exhibited had she been left entirely to her own re sources. But let us now make a brief improvement of the verses which have been considered. And here the train of thought suggested to us will have already occurred to the minds of some. It embraces two particulars: the largeness of the king's offer, and Esther's hesitancy at once to avail herself of it. 1. With respect to the largeness of the offer. "Even to the half of my kingdom," the king said, "will thy request be granted." This, we have remarked, was the language of exaggeration. But we have it declared, in the words of truth addressed by our heavenly Lord to His people: "Verily, verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, He will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." Here there is no limitation, but whatever is needed to the completion of our true spiritual joy, we are invited to ask, in the name of Christ; and if we ask in faith, as we are elsewhere told, it will be given, "that the Father may be glorified in the Son." "All things are yours," it is said to believers; and it may well be said, since Jehovah gives Himself to them as their God, and Christ is theirs, and the Spirit dwells in them. 2. But then, secondly, as Esther was afraid all at once to ask what she most desired, so God's people are often slow or afraid to avail themselves to the full of their privilege of asking. Many are contented to live from year to year, with little more to uphold them than an indistinct hope that they shall reach heaven at last, when, if they would but take home God's promises in all their freeness and richness, they might be able to rejoice in Him as their portion. Many even seem to think that it would be presumptuous in them to expect such comfort and enlargement of heart as they read that others have enjoyed; whereas the Scripture tells them that the Spirit of the Lord is not straitened, and that they are only straitened in themselves. But perhaps it may be, that as Esther did not feel herself in a condition all at once to close with the king's most liberal offer, so some among us, for other reasons than the feeling that it would be presumptuous, may be exercised in the same way with respect to spiritual privileges. This point deserves a moment's notice. There are some professed followers of Christ, who are not altogether prepared either to ask or to receive the full measure of privilege which He offers to His people. They have still some lingering desires after the world and its pleasures, which they are unwilling all at once to renounce; and though they seem to have cast in their lot with the redeemed, they would rather have the process of self-renunciation and of sanctification to be gradual than summary. In a word, with their present feelings, they would be, I must say unwilling, or at least afraid, to receive the large communications of grace which Christ has promised to bestow. Now this is a most dangerous state of mind, and cannot be otherwise WITH GOD'S OFFERS. 189 designated than as a grieving of the Spirit of God. And if there be any here to whom the above remarks are applicable, I would beseech them no longer to sport with offered blessings-no longer to imagine that they can serve Christ and the world together. Esther only deferred craving all she wished, because that was the best way to obtain it in the end. But if you are unwilling to take all that you might have, because in that case you must bid adieu to certain pleasures which you desire to retain, then you provoke the Lord to withdraw from you altogether the sense of His favour, and to leave. you in utter darkness. But we must now glance for a moment at ver. 6–8: "And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed. Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is; if I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to-morrow as the king hath said." It would appear from this passage, that the king understood that Esther's inviting him to her banquet was only preliminary to her making some request which she could not with propriety present in public. Hence he again declares his willingness to grant her whatever she should desire. Whether her heart failed her at the moment, or whether she saw that matters were not yet fully ripe for the disclosure of her troubles, we cannot determine; but from what follows in the narrative, we can see that her reluctance was overruled to answer two purposes to allow the farther development of Haman's wickedness, and to place the cause of the Jews, in the person of Mordecai, in so favourable a light to the king, that Esther might plead it with less fear than she felt on the occasion referred to in the verses before us. Thus far she had attained the object she aimed at, that she was restored to the king's confidence, and that Haman, the great enemy of her people, was put off his guard, so that he could have no suspicion of her ultimate design. He was left standing upon the brink of destruction, when he never appeared to be more secure. And thus it often is that the wicked are nearest ruin when they are least prepared for it. But I must now conclude; and I would do so with one remark, drawn from the general bearing of the passage which has been reviewed-viz., that in all our troubles, the true path of safety is to be found in our having immediate recourse to Christ our King. Esther would have gladly excused herself from making personal application to Artaxerxes; but Mordecai would receive She went, therefore, and with God's blessing was successful. Act ye in the same spirit, believers. Listen not to fears and doubts suggested by the feeling of personal unworthiness. Christ will not say nay to any that come to Him in faith, and with sincere heart. He is described as waiting to be gracious; and the only things that will shut out your prayer from Him, are no excuse. |