day as Mordecai was on duty at the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthana and Teresh—who were guards at the door of the king’s private quarters—became angry at King Xerxes and plotted to assassinate him. 22 But Mordecai heard about the plot and gave the information to Queen Esther. She then told the king about it and gave Mordecai credit for the report.
Again, I'm struck by the lack of guile in both Mordecai and Esther. Both were captives by nationality, and Esther by marriage. They were a conquered people whose right to determine their own destiny was greatly limited. So many options were off the table for both of them. Yet when given the opportunity to let calamity fall on their captor-in-chief, they protect him instead. Already we are seeing that ability to guard against bitterness lead each of them toward success.
That is the second big lesson God's Word teaches for How to Succeed in Life: Guard against bitterness in all its forms, in all circumstances. Bitterness does nothing but close doors, exaggerate fears, grow paranoia, damage relationships and enlarge emotion over reason. Bitterness steals success.
The next to enter our story will be the evil Haman, who is the perfect example of someone who let bitterness steal success. Admittedly, though, I don't have to look that far though. There are plenty of examples in my own life where I nursed a grudge, or rehearsed all the wrongs done against me in such a way that the only thing possible on the path was disappointment. Thankfully, those mistakes and Esther's example are great teachers. I know from experience (and the right advice) that success and bitterness can't share the same path. In short: ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING ON THE PATH TO SUCCESS.
Part 3 & 4 TO COME AS WE CONTINUE THROUGH ESTHER. For now, today will be a success if I let go of bitterness in every circumstance and learn to take wise counsel from wise mentors.
Esther 2
1 Corinthians 12:1-26
Psalm 36:1-12
Proverbs 21:21-22
If you love really compelling stories, you have to love the book of Esther. Romance, intrigue, plot twists; it has it all. And as I discovered, it also has some lessons about how to succeed in life. In the first section of this Old Testament story they were mostly lessons about what not to do, and some of those continue. But today there is also a positive example.
When we last left the story, the King of Persia, only in his third year of rule, banished his queen because she would not attend a drunken party King Xerxes was hosting. So the search began for her replacement. Enter, new characters to our story.
Chapter 2 introduces us a very interesting man. Mordecai was a Jew, one of the people groups the Persians had conquered and deported from their homeland. Since the timing of this story places it after Ezra led the first group of exiles back to Israel to build the Temple and before Nehemiah and the second group completed all the walls, Mordecai was most likely the son of the original exiles and born in captivity. A lifelong cultural patronization would explain how he was eventually acceptable to become a palace official.Knowing the time period in which Mordecai and Esther were at the center of a national crisis really adds gravity to the consequences that are at stake. Esther was Mordecai's young cousin who was "adopted" into his family when her own parents died. To her, he was like a father.
2:8 As a result of the king’s decree, Esther, along with many other young women, was brought to the king’s harem at the fortress of Susa and placed in Hegai’s care.
As we learned with Vashti, the option to refuse did not exist. Esther, no matter what her dreams might have been for her future, had them altered with that decree. She was no longer free to hope for another future. Yet, it must not have created bitterness in her because her character, even in such an uncertain circumstance, won her favor.
9 Hegai was very impressed with Esther and treated her kindly. He quickly ordered a special menu for her and provided her with beauty treatments. He also assigned her seven maids specially chosen from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem.
Only one woman from the vast Harem would be selected as queen. The rest would remain in the
harem for the rest of their lives, forgoing all opportunities to marry. The stakes were very high and the favor she found was crucial, and she needed every advantage if she wanted to succeed and become queen.
10 Esther had not told anyone of her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had directed her not to do so. 11 Every day Mordecai would take a walk near the courtyard of the harem to find out about Esther and what was happening to her.
Part of her plan for success seemed to be in taking advice from the right source. She took it from Mordecai, and she took it from Hegai.
15 When it was Esther’s turn to go to the king, she accepted the advice of Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the harem. She asked for nothing except what he suggested, and she was admired by everyone who saw her.
After 12 months of beauty treatments, and nearly four years after Vashti was banished, Esther won the heart of the king.
17 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.
Yet, she still kept her nationality a secret on the advice of Mordecai who she "obeyed and respected just as she did when she was living in his home." As for Mordecai, he kept his link to Esther secret as well. In time, he was promoted to a palace official.
21 One day as Mordecai was on duty at the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthana and Teresh—who were guards at the door of the king’s private quarters—became angry at King Xerxes and plotted to assassinate him. 22 But Mordecai heard about the plot and gave the information to Queen Esther. She then told the king about it and gave Mordecai credit for the report.
Again, I'm struck by the lack of guile in both Mordecai and Esther. Both were captives by nationality, and Esther by marriage. They were a conquered people whose right to determine their own destiny was greatly limited. So many options were off the table for both of them. Yet when given the opportunity to let calamity fall on their captor-in-chief, they protect him instead. Already we are seeing that ability to guard against bitterness lead each of them toward success.
The next to enter our story will be the evil Haman, who is the perfect example of someone who let bitterness steal success. Admittedly, though, I don't have to look that far though. There are plenty of examples in my own life where I nursed a grudge, or rehearsed all the wrongs done against me in such a way that the only thing possible on the path was disappointment. Thankfully, those mistakes and Esther's example are great teachers. I know from experience (and the right advice) that success and bitterness can't share the same path. In short: ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING ON THE PATH TO SUCCESS.
Part 3 & 4 TO COME AS WE CONTINUE THROUGH ESTHER. For now, today will be a success if I let go of bitterness in every circumstance and learn to take wise counsel from wise mentors.
Esther 2
1 Corinthians 12:1-26
Psalm 36:1-12
Proverbs 21:21-22
hurt feelings really can put you in a rut
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