Haman’s Plan to Annihilate All the Jews
3: 7-15

Everyone loves a great adventure story, and Esther is one of the best. Unfortunately, her story has all the ingredients of a fairy tale and often gets treated like one – part Cinderella, part Beauty and the Beast. A beautiful maiden comes out of obscurity to win the king’s heart and become his bride. The king falls under the spell of an evil villain, but is freed by the courageous resourcefulness of his enchanting queen, as he bends to her wise influence. Perhaps it is our longing for the “happy ever after” in our own stories that leaves us clinging to fairy-tale interpretations of the Bible. But Esther’s story wasn’t a fairy tale. It was, in reality, much closer to a nightmare.⁴¹

Haman was Honored More than all the Other Nobles,
But Mordecai would not Kneel Down or Pay Him Honor
3: 1-6

Haman was honored more than all the other nobles, but Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor DIG: Who comes on now as the star? Why not Mordecai? Why won’t Mordecai kneel? Why is Haman intent on killing all of the Jews? Is this a clash of priorities? Of personalities? Of perception? Of peoples?

REFLECT: As a fellow Jew, would you have urged Mordecai to kneel down and pay Haman honor (see my commentary on Genesis, to see link click Jv – Joseph as Prime Minister) rather than risk the lives of everyone else? Why?

At this point, a new character is introduced into the story: Haman the Agagite. The author places the promotion of Haman just where the original readers would have expected to see Mordecai. This forms an unexpected twist in the plot. After these events, King Ahasuerus honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite (3:1a). Haman is introduced as the Agagite, an intentional reference to the tension between the Israelites and the Amalekites. The Septuagint, or the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, translates the Agagite as the bully, interpreting the text freely for the Greek readers. Saul’s ancient conquest of Agag and his army is part of Isra’el’s tradition, which always lurks behind the scenes of the book. The rabbis teach that Haman was a descendant of Agag.

In Hebrew narrative the characteristic described when a character is first introduced is key to understanding his or her role in the story. When Mordecai is introduced in 2:5. He is identified not as a wise man or as an official of the court, but as a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin. When Haman is introduced, he is identified as an Agagite. The author implies that the personal relationship of enmity between the Jews and the Amalekites is mirrored in the personal relationship between Mordecai and Haman. The original readers would expect the relationship to be characterized by conflict and aggression.³⁶

King Ahasuerus elevated him and gave him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles (3:1b). Although the king owed his life to Mordecai, the promotion went to Haman. He became the prime minister of Persia, second only to the king himself. We are not told why Haman was honored in such a way. But we do know that in this book that others manipulated the king too easily.

All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down, prostrating themselves, and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him (3:2a). It may seem odd to have so many people at the king’s gate. If compared to the gate at Persepolis, the City of the Persians where Darius built the Apadana Palace, it was guarded by huge lion-like figures, and the entrance measured 30 by 60 meters. This would be enough for all the royal officials and others besides in the recesses of the king’s palace at Susa. All who were officially appointed by the king had to stay within the gate of the royal palace. In their culture it was customary to bow down before one’s superiors. The fact that the king had to make a royal command for people to do so points to a general lack of respect for Haman.³⁷

But Mordecai would not bow down or pay him honor (3:2). This develops as a subtheme of the book. Mordecai’s refusal to bow down was not an act of worship, such as that commanded of Daniel and his three friends (Daniel 3:8-15). But the Persians saw bowing as an act of reverence that bordered on recognizing the official as divine. Needless to say, Mordecai had both political and religious reasons for refusing to bow down to Haman.³⁸ One of the Targums says that no self-respecting Benjamite would show reverence to a descendant of the Amalekites. Therefore, Mordecai, knowing full well the ancient Amalekite belief that “might makes right” (see Aq – Haman the Agagite: The Enemy of the Jews), wasn’t going to stand for it, or should I say, bow to it. As a Jew, he surely wasn’t going to bow down to an Amalekite!

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise your great Sovereignty for someday every knee will bow before you, in heaven and on earth.  God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow, in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue profess that Yeshua the Messiah is Lord—to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9b-11). It is comforting to know that not only are You the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe, but You also are our wise and loving daddy. Praise You for making as Your children, all who choose to love, worship and trust you as their Lord and Savior. But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12).  See how glorious a love the Father has given us, that we should be called God’s children – and so we are (First John 3:1)!

There is only one true God who is creator of the world by his Word and who will judge the world in righteousness. How foolish that people bow before worthless idols who cannot forgive them nor help them enter heaven. There is much absolute proof that Yeshua is the only true God. Yeshua many mighty miracles are absolute proof of his divinity for they are miracles that only God could do–healing the blind, the deaf, the lame, and raising people from the dead. These all prove that Yeshua has power that only God has (Isaiah 35:5-6). Also, Yeshua proclaimed forgiveness of sins (Mark 2:1-12) which only God can do. Another supreme proof of Yeshua being God, is his dying on the cross for our sins and then rising from the dead 3 days later as he prophesied (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24 and John 20). Over 500 people saw Yeshua after he arose, providing excellent eye witness resurrection proof (First Corinthians 15:6). Praise you for the privilege you have given those who love you to be your children (John 1:12). Your children love you and delight in serving and worshipping you! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of resurrection. Amen

  Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?” (3:3) Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Mordecai’s determined stubbornness was calculated to provoke a reaction. At first Haman did not notice that Mordecai acted differently from the other officials. But some of the other officials apparently reported his behavior to Haman to see if he was an exception to the king’s command. Therefore, they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew (3:4). This seems to indicate some tension between Jews and Gentiles in the court of the king. When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged (3:5).

Haman became so obsessed with hatred for his nemesis, even the death of Mordecai couldn’t quench his thirst for revenge. Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Haman, his pride stung by Mordecai’s disrespect, becomes so angry and vengeful that he decides to kill all the Jews. Instead, Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus (3:6). This is another link from Haman to Amalek, who did not fear God (Deuteronomy 25:18). The attack of the Amalekites upon the Israelites leaving Egypt was an act of defiance, predicted on the denial of the existence of ADONAI and the assumption that chance rules the universe . . . and so was Haman a thousand years later when he cast the pur (3:7). It was no coincidence that Mordecai, like Saul, was a descendent of Kish who also confronted the Agagite.

Here the principle plot of the book is introduced: the attempt to destroy the Jewish people. Haman’s name sounds something like the Hebrew word for wrath, an apt description of his temperament and role in the book. Once he knew that Mordecai was a Jew, Haman’s pride-driven wrath was turned against all the Jews in the empire. Although unspoken, the only plausible explanation would be the anti-Semitism that started with the ancient conflict between Amalek and Isra’el.³⁹ Thus, Haman became the prototype of all the anti-Semitic leaders who wanted to destroy the Jewish people.

Now the story begins to fall into place. Esther had been brought to a position of power for purposes not known until now. The threat of genocide against the Jews of Persia was then a reality. Mordecai refused to honor Haman for both political and religious reasons. He identified himself as a Jew. Because of the ancient defeat and execution of his ancestor Agag by the prophet Samuel, Haman hates the Jews. Therefore, hatred and bitterness were at the root of Haman’s quest for power. For him, power rested in the complete destruction of the Jews. But Haman had not yet encountered the power of their God.⁴⁰

But Mordecai Found Out About the Plot and Told Esther,
Who Reported It to the King
2: 21-23

But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Esther, who reported it to the king DIG: Subplots abound: Secrecy, faithfulness, and assassins! Which one most concerns Ahasuerus? Mordecai? Esther? Why? What was the Persian method of execution? What should the king have done for Mordecai?

REFLECT: In your life, what do you see more of: Fate? Chance? Design? Or destiny? Explain. Have you ever done a great job on something, only to have your efforts go unappreciated or even acknowledged? How did it make you feel?

After Esther’s coronation the unsuccessful contestants (the virgins) who were not chosen by the king, were assembled a second time (2:19a). That same day Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate (2:19b, 2:21, 3:2, 5:9 and 13, 6:10 and 12). It seems that by the date of her coronation, Esther already had her cousin appointed a magistrate or judge, which was a lesser position in the elaborate hierarchy of Persian officials. In all probability, the queen couldn’t have given him a higher position without disclosing her relationship to him.

The gate was the court for commercial and legal business (Ruth 4:1-11). The king’s gate was the entrance to his palace, the citadel that towered above Susa. There the king’s officials sat (Proverbs 31:23), and people seeking justice could come and stand before them. If archaeological evidence from Susa has been correctly interpreted, the gate built by Ahasuerus’ father, Darius, measured 131 by 92 feet. The king’s gate opened into a large building consisting of a central hall that led into the royal compound and two rectangular side rooms. The central hall was supported by four columns with trilingual inscription on the bases that read, “By the grace of Aura Mazda (the creator and upholder of truth in the Persian pantheon), the Gate, Darius the King made it, he who was my father.” The excavation of the king’s gate and the square in front of it correspond well to the details of the palace given by the author of Esther (4:6), indicating that the author was familiar with the palace complex at Susa.³¹

During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway. Consequently, they need to be his most trusted servants. However, they became angry and conspired to assassinate King Ahasuerus (2:21). These two men guarded with their life the door of the royal house, but in doing so they had unique opportunities to conspire against the king. According to the Targum, they plotted to poison his wine, but the cause of their anger is not stated directly. Many monarchs have died at the hands of their own servants, eventually including Ahasuerus.

But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai (2:22). The rabbis teach that Mordecai’s discovery of the plot was by God’s design, not by Mordecai’s wisdom. It should not be surprising that Mordecai just happened to be at the exact right place, at the exact right time to overhear a plot against the king. It was no accident that Esther was his niece and he could report the plot to the very person who had access to the king. Providence!

Dear Wise Heavenly Father, It is such a comfort to know that you are the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe. Nothing happens by accident! You are Almighty and All powerful. No evil person nor evil government are a match for Your wisdom and power. You always are victorious. Blessed be the Name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. He changes times and seasons. He removes kings and installs kings (Dani’el 2:20-21a).

What a comfort it is to know that though I do not know what trials or problems may come with tomorrow; I do know for sure that my home for all eternity will be with You in Your holy heaven, because I have chosen to love/follow and to trust/confess You as my Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10). Praise Your love that sent Yeshua to die and rise on the third day (First Corinthians 15:4-6), thereby granting His perfect righteousness to all who choose to love and to follow Him as their Lord and Savior. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). Praise You for being such a wonderful Heavenly Father. I do not fear anything in the future; but I trust in Your eternal love. In Yeshua’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were impaled on poles (2:23a). Many years later, King Ahasuerus was killed in an assassination plot. But for now, ADONAI protects him, so that God’s own purposes can be fulfilled.³² Rather than being hanged by the neck on a modern-type gallows, the men were impaled with nails on a wooden pole in public view, as a lesson to the populace. This was not an unusual method of execution in the Persian Empire. Darius, the father of Ahasuerus, was known to have once impaled 3,000 men.

By making known to Esther what has happening, Mordecai saved the life of the king, who, like the butler in Genesis (see my commentary on Genesis, to see link click Jo– Then the Chief Baker said to Joseph: I Too Had a Dream), promptly forgot the man who saved him. The would-be assassins were hung and all this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king (2:23b), literally, the book of the acts of the day. This was in the nature of a royal diary. The ancient kings of Babylon, Assyria and Hebrew kings kept such annals as well. Persian kings normally rewarded acts of loyalty very quickly and generously. But Mordecai was not even thanked for his faithfulness.³³

Just like Mordecai, we may deserve credit, appreciation, or reward for something we’ve done or accomplished. Maybe we weren’t acknowledged publicly for our efforts in completing a project and others were. Or maybe our boss took credit for the contract we got. We can’t expect to receive all the credit we deserve, but ADONAI knows everything we do. Even if we don’t get the credit now – even in our lifetime – the LORD will generously reward us in heaven.³⁴ Some of the rewards will be crowns we’ll wear there (see my commentary on Revelation Cc – For We Must All Appear Before the Judgment Seat of Christ).

