Queen Esther: The Untold Truth Of The Bible Hero (Bible Stories Explained)

faster from timid girl to Courageous Queen the Book of Esther is unusual for two reasons along with roof it is one of only two books in the Bible named after women and along with the Song of Solomon it is one of only two books in the Bible that never mention God's name directly as a result of these factors many people struggle to comprehend Esther it is an exciting and romantic story but the question remains as to why it is included in the Bible what is the point of making us read it what conceivable lessons can we draw from it since it was written during the time of the Jewish Exile Esther is one of the few books in the Bible that takes place entirely outside of the promised land Esther along with Ezekiel and Daniel was also written at this time though Esther was written much later than the other two books these texts explain how Jews conducted themselves while living among non-christians as a result they can serve as a valuable reference for how Christians should conduct themselves in non-Christian communities during this period of History a coalition of medes and Persians were successful in defeating Babylon God did not coerce the Jews to return to the land he had promised them as Esther is introduced to us as a child who has lost both parents and was brought under the care of her older cousin Mordecai who lived at Souza it is easy to see from Esther 2 verses 1 to 18. why many see Esther who is also called Hadassah as a shy calm and meek lady who is loved and accepted by all the Book of Esther starts with a lavish Feast that takes place inside King ahashawaris's Palace also known as king xers after drinking wine the Monarch gave the order for his wife Queen vashti to dance about in front of everyone so they could admire how stunning she was the inebriated xers ordered his chamberlains to bring Queen vashti who was hosting the women at a separate banquet because he wanted to show off her attractiveness to everyone he insisted that she attend the party and she refused which infuriated the king to a very good extent after Consulting with his wise advisors the King was informed that the action of vashti would set a poor example for the ladies living throughout the realm it was therefore proposed that vashti be removed from her position as empress utilizing a Royal Decree and that the order be made public across the entire Empire the king acted hastily and made their recommendation into law and he mandated that it be publicized in every region and in the native tongue to every people later when King xers Fury had subsided he remembered vashti and what she had done and what he had decreed about her then the king's personal attendance proposed let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king let the king appoint Commissioners to every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful young women into a harem at the Citadel of Souza let them be placed under the care of hege the king's eunuch who was in charge of the women and led beauty treatments be given to them then let the young woman who pleases the king be Queen instead of vashti this advice appealed to the king and he followed it now there was in The Citadel of Souza a Jew of The Tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai son of Jer the son of shimi the son of Kish who had been carried into Exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon among those taken captive with jehoiakin king of Judah Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother this young woman who was also known as Esther had a lovely figure and was beautiful Mordecai had taken her in as his own daughter when her father and mother died when the king's order and edicts had been proclaimed many young women were brought to the Citadel of Souza and put under the care of hege Esther was also taken to the king's Palace and entrusted to hege who was in charge of the Harem she pleased him and won his favor immediately he provided her with beauty treatments and special food he assigned her to seven female attendants selected from the king's Palace and moved her and her attendance into the best place in the Harem Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so every day he walked back and forth near the court yard of the Harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her before a young woman's turn came to go into King xers she had to complete 12 months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics and this is how she would go to the king anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the Harem to the king's Palace in the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the Harem to take care of the shashgas the king's eunuch who was in charge of the concubines she would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name when the turn came for Esther the young woman Mordecai had adopted the daughter of his uncle Abba Hale to go to the king she asked for nothing other than what hege the king's eunuch who was in charge of the Harem suggested and Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her she was taken to King xers in the Royal residence in the 10th month the month of Tibet in the seventh year of his Reign now the King was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins so he sat a royal crown on her head and made her Queen instead of vashti and the King gave a great banquet Esther's banquet for all his Nobles and officials he proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality Esther was Meek listen to those who guided her her and was beautiful however she is later confronted with the Sinister truth about a man who hates her people so much that he seeks to wipe them off the face of the Earth unfortunately he is a man that has the power and connection to make good on his evil promises after these events King cersei's honored Haman son of hamadatha the ajajit elevating him and giving him a seat of Honor higher than that of all the other Nobles all the Royal officials at the king's gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman for the king had commanded this concerning him but Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor then the Royal officials at the king's gate asked Mordecai why do you disobey the King's Command day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai's Behavior would be tolerated for he had told them he was a Jew when Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him on her he was enraged yet Having learned who Mordecai's people were