He was so pleased to see her that he promised to give her anything she wanted, even half his kingdom. Scripture says that she found favour in his sight (ch 5:2). After the third day of fasting, Esther ‘rolled the dice’. One thing that we can learn from Esther is her ability to wait upon God to bring about the perfect timing for her to go before the king. Who knows – maybe you have come to this place just for such a time as this.’ ‘Deliverance will come from somewhere else, but you will have missed your opportunity. ‘You are facing death, too, if you remain silent now.’ Then he spoke of his faith. Mordecai’s reply was the challenge of Esther’s lifetime. ‘I might never even get a chance to plead our cause,’ she said. Everyone knew there was a law that if anyone went into the inner court without being summoned, that person was to be immediately killed. Esther, our portrait of courage, lived every day at the king’s pleasure and she was aware daily of the risk to herself if she displeased the king. He urged her to go to the king and plead for the lives of the Jewish people. Now Esther, residing safely in the palace, was unaware of these events until she heard that her cousin Mordecai was wailing in front of the King’s Gate. Mordecai sent her a copy of Haman’s decree. (The Jewish celebration of Haman’s defeat is called the Festival of Purim for this reason.) He cast lots, or ‘pur’, to determine the day they were to be destroyed. In the King’s name, he wrote a decree ordering that the Jews of all the provinces – including women and children of any age – were to be killed, and annihilated on the day that was chosen. He asked for permission to destroy them and the king gave him permission. Haman went to the king and let him know that ‘a certain people’ were disobeying the laws of the kingdom. He decided that he would not only have Mordecai’s life – he would wipe out all the Jews in the Persian Empire. He refused to bow to Haman and this was brought to Haman’s attention. He had the pleasure of seeing everyone in the empire bow to him wherever he went. The king ordered all the people in the kingdom to bow and do homage to Haman whenever he passed, and Haman delighted in his importance. Who brought about these events? The evil Haman, a member of the court whom King Ahasuerus had made Grand Vizier, second in command, over all Persia. As events unfolded she was forced to choose between revealing her secret or watching the destruction of all her people and living out her days in fear of being exposed and killed. She still held secret the fact that she was a Jewess. As queen, Esther faced a double-edged threat to her life. Esther was chosen… ‘for such a time as this.’Īfter Esther became queen, her safety and well-being were ensured. Their subsequent marriage positions her strategically to fulfil her destiny – to step into her place on the world stage, and to end a horrible scheme to annihilate her people, the Jews. Her attributes of grace and godliness eclipse even her outer beauty and gain her king’s respect. This mysterious beauty appears from obscurity and captures the heart of the most powerful man on earth, the pagan King of Persia. The Bible story found in the book of Esther is fascinating, a tale with all the mystery of a modern day drama, complete with deception, palace intrigue and a murderous plot.Įven more compelling is Esther herself. The more commonly used name of Esther came either from the Persian word for star, or possibly from the name of the Babylonian love goddess, Ishtar.Īs the orphaned daughter of her father Abihail, Esther grew up in Persia with her older cousin Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his own daughter. ‘Hadassah’ meaning myrtle was the Hebrew name of Esther. Along with the book of Ruth, they are the only Old Testament books named after women. Esther serves as the title of this book of the Bible.
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