So at this point in the story, Esther has been introduced as the new queen, and Mordecai has a place of high standing at the king’s gate. Vashti has exited almost as fast as she entered, yet she will be remembered throughout because any reference to Queen Esther will remind us of whose place she took. Ahasuerus is consumed with power, and yet powerless, as the sovereignty of ADONAI unfolds behind the scenes.³⁵

Mordecai Uncovers a Plot to Kill King Ahasuerus
2:21 to 3:6

Mordecai had a place of reputation at the king’s gate. When the women gathered, he overheard a plot to kill the king. Mordecai told Esther and the plot was stopped. This event would play a major role later in the story in Chapter 6. This act of courage on the part of both Mordecai and Esther reflects their loyalty to King Ahasuerus, who possessed the political power to either destroy them or deliver them.³⁰

Haman the Agagite: Enemy of the Jews
Deuteronomy 25: 17-19

On the Shabbat before Purim, generally known as Shabbat Parashat Zachor, Jews around the world gather in their synagogues to hear Deuteronomy 25:17-19 read at the end of the Torah reading: Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and cut off all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God. When ADONAI your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the Land, He is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!

What must the children of Isra’el remember? Deuteronomy 25:17-19 refers to an incident in Exodus 17:8-16, just after the Israelites crossed the Sea of Reeds (see my commentary on Exodus, to see link click Cv – The Amalekites Came and Attacked the Israelites at Rephidim). As they traveled in the desert on their third day after leaving Egypt, the army of Amalek swooped down from behind them, attacking the old and the weak that were struggling to keep up. The command to remember Amalek, however, wasn’t merely remembering that he attacked the Jews in the wilderness; it is remembering that they would do away with the Amalekites altogether.

Parashat Zachor is read on the Shabbat before Purim because Haman was a direct descendant of Amalek. Like his forefathers, Haman was the sworn enemy of the Jews. He wanted to exterminate the entire Jewish nation. Nothing could change his mind because he understood that children of Isra’el represented ADONAI whom he hated. In order to understand Haman’s motives and the commandment of Zachor, we need to learn more about Amalek’s story.

Amalek was a real person who later became the leader of a clan, which became a nation of the same name, the Amalekites. Amalek was a grandson of Jacob’s brother Esau (see my commentary on Genesis Ip – Esau’s Sons and Grandsons). Now Timna was a concubine to Elifaz, son of Esau, and she gave birth to Amalek. Later we learn the Timna was the sister of Lotan who was the chieftain of the land of Seir where Esau went to live (see my commentary on Genesis Ir – The Sons of Seir the Horite). Thus, we see that Amalek was the offspring of two powerful families, yet he was only the son of a concubine. The rabbis teach that Amalek was raised in the tents of Esau, constantly hearing his grandfather bemoan his fate and how his brother, Jacob, had stolen his birthright (see my commentary on Genesis Gn – Then Jacob Gave Esau Some Lentil Stew and Esau Despised His Birthright). Amalek absorbed Esau’s hatred of the children of Jacob, thus it became the nature of the Amalekites to hate the Jews.

As noted above, three days after the crossing of the Red Sea, the Amalekites traveled a long way in order to attack the Israelites from behind. But the Jews miraculously defeated the Amalekites in a one-day war. This battle was significant because it showed the true nature of the Amalekites. After all the miracles God had performed, not one nation had dared to attack the Jews except Amalek. Far from being courageous, they attacked the weak stragglers from behind. Every nation has certain noticeable character traits. The Amalekites were known for an all-consuming love of self and a reliance on violence to prove their supposed superiority. Their underlying strategy was always, “might makes right.” The rabbis teach that Amalek never denied the existence of the LORD or His special relationship with the Jewish people. They just didn’t care. In fact, the very understanding of ADONAI and His relationship with the Israelites was exactly why they felt they needed to attack.

Not long after the unified Kingdom of Isra’el was formed under the reign of King Saul, the king, at the direction of the prophet Samuel (First Samuel 15:1-3), gathered his army to fulfill the biblical commandment to wipe out the Amalekites. King Saul and the Israelites won the decisive, virtually destroying the entire nation. He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive. He was to spare not even one of the Amalekites and show no pity. But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs – everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed (15:8-9). By having mercy on Agag, Saul had sinned against God. That act of disobedience in a holy war disqualified Saul from being Isra’el’s king.

The very next morning, Samuel went to Saul and informed him that ADONAI was angered by his disobedience and not fulfilling His commandment to completely destroy the Amalekites. After a brief and futile denial by Saul, the king admitted his sin. Then Samuel ordered Agag brought to him. The prophet proceeded to cut Agag to pieces, but the damage had already been done. The rabbis teach us that in one night, Agag had relations with a maidservant who later gave birth to a son. Consequently, over a thousand years later the Jews were faced with mortal danger from Haman the Agagite. It is interesting to note that just as Haman was a descendant of Agag, both Mordecai and Esther were descendents of King Saul and the tribe of Benjamin.

Because of Saul’s failure, the Amalekites continued to plague Isra’el throughout her history. The Talmud tells us that the wording in Deuteronomy 25:18, asher kar’cha be’derech, literally means that the Amalekites happened upon the Jews. The rabbis teach that this explains the personality of the Amalekite people. They represent the philosophy of chance, of the haphazard dictates of fate and destiny, which opposes the Jewish belief that God alone is sovereign in the universe. But the view of the Amalekites is in opposition to the concept that there is a purpose for mankind, or creation itself. Once again, opposite of the Jewish belief.

These differences between the Amalekites and the Jews can be clearly seen all the way back to their national forefathers, Esau and Jacob. Esau was a hunter. He lived for the thrill of the hunt, the risk of danger and for instantaneous pleasure. Life had no particular purpose in Esau’s mind, which was demonstrated by his craving for Jacob’s stew and his willingness to forfeit his birthright merely because he was hungry at the moment, saying: What is the birthright to me? Jacob, on the other hand, planned for the future. He lived in tents, meaning he went into the family business and became a shepherd (see my commentary on Genesis Gn – Then Jacob Gave Esau Some Lentil Stew and Esau Despised His Birthright). He spent years learning his trade. He was in the line of blessing and ADONAI blessed him by making him the father of twelve sons, which became twelve tribes, the future nation of Isra’el.

The attack by the Amalekites on the Jews after they crossed the Sea of Reeds was motivated by this hatred of the Israelite’s belief in YHVH. Undoubtedly the Amalekites and the entire world had heard of the ten plagues that had struck Egypt, but they didn’t really believe that they had happened. While no other nation dared to attack the Israelites, the Amalekites needed to prove that “might makes right” was still the natural order of the world. While they were defeated, they certainly reduced the fear of other nations toward the Jewish people. The Midrash describes it as if the Amalekites cooled a hot bath, scalding themselves, but encouraging others to enter.

Haman’s attempt to destroy the Israelites was a direct result of the age-old battle between the Amalekites and the Jews. As a descendant of Agag, King of Amalek, Haman is abundantly aware of the Israelite victory over the Amalekites, both in the wilderness and in the time of King Saul. Haman’s conflict with Mordecai, however, was based on the worldview of both nations. Just as in the days of the wilderness wanderings, Mordecai, or the Jews, stood as a reflection of the divine hand of God in the world. As Haman himself pointed out to King Ahasuerus, no other nation was so scattered, yet so unified (Esther 3:8). And Mordecai defied Haman’s belief that “might makes right,” by refusing to bow to him just because he was the prime minister. While the king of the land may have commanded all to bow down to Haman, the King of the Universe commanded all to bow to no one but Him. Throughout the Megillah there is an underlying struggle of Haman trying to show that he controls his own destiny, the destiny of the empire, only to be foiled by the subtle plans of ADONAI.

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You that when others don’t care for us and don’t even care about our special relationship with You – You care for Your children and are mighty to protect them! We can trust our battles and relationships to You! As the prophet Jahaziel said to King Jehoshaphat: The Ruach Adonai came upon Jahaziel. . . son of Mattaniah the Levite, of the sons of Asaph,  and he said:. . . Thus Adonai says to you, ‘Do not be afraid or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s (Second Chronicles 20:14a, 15b-c). Praise You that you are the winning commander who fights the battles for Your people. From His mouth comes a sharp sword – so that with it He may strike down the nations – and He shall rule them with an iron rod, and He treads the winepress of the furious wrath of Elohei-Tzva’ot. On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “King of kings, and Lord of lords.”

 Praise Your mighty victory over sin and over death by Your resurrection from death (Matthew 28). But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Yeshua of Natzeret, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here! See the place where they put Him (Mark 16:6). Your resurrection defeated death and opened the door of heaven to all who would choose to love and to follow You. For if you confess with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart it is believed for righteousness, and with the mouth it is confessed for salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever trusts in Him will not be put to shame” (Romans 10:9-11). Dear Father God, I love and worship You. Praise You for Your great love for Your children and for being their victorious commander, winning the battles for them as they trust and follow You. In Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Haman Plots to Destroy the Jews

Here the account takes a sudden, threatening turn. The story now has a villain. Haman was promoted above all the other nobles (3:1). But that power went to his head and led him to make a decision he would soon regret. He plotted the death of all the Jews because Mordecai refused to bow down to honor him. The story is similar to Dani’el 3, where Dani’el and his three young Hebrew friends refuse to worship the golden image established by King Nebuchadnezzar; but it is probably even more similar to the story in Dani’el 6, where the magi plotted against Daniel for praying to ADONAI and not praying to Darius. In each of these three accounts, allegiance to the LORD and the Torah proved to be rewarded by God with the gift of life. Here in Esther 3, the plot of the story is intensified with a detailed account of the plot to destroy the Jews in a way that was unparalleled in the book of Dani’el. The author writes in such a way that you can almost smell death approaching.²⁹

Now the King was Attracted to Esther
More Than Any of the Other Women
2: 12-20

Now the king was attracted to Esther more than any of the other women DIG:As the king’s “search” unfolds for Miss Persia, how does it compare or contrast to Isaac’s “search” for a wife (see my commentary on Genesis, to see link click Fw – Isaac and Rebekah)? Of what significance is the year long preparation period? Do you think king Ahasuerus kept his distance from the contestants? Why or why not? What does the text suggest? How was Esther’s reign similar to that of Joseph and Daniel?

REFLECT: It is easy to look at other people’s decisions and size them up, think, and know that we clearly know right from wrong, and if we were in their shoes, we would have known them both and done the right thing. We believe God will give us the wisdom to know what to do and moral strength to do it. But life isn’t always that tidy. Do you make moral judgments about the actions of others? When was the last time you were on the horns of an ethical dilemma yourself? Did anyone make any judgments about your decision? How did it make you feel? Was it fair? Why?

King Ahasuerus spared no expense to prepare his women for one night in his bed. For twelve months they were lotioned and perfumed. Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to king Ahasuerus, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics (2:12). Some question the historical accuracy of Esther in that a year of beauty treatments seems far fetched. King Ahasuerus was an egomaniac who had unlimited wealth to feed his fantasies. The opulence and degradation of that time is hard for us to imagine today. The beauty treatments were meant to enhance the attractiveness of the women, but in reality, the length of time it took to prepare them for their one-night-stand with the king was probably more about his ego than their readiness.

And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given to her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace (2:13). The residence for the wives and concubines of the king were separated from the rest of the palace court. There were three sets of living quarters: one for the virgins who had not yet been sent for by the king, one for the concubines, and one for the queen and the other royal wives. This was one busy guy. The first is mentioned in 2:8 where Esther was entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. The second is mentioned here. In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, 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 (2:14). The third is mentioned in 1:9, and was under the charge of the queen herself.

After spending one night in the king’s bed, the women were returned to the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem of concubines. There she would spend the rest of her life alone with the other women in practical widowhood. Her life had been hijacked by the king’s pleasure. She could not leave the harem to marry or return home to her family. In all likelihood, she would never see the king again, unless he specifically asked for her by name (summoned to his bed by written memo). There were so many women and he drank so much that it was doubtful he could remember the names even if he wanted to. Children conceived by the king on these one-night-stands were raised to serve their father in high positions, but they could not ascend to the throne.

  Esther is finally introduced to the narrative. When the turn came for Esther to go to the king for her one-night-stand it was the tenth month of Tebeth (the word Tebeth is found only in the book of Esther and nowhere else in the TaNaKh), in the seventh year of his reign (December 479/January 478 BC), five years after Vashti had been deposed (2:15a and 16). The names of the months in the book of Esther are those adopted by the Jews in Babylonia. The passive voice used here suggests that she went, not that she was eager to go, but that it was beyond her control. The Bible says nothing about how she felt about her situation.

When she went she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested (2:15b). It is said that some of the girls took advantage of this to deck themselves out with many precious diamonds and jewels. But Esther wisely trusted in Hegai’s expert knowledge of the king’s desires rather than her own instincts. Her respect contrasts with Vashti’s defiance and implies a different ending.