he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai's people the Jews throughout the whole Kingdom of xers in the 12th year of King xers in the first month the month of Nissan the poor that is the lot was cast in the presence of Haman to select a day and month and the lot fell on the 12th month the month of Adar then Haman said to King xers there is a certain people dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate their Customs are different from those of all other people and they do not obey their King's laws it is not in the king's best interest to tolerate them if it pleases the king let a decree be issued to destroy them and I will give 10 000 talents of silver to the king's administrators for the Royal treasury so the king took his Signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of hamadatha the akogite the enemy of the Jews keep the money the king said to Haman and do with the people as you please then on the 13th day of the first month the Royal secretaries were summoned they wrote out in the script of each province and in the language of each people all haman's orders to the king's satraps the governors of the various provinces and the Nobles of various peoples these were written in the name of King xers himself and sealed with his own ring dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces with the order to destroy kill and annihilate all the news young and old women and children on a single day the 13th day of the 12th month the month of Adar and to plunder their goods a copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every Province and made known to the people of every nationality so they would be ready for that day the couriers went out spurred on by the King's Command and the edict was issued in the Citadel of Souza the king and Haman sat down to drink but the city of Souza was bewildered Esther 3 verses 1 to 15. this threat brings out a Fierce and bold Esther who is famous for being the courageous savior of the Jews of course she is scared of first going into the king's court without being invited was forbidden and could lead to death but her cousin reminds her that she was born for this reason so she Rises to pray and fast with determination to be a part of rescuing her people eventually she developed the courage to speak up for her people and use her influence positively Esther 4 verses 1 to 17 when Mordecai learned of all that had been done he tore his clothes put on sackcloth and Ashes and went out into the city wailing loudly and bitterly but he went only as far as the king's gate because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it in every Province to which the edict and Order of the king came there was a great morning among the Jews with fasting weeping and wailing many lay in sackcloth and Ashes when Esther's eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai she was in great distress she sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth but he would not accept them then Esther summoned tathak one of the king's eunuchs assigned to attend her and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why so hathak went out to Mordecai in the open Square of the city in front of the king's gate Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the Royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews he also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their Annihilation which had been published in Souza to show Esther and explain it to her and he told him to instruct her to go into the king's presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people hafag went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said then she instructed him to say to Mordecai all the king's officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner Court without being summoned the King has but one law that they will be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and Spares their lives but 30 days have passed since I was called to go to the king when Esther's words were reported to Mordecai he sent back this answer do not think that because you are in the King's house you alone of all the Jews will escape for if you remain silent at this time relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place but you in 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 made her decision and then ordered all of the Jews to fast alongside her for a total of three days after that she would appear in front of the king commenting on Esther's famous and heroic remarks if I perish I perish Matthew Paul says the following although my danger be great and evident considering the expressness of that law and the uncertainty of the king's mind and that severity which he showed to my predecessor vashti yet rather than neglect my duty to God and his people I will go to the king and cast myself cheerfully and resolutely upon God's Providence for my safety and success in tough times a Christian shouldn't have a defeatist Outlook but rather an optimistic one especially when approaching the Heavenly throne for Grace to help them out in their time of need fatalism is the wrong mentality to have in these situations we can approach god with boldness and self-assurance since the scepter of God's forgiveness has been extended to us at Cavalry let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find Grace to help in a time of need Hebrew 4 verse 16. this comes as a surprise coming from someone so cautious but because God is on her side she has shown favor rather than judgment and she saves her people in a way that has never been forgotten until now Esther 5 verses 1 to 4. on the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner Court of the palace in front of the king's Hall the King was sitting on his Royal throne in the hall facing the entrance when he saw Queen Esther standing in the court he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand so Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter then the king asked what is it Queen Esther what is your request even up to half the kingdom it will be given you if it pleases the king replied Esther let the king together with Harman come today to a banquet I have prepared for him she does this work covertly so that Haman is not even aware of her plans until it is too late at which point his efforts backfire on him and he suffers the consequences Esther simply invited the king and his favorite Minister Haman to the banquet at this point the fourth banquet in the book during the meal the king attempted to find out what the Queen desired once more Esther procrastinated once more asking a hashawaris and