The story of Esther is contained in an entire book of the bible-- one of only two books named after women; the other being Ruth. It is worth reading from start to finish because the plot unfolds like the best kind of action-adventure mystery with twists and turns and unexpected events. But, until you have time to curl up and enjoy it yourself, I'll leave you with this primer and a few thoughts about the extraordinary woman, Esther.
Before we dive into the events of the book of Esther, it will be helpful to understand some of the cultural context of the story. The scene is set in Persia, which has risen to become a great superpower in the ancient world. Esther lives in Susa, which is the capital city of Persia. She lives there with Mordecai who is her older male cousin-- and legal guardian. Esther's parents were killed, and when she was orphaned, Mordecai stepped up to be her surrogate father.
Mordecai and Esther were both Jews, and they were living displaced, or in exile, from their homeland of Judea. The Jewish population were set apart religiously and culturally from the Persian population, so they had to live a delicate balancing act preserving the things that were sacred to them while not offending the people who had power over them.
King Xerxes was ruling over Persia at the time, and he lived life to the full. When the story opens, we are in the third year of his reign and right in the middle of a huge banquet that he threw for the nobles, officials, and military leaders of Persia. We learn that the banquet lasted 180 days (just to clarify, that is a 6 month long party!), and that King Xerxes pulled out all the stops.
Then, when the banquet was over, he threw another one....as you do. He rolled right into a feast lasting 7 days and held nothing back. He lined the garden of his palace with fancy linen and silver decorations and marble pillars. There were gold couches and silver stepping stones laid in the garden, and wine served from golden goblets. There was no doubt that the king had wealth and power, and he wanted everyone to know he had them in abundance.
At the same time, King Xerxes' wife, Queen Vashti, threw her own party for the women in the royal palace. You might say the place was poppin.
On the 7th day of his second banquet, Xerxes summoned Vashti so that she could wear her crown in front of all of the royals and nobles, and they could admire her beauty. (Modesty and humility may not have been their strongest character traits.) However, when the message was sent to Vashti that the king had summoned her, she refused to appear.
As you may imagine, this response was not received well by the king. In fact, he was so infuriated by her refusal that he asked his advisors what punishment the law demanded of someone who disobeyed the king. His advisors were more concerned about how the other women of the kingdom would start responding to their husbands if her behavior was left unchecked, so they suggested that the king issue a royal decree forbidding Vashti from ever entering King Xerxes' presence again. Oh, and on top of essentially banishing her, the advisors also suggested that King Xerxes give her position to someone else. This was like the original version of the Bachelor. No rose for Vashti, and Xerxes was set-up to court his way through the most beautiful virgins in the kingdom.
This is where Esther, who the bible describes as having a lovely figure and being quite beautiful, comes on the scene. She was one of the young women brought to the palace of Susa, and prepped to meet the king. As you might imagine, preparing to meet the king was no small feat. She received beauty treatments and special food and had seven women to attend to her needs. She won favor in the king's eyes and was moved to a place of honor among all of the other women being considered.
Under Mordecai's guidance, Esther had kept her nationality and family background a secret from the selection committee and the king. Mordecai thought it best for Esther's safety and chance at success for the King to not be aware that she was a Jew. Esther spent 7 months completing beauty treatments and rituals for the king, and everyday of those months Mordecai walked back and forth near the courtyard where the women were so he could keep tabs on how she was doing. Finally, she was called before the king. Long story short, King Xerxes liked what he saw and made her queen.
Bet you can't guess what he did next? Yep. He threw a party. In Esther's honor.
Mordecai kept up his ritual patrol to stay aware of how Esther was doing in her new position as queen. During Mordecai's days spent pacing back and forth in front of the palace, he learned of a plot that two of the king's guards were cooking up. They were bitter and angry and planned to stage an assassination of King Xerxes. Mordecai immediately reported the plan to Queen Esther, who relayed the message to the king's men-- citing Mordecai as the source of the information. When the king's men investigated the claim, and found it to be true, the two guards were impaled on poles. Ain't no justice like ancient justice.
