Esther chapters 1 and 2 set the scene for the significant drama that follows in book. It show the pervading spirit of the world that influences the Persian king, Xerxes, and show something of the way the exiled Jews lived in a foreign country. Pastor Richard shows how the spirit of the world is found in the insatiable desire for honour, power, glory and control; how those things are sought for in a positional way rather than through the formation of character; and how the spirit of this world seeks to pervert God’s good things. He concludes with a call to passionate, earnest prayer, and to humble actions that seek the glory of God and the well-being of the city in which we have been sent. 

Living as God's people seeking the welfare of the city: Insights from Esther Part 1