Haman to return the next day for another banquet then she'd make her feelings known different people have different ideas about why Esther planned these two delays before making her request number one she desired more time to ingratiate herself with the King having fallen out of favor with him number two her courage let her down both times number three she wanted to create suspense and convince the king that her business was more than a passing fancy number four she wanted to boost haman's ego and catch him off guard before revealing him as a vicious murderer perhaps elements of all these ideas entered into her strategy Haman left a banquet in good spirits full of Pride he was filled with rage when he met Mordecai on his way out of the palace but he restrained himself from retaliating violently he gathered his friends and his wife Saresh and recited all the good things that had happened to him the only Cloud on his Horizon was that stubborn Jew his wife advised him to make a Gallows 75 feet high then get permission from the King to hang Mordecai on it this pleased her man so he had the Gallows made God ensured that King ahashueres remained awake so that he could foil haman's plot when Haman was asleep the king who was suffering from insomnia decided to make the most of the situation by having the chronicles of his Reign read to him the portion of the book that was read happened to contain the account of the attempt on his life that had been thwarted by Mordecai and this Providence was provided by God after conducting some research it was discovered that he had never received any recognition or compensation for this service it is interesting to consider what JG bellet refers to as the amazing interweaving of circumstances that we get in this history there is the main plot and the underlying plot as well as the wheels inside wheels and circumstances hanging on top of other circumstances all of these are fashioned together to work out the great plan that God has the Lord has complete dominion over the situation Haman most likely arrived at the palace in the morning to make his pitch to King ahashueres to have Mordecai executed surprisingly it was at the same time that the king experienced the want to show gratitude to the man who had rescued him from the plot to kill him a hashu wereis greeted Haman by asking the general inquiry what shall be done for the man whom the king enjoys to honor once a mannered entered the room a man who was under the impression that the time had come for him to shine Herman suggested the most elaborate parade and the bestowing of honors second only to those of the king himself following this the Monarch issued an order to Haman to move quickly and bestow all of these accolades not to Haman but Mordecai Haman went out into the City and said his fiercest enemy was the one the king pleased to honor a haughty spirit always comes before a fall and pride always leads to ruin Proverbs 16 verse 18. Pride goes Before Destruction a haughty spirit before a fall in our day there is a man whom the king Delights to honor the Lord Jesus Christ God has decreed that every knee shall bow to him and every tongue confess him Lord to the glory of God the Father Philippians 2 verse 10 Amplified Bible so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in submission of those who are in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth after being defeated Haman went home and told his family about the unusual events that had taken place his wife and several more astute friends recognized an omen of success for the Jews and failure for Haman in the Affairs of that day however it was time for Haman to make his way to Esther's dinner hastily Esther 7 verses 1 to 10 so the king and Haman went to Queen Esther's banquet and as they were drinking wine on the second day the King again asked Queen Esther what is your petition it will be given you what is your request even up to half the kingdom it will be granted then Queen Esther answered if I have found favor with you your majesty and if it pleases you grant me my life this is my petition and spare my people this is my request for I and my people have been sold to be destroyed killed and annihilated if we had merely been so old as male and female slaves I would have kept quiet because no such distress would justify disturbing the king king xers asked Queen Esther who is he where is he the man who has dared to do such a thing Esther said an adversary and enemy this vile Haman then Haman was terrified before the king and queen the king got up in a rage left his wine and went out into the palace Garden but Oman realizing that the king had already decided his fate stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life just as the king returned from the palace Garden to the banquet hall Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining the king exclaimed will he even molest a queen while she is with me in the house as soon as the word left the king's mouth he covered haman's face then harbona one of the eunuchs attending the king said a pole reaching to a height of 50 cubits stands by haman's house he had it set up for Mordecai who spoke up to help the king the king said impale him on it so they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai then the king's Fury subsided Esther was given haman's house a mordecai was given his position Haman was no longer present but his heinous plot was still in motion Esther appeared Uninvited before the king once more careless of her own life and tearfully pleaded for her people the golden scepter of Grace was extended to her once more she requested that the first decree be overturned however no edict signed and sealed by a Persian king could be changed according to Persian law however after reminding Esther of what he had already done for her the king allowed her and Mordecai to write a counter decree to the first one the king's scribes were summoned and Mordecai dictated a proclamation granting the Jews the Right to Life protection the new law was swiftly carried to the farthest reaches of the Kingdom on Royal Swift horses having discarded his sackcloth Mordecai left the palace in Robes of Splendor the Jews were filled with gladness when they heard of the sudden turn of events while the rest of the people were filled with Dread not wanting to be counted among their enemies many Gentiles converted to Judaism at this time when the fateful day arrived the Jews gathered in their respective cities and destroyed their enemies even the princes and rulers aided the Jews because they feared Mordecai the Kingdom's