Ok. Another plot line is developing. Stay with me!
The king had a trusted advisor named Haman. Haman had been elevated among ther king's advisors and given a seat of honor higher than any of the other nobles. All the royal officials at the king's gate knelt down to honor Haman, at the king's command. Can you guess which guy at the gate didn't kneel? You guessed it: Mordecai.
Mordecai would not kneel to anyone because his loyalty to the one true God (the foundation of his Jewish faith) was more important than any position held by a Persian noble. Well, you might remember that the Persian men in power don't take kindly to being disobeyed and disrespected, and Haman was no different. And, in an extreme, statement making reaction, he proposed a decree that would destroy all the Jews in the kingdom. He petitioned the king saying, "there is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all the other people, and they do not obey the king's laws; it's not in the king's best interest to tolerate them. Let a decree be issued to destroy them" (Esther 3:8-9). The king agreed and allowed the decree to be written and enacted throughout the kingdom. Haman and the king drank together to celebrate.
As you can imagine, this proclamation brought great grief to Mordecai. He wailed and wept bitterly in the streets. He tore his clothes and covered himself with ashes. When Esther learned of his behavior, she sent one of her attendants to figure out what was going on. Mordecai told the attendant all about the decree and what would happen to the Jews, and told the attendant to relay all of the information back to Queen Esther. Mordecai also told the attendant to instruct Esther to go before the king and beg for mercy for her people.
Now, just as a queen can get in trouble for not reporting when she is summoned, a queen can be punished for appearing before the king if he has not called for her. In fact, there was only one response appropriate for someone who appeared before the king without being summoned, and that was death. Naturally, Esther couldn't wait around to be summoned-- her people were in grave danger. However, she also knew the risk she took going to see the king before he asked-- it could cost her her life.
Mordecai implored her to act reminding her that, once the king found out she was Jewish, her position as queen would not save her life. Just look at the small infraction that got the previous queen expelled from favor! And he issues one of the most powerful charges in the bible:
"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)
Esther finds resolve in his charge and asks him to gather all the Jews in Susa so that they could pray and fast together for her. She committed to praying and fasting as well. When the 3 days of fasting and praying had ended, she went before the king.
She put on her royal robes and presented herself to the king in the inner court. When the king saw Esther, he was pleased and extended the invitation for her to enter his presence. When the king asked her what she wanted, she proposed that the king and Haman attend a banquet that she would host. Well, King Xerxes doesn't turn down a party, so the arrangements were made and Haman was summoned.
They all dined together and drank wine, and the king asked Esther again, what was it that she wanted from him. Esther said she wanted to host ANOTHER banquet the next day and host Haman and the king again. The king granted her request.
In between banquet one and banquet two, Haman happened to pass by the front gates of the king's palace and noticed that Mordecai still continued to not show reverence by bowing. Naturally, this enraged Haman and he went home complaining that no one of his wealth, status, power, or position should be treated so dismissively. In response to his rage, Haman's wife suggested they have a pole set up. In the morning, he should ask the king to impale Mordecai on the pole at the gate, and then he could enjoy banquet number two with the king and Esther. Haman loved this plan, and ordered the pole set up. Ain't no justice like ancient justice.
During the same night that Haman was plotting Mordecai's public impalement and death, the king couldn't sleep. As most of us do when we can't sleep, he got out something to read. He read from the chronicles of the kingdom, and read specifically of the plot made to assassinate him not long ago. It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed the plot and saved the king. "What honor and recognition has Mordecai received for this?" the king asked. "Nothing has been done for him," his attendants answered.
Just as the king was discussing the fact that Mordecai hadn't been rewarded for his loyal actions, Haman entered the court prepared to talk to the king about his plan to kill Mordecai.