And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her (2:15c). This marked the turning point for Esther. She chose to play the game. She lost her way when she accepted the culture’s view that beauty was all that she had to offer. She forgot she was Hadassah – a daughter of the covenant, a descendant of Abraham and Sarah. Her purpose changed from pleasing God to pleasing the king. Warned by Mordecai to conceal her Jewish identity, she managed to elude detection and won high marks from everyone inside the palace because she was so pleasing. Hegai, the king’s eunuch who supervised the women’s care, picked her out from all the other women as the favorite and took extra measures to promote her candidacy. She complied with everything he said.

Esther didn’t merely survive her abduction into the king’s harem, she made the most of it. She auditioned for the queen’s crown by having sex with a man who was not her husband. Then after winning the crown, she married a pagan. She was beautiful, pleasing and she was losing her way. In all her splendor, the future queen was being lulled to sleep.²³ 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 (2:17a). Providence!

How did she win his favor in just one night? Did ADONAI give her favor with the king? The Bible doesn’t say. But one thing we do know is that because Esther evidently did whatever it took to please a lascivious pagan king, she won the position of queen, through which she later saved the whole Jewish nation from which the Messiah later came.²⁴

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You that even when events happen to Your children that seem to place us in situations that are ungodly and that seem to make it impossible to live for You – You are still in control and guiding all to Your glory in the life of your child. You are the eternal God of the universe guiding situations to your glory. Now we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Someday soon I will be with You in your glorious heavenly home with joy and peace forever!  Knowing that the One who raised the Lord Yeshua will raise us also with Yeshua, and will bring us with you into His presence (Second Corinthians 4:14). With our eyes fixed on Your love and power we go on in triumph.  Therefore we do not lose heart . . . For our trouble, light and momentary, is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, as we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal (Second Corinthians 4:16a, 17-18).  In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

This happened around the time when, back in Esther’s homeland, Ezra the priest was taking drastic measures in Jerusalem to restore the purity of her fellow Israelites. He broke up families with children and literally insisted on divorces between Israelite men and pagan Gentile women to ward off ADONAI’s anger for their blatant disregard of His Word (Ezra 9:1-5 and 12). The Torah prohibited intermarriage with Gentiles (Deuteronomy 7:3). How would Ezra have judged this Jewish queen?

Meanwhile, back in Persia, Esther kept her secret in the closet. Being a third-generation exile made the cover-up much easier. She probably learned Persian as a child, so her speech did have the telltale Hebrew accent that normally exposed a person’s foreign ancestry. She grew up in Persia and she talked and dressed like a native. For five long years she accepted the sexual mores of the pagan world around her and enjoyed the luxuries of her privileged lifestyle. In short, she was trying to live in two worlds. She came from a background of Torah observance, but the whole emphasis in the king’s harem was on physical beauty. Esther fit right in with that pagan culture.²⁵

So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti (2:17b). The author carefully avoids the word “marriage,” although it is implied. Although the author does not tell us what Esther thought of her “marriage” to Ahasuerus, she apparently did not protest. Should she have? Would you have? Why? How? When?

Perhaps Esther hated her circumstances with all her heart. Possibly she felt that life in the harem violated every conviction and moral principle Mordecai had instilled in her. Maybe she wondered how ADONAI could have let such a horrible thing happen to her. On the other hand, perhaps Esther loved life in the harem. Possibly the sensuality of harem life appealed to a part of her human nature. Maybe she was swept off her feet by the attention of the most powerful man in the empire. Perchance she knew that her lifestyle violated the Torah, but didn’t really care. Maybe she thought this was the best thing to ever happen to her. She had just won the Persian king lottery! Would such an attitude have pleased the LORD? Was Esther in God’s will or not?

Some excuse Esther because her marriage to the king was beyond her control. Somehow I think that virtue would have been lost on Ezra. Or they say that marrying Ahasuerus was the lesser of two evils, and in spite of the sin involved, it led to the greater good for God’s people. Really? Is that what you would teach your children? God will bless it in the end anyway, so go for it? Can you really use Esther as a positive role model up to this point in the story? How could you possibly use this episode from Esther’s life to teach virtue to your teenage daughter? What message would she get? Make yourself as attractive as possible to sway powerful men? Use your body to advance God’s kingdom? Do the ends really justify the means?

She did not get to be the queen by consistent obedience to the Torah, the way, for instance, Joseph did in Egypt when he refused the sexual advances of Potiphar’s wife and spent several brutal years in an Egyptian prison as a result. Esther may well have been a virtuous woman obedient to the Torah; but even if she was, the author chooses to hide her virtue in a morally ambiguous and complex situation. He does not allow us to come to simple conclusions about her life in light of Scripture. The author skillfully describes her complex life in real terms because that’s the way life is in this fallen world.

Esther may have looked back on this episode in her life with shame and regret, or she may have looked back on it with a clear conscience, knowing that she acted as wisely as she knew how at the time. In either case, each one of us also has both kinds of episodes in our lives. Esther’s story shows that we can give them to the LORD and move on.²⁶

Some doubt the historicity of the book of Esther because Persian kings collected their harem indiscriminately, but they usually took wives only from one of seven noble families; therefore, they say that Esther’s marriage to Ahasuerus seems unlikely. The sudden decision on the part of Ahasuerus reveals that the sight of Esther overwhelmed him. Readers can only imagine. But more importantly, we cannot overlook the providence of God. What He had done with Pharaoh and Cyrus probably reflects what He did with King Ahasuerus as well. ADONAI had influenced that pagan king for His ultimate purposes.

Then the author briefly describes Esther’s coronation. 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 (2:18). In later years, when people recalled this feast, or banquet, they would call it by this name.

During the coronation there was an apparent gathering of the unsuccessful contestants to be chosen as queen, or harem of virgins at the king’s gate. Esther wasted no time in appointing Mordecai to an official position in the Persian judicial system before the final ceremonial parade that concluded the coronation activities where he was sitting (2:19). His being there shows how he could have overheard an assassination plot against the king (2:21-23), and how a feud started that would threaten the entire Jewish nation.

But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up (2:20). The purpose of the parenthetical statement in this place is to make it clear that Mordecai was not known to be a relative of the queen, and therefore, conspirators were not likely to be on their guard against him. For the next five years, Queen Esther was the perfect woman – the fairest in the land, dutifully complying with the wishes of her husband and king, and never, ever, making waves. Remarkably, she even managed faithfully to follow the instructions that came from Mordecai, her father figure, who kept an eye on things from the sidelines. That fragile arrangement was bound to collapse and did – in a single day (3:12-15). But instead of destroying her life or getting her in trouble, the crisis shook her to the core, and proved to be her greatest strength.²⁷

Throughout the narrative of Chapter 2, the hand of God is understood to be the force behind the development of the story. The first readers of Esther must have been amazed when they realized this important truth. The Jewish people were going to be victims of genocide. Satan was giddy with joy because the very future of the Messiah, redemption itself, hung in the balance. Since there was no chance for a Jew to become king, Esther was brought to the royal court to become queen. As Joseph was introduced to the court of Pharaoh and Daniel to the court of Nebuchadnezzar, Esther came to the court of Ahasuerus for a similar reason. Joseph’s leadership meant food for his famine-stricken family and their eventual prosperity. Daniel’s leadership led to a new status of acceptance of Jews in Babylonia. As we move along in the story, eventually Esther’s leadership would yield similar results. The common element in all three is that it was God who brought about those results.²⁸

Esther Was Taken to the King’s Palace
and Entrusted to Hegai,
Who Had Charge of the Harem
2: 1-11

Esther was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem DIG: Verse 1 is a hinge verse, spanning four years (1:3 and 2:16). In that time, what has happened to the king’s anger? His memory? His decree? To Vashti? Who were Mordecai’s ancestors (First Samuel 9:1-2 and Second Samuel 16:5-13)? How are Mordecai and Esther related to each other? What might have happened if Esther had not obeyed Mordecai?

REFLECT: How would you feel if the LORD, as King of your life, took four years to solve a big problem for you? How important, to you and God, is time, opposed to timing? What life-changing event did you have in your life? How did you handle it? Did it make, or break you? How? How can you use that experience to help others?

Vashti refused to come to King Ahasuerus in the third year of his reign in 483 BC. Esther was made queen in the seventh year of his reign in 479 BC (2:16-17). During the intervening four years the king was off fighting a disastrous war with Greece. His humiliating defeat drained the treasuries of the Persian Empire and discredited him in the eyes of his subjects. Shortly after his return from Greece, Esther was chosen as his new queen. The Greek historian Herodotus depicts the life of Ahasuerus after his military defeat as one of excess. He spent a lot of time with the wives of some of his officers, creating such discord and anger that eventually he was assassinated, oh the irony, in his bedroom in 465 BC.¹⁹

Four years later when King Ahasuerus’ fury had subsided, he realized that he had been foolish in his actions (2:1a). Throughout the book it is evident that the king was led along by his magi (1:13-14). Strong leaders listen to advice, but they know how to recognize foolishness. He remembered Vashti and what she had done and what he had decreed about her (2:1b). That Ahasuerus remembered Vashti implies some regret over the whole incident, but the king was trapped by his own irrevocable decree (1:19).

Then the king’s personal attendants, proposed: Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king (2:2). After four years, the magi certainly didn’t want Ahasuerus having any second thoughts about Vashti. She could certainly be their ruin. The search for Miss Persia seems so outlandish to us today, but even by Persian standards queens were not normally chosen that way. According to Herodotus, Ahasuerus’ father Darius only took his wives from the nobility of Persia. More often than not, they came from the families of his seven closest advisors (1:14). But surely a king who held such absolute power could marry any woman he wanted.

Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa (2:3a). In addition to his one or more wives, the king normally had many concubines. They were virgins to be called at the pleasure of the king. They lived lives of luxurious isolation in his harem. Most of the girls were uprooted from their families and entered a state of perpetual widowhood. Artaxerxes II, the son of Ahasuerus, was said to have 360 beautiful concubines in his harem. While this may seem to be an extremely demining process to us today, it was not sexism. The boys were treated worse than the girls. Herodotus tells us that five hundred young boys were rounded up each year and castrated to serve as eunuchs in the Persian court. Everyone was subject to the whims of the king, anywhere, anytime. His power was unyielding and absolute.

Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them (2:3b). It was customary to put a eunuch in charge of the house of the women, a most responsible position. The beauty treatments included purification and the use of precious ointments. Like the gardens and the banquet hall, Ahasuerus had an appreciation for beautiful things. Unfortunately, “things” are exactly what the king thought women were. As Vashti had shown, and as Esther would soon show, aside from Mordecai the women were more courageous and intelligent than the men in this story.²⁰

“Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it (2:4). Ahasuerus could have had any young woman he wanted. Once brought to the palace, their sole purpose in life was giving pleasure to the king – pleasure to his eye, to satisfy him in bed, and to expand his impressive collection of possessions for others to admire.

This is the second time that the king’s magi manipulate Ahasuerus for their own gain. He continues to display weak leadership as he allowed others, who have their own personal agendas, to decide what he will decree. The one who holds absolute power continues to defer to others who know how to skillfully manipulate his needs. In doing so, the author shows us how the odds are stacked against Mordecai and Esther. The politics within the Persian court are deadly and those who survive seem to be able to manipulate the needs of the king. It is a treacherous place for those who would become the target of such impulsive and unstable power.

A flashback to the time of the deportation of the Jews from Jerusalem in 597 BC interrupts the story to introduce two people who will be indispensable to the plot, Esther and Mordecai. The whole narrative flows swiftly without introducing more details than necessary.

Now there was in the fortress of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin. The Hebrew Yehudi originally meant a man of the kingdom of Judah, but after the Babylonian captivity it came to be a generic term for all Israelites. He was named Mordecai son of Jair the son of Shimei, the son of, meaning the descendant of Kish (2:5). The names of Ahasuerus, Esther, Mordecai and Haman do not come across in the English translation. Instead of being the actual name of the historical person, these names were probably chosen or created by the human author to characterize the people who nonetheless did actually exist in history with other names.

This verse associates Mordecai with another of the tribe of Benjamin, King Saul, whose father’s name was Kish (First Samuel 9:1-2). This reference to a descendent is used in other passages in the Bible. For example, when the blind beggar called out to Yeshua as He was passing by: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me (Luke 18:38), he did not mean to say that King David had fathered Yeshua, but that Jesus was a descendant of David, or was in the royal line of David. Likewise here, the author associates Mordecai in the royal line of Saul.

