Queen Esther

August 8

Esther 1-2

Psalm 89:27-37

Proverbs 20:1-2

I Corinthians 15:20-34

Queen Esther

“And the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she advance in favor and lovingkindness before him more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.” 

Esther 2:17 LSB

Esther was a young, Jewish, orphan girl.  Esther’s father, Abihail, and her mother had died and she went to live with her cousin, Mordecai and his family in Susa, the capital of Persia (Iran).  Esther’s Jewish name was Hadassah, but her name had been changed to Esther, meaning “star,” when she moved in with her cousin. Perhaps this was to hide her Jewish heritage.  Mordecai was a descendant of the Jews who were taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar.  There was a faithful remnant that remained over a century after the nation of Israel was conquered and Mordecai was among the faithful remnant.   The book of Esther deals with those who remained in Persia. 

The King of Persia at this time was Ahasuerus (Xerxes).  He reigned over 127 provinces.   His empire stretched from India to Ethiopia and he was very powerful, but he wasn’t satisfied.  He wanted to take over Greece and further extend his empire.  King Ahasuerus threw a huge party that lasted 6 months and invited all of the princes of his territory, nobles and attendants, as well as the army officers to display his great riches and majesty.  When this party came to an end, he threw another party for 7 more days in his garden for all of the men.  His wife, Queen Vashti, gave a banquet in the palace for the women during this time.  On the last night of the banquet, when he was quite drunk, he called for Queen Vashti to be brought before him so that he could show off her beauty to all of the men.  Vashti did not want to be paraded in front of all the drunk men so she refused to come.  The king became furious and consulted with the officials who were with him as to what he should do to Queen Vashti since she defied his order.  They told him that she had not only wronged him but that all the other women in the province would find out what she had done and refuse to obey their husbands as well.  Vashti was thrown into prison and stripped of her position and an order was given that all women must give honor to their husbands and that all men are the masters of their house. 

After the king had calmed down, his attendants suggested that all the young virgins in his empire be brought to him to find a new queen.  They gathered all the young girls in all the provinces, brought them to the palace at Susa and held a Miss Persia pageant.  The king’s eunuch, Hegai, was placed in charge of all the women.  They went through a process of beauty treatments, were given the finest foods and lessons to learn how to please the king.  Each girl was given one night with King Ahasuerus.  After that night she was taken into his harem unless the king delighted in her and summoned her by name.  (There are parallels to what happened with Daniel and the young men who were taken as captives to Babylon). 

Most girls were probably clamoring for the chance to be queen.  But verse 2:8 says that Esther “was taken.” She did not choose this; it was thrust on her, but she did what she was told.  She found favor with Hegai.  He gave her the best cosmetics and food, seven choice maids and the best place in the harem.  Verse 2:15 tells us that “she found favor in the eyes of all who saw her.”  It is significant to be the prettiest girl, but to stand out among all the prettiest girls is remarkable.  She initially got attention with her outward beauty, but it was her inner beauty that won them over.  She would probably have won the Miss Congeniality award as well. 

Esther had several characteristics that made her stand out.   She was teachable.  2:13 tells us that she could ask for whatever she wanted to prepare herself to please the king, but 2:15 says that she did not request anything except what Hegai suggested.  She recognized that Hegai knew the king and what he liked.  Instead of relying on her own ideas of what would make her appealing, she listened to someone she knew was wiser than her.  She was also submissive. She listened to Hegai’s advice, and she also obeyed Mordecai who had instructed her not to tell anyone that she was Jewish.  She submitted to the God-given authorities over her.  And she exhibited an attitude of humility.  She did not think that she knew best.  She humbly did what she was told and gained favor in the eyes of all who were with her. 

Esther only had one night with the king.  Out of 400 women, she stood out.  2:17 tells us that the king “loved her more than all the rest and she found favor and lovingkindness before him.”  Esther became queen and was given the royal title.  We don’t know exactly what that meant for her.  She would have had some privileges because of her title, but this was not a typical husband/wife relationship.  Esther did not come to this position by chance or just to bless her by making her queen.  God placed her in this place at this time for a reason.  She could not have understood at this point why God chose a teenaged, orphaned, Jewish girl to be the queen of Persia, but He was positioning her to save her people from destruction.  God can use any means He chooses to accomplish His purposes.  If we are teachable, submissive and humble, He can use us in ways we can’t even imagine.