Categoria: Esther

 King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire with Mordecai firmly his second in command. Mordecai was preeminent amongst the Jews and highly esteemed by them “because he worked for the good of the people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews”.

On exactly the day planned for decimating the Jews under Haman’s evil plan the pro-Jewish decree from King Xerxes came into force and completely turned the table in favour of the Jews. Thus the Jews assembled in their respective cities and attacked them that had been seeking their destruction. The governors and king’s administrators helped the Jews for fear of the power of Mordecai. In the capital Susa the Jews killed 500 men as well as the 10 sons of Haman who were hanged, and the following day the Jews killed another 300 enemies. Around the provinces the Jews killed 75,000 people but they took no plunder. Then the Jews held a day of feasting and joy after 2 days of killings and this day became a day of giving gifts to one another. So Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews getting them to celebrate annually on the 14th and 15th day of the 12th month remembering how on these days their mourning had turned into celebration. This festival came to be known as Purim and was confirmed by Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai in a second letter with absolute authority.

 King Xerxes gave the estate of the hanged Haman to Queen Esther and she made her cousin Mordecai overseer over it, and the King gave him his signet ring. Then again Esther interceded on behalf of her Jewish fellow countrymen and the king authorized the writing of a decree on behalf of the Jews which could be signed and sealed with the king’s signet ring which Mordecai now had. Thus the king’s edict granted the Jews right to assemble and protect themselves, being able to kill in self defense if necessary, and the couriers rushed the edict to all sectors of the kingdom. And Mordecai left the king’s presence wearing royal garments and there was great rejoicing in Jewish communities far and wide including the capital city of Susa.

 King Xerxes and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther and the king asked her what her petition was. She replied that her request was for her people the Jews to be spared as they were threatened with annihilation by the evil Haman. The king was furious and got up and left his wine so Haman approached the queen to beg clemency and the King was even more angry and accused him of trying to molest the queen! Then one of the eunuchs informed the king of the gallows Haman had erected to hang Mordecai, and the King had Haman hung there.  

One night the king couldn’t sleep so he requested the reading of the records of his reign and came across the incident when Mordecai saved his life by warning him of a planned assassination attempt. The king then realized that nothing had been done to reward Mordecai so he told his attendant to call in whoever was present in the court and it was Haman. The king asked Haman what he suggested should be done for someone who he delighted to honour? Haman, thinking it was for himself, proposed that the man be paraded through the city on a royal house in royal robes. The king accepted the suggestion and ordered Haman to go and lad Mordecai through the city in the way he had suggested, and Haman was devastated! Then the king’s eunuchs arrived to take Haman to Queen Esther’s banquet.

On the third day of fasting and praying Esther adorned her royal robes and went to see the King who received her warmly extending to her the gold sceptre. When the King enquired as to what she wanted she invited him and Haman to a banquet the next day. Haman was thrilled by the invitation and boasted to his family and friends about it and his wealth and his sons. However he was still angry when he saw Mordecai unwilling to bow before him and he ordered the building of a gallows to hang Mordecai on. 

When Mordecai heard about the antisemitic edict he was devastated and he put on sackcloth and ashes and mourned and wept together with all the Jews. Esther tried to get him to wear normal clothes, but he refused, and she was perplexed when she learnt of the edict. Mordecai asked Esther to go to the King and intercede for her people, but she was reticent to do this as going to the king without being summoned was punishable with death. Mordecai pleaded with Esther not to remain silent and said that who knows if she hadn’t come to royal position for such a time as this. So Esther asked everyone to fast and pray and after 3 days she said she would risk all and go and speak to the king.

Now King Xerxes gave Haman a seat of honour higher that all the other nobles and all the royal officials knelt before him paying him honour as commanded by the king, but Mordecai refuse to comply. When Haman heard about this he was enraged and thus plotted to not only kill Mordecai in revenge, but to irradicate all his people, the Jews, in the Persian empire. Haman proposed this annihilation on a specific day in the 12th month chosen by lot. Thus the King gave his backing to Haman’s plot so that on the 13th day of the 12th month all Jews would be slaughtered and the edict was published and became law. 

When eventually the King calmed down from the Vashti escapade it was decided to search for a new queen. The King appointed commissioners to go in search of beautiful girls who would join the King’s harem and the one most pleasing to the king would be crowned queen. Among the virgins brought to the palace, and put under the responsibility of the chief eunuch Hegai, was Esther who was a Jewish orphan brought up by her cousin Mordecai, and she was outstandingly beautiful. Esther found immediate favour with Hegai and he immediately provided her with beauty treatments and special food, gave her 7 maids and moved her to the best place in the harem. However Esther did not reveal he nationality. Then all the girls went through a staggering 12 months of beauty treatment! When Esther went to King Xerxes she was selected as his favourite and was crowned queen. The King then held a large celebratory banquet with all his nobles and officials present. Then Mordecai overheard a plot to kill the King and he told Esther about it and she reported it to the king. Upon discovering the veracity of the matter the 2 officials were hanged.

This book, set in the post exilic period, tells the story of Esther, and her cousin Mordecai, who rose to be queen of the Persian empire. For though the exile was history yet many Jews remained in Persia. Fascinatingly not once does the book mention God, yet divine guidance and intervention is plain to be seen. The author of the book in unknown.

Esther chapter 1 describes the opulent reign of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) of Persia who was in his third year when he spent 180 days displaying his vast wealth, with banquets lasting 7 days! In the enclosed garden of the King’s palace there were couches of gold and silver on pavements of marble, and wine was served abundantly in gold goblets. Parallel to all this Queen Vashti gave banquets for the women in the royal palace. However one day King Xerxes called Queen Vashti to present herself so that he could show off her beauty, but she refused, and this made the King furious.

Hence the King consulted his nobles as to what to do with Vashti who had humiliatingly disobeyed him which was a terribly bad example and precedent before all his kingdom. The decision was to depose and banish Queen Vashti making way for a new queen, and setting an exemplary measure to show “that every man should be ruler over his own household”.