Mordecai’s great-grandfather had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin, better known as Jeconiah, king of Judah (2:6). Some have doubted the history of Esther, saying that if Mordecai were really taken into captivity with Jehoiachin, he would have been about 120 years old during the reign of Ahasuerus. One way of resolving this problem is to read the relative clause in the Hebrew text, as saying that Mordecai’s great-grandfather, Kish, was the one taken into exile with Jehoiachin. When the author mentions Mordecai in connection with the exile he continues to provide context to the historical setting so that the reader can understand the events about to take place. The author is pointing to the fact that when the king of Judah went into exile, he was representative of all the Jews who would go into exile, including those who would be born in captivity.

Mordecai just happened to be taken captive to Susa, where he would raise the future queen of Persia. Providence! Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had adopted as his own daughter when her father (Mordecai’s uncle Abihail) and mother died (2:7a and c, 2:15a). The rabbis apply the verse: Happy are they . . . that do righteousness at all times (Psalm 56:3 or 106:3), to a person who brings up an orphan in his house. It seems that Hadassah’s descendants were also exiled when Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 589 BC. Events in her story happened some fifty years after her descendants return to the Land. But she was among the Jewish people who chose to remain in Persia instead of returning to their native soil. Today Hadassah is the name of the Jewish women’s Zionist organization, speaking out against anti-Semitism. It was founded on Purim in the year 1912.

This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful to look at (art by Sarah Beth Baca: see more information on Links and Resources). In fact, some have called the book of Esther the Beauty and the Feast! According to the rabbis, she was one of the four most beautiful women in the world, the other three being Sarah, Rahab, and Abigail (Megillah 15a). The one Jewish woman who would need to be attractive to the king just happened to be a knockout (2:7b). Providence!

The name Esther does not agree with Herodotus who refers to the wife of Ahasuerus as Amestris. Some of the apparent discrepancies that have been identified as historical problems by some may instead be the legitimate use of poetic license in order to interpret the significance of what happened. In other words, some expressions in the story may have been intended for literary effect, not for historical accuracy as we define it today. This need not undermine the integrity of the book. For example, Vashti’s name is said to sound similar to the Old Persian expression for beautiful woman. Ahasuerus’ name sounds comical when pronounced in Hebrew and would correspond to something like “King Headache” in English. The name Esther sounds similar to Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of love and war. Haman’s name sounds similar to the Hebrew name meaning wrath. Of course, these phonetic wordplays do not come across in the English translation. Instead of being the actual name of the historical person, these names may have been chosen or created by the author to characterize the people who nonetheless did actually exist in history with other names.²¹

When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken (in the second Targum there is a story that Mordecai attempted to conceal her from the king’s officers) to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem (2:8). And it just worked out that the beautiful Esther happened to be in the right place at the right time. It is clear that she did not volunteer to participate in this contest, she was taken by force. Her beauty and lovely figure must have caught the attention of the king’s officers. The author does not spend any time on how she felt. Regardless of her feelings one way or the other, Esther was at the mercy of a ruthless pagan king – just as her people were. We still have not seen or heard from her because her own personal opinion about what was happening to her seems irrelevant as the events of the story march on to their inevitable climax.

She pleased Hegai and won his favor. Esther’s beauty and charm were overpowering, even to a eunuch. The word favor is hesed, and can also refer to covenant loyalty or kindness. Although God is not mentioned, the use of this word indicates that He is operating behind the scene for her benefit. And it just so happened that the keeper of the harem favored her. Providence!

Meanwhile, she entered a yearlong beauty treatment – marinating in oils and perfumes for twelve months before being served up in her one-night-stand with the king, who rated each girl’s performance and decided her fate. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food, apparently food or a better-than-ordinary quality. But she evidently made no protest about eating the unclean food of Gentiles. He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem (2:9).

Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. Once Esther was taken, Mordecai’s body language reflected his torment over her plight. Like a frantic father whose young daughter is out well past curfew, he paced outside the harem courtyard day after day, worried sick, and desperate to hear something from Esther. Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her (2:10-11).

The author does not overtly reveal Mordecai’s motives here. The king’s only criterion for his wife was performance in his bedroom and obedience in his court, certainly not ethnicity or religious convictions. However, Mordecai had achieved a position in the Persian court and possibly already knew Haman’s opinion of Jews. Perhaps Mordecai counseled Esther to conceal her Jewish identity because he had good reason to fear Haman’s anti-Semitism. But for whatever the reason, just as the name of God is hidden in the book (1:20, 5:4, 5:13, 7:7b), so is Esther’s nationality and faith hidden until the very end. The author makes no attempt to vindicate Esther by explaining any extenuating circumstances or divine guidance for her behavior.

The absence of Esther’s thoughts about her situation raises questions about her Torah observance. She was taken into the harem, gained favor with Hegai, the eunuch in charge, and received beauty treatments, special food and servants. Unlike Daniel and his friends, she does not protest, or set herself apart as they had done. In fact, she had successfully hidden her identity as a Jewess, and evidently had adopted Persian dress and customs to the point where she was indistinguishable as a Jewish woman. Therefore, we cannot assume that she secretly kept the Torah commandments. That is an argument from silence. The text simply does not allow us to assume that she did.

From this and other statements in the book it is clear the author was making the point that ADONAI protected and used Esther and Mordecai in spite of the fact that they were not Torah observant. The Pentateuch commanded that she was not to marry a pagan (Deuteronomy 7:1-4), or have sexual relations with a man who was not her husband (Exodus 20:14). Yet, this was specifically the purpose of her being included in the harem.²²

The apostle Paul, when writing to the church in Rome said: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2). How does your faith relate to your culture? When Haman was trying to convince King Ahasuerus to exterminate the Jews, he based his flimsy excuse on the basis of disloyalty, saying: There are certain people . . . who do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. So it seems that most of the Jews in Persia must have retained enough of their outward, visible distinctiveness to allow Haman and others to see a difference, whose dress and customs were different from those of all other people (3:8).

Esther and Mordecai had evidently chosen to adopt the dress, customs and practices of their Gentile neighbors, at least to the point where they could successfully hide their identity as Jews. The royal court officials at the king’s gate came to know Mordecai as a Jew, but only because he had told them he was one (3:4). Esther’s decision to risk her life by finally coming out of the closet as a Jewess is, thus, all the more moving. But before Mordecai’s battle with Haman and the looming threat of genocide, no one even knew that they were Jews. The question is sometimes asked, “If you were brought to trial for being a believer, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Well it seems like there would not have been any evidence to convict either Esther or Mordecai!

At what point does the assimilation of culture compromise our faith and witness? Is it the way we dress? The way we talk? What music we listen to? What movies we go to? If a believers living in a hostile land conceal their faith is that lack of faith or merely prudent? Committed believers can and do disagree on these issues. Yet we make decisions like this every day because there is no way to avoid them. We should strive to live in obedience to ADONAI, but it’s not always clear what that means in our messy lives. We are, after all, human.

This is where the silence about Esther and Mordecai’s faith can encourage us. Even if they didn’t always make the right choices, or had the purest of motives, the LORD was working through their imperfect decisions to fulfill His perfect purposes. Other than Yeshua, even the godliest people in the bible also make imperfect decisions. We are no different than them. Yet, God is all-powerful. Nothing can stand in the way of His ultimate plan for you, me, or the universe. If ADONAI can work through imperfect people like Esther and Mordecai, He can work through us.

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise Your great and mighty power that extends even to guiding future events to Your glory. Praise You that You are not a god that is only in one place, but You are the God over all the world- over every nation, every tribe, every person and place! Praise You that Nothing can stand in the way of Your ultimate plan. No army, no matter how mighty is big enough to come against You and win for You are Almighty!  From His mouth comes a sharp sword—so that with it He may strike down the nations – and He shall rule them with an iron rod, and He treads the winepress of the furious wrath of Elohei-Tzva’ot. On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “King of kings, and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:15-16, 20:9-10).

Nothing can get in Your way-and win. You are in control and you guide events to your glory. There is no such thing as “good luck”. It is the eternal God of the universe guiding situations to His glory. Now we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).  The lives of each of Your children rest not in circumstances, but Your children and their lives are held tight in Your hand.  My sheep hear My voice. I know them, and they follow Me.  I give them eternal life! They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. And no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand (John 10:27-29). When people turn their eyes up to You to love and to follow You, what joy and peace fills their hearts. I praise and love You for Your great love and all powerful fatherly care.  In Yeshua’s name and power of resurrection. Amen

Esther Elevated to Queen
2: 1-20

With Vashti removed from her duties, the search for Miss Persia began. Esther’s claim to fame was her beauty and her ability to please. It was a winning combination that took her a long way. Even a book of the Bible is written about her. If she were alive today, she’d be featured on covers of fashion magazines and hounded by the paparazzi wherever she went. Her face and form would define the standard for plastic surgery patients. Her hair and clothing would set fashion trends.

The ancient culture where she lived, like a lot of times and places (well, let’s be honest, most times and places), was a place where men noticed and valued a woman for her looks and her readiness to submit. In such a social climate, it was only a matter of time before Esther was discovered. She got lost in beauty treatments, perfumed oils, and in her studied, skillful efforts to comply with the wishes of the men in her life.

But life is full of unpredictable twists and turns – long lulls, disappointments, tragedies, and big breaks – that push us out of the shadows and force us to summon up courage, strength, and gifts we never knew we had. Esther’s beauty didn’t fade, or if it did, no one seemed to notice. Instead, other aspects of her character surfaced, showing the world and proving to Esther herself that she had serious responsibilities before God and a whole lot more to offer than beauty or compliance. When Esther faced the crisis of her life, the powers of face and form were not enough, and her ability to please actually stood in her way. The situation called for her to think and strategize, to exercise courage, to stand on her own two feet, and to rely solely upon ADONAI. That’s when Esther, long lost in her beauty, was finally found.¹⁸

When Queen Vashti Refused to Come,
The King Became Furious and Burned with Anger
1: 10-22

When queen Vashti refused to come, the king became furious and burned with anger DIG: Why does king Ahasuerus send for her? When she refuses, how does he react? Who advises the king what to do and why? Who were the magi? What was their advice? Why did it backfire? What would cause the government to establish a law that could not be repealed? Why did God hide His face from His people within the text?

REFLECT: How different is to be the attitude of the godly man toward his wife compared to that of the Persian court (see my commentary on Genesis, to see link click Lv – I Do Not Permit a Woman to Teach or Have Authority Over a Man, She Must Be Silent). Has there been a time in your life when it felt like God had hidden His face from you because of your sin and disobedience, only to discover later that He was actually there all the time? What did you learn from that experience? How can you help others?

The author of the book of Esther knew when he began to write that he was telling a story about how, against all odds, the fate of God’s people was reversed and became the reason for the celebration called Purim. One seemingly insignificant event led to another, leading to the fulfillment of the Covenant between the LORD and His people. It is, therefore, worth noting what event started that chain reaction.

He did not begin with Mordecai or Esther. He did not repeat the history of the Jews. He begins with a Persian king named Ahasuerus, who did not know or worship ADONAI. But he decided to host a banquet, apparently for purely political need to solidify support for his impending military campaign against Greece. Therefore, a completely pagan king decides for purely worldly reasons to give a banquet designed for his own ego trip. On the last day of the banquet he decides to give the men of his empire a good look at his beautiful Queen Vashti. But she refused to come, and with that one decision she sets in motion a chain of events that leads to the deliverance of God’s people in Persia.¹⁴

On the seventh day, when King Ahasuerus was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him – Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Charkas (1:10) – to bring before him Queen Vashti (1:10a). The eunuchs are listed here for a reason. Their names serve to verify the event, and because they were eunuchs, they could be trusted to go to the queen and bring her safely to the king. Seven seems to be the number needed to carry her seated in the royal litter. This would create a dramatic and majestic entrance for her before the men being asked to go to war for the empire. Perhaps the sight of the queen in her royal splendor was intended to inspire patriotism and loyalty, as public appearances of the British queen today.

Today, most of us think of excessive drinking as being totally unacceptable. But the Greek historian Herodotus informs us that the Persians drank as they deliberated important political decisions (3:15). As bizarre as it seems to us now, they believed that getting drunk put them in closer contact with the spiritual world. If Herodotus was right on this point, excessive drinking would have been an essential element of Ahasuerus’ war council.

To bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at (1:10b-11). At the height of the bash, the king sent for Queen Vashti to come and display her beauty before the assembly of tipsy men. But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Because Ahasuerus displayed his power and authority in order to solidify his nobles and military leaders behind his plan to conquer Greece, the refusal of his own queen to obey his command must have been extremely embarrassing. No wonder the king became furious and burned with anger (1:12). The king needed his men to obey his commands as they went off to war, but in his own palace he could not even get his own wife to obey (art by Sarah Beth Baca: see more information on Links and Resources)!

Note that this passage is the first of many in which the author doesn’t make any moral or ethical evaluation. He does not fault Ahasuerus for drinking, nor does he commend or condemn Vashti for refusing to appear at the king’s command. This is an important element in the story and is especially fitting to its meaning and application, for the providence of ADONAI works through human behavior, even if it doesn’t always come with the best intentions.

Dear Wise Heavenly Father, Praise your wisdom that knows all that will happen, and You turn the events to Your own honor and glory! I am so thankful that as my Father, You are always working things out to glorify Your holy name. It is so awesome to know that You guide events to the glorious praise of His grace (Ephesians 1:6a, 12c and 14c). Praise how You work out our salvation in a wise and loving way with hesed kindness and grace (Ephesians 2:8) that we might be for Your glorious grace.   He keeps working out all things according to the purpose of His will ^– so that we, who were first to put our hope in Messiah, might be for His glorious praise. (Ephesians 1:11b-12).

You know the future, even before it happens (Daniel 2 and 9).  You know what people will say, before they even say it. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, ADONAI, You know all about it. (Psalms 139:4). It is such a comfort to know that You always watching over to protect Your child. No hurt can sneak up on me. Though hurts and trials do come, You are by my side to help, guide and to encourage. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31b). Life’s problems will soon be over. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). A wonderful lifetime of peace and joy in heaven with You will go on for all eternity. I am so thankful that You my Daddy who knows and controls the future! I love you and delight in pleasing you! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

It is important to understand that this opening scene is not about drinking, sexism or husband-wife relationships. Instead, this conflict between Vashti and Ahasuerus provides a context in which later events of the story can be understood. The point of her fall from grace is that the Persian court was not a safe place because the king held such great power and wielded it so unpredictably. Actually, none of the principle characters are presented as ethical role models to imitate. Rather, the snapshot here provides a backdrop for the major conflict of the story when all the power of the Persian empire is turned against the Jews.¹⁵

  Although he was powerful, it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the magi (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Av – The Visit of the Magi). They were a traditional institution, such consulted by Pharaoh (Genesis 41:8), and Dani’el was among their number at Babylon in the time of Nebuchadnezzar. They supposedly understood the times, which they believed to be strictly favorable occasions for action according to the stars. But here the expression seems to mean that they knew what to do (1:13).

And were closest to the king – Karshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and lastly, Memukan, the seven nobles of Persia and Media who had special access to the king and were highest, or the best, in the kingdom. These names are Persian, but of course the rabbis attempted to give Hebrew meanings to them. “According to law, what must be done to Queen Vashti?” he asked. “She has not obeyed the command of King Ahasuerus that the eunuchs have taken to her” (1:14-15). These royal advisors were also experts in politics and Persian law. They saw the king’s face, meaning they talked to him face to face, a rare privilege. This counsel of seven is confirmed by Ezra 7:14, Herodotus and Josephus.

Then Memukan replied in the presence of the king and the nobles: Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the nobles and the peoples of all the provinces of King Ahasuerus (1:16). Apparently Memukan’s answer was meant to justify the king’s behavior and thereby maintain his favor. For the queen’s conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands and say: King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she would not come (1:17). Their reasoning will be, “The queen did not obey, therefore, we need not obey.”

This very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about the queen’s conduct will respond to all the king’s nobles in the same way. There will be no end of disrespect and discord (1:18). The thought of female jokes and gossip was evidently enough motivation for a new royal decree, though how it would be enforced is not considered in the slightest. Were they really so pompous that they thought they could legislate respect and obedience from their wives? The whole notion was so absurd that it could only cost the king their respect.

Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be repealed (1:19a). The irrevocability of the king’s decree is also mentioned in a similar situation in Dani’el 6:8, 12, 15. There, Darius, the father of Ahasuerus, is manipulated by his magi to issue an irrevocable decree forbidding prayer – a ploy intended to trap the godly Dani’el. There is no extra biblical evidence that Persian laws could not be repealed, so the statement here merely satirizes the way the authority of the Persian monarchy was perceived, not the way it actually operated.

So what began as an issue between two people suddenly took on a life of its own. The magi represented by Memukan were clever but hardly wise. By escalating the incident Memukan not only expressed his own anxiety and fears in terms of the good of the empire, but he also manipulated King Ahasuerus to his own advantage. Later, Haman would use the same ploy against the Jews in 3:8.¹⁶

Vashti was never again to enter the presence of King Ahasuerus. Memukan would have good cause to fear the vengeance of Vashti if she should regain the throne. We are not told what happened to Vashti. The rabbis teach that she was executed, and judging from the number of deposed queens in the East they are probably right. This is the first time in the book that Queen Vashti is referred to simply as Vashti. Also let the king give her royal position to someone else who is better than she (1:19b). Whenever a feast was held, there was a role reversal. The demise of Queen Vashti opened the door for the arrival of Queen Esther. Providence!

Then when the king’s edict is proclaimed throughout all his vast realm, all the women will respect their husbands, from the least to the greatest (1:20). The story of Esther takes place in Persia. Those Jews living there had chosen to be disobedient and not return to the Promised Land (Ezra 1:2). Many had been absorbed into the Persian culture, and to make their lives easier they began to worship other gods. But ironically, that’s why they were sent into exile in the first place (Ezeki’el 8). In doing so, ADONAI said that He would hide His face from them. God said to Moses: You are going to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break My Covenant I made with them. On that day I will become angry with them and I will hide My face from them. Many disasters and difficulties will come upon them, and on that day they will ask, “Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is not with us?” And I will certainly hide My face on that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods (Deuteronomy 31:16-18).

Because Isra’el had been disciplined for chasing after other gods by first, being taken from the Land, and secondly, for not returning to it, God was hiding His face from them in the text (1:20; also see 5:4, 5:13 and 7:7). Within the phrase all the women will respect, is the name of YHWH (see my commentary on Exodus At – I Am Has Sent Me to You). It is formed by the initial letters of four consecutive Hebrew words when read backwards: Hy’ Wkl Hnsym Ytnw.¹⁷ He may have hidden His face from them, but He had not abandoned them. That’s the point of the book of Esther. Hiding His name in the text was like a code to the Jews. It was as if He was saying, “Don’t worry, I AM here, I have not abandoned you.” Later the writer to the Hebrews will remind them again: Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you (Hebrews 13:5b).

One rabbi taught that the reason God’s name could not be found plainly in the text was the author knew that the Persians would copy it and he did not want God’s name to be used for idolatrous purposes.

The king and his nobles were pleased with this advice, so the king did as Memukan proposed. He sent dispatches to all parts of the kingdom, to each province in its own script and to each people in their own language, proclaiming that every man should be ruler over his own household (1:22-22). The edict could hardly fail to strike the recipients as utterly ridiculous. Ironically, by accepting Memukan’s advice, the king ended up publicizing his embarrassment throughout the entire empire. His decree that every man should be ruler over his own household was something that he had just failed to do.

The episode in Esther 1:10-22 forms the background in which the threat of a Jewish holocaust at the hands of Persia can be grasped. The power of the most powerful nation in the world was conducted at the whim of the magi who manipulated the king with great skill. A society that was supposed to be based on law and justice, was, in reality, based on the egotistical needs of glory for the king and the insecurity of his advisors. Here, so-called Persian “law” was made up on the spot by drunken men. The king’s court was a dangerous place indeed. The Vashti story set the somber tone for her successor. Ahasuerus’ next queen would think twice before daring to go against the king.

When we think of the history of God’s people, we think of the great miracles that display the power of ADONAI. But these mighty acts of the LORD are linked together through long years of human history by a chain of seemingly insignificant, ordinary events. We are living in such a time. Like King Ahasuerus of long ago, modern kings, presidents and rulers make decisions for purely political reasons. And like Vashti, we make decisions that have long-reaching consequences without even knowing it, that are far beyond what we could predict. These decisions by those in authority over us may be completely secular with no thought of Christ whatsoever. But as believers we need to understand that through those secular decisions, God is moving human history forward to accomplish everything that must happen before the return of His Son, Yeshua Messiah, the true KING of kings.

The King Gave a Grand Banquet in Susa,
and Displayed the Vast Wealth of His Kingdom
1: 1-9

The king gave a grand banquet in Susa, and displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom  DIG: What might have been the occasion for this opulent banquet thrown by King Ahasuerus? What would warrant a six-month “open-house?” Who comes? What do you make of all the architectural, fashion and wine detail given here? What does that tell you about the king’s wealth? Popularity? Ego? Why do you think his wife, the Queen Vashti, throws a separate party?

REFLECT: How are you like or different from the king of Persia? Can you be swayed by the opulence in this life? Why or why not? What reversal of fortunes have you had in your life? How have you handled them? Empire-building took center stage in the king of Persia’s life, what’s in the center of yours? Why?

This section sets the tone for the book. The vast wealth, splendor and glory of Ahasuerus’ majesty draw attention to his lavish banquets at Susa, where he is gathering support and loyalty for his military campaign against Greece. Yet, the irony of this picture is lost on us today. The original readers would have known that four years after this banquet, Ahasuerus would return virtually broke from his ill-advised attack. Given that the author of Esther was writing years after Ahasuerus’ defeat, he could have chosen to introduce him as the Persian king who lost the epic battle at Hellespont to the Greeks. Instead, he chose to introduce Ahasuerus in the grandeur and confidence of his glory days. The unstated reversal of the king’s destiny, which would have been known to the author and original readers, sets the stage and foreshadows other reversals of fortune throughout the book of Esther.⁹

This is what happened (1:1a). In Hebrew, the book begins with the linguistic formula, Now it came to pass. This introductory formula is found in other historical books such as Joshua, Judges and Samuel, whose story continues what had gone on beforehand. It can also be used at the beginning of a narrative (Ruth 1:1). The author introduces the book in such a way to suggest to his readers that the ensuing story are events that actually happened.

These events happened during the time of Ahasuerus, or Xerxes in the Greek (1:1b), the Persian king who reigned from 486 to 465 BC (to see link click Ad – The Historical Accuracy of Esther to see the timeline). He is mentioned in Ezra 4:6 as the reigning king when those opposed to the rebuilding of the Temple brought accusations against it. His name was pronounced Ahashwerosh in an attempt to represent the Persian Khshayasha. It has no meaning in Hebrew, but when pronounced aloud it sounds something like “King Headache” in English. They probably called him “King Headache” because no one could mention his name without getting a headache!

The Persian king ruled over 127 provinces stretching from the northwest portion of the peninsula of India to the upper Nile region in Egypt (1:1c). From his father Darius I he inherited the great Persian Empire that extended from India to Ethiopia. It was the largest empire known up to that time. The standard administrative region within the Persian empire was called a satrapy and was governed by an official called a satrap. He was responsible for the administration of the region, including the collection of taxes and the raising of an army on the king’s behalf. The division of the Persian Empire into 127 provinces seems to contradict the twenty provinces that Herodotus mentioned. There is no extant historical evidence that at any time were there as many as 127 satrapies, not even 120 mentioned in Daniel 6:1.