Now, watch what happens next, friends.
When Haman entered, the king asked him, "What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?" Because Haman is totally conceited and self-centered, he thought the king was referring to HIM. So he answered in the way that he would want to be honored. "For the man that the king delights to honor, have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with the royal crest placed on its head. Then let the robe and the horse be entrusted to one of the king's most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, 'This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor'." (Esther 6:7-9)
You know. Just off the top of my head, your majesty. Not that I have given this scenario much thought at all.
Well, the king thinks this is a brilliant solution to honor MORDECAI and sends his men at once to fetch the robe and the horse and the man. Welcome to the celebration, Haman, here's your serving of humble pie.
Haman went home consumed by grief, but had to pull it together and still attend banquet number 2 hosted by Esther. At the banquet, King Xerxes again asks Esther what she wants from him, and she begins her plight.
She begs him to save her people. To save her. King Xerxes asks, shocked, who would threaten his queen. When she reveals that she is Jewish, and it is, in fact, Haman who devised the plan to destroy the Jews, the king became enraged. He stormed out of the banquet and into the garden. While he was away, Haman fell next to Queen Esther to appeal for her mercy and beg for his life. Well, wouldn't you know that the king walked in at that moment and encountered what looked like Haman trying to take advantage of Queen Esther in the most inappropriate way. Naturally, there was nothing to be done but take swift action.
Haman was impaled on the pole he had errected for Mordecai and the king's fury subsided.
Ain't no justice like ancient justice.
Once Haman had been killed, King Xerxes gave his entire estate to Queen Esther and Esther appointed Mordecai to manage the estate. Mordecai was also elevated to a high position in the kingdom, and given the king's signet ring-- which allowed him to communicate and issue degrees on behalf of the king.
Esther and Mordecai reversed the decree that Haman had put in place, and instead allowed for the Jewish people to stand up and defend themselves against an enemies in the kingdom. The Jews killed lots of people who were threatening and endangering them, including Haman's ten sons. Haman's ten sons were impaled on poles outside the city gates. There was a holiday established in the Jewish culture to commemorate the efforts made by Esther and Mordecai to save them, and Mordecai and Esther remained highly regarded among the Jews and the Persians.
Outside of the fact that Esther's story is riveting and full of the kind of plot twists we see in Jason Bourn, her story is one of courage and devotion. When Mordecai tells Esther of the plot to kill all the Jews, and implores her to use her influence to help her people, she is spurred into action. And her first response is to fast and pray. She realized that she could not undertake such an endeavor in her own power. Certainly, her position gave her great influence, but her faith is where she found strength and courage.
I love the story of Esther because I think, all too often, we get overwhelmed by the sweeping enormity of the tasks set before us. The problems seem to big, the tasks seem insurmountable, the solution seems beyond our capability. I'm going to tell you that, very often, on your own, things are too big, insurmountable, and beyond our capability. And in the face of those troubling odds, I want you to remind you to straighten your crown.
Girl, you are the daughter of a king who is powerful, capable, and strongest in your weakness. He has put you in this place with a purpose, but has not left you here alone. The courage that Esther had was not because she had no fear. Instead she had courage because her trust in God's faithfulness was stronger than her fear. God called her, prompted by Mordecai, to stand up and use her voice to advocate for her people. He protected her as she stepped forward into action, and her faithfulness bore fruit for the Jewish people for generations.
As the daughter of the King, you stand in your courtyard of influence with the same ability. You don't have to solve all the problems or save all the people or even have all the answers. But, what you do have to do is use your voice and your abilities to advocate for the people in your circle. Whether that is praying for your family or serving at church or signing a petition to change legislation or helping watch your neighbors' kids. Your devotion to your people-- and the courage that you display when you show up for them-- makes you a modern day Esther.
Straighten your crown.
Pray to your Heavenly Father.
Step forward and lift your voice.
You were called and equipped for such a time as this.
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