44 Esther [Esther 1-10]
The Bible passage: [Esther 1-10]
The Story:
This story takes place during the reign of King Ahasuerus (probably Xerxes I). His royal throne was in the fortress at Susa.
In the third year of his reign, he held a feast for all his officials and staff. He displayed the wealth and splendor of his kingdom for a total of 180 days.
At the end of this time, the king held a week-long banquet in the courtyard of the royal palace.
Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women of King Ahasuerus’ palace.
On the seventh day, when the king was feeling good from the wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who personally served him, to bring Queen Vashti before him with her crown. He wanted to show off her beauty to everyone, because she was very beautiful.
But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command. The king became furious.
The king consulted with experts in law and justice. The king asked, “According to the law, what should be done with Queen Vashti, since she refused to obey my command?”
One of his advisers told him, “The king should personally issue a royal decree. Vashti is not to enter King Ahasuerus’ presence, and her royal position is to be given to another woman who is more worthy than she.”
The royal decree was sent to all 127 of the royal provinces.
Sometime later, when King Ahasuerus’ rage had cooled down, he remembered Vashti and what was decided against her. The king’s personal attendants suggested that a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king.
A Jewish man named Mordecai was in the fortress of Susa. He had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the other captives when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took King Jeconiah of Judah into exile. Mordecai was the legal guardian of his cousin Esther, because she was an orphan. The young woman was extremely attractive.
When the king’s command became public knowledge, many young women gathered at Susa. Esther was also taken to the palace.
Mordecai had told Esther not to reveal her ethnic background or her birthplace.
Each of the young women received a full year of beauty treatments before she was presented to the king for a night. Once she left the king the next morning, she was kept in a different harem and not allowed back to the king unless he specifically requested her.
Esther turned out to be the king’s favorite. He gave her the royal crown and made her queen in place of Vashti.
During those days while Mordecai was sitting at the King’s Gate, two eunuchs who guarded the king’s entrance planned to assassinate King Ahasuerus. When Mordecai overheard the plot, he reported it to Queen Esther, and she told the king on Mordecai’s behalf. The report was investigated and verified. Both men were hanged on the gallows. This event was recorded in the court records of daily events in the king’s presence.
After all this took place, King Ahasuerus honored Haman, one of his officers. He promoted him to a higher position than all the other officials. The king commanded that all of the royal staff bow down and pay homage to Haman.
Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage. When Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing down or paying him homage, he was filled with rage. When he learned of Mordecai’s ethnic identity, Haman decided not to do away with Mordecai alone. He set out to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the kingdom.
Haman informed King Ahasuerus, “There is one ethnic group, scattered throughout the kingdom. Their laws are different and they defy the king’s laws. If the king approves, I will draw up a law authorizing their destruction.”
The king gave Haman the authority to do whatever he wanted with the Jewish people.
Letters were sent by couriers to each of the royal provinces telling the officials to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jewish people – young and old, women and children – and plunder their possessions on a single day, the thirteenth day of Adar, the twelfth month.
When Mordecai learned all that had occurred, he began mourning publicly. There was great mourning among the Jewish people in all the provinces.
Esther’s female servants and her eunuchs came and told her what was going on. The queen was overcome with fear.
Mordecai sent word to Esther, instructing her to approach the king, beg for his favor, and plead with him personally for her people.
Esther sent a message back to Mordecai, “All the people know that anyone who approaches the king in the inner courtyard without being summoned receives the death penalty, unless the king extends his golden scepter. I have not been summoned to appear before the king for the last 30 days.”
Mordecai told the messenger to reply to Esther, “Don’t think that you will escape the fate of all the Jews because you are in the king’s palace. If you don’t do it, God will send someone else. Who knows, perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.”
Esther replied to Mordecai: “Go to all the Jews who can be found in Susa. Tell them to fast and pray for me. My female servants and I will do the same. After that, I will go to the king even if it is against the law. If I die, I die.”
Mordecai went and did everything Esther had instructed him to do.
On the third day, Esther dressed up in her royal clothing and stood in the inner courtyard of the palace. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom, facing the entrance. As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, she had his approval. The king extended his scepter toward Esther. She approached and touched the tip of the scepter.