But here in 1:1, the Hebrew word used does not mean satrapy, but province and probably refers to a smaller region surrounding a city. In Daniel 2:49 the same Hebrew word refers to the province of Babylon; in Ezra 2:1 and Nehemiah 7:6 it refers to the province of Judea surrounding the city of Jerusalem. Both Jerusalem and Judea were a small part of the larger satrapy of the Trans-Euphrates region. We don’t know their exact relationship, but a province was a subdivision of a satrap (Ezra 2:1). In addition, the number of provinces almost certainly changed as cities were gained or lost during wartime. And because the satrapies were administrative units, their number also likely changed to meet administrative needs. It is not surprising, therefore, that the number of satrapies and provinces would be constantly changing during the Persian period. Since both Daniel 6:1 and Esther 1:1 use about the same number, 120 to 127, they are probably referring to the provinces. By choosing the larger number, provinces over satrapies, the domain of the king is made as impressive as possible. The author may have been implying that there was nowhere the Jews could hide from the decree of death that would soon be pronounced against them.¹⁰

At that time King Ahasuerus, the most powerful man in the world, reigned from his royal throne in the fortress of Susa (1:2). The main city had a circumference of six to seven miles, and the fortress occupied an elevated site enclosed by a massive wall two and a half miles in length, and crowned by the royal palace. At the beginning of his reign, the king had put down rebellions in Egypt and Babylon. Susa had been the capital of ancient Elam. His father, Darius I rebuilt and lived there before Persepolis became his capital. Ahasuerus also had his main residence at Persepolis. But he lived in Susa in the winter because the summer temperatures were intolerable. The citadel was a fortified area raised above the rest of the city. It was a rectangular platform seventy-two feet above the general level of the city, surrounded by a huge wall two-and-a-half miles long.

And in the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The timing of this banquet corresponds well to the great war council of 483 BC, held to plan the next invasion of Greece. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, or members of the royal family and the nobles of the provinces were present (1:3). The enormous size of the Persian Empire, from modern Pakistan in the east, to modern Turkey in the west, included many nationalities with different languages, ethnic origins and religions. It took some time after his father’s death for Ahasuerus to secure the throne against his rivals and quell the uprisings in Egypt and Babylon. Then he devoted himself to finishing the citadel of Susa that his father Darius I had begun. With those tasks completed, the king was ready to apply himself to empire-building. As a result, here we see him rallying support for his military campaign against Greece.

For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty (1:4). No doubt that this time involved planning sessions in which all the provincial leaders were being prepared for the war effort, as well as being impressed with Ahasuerus’ wealth and splendor. His approaching military campaign was going to be a costly affair and the king wanted everyone to know he could make good on his promises and reward those who would rally behind it. Feasting for 180 days seems so absurd to some that they challenge the historical accuracy of the book of Esther. But Ahasuerus was bringing nobles, officials and military leaders from all over his vast kingdom, preparing them for the war effort against Greece. Having them all come to Susa at one time was probably not wise, either logistically or militarily. More than likely they were brought in from each of the 127 provinces in shifts. So the gathering of Persian leaders and the display of the wealth of the king lasted for 180 days.

When these days were over, the king gave a banquet for the local residents, lasting seven days for all the people from the least to the greatest who were in the citadel of Susa (1:5a and c). This was the culmination of the festivities. Both banquets were eye-popping spectacles of the glories of his kingdom. This event would have further consolidated support for the king and his campaign among all his subjects. No one witnessing such staggering exhibits of wealth and luxury could have been in doubt of the might and authority of King Ahasuerus. The world belonged to him, and him alone.

The banquet was held in the enclosed court of the king’s palace (1:5b). The court of the king was laid out with beautiful gardens containing various fruits and flowers. Different trees, like the palm, cypress, olive and pomegranate, were also probably planted there. Sometimes the court was paved with beautiful marble, with a fountain in the center.

Next, the dazzling luxury of the Persian palace is emphasized. The garden had hangings of white and blue cotton or linen hanging between the marble pillars of the court, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. Blue and white were the royal colors (8:15). There were couches of gold and silver for the accommodation of the guests while they feasted, on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones. Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality (1:6-7). Only the descriptions of the Tabernacle (Exodus 25-28) and the Temple (First Kings 7 and Second Chronicles 3-4) surpass the vivid detail given here. The visual image is important in the mind of the reader. Writers of the Old Covenant books were economical with their words. By spending time on the nature of the garden and the hall, the author clearly displayed a sense that in the midst of such opulence and false pretense, true wealth could be discovered in being faithful to the will of ADONAI.¹¹

By the king’s command each guest was allowed to drink in his own way, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished (1:8). By Persian law, each guest had to drink every time the king drank, but this time they were allowed to drink as the pleased. Ahasuerus magnanimously waived this edict for those unable to keep up with him. Which indicates that he was some kind of drinker. The author makes a point of the many times the king drinks in this story (1:10, 3:15, 5:6, 7:2); indeed, the Hebrew word for banquet is related to the word for to drink.¹²

Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Ahasuerus (1:9). The women did not have their feasts in the same room with the men. This separation was an ancient custom. The name Vashi does not agree with Greek historian Herodotus, who refers to the wife of Ahasuerus as Amestris. The names of Ahasuerus, Vashi, Esther, Mordecai and Haman do not come across in the English translation. Instead of being the actual name of the historical person, these names were probably chosen or created by the human author to characterize the people who nonetheless did actually exist in history with other names. Vashti’s name is said to sound similar to the Old Persian expression meaning beautiful woman. As such, it would have simply been a literary device used to characterize the woman otherwise known to history as Amestris.

Perhaps Herodotus mentions only Amestris, whether or not she was really Vashti, because he was only interested in the queen mother who bore the successors to the throne. All other wives and concubines, of which Persian kings typically had many, were presumably irrelevant to his purpose of tracing the succession of the Persian dynasty. This motivation seems likely because Herodotus mentions only two of the several wives of Ahasuerus’ father Darius I. Both of those named women bore sons who contended for the throne of their father, which Ahasuerus eventually won. If Herodotus included only the queen mothers, then the problem is solved. Only Amestris would be expected to be named by him since she gave birth to Xerxes’ (Herodotus would have used his Greek name) successor, Artaxerxes. There is nothing in Herodotus’ account that is inconsistent with Vashti being the wife of Ahasuerus, or with her fall from his grace as recorded in Esther.¹³

Although the magnificence of Ahasuerus’ empire now lies in ruins beneath centuries of dust, the world continues to witness the showy displays of military bravado. After the Persians, the Greek Ptolemies and Seleucids dominated the eastern Mediterranean, bringing strife and turmoil to the Jewish people. Then the Romans, the greatest military machine of their time, tried to destroy the infant Church. The book of Revelation, which contains a description of the holy City of God, or the New Jerusalem (see my commentary on Revelation Fr – Then I Saw a New Heaven and a New Earth), was written to assure the early believers that even the oppression of Rome herself could not frustrate the LORD’s sovereign plan to bring all of history to culmination in Jesus Christ.

Dear Great and Powerful Heavenly Father, How Mighty You are! What a comfort it is to know that You are in control of all governments and you are the victorious winner of the final war (Revelation 19:20-21 and 21:9-10). Though the world seems to be spinning out of control with pandemics, governmental lock downs, personal trials and problems, it is calming to know for sure that you are in control. It is You who grant power to the kingdoms that You choose to reign. No matter how strong the ruler is, You are stronger and it is in Your power and wisdom that decide who rules. A monarch and his kingdom may reign only for as long as you allow. The beast was given a mouth uttering great boasts and blasphemies. It was given authority to act for forty-two months (Revelation 13:5).  But the court will sit and he will be stripped of his power to be destroyed and abolished for all time. (Daniel 7:26).

Praise your Almighty power, for it is for sure that Yeshua will be the final and permanent ruler of the world! He will reign for all eternity in an everlasting Kingdom that will never pass away. Dominion, glory and sovereignty were given to Him [Yeshua] that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will never pass away (Dani’el 7:14).

Love You and praise You dear Daddy. You are strong, mighty and powerful and no ruler is as powerful as You. You choose who reigns and who lives. You decide the number of years for each person on earth. Some of Your children will die young by the hand of the antichrist and some You will give strength to live as your witnesses here on earth for a while during trials before dying and then entering your great and glorious heavenly kingdom for all eternity. Then the kingdom, power, and greatness of the kingdoms under all heaven will be given to the people of the kedoshim of the Most High. Their kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions will serve and obey him’ (Daniel 7:27). I am so thankful to have such a loving and powerful Father! You are Awesome! I desire to live my life on earth to please You with my whole heart. I thank so You for being my father. But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12) ! In Yeshua’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

No matter how great an empire thinks they are during their day, the King of the universe sits high above on His throne laughing and scoffing at their impotence (Psalm 2). Through operating behind the scenes, as He does here in the book of Esther, ADONAI alone is King of kings. Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God (James 4:4). Therefore, the book of Esther stands as a warning that whatever worldly power or position one attains, in the final analysis, there will be a reversal of fortune that will end up in physical and spiritual death.

For believers in Yeshua, the providence of God is our great comfort. Throughout every generation, in every corner of the world, He rules supreme and will put into effect when the time is ripe – His plan to place everything in heaven and on earth under the Messiah’s headship (Ephesians 1:10 CJB). To be in Christ is to be on the winning side of history, and to be victors even in the face of the troubles in this life.

Queen Vashti Deposed by King Ahasuerus
1: 1-22

The book begins with a banquet given by King Ahasuerus. The events of the banquet led to the king’s disapproval of Queen Vashti. This event is vital in understanding the book as a whole. The anger that the king displays toward Vashti, and her subsequent departure, sets the stage for Esther to take decisive action and deliver her people. Vashti turns out to be one of the Gentile women heroes in the Bible, along with Rahab and Ruth. We read: But Queen Vashti refused to come at the order of the king, which he had sent through his officers. This enraged the king – he became furious and burned with anger (1:12). But how does this make her a Gentile hero? Introductions in biblical books often foreshadow things to come, and this was certainly true of Queen Vashti. In this case, the author of the book of Esther shows that Vashti foreshadows both Jewish heroes in the book, Esther and Mordecai.

First, Queen Vashti foreshadows the coming of Queen Esther. Queen Vashti made a banquet (1:9), and Queen Esther made a banquet (Chapters 5 and 6). These are the only two women in the TaNaKh that actually make banquets. Queen Vashti is described as beautiful (1:11), and Esther is described as shapely and good looking (2:7b). These are the only two women in the TaNaKh that are described like this. Queen Vashti defied the king’s command in not coming before him (to see link click Al – When Queen Vashti Refused to Come, The King Became Furious), and Queen Esther defied the king’s command in coming before him when she wasn’t supposed to (see Ba – I Will Go to the King: If I Perish, I Perish). Queen Vashti not only risked the loss of her throne, but she also the risked the loss of her life, as did Queen Esther.

Second, Queen Vashti also foreshadows the coming of Mordecai. Queen Vashti defied the king’s command in not coming before him and the king became furious (1:12), and Mordecai defied the king’s command, which provoked the rage of Haman (see At – Haman was Honored, But Mordecai would not Kneel Down Him). Queen Vashti refusal to obey the king’s command resulted in a decree, not just against Vashti, but against all the women in the Persian Kingdom (1:19-20). Mordecai’s refusal to obey the king’s command resulted in a decree, not just against Mordecai, but against all the Jews in the Persian Kingdom (see Au – Haman’s Plan to Annihilate All the Jews). And in both cases, the decrees themselves were related to the contempt of those who refused to be defeated by those who opposed them.

Esther Placed in a Position of Prominence

The first major section of the book describes the need for God’s deliverance of His people, and the background of that deliverance. Undoubtedly many of the original readers, like readers today, would be helped by knowing the background of the story. The human author described in some detail the setting of the Persian banquet and the reasons Esther came into such a prominent position. Besides carefully conveying historical facts, the author was also a very good narrator.⁸

The Theology of the book of Esther

The theological application of the book is found in its historical setting. For the Jews who returned to Jerusalem, the post-exilic books of Chronicles, Nehemiah, Ezra, Haggai and Zechariah specifically answered the larger theological question of that day, which was, “Are we still the apple of His eye (Deuteronomy 32:10b) and in a covenant relationship with Him?” The conflict between Haman, the Agagite and Mordecai, the Jew drive the reversal of fortunes at the end of the book. The seemingly insignificant detail that identifies Haman as an Agagite is the key that links the Jews of the Diaspora to the ancient covenant ADONAI made with their ancestors at Sinai, reassuring them of its continuing truth in their lives.

Agag was the king of the Amalekites at the time Saul was Isra’el’s first king (First Samuel 15). The Amalekites had the questionable distinction of being the first people to attack God’s people just after the Exodus (see my commentary on Exodus Cv – The Amalekites Came and Attacked the Israelites at Rephidim). Consequently, the LORD promised Moses that He would be at war with them from generation to generation until the memory of Amalek was blotted out from under heaven (Exodus 17:14-15).

