The author of Esther continues his conversation about this pagan king, his queen, and his advisors all the way through verse four of chapter 2. (You already know that because you've been reading the story...right? ) The author is simply letting us know what happened in order for Esther to ascend to the throne as queen of the Medo-Persian empire. However, it also exposes through this king the hard truth that we are not in control. We may acknowledge that we're not, but secretly we think we are and find ourselves doing life as if we are. Sooner or later, the delusion of control is exposed and we find ourselves in places we really don't want to be. There is a better way. We'll talk about that this weekend!