second most powerful man Esther requested that the Jews in shushan be given an extra day to eradicate any remaining pockets of those that plan to slay them she also demanded that haman's ten Sons bodies be publicly hanged the Book of Esther concludes with Mordecai's exaltation the fact that we have no record of his death is quite remarkable because most men's histories conclude with some kind of obituary not Mordecai Mordecai was concerned with the welfare of his people Spurgeon applies his ministry to Christians Mordecai was a true patriot and when he was elevated to the highest position under ahashawaris he used his position to promote Israel's prosperity in this he was a type of Jesus who Seated on his throne of Glory seeks not his own but spends his power for the sake of his people every Christian should be a mordecai to the church striving for its prosperity to the best of his ability some are placed in positions of wealth and influence let them honor the Lords in the highest places on Earth and bear witness for Jesus before Great Men others have what is far better namely close fellowship with the kings of Kings let them remember to pray daily for the Lord's people who are weak doubting tempted and comfortless but there must be more than just a good story why is this book included in the Bible is it just to show us how to be brave when in a public position so how important is the Book of Esther to Christians is Esther an example of obedience humility modesty and loyalty in this story I see God at work preserving the people from whom his son would be born I see it in the people's fasting in prayer when they first learn of heinous plot against them I see it in Mordecai's belief that God will serve the people first he even told Esther that someone else would if she wasn't willing to serve as God's Channel he didn't explicitly say God's name but it was implied this was incredible trust in God's sovereignty I see it in the happenstance of events that Mordecai had saved the night's life years before the Tata cerses had written it in his diary artizers couldn't sleep and read the exact page in his journal where Mordecai was mentioned if God's name is not mentioned in the Book of Esther his finger most certainly is Esther was rightly dubbed the romance of Providence by one scholar Esther and Daniel lived during the same period and faced the same Exile they were two people far from home but God placed them in positions of power in Pagan Society without compromising their principles they made significant Headway in advancing God's kingdom as a result the story encourages us to advance ourselves socially and professionally to the greatest extent possible provided that we do not compromise our religious convictions since God can put us in positions of influence for the Kingdom's sake we should be open to letting him position us where we can make progress individuals are used by God it only takes one person to change things completely God uses men and women and we are all in Exile Christians don't belong to this world we are Misfits because our citizenship is really in heaven our attachment to this world is being gently weaned off as we prepare for our permanent residency in Paradise however God can utilize people in this world's kingdoms as long as those people remain true to their ideals and do not forget who they are God can use people willing to be promoted but not willing to be assimilated Christians are constantly faced with the urge to integrate to protect themselves from being persecuted and assimilation is seen as a safer alternative there is a risk for Christians to conform their behavior to that of the general population to avoid being picked out and viewed as unique but God works through unique people who aren't afraid to stand out from the crowd a song commonly sung in Sunday schools called dare to be Daniel dare to stand alone both Daniel and Esther were prepared to give their lives rather than deny God or compromise their trust in him God can preserve his people God protected Daniel while he was was in the Lion's Den as well as Shadrach mashak and abignego while they were in the Blazing furnace through Esther he also ensured the safety of the Jews at Susa if you wish to eliminate God's people you first need to eliminate God the people that God chose to save are safe even if we perish for him we will be kept alive forever as a reminder we can rest assured that the church will continue to exist for eternity the world is under God's control the Christian Gospel is the gospel of the Kingdom both Daniel and Esther put first things first when it came to God's kingdom we discover this to be accurate as a result of reading these two books God rules over all human kingdoms and God both exalts and humbles those who hold positions of authority God is the god of Israel it is only with his permission that the human kings and queens of this realm are able to Reign he is in charge of this there's another use of the word Kingdom there are human kingdoms of the present but there is also the Divine Kingdom of the future when God will take over World Government the kingdom of God will take the place of all the kingdoms currently in existence on this Earth therefore it is imperative that we recognize that Daniel and Esther's work is not yet complete they demonstrated Integrity while serving as leaders in the Pagan Empire and as a reward God will resurrect them to rule in the Kingdom that he will establish therefore when Jesus returns to this earth Esther will be there with him therefore rather than simply reading the Bible for its historical content we should read it as an instruction to the people who we may one day come into contact with we will have the entirety of Eternity to get to know these wonderful saints of God we will reign alongside the most high Saints with the son of man on the throne all those who have proven faithful will be used again on this Earth to share the government in Christ's Kingdom Esther's story teaches us that no matter how scared timid or shy we are God can still use us to fulfill his great plans and bring Deliverance to others let us pray father I am grateful for your ability that is sufficient for me even when I feel insufficient because of my personality and background just like Esther I Now understand that there are no limitations where you are involved please open my eyes to see where I am needed and help me to be a blessing in Jesus name I pray amen

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Length: 30min 45sec (1845 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 09 2022