The story of Esther is another episode of that ancient battle between Isra’el and the Amalekites, and it sure looked like the Jews would be annihilated. They had no king, no city, no army, no prophet, no land, no Temple, no priesthood and no sacrifices. They were but a small, defenseless minority living at the mercy of a ruthless and powerful pagan monarchy. Moreover, they found themselves in that dire circumstance because their sin had been just as bad as that of the pagan nations (Ezekiel 8). They could only expect the worst, and humanly, they only deserved the worst. But when Haman was impaled, and Mordecai was elevated to a rank that was second only to King Ahasuerus (10:3), it revealed that despite their sin and despite the fact that they were not in the Land, ADONAI’s promise to Isra’el was still valid. He had said to Abraham: I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you (Genesis 12:3). The book of Esther shows us that the Jews living in Persia were still under the watchful care of a loving God (Psalm 91).

The book of Esther is perhaps the most striking biblical example of the providence of God. The word providence comes from the Latin providere, which literally means to foresee. But more than merely knowing about the future, the word carries the connotation of making preparation for the future. Therefore, God operates behind the scenes to govern all circumstances through the normal and the ordinary course of human history, even without the intervention of the miraculous.

The book of Esther is the most true-to-life biblical example of the providence of ADONAI precisely because He seems absent. Even in the most pagan corner of the world, the LORD is controlling all things to the benefit of His people and the glory of His name. Even His own people, like Esther and Mordecai, made decisions that came from cloudy motives at best, or perhaps even outright disobedience, God still worked providentially through those very actions to fulfill His covenant.⁷ Surely Romans 8:28 is a New Covenant summary of the theological message of the book: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Literary Themes in Esther

There are five themes that run through the book of Esther. First, is the theme of power. When the book opens, we see the extreme wealth of King Ahasuerus. The inspired human author emphasizes the king’s extensive empire, his capital city of Susa, his wealth and his power. He was a man to be reckoned with. Though his style, as opposed to the ideal leadership of the king of Israel could hardly have been more different (Deuteronomy 17:14-20), Ahasuerus was powerful, whereas Israel had no more kings. But in reality, who actually had more power? The author had other ideas about leadership, and a different yardstick by which to who was really in control.

Secondly, there is the theme of feasting and role reversal. From appearance alone, the author seems impressed with the newly built palace, the unlimited amount of provisions, and the months of revelry. But a reversal of roles came about with the downfall of the queen and the rise of her successor. Esther, also, holds two feasts, the second of which Haman falls from power and meets his end. Mordecai institutes two days of feasting to be observed by all Jews. The despised and powerless exiles living in Persia, shared in the exaltation of Esther and Mordecai, through whom they were saved from certain death (4:3), but then the Persians were in awe of them (8:17 and 9:2). These three parallel examples of feasting, spread as they are from the beginning to the middle to the end of the story, illustrate how roles were reversed when feasts took place.

A third theme, scarcely less obvious, is that of conflicting loyalties. As residents of the Persian empire the Jews were committed to their king, but they also owed their allegiance to their God. Conflict began when the king expected all to prostrate themselves before Haman (3:2). But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor (3:2). The only explanation for his refusal was that he was a Jew (3:4b). To Haman it was a personal insult, but to Mordecai it was a matter of obedience (see my commentary on Exodus Dk – You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me). The insubordination of Mordecai brought about the mortal threat that required Esther to disobey the king (4:11). Her natural desire to obey was confronted by the need to save her people from death. The obedience to king and husband had to give way to the overriding importance of saving the people of ADONAI. Once convinced that she must identify herself with the needs of the Jews, she acted with courage and became a leader who took the initiative and changed the dynamic.

Then fasting is seen as a fourth theme. Between the two banquets of the king (1:4 and 1:5-8), and the two banquets of Esther 5:5-6 and 7:1, the theme of fasting is mentioned twice (4:1-3 and 4:16). Fasting, as well as feasting, took place in the company of others, and demonstrated the solidarity of all Jews in facing the threat of annihilation. By tearing their clothes, wearing sackcloth and ashes, wailing loudly and bitterly, Mordecai and all the Jews made sure that their protests were seen and heard by the Persians, who were thrown into confusion (3:15b CJB), but latter held a joyous celebration (8:15b). When Esther had to risk her life by invading the king’s throne room on behalf of her people, she needed their support. The three-day fast in which all the Jews participated demonstrated that they stood or fell together.

Finally, the providence of God is seen as a theme running throughout the book. What appear to the participants to be coincidences are shown in the long run to be evidences of God’s hand at work.

1:19 The demise of Queen Vashti opened the door for the arrival of Queen Esther.

2:5-7a Mordecai just happened to be taken captive to Susa, where he would raise the future queen of Persia.

2:7b The one Jewess who would need to be attractive to the king just happened to be a knockout.

2:9 The keeper of the king’s harem, Hegai, favored her.

2:17 Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women.

2:22 Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther.

3:7 Even Haman’s cast of the lots was controlled by the hand of God so that the Jews would have eight months to prepare for their defense.

4:14 Esther came to her royal position for such a time as this.

5:2 When Esther appeared uninvited before the king, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter.

5:14 The pole that Haman built for Mordecai ended up being his own means of execution.

6:1 The king couldn’t sleep and ordered the book of the chronicles read to him.

6:4 Haman came to visit the king just minutes after the king remembered what Mordecai had done.

6:13 The continuing survival of the Jewish people to this present day continues to point to the providence of ADONAI.

8:2 Haman’s estate was confiscated and given to Esther, who appointed Mordecai to over see it.

8:11 A pagan king granted the Jews the right to defend themselves.

9:32 Purim was then given royal authority by the hand of Queen Esther, so it had the status and protection of Persian law.

10:3 As Joseph had become prime minister of Egypt, Mordecai became prime minister of Persia.

Ancient Storytelling and the Book of Esther

Telling history in the form of a story may be unfamiliar to us today, but it is perhaps an especially fitting way for biblical truth to be told. In later Jewish writings the rabbis talked of the halaka, which had to do with one’s walk, and it contains commands and principles one should follow. On the other hand, the rabbis classified Esther as haggada, a narrative that is instructive, by example, on the way one should live.⁵ From our earliest attempts to communicate using language, we tell stories about ourselves and others. When children first learn how to read, they read stories. Only much later do they acquire the skills of abstract thinking required to read, for instance, a textbook of philosophy. Consequently, because narrative is the form of communication accessible to most people, it is appropriate that ADONAI has revealed Himself to us in stories.

Furthermore, storytelling has two effects even apart from the story’s content. It defines and builds relationships, and has the power to change others’ lives as they identify with the story. When we are getting to know someone, we ask, “Tell me about yourself.” We expect to hear a story that narrates what that person considers to be significant events of his or her life. When our spouse or child comes home at the end of the day, we often ask, “How was your day?” expecting to hear a narrative of the highlights (sometimes lowlights) of the day’s events. Storytelling is one way we get to know each other. Consequently, biblical stories, written under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, tell us about ADONAI and His relationship with His people. We read biblical narratives with the implied request, “LORD, tell me your story.”

Storytelling also helps to build community. The book of Esther was the story that came about when someone thought about the experiences and events that explained how Purim came to be celebrated. Those experiences of a previous generation had an impact on ensuing generations. Those later generations who participated in the celebration of Purim believed that the book of Esther was significant to them personally, and joined a distinct group of people who shared ownership of the story. Every family, society or culture is defined, at least in part, by the stories of past experiences it shares. It, therefore, seems appropriate that the LORD would give us Bible stories that both draw us into relationship with Him and define us as a people who love the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.⁶

The Place of Esther in the Canon of Scripture

Throughout history, different opinions have been expressed concerning the value of Esther in what is called the canon of Scripture, or the Bible. On the one hand, Martin Luther, the father of the protestant reformation, was hostile to the book and said he wished it did not exist. On the other hand, the medieval Jewish scholar Maimonides (1135-1204) considered Esther the most important biblical book after the Pentateuch.

We know that in regard to the Jewish canon, some rabbis questioned its inclusion. But the 1896 discovery of a collection of some 210,000 Jewish manuscript fragments found in the genizah, or storeroom, of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, Egypt, revealed that the book must have been widely used among the Jews. There were more fragments of Esther there than any other book outside the Pentateuch. On the other hand, Esther was the only Old Covenant book not found at the famous Qumran discovery in 1947. This suggests that the book was neither popular nor celebrated by that Jewish sect. The Essenes celebrated other festivals not found in the Pentateuch, so the absence of the Festival of Purim from the Pentateuch cannot be seen as the only reason.

Beckwith, in his book The Old Testament Canon of the New Testament Church (1985), suggests that the Qumran rejection of Purim can be explained by the unique Qumran calendar. The Qumran community used a calendar divided in 364 days, divided exactly in weeks. Consequently, the same date always fell on the same day of the week. The Feast of Purim would have always fallen on the Sabbath. To have celebrated a high-spirited festival like Purim on the Sabbath would have been contrary to everything they believed.

The book of Esther seems to have a firm position in the cannon at least by the first century AD. The school at Jamnia used Esther as a part of the Scriptures in 90 AD. Josephus may have viewed it in a similar light. The book is included in the oldest list of the Jewish canon, Baraitha in Baba Bathra 14a-15a, a Talmudic work in the second century. So it seems that Esther was very secure in the Canon of Scripture by the first century.

However, several centuries after Jamnia the book was still disputed by some Jews. The reasons were theological, historical and textual. The absence of some religious elements is clear. The king of Persia is conspicuous, being mentioned 190 times in 167 verses, but the name of ADONAI is hidden within the Jewish text. No reference is made to the Torah, the Covenant, or angels. Kindness, mercy and forgiveness are absent. The theological concept of the providence of God, however, is taken for granted.

In the first and second centuries, four important rabbis presented evidence to show that the book of Esther was divinely inspired. Later, the Talmud’s objection was based on a late interpretation of Leviticus 27:34 and Numbers 36:13, which those rabbis had interpreted as saying: these are the commands. The Talmudic interpretation was, “these and no other.” When the rabbis needed an explanation, they could always count on the Oral Law (see my commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click – Ei The Oral Law). Therefore, the accepted answer to the Talmudic interpretation was that Esther had been revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai and was passed on orally until the time of Esther and Mordecai.

Christians also have had different opinions about the canonicity of Esther. It was not included in the list of the canonical books made by Bishop Melito of Sardis in 170 AD. Various other lists of canonical books are from the church fathers, councils, and synods. Athanasius (295-373) did not include Esther in the canon but considered it edifying reading along with the extra-biblical books of Judith, Tobit and others. Clement of Alexandria, between 190 and 200 AD, seems to have regarded it as inspired by the Holy Spirit. Origen (before 231 AD) included Esther in the books accepted by the Jews. In the West, Esther was usually included in the canon, but in the East, it was often omitted. The Council of Carthage in 397 AD included Esther in the canon.

Its firm position in the Jewish canon and the consensus of Christian believers since the early days of the Church indicate that it should be considered part of the canon of Scripture. We have no choice but to recognize and treat it as part of ADONAI’s message to His people.⁴

The Historical Accuracy of Esther

The human author of Esther opens the book with the same Hebrew formula: this is what happened, that opens the historical books of Joshua, Judges and Samuel, as well as the book of Ezekiel. He apparently intends his readers to think the story he is about to tell relates to actual historical events.

486 BC Ahasuerus becomes king

483 BC Ahasuerus holds a banquet (Esther 1:3)

482-479 BC Persia fights Greece and is defeated

December 479 to January 478 BC Esther becomes queen (Esther 2:16-17)

April to May 474 BC Haman plots against the Jews (Esther 3:7)

April 17, 474 BC Ahasuerus’ edict against the Jews (Esther 3:12)

June 25, 474 BC Ahasuerus’ edict to protect the Jews (Esther 8:8)

March 7, 473 BC was the day of destruction (Esther 8:12)

March 8-9, 473 BC was the first Purim celebration (Esther 9:17-19)

Nothing in this book has been shown to be historically untrue; however, a number of questions have been raised concerning the historical accuracy of Esther. There are twelve problems usually raised against the accuracy of the book. None of these problems is beyond explanation and some may result from the legitimate use of poetic license. But even if they are taken altogether, they do not compel the conclusion that the story is entirely fiction.

1. The division of the Persian Empire into 127 provinces seems to contradict the twenty provinces that Herodotus mentioned (to see link click Ak – The King Gave a Grand Banquet in Susa, and Displayed the Vast Wealth of His Kingdom for the explanation)

2. Feasting for 180 days seems so absurd to some that they challenge the historical accuracy of the book of Esther (see Ak – The King Gave a Grand Banquet in Susa, and Displayed the Vast Wealth of His Kingdom for the explanation)

3. The name Vashi does not agree with Herodotus, who refers to the wife of Ahasuerus by the name of Amestris (see Ak – The King Gave a Grand Banquet in Susa, and Displayed the Vast Wealth of His Kingdom for the explanation).

