Esther: God's Unseen Presence--A providential banquet, Esther 1

Last week we began a study through the book of Esther.
Esther is a book of providence. Not only is God’s name not mentioned, but neither are His great miracles. What we see in Esther’s story is God unfolding events as he wishes all while being unnoticed by the people around, especially the Persians.
Esther opens with the main character of King Ahasuerus and the secondary character of Queen Vashti. The King is hosting an incredible banquet attempting to display his grandeur and might—his control over his world. We don’t even see Esther or Mordecai in this opening scene. But what we do see is Proverbs 21:1 (The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.) acted out in real life.
Certainly, this arrogant, pagan king is making his own choices, but it is the God of creation who is orchestrating events to bring glory to His name and to reveal another piece of His plan of redemption for His people.
As we unpack this opening chapter, we are going to learn three lessons from Ahasuerus’ banquet. The first lesson will be a biblical principle for us to apply, the second will be Gospel element for us to rejoice in, and the third will be godly truth for us to live in.