“What is it, Queen Esther?” the king asked her. “Whatever you want will be given to you.”
Esther asked that the king and Haman come to a banquet that she had prepared.
The king and Haman attended Esther’s banquet.
Again, the king asked what it was that Esther wanted and promised to do it.
Esther said, “If you will give what I want, would you and Haman come to another banquet tomorrow? Then I will let you know what I desire.”
Haman left in great spirits, but when he saw Mordecai at the King’s Gate and Mordecai didn’t acknowledge his presence, Haman was filled with rage toward Mordecai.
Haman controlled himself and went home. Haman told his wife and friends about how he had been invited by the queen to two banquets with the king. He said, “This still doesn’t satisfy me when I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the Kings’ Gate all the time.”
Haman’s wife and all his friends told him, “Have them build a gallows 75 feet high. Ask the king to hang Mordecai on it. Then go to the banquet with the king and enjoy yourself.”
Haman was pleased with the advice and had the gallows constructed.
The king couldn’t sleep that night. He ordered that the journal of daily events be brought in and read to him. They found the written report of how Mordecai had reported and ended the assassination plans of the two eunuchs.
The king asked, “What honor has been given to Mordecai for saving my life?” The king’s attendants said, “Nothing has been done for him.”
Haman was called in to see the king. The king asked Haman, “What should be done for the man the king wants to honor?”
Thinking that the king wanted to honor him, Haman said, “Have him dressed in a royal garment. Have a crown put on his head. Have him ride through the city on the king’s horse, and have someone walk ahead of him calling out, ‘This is what is done for the man the king wants to honor.’”
The king told Haman, “I want you to do exactly what you said. Take a garment and crown and horse for Mordecai the Jew. You lead him through the city calling out, ‘This is what is done for the man the king wants to honor.’”
Haman did as he was ordered. Then Mordecai returned to the King’s Gate, but Haman hurried off for home.
Haman told his wife and all his friends everything that had happened. His advisers and his wife told him that Mordecai the Jew would be his downfall.
While they were still speaking with him, the eunuchs of the king arrived and rushed Haman to the banquet Esther had prepared.
The king and Haman came to feast with Esther the queen.
Once again, the king asked Esther, “Queen Esther, whatever you ask will be given to you. “
Queen Esther answered, “If I have obtained your approval, my king, and if the king is pleased, spare my life. This is my request. And spare my people. This is my desire. My people and I have been targeted for destruction, death, and extermination. If we had merely been sold as slaves, I would have kept silent. That wouldn’t be worth burdening the king.”
King Ahasuerus spoke up and asked Queen Esther, “Who is it that would devise such a scheme?”
Esther answered, “The enemy is this evil Haman.” Haman stood terrified before the king and queen.
Angered by this, the king got up from the feast and went to the palace garden. When he returned, the king ordered that Haman be hanged on the gallows that Haman himself had built for Mordecai. Then the king’s anger subsided.
That same day, King Ahasuerus gave the estate of Haman to Queen Esther. Mordecai was brought to the king, because Esther had revealed her relationship to Mordecai.
The king removed his signet ring he had recovered from Haman and gave it to Mordecai, and Esther put him in charge of Haman’s estate.
Esther spoke to the king again. She fell at his feet, wept, and begged him to revoke Haman’s evil law against the Jews.
The king first told her that a royal law could not be reversed, but he allowed them to write a new law stating that the Jews had the right to defend themselves on the day that Haman had designated for the Jews to be killed.
A copy of this new document was issued as law in every province.
Mordecai now had great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful. The Jews put all their enemies to the sword, killing and destroying them. However, they did not seize any plunder.
Mordecai ordered them to celebrate the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month Adar every year, because during those days the Jews got rid of their enemies. They were to be days of feasting, rejoicing, and of sending gifts to one another and the poor. The Jews agreed to celebrate as Mordecai had written them to do.
This feast is called Purim and is still celebrated every year.
The Lessons:
- God has a special plan for your life. Sometimes you have to go against common sense, what you want to do, and the advice of others in order to follow God’s plan. If you don’t do what God wants done, He will send someone else. As Mordecai told Esther, perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this. The time to follow God’s plan is now.
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