4. Some have doubted the historicity of Esther, saying that if Mordecai was really taken into captivity with Jehoiachin, he would have been about 120 years old during the reign of Ahasuerus (see An – Esther Was Taken to the King’s Palace and Entrusted to Hegai, Who Had Charge of the Harem for the explanation).

5. The name Esther does not agree with Herodotus, who refers to the wife of Ahasuerus by the name of Amestris (see An – Esther Was Taken to the King’s Palace and Entrusted to Hegai, Who Had Charge of the Harem for the explanation).

6. Some question the historical accuracy of Esther in that a year of beauty treatments seems far-fetched (see Ao – Now the King was Attracted to Esther More Than Any of the Other Women for the explanation).

7. Persian kings collected their harem indiscriminately, but they usually took wives from only noble families; therefore, Esther’s marriage to Ahasuerus seems highly unlikely (see Ao – Now the King was Attracted to Esther More Than Any of the Other Women for the explanation).

8. Another detail that has been considered improbable by some is that Haman cast lots to determine the date for the execution of the Jews eleven months in advance (see Av – The Lot Fell on the Twelfth Month, the Month of Adar, in the Presence of Haman for the explanation).

9. The height of Haman’s seventy-five foot pole constructed to impale Mordecai has been seen by some as fanciful, and lacking authenticity (see Bd – Haman’s Rage Against Mordecai for the explanation).

10. The practice of making decrees of the king irrevocable is unknown in any of the extrabiblical texts during the reign of Ahasuerus; therefore, some say it was not plausible (see Bi – Now Write Another Decree in the King’s Name in Behalf of the Jews for the explanation).

11. Another detail that has been considered improbable is that seventy-five thousand of their enemies were killed by the Jews after the king’s second edict (see Bm – The Jews Struck Down All Their Enemies with the Sword, Killing and Destroying Them for the explanation).

12. Some think it unlikely that a Jew such as Mordecai could have held such a high position in the Persian Empire (see Cf – The Greatness of Mordecai for the explanation).

If it were possible or necessary to prove the historical accuracy of an ancient document in every detail, the document, then, would be only a collection of facts we could obtain elsewhere. The arguments against Esther’s historical accuracy are primarily based not on evidence, but on the absence of confirming evidence, in some cases, and on improbabilities judged from our limited knowledge of the ancient world. On the contrary, four basic points lead us to the conclusion that the book is a trustworthy witness to history.

First, research has demonstrated that the author’s credibility as to what we know of Ahasuerus and his reign: the greatness of His empire (1:1 and 20), his quick and sometimes irrational temper (1:12, 7:7-8), his almost unlimited promises and generous gifts (5:3, 6:6-7), his drinking feasts and his seven princely advisers (1:14), an efficient postal system (3:13, 8:10), and Persian words.

Secondly, the viewpoint of Yeshua and the apostles is that the Old Covenant history, as a whole, is an unquestionably reliable guide to the events of the past. One good indication of Christ’s high regard for the Scriptures is found in His complete trust in the literal truth of biblical history. He always treats the historical narratives as factually truthful accounts. In the course of his teachings he makes reference to: Abel (Luke 11:51), Noah (Matthew 24:37), Abraham (John 8:56), Sodom and Gomorrah (Luke 10:12), Lot (Luke 17:28), Isaac and Jacob (Matthew 8:11), David when he and his companions ate the bread of the Presence (Mark 2:25), and many other persons and incidents. It is not too much to say that Messiah accepted without reservation the entire historical accuracy of the First Covenant.

Thirdly, there is no indication that Esther is intended to be taken other than as a straightforward narrative of events as they occurred. The human author went to great lengths to include places, names, and events, so much so that the text seems to be making a point about its own historical value.

Fourthly, if we believe in the inspiration of Scripture, then we must believe that the book of Esther is historically accurate. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (Second Timothy 3:16-17).

The Book of Esther
From a Messianic Jewish Perspective

To my daughter, Sarah, who would surely go before the king without an invitation and risk
her life to protect her family. She has the heart, the courage and the wisdom of a queen.

Everyone loves a good story. If it tells of one’s own ancestry, shows them in a good light, gives evidence of ADONAI at work in their lives to secure their future, so much the better. All this is true in the book of Esther. Though no mention is made of the providence of the LORD, it is obvious that He is orchestrating everything behind the scenes. The dramatic reversal of a horrendous fate that seemed poised to wipe out the entire Jewish race so impressed the human author that he wrote a story for the ages. It continues to be the number one favorite among Jewish families and, as a traditional custom, is read every year at Purim. But it nevertheless raises many questions. Is God still in control? Is He still active in the lives of His people and working out His plan, or has He abandoned Israel? The teller of this epic story answers those questions for his own generation.

The Historical Setting

The book takes place in the Persian period (539-331 BC) after many Israelites had returned from the Babylonian Exile to the land of Palestine to rebuild the Temple and set up the sacrificial system. Most Israelite captives, however, chose not to return to their homeland. They should have returned because both Isaiah and Jeremiah had urged the pre-exile nation to leave Babylon (Isaiah 48:20; Jeremiah 50:8 and 51:6) after seventy years (Jeremiah 29:10) so that ADONAI could bless them (Deuteronomy 28). Esther and Mordecai had not returned to the Land and did not seem interested in doing so. The name Xerxes is a Greek derivation from the Persian khshayarshan, but the Jews called him Ahasuerus. He succeeded his father Darius I to the throne in 486 BC and was a strong and effective leader. The events in Esther occur between Ezra 6 and 7, and extend over a period of at least ten years – from 483 BC, Ahasuerus’ third year (Esther 1:3) to the end of his twelfth year (Esther 3:7). At the time that Ahasuerus ascended to the throne, Persia was in conflict with the Greeks on their western frontier. The kings father Darius I had been defeated in his attempt to take Athens. The Persian Empire was resting in preparation for its next campaign against the Greeks.

King Ahasuerus

The Greek historian Herodotus, who was born around the time Ahasuerus ascended to the throne, wrote a history of the wars between Greece and Persia. About a third of his book dealt with the reign of Ahasuerus. Herodotus described him as bold, ambitious, handsome, stately and self-indulgent in every way. At one point he was attracted to his brother Masistes’ wife. When she rebuffed him, Ahasuerus married her daughter Artaynte to his son Darius II then seduced Artaynte himself! The king allowed his wife to take revenge on Artaynte’s mother, and when Masistes fought back, Ahasuerus had his own brother and nephews executed along with their army.

This was the same king who ordered a bridge to be built over the Hellespont. But on learning that the bridge had been destroyed by a sea storm just after its completion, he was so blindly enraged that he commanded three hundred strokes of the scourge be inflicted on the sea, and a pair of shackles to be thrown into it at the Hellespont. Then the unfortunate builders of the bridge were beheaded.

He was either your best friend or your worst enemy. After being offered a sum of gold equivalent to tens of millions of dollars by Pythius of Lydia toward the expenses of a military campaign, the king was so pleased that he returned the gold, along with a generous present. But shortly afterwards, when the same Pythius made a request for Ahasuerus to spare his eldest son, his only support in his old age, from execution, the king furiously ordered the son to be cut into half and the army to march between the halves. In short, Herodotus’ portrayal of Ahasuerus is exactly what we find in the book of Esther, as incredible as his deeds may seem to us.¹

Unique Characteristics

Just as Esther’s Jewishness was hidden for most of the book, the name of God is also hidden. As if written in a code specifically designed for the Jews, the name of ADONAI is hidden four times in the Hebrew text for those who would care to look for it. As will be explained further in the commentary itself, the name YHWH is hidden in 1:20, 5:4, 5:13 and 7:7. Other unique characteristics are seen in the fact that the Renewed Covenant does not quote from the book of Esther, nor have copies of it been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Torah or its sacrifices are also never referred to in the book. There is no mention of even one tiny miracle in the book. Prayer is never mentioned, although fasting is. In other postexilic books prayer is very important to the main characters (Ezra and Nehemiah are good examples), but in Esther nothing is said about it. I think it is fair to say that both Esther and Mordecai seem to have lacked spiritual awareness except in their assurance that the LORD would protect His people.

Intended Audience

Knowing who the original recipients of Ester are help us to interpret the book. Esther includes a number of dates that tie the account to a particular time in the Persian Empire, but no explicit evidence about its intended audience. Some believe that the book was written in Persia and taken back to Palestine, where it was added to the collection of biblical books. More likely, however, the author lived in Palestine and wrote his account of the events that he had seen transpire in the Persian Empire for the benefit of the Jews who lived both inside and outside the Land.

At the time of the writing the Jews in Palestine were going through difficult times in their struggle to rebuild their nation and to re-establish Temple worship. The people were not in good spiritual shape. Of course, both Ezra and Nehemiah noted the reason for the nation’s lowly condition: the people had not been following God’s Word and, therefore, were under His curse rather than His promise of blessing (Deuteronomy 28-30). The book of Esther, then, would have been a great encouragement to those struggling Jews. It would have helped them realize that the surrounding enemies that seemed so overwhelming could never conquer them.²

Author and Date

The author of Esther is unknown, but he was almost certainly a Jew living in the Persian Empire, perhaps even Susa, for he had as accurate a knowledge of Persian customs and terms as modern archaeologists have. The Talmud says the men of the Great Synagogue were its authors and current Jewish thought is that Esther herself wrote it, that is why it is called the scroll of Esther.  But more than likely, the author was a single person, and not necessarily a famous one at that. His description of the citadel of Susa was very precise. The account has all the characteristics of a person who was actually there, for he described the events as an eyewitness. On the one hand, he probably wrote after the death of Ahasuerus in 465 BC, when such an unflattering description of the king would not have endangered either himself, Mordecai or Esther. On the other hand, he almost certainly wrote before Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire in 331 BC, for he used Persian words frequently, but never Greek ones.

Purpose of the Book

Esther was written to encourage the returned Jewish exiles by reminding them of the faithfulness of ADONAI who would keep His promises to the nation. The author was describing God’s unfailing preservation of His people, even disobedient people such as Esther and Mordecai, who had not returned to the land of Palestine. The human author also explained how the feast of Purim began. Each time the book of Esther was read, it would encourage Jews either in the Land or in the Diaspora.

The book of Esther is still treasured by Jews today and read annually in the synagogues on Purim because they find in it the reassurance that they will survive as a people against the powers that want to destroy them. Its contemporary significance for the Jewish people is captured in the words of Robert Gordis:

Anti-Semites have always hated the book, and the Nazis forbade it’s reading in the crematoria and the concentration camps. In the dark days before their deaths, Jewish inmates of Auschwitz, Dachau, Treblinka, and Beergen-Belsen wrote the book of Esther from memory and read it in secret on Purim. Both they and their brutal foes understood its message. This unforgettable book teaches the Jewish resistance and annihilation, then as now, represents the service of God and devotion to His cause. In every age, martyrs and heroes, as well as ordinary men and women, have seen in it not merely a record of past deliverance but a prophecy of future salvation.³

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Back to Esther Contents Table

The Outline of the Book of Esther

The basis for this commentary is taken from Ariel Ministries in San Antonio, Texas.

I. THE BOOK OF ESTHER FROM A MESSIANIC JEWISH PERSPECTIVE (Ac)

A. The Historical Accuracy of Esther (Ad)

B. The Place of Esther in the Canon of Scripture (Ae)

C. Ancient Storytelling and the book of Esther (Af)

D. Literary Themes in Esther (Ag)

E. The Theology of the book of Esther (Ah)

II. ESTHER PLACED IN A POSITION OF PROMINENCE (Ai) 1:1 to 2:20

A. Queen Vashti deposed by King Ahasuerus (Aj) 1:1–22

1. The King Gave a Grand Banquet in Susa, and Displayed the Vast Wealth (Ak) 1: 1-9

2. When Queen Vashti Refused to Come, The King Became Furious (Al) 1: 10-22

B. Esther Elevated to Queen of Persia (Am) 2:1-20

1. Esther Was Taken to the King’s Palace and Entrusted to Hegai (An) 2: 1-11

2. Now the King was Attracted to Esther More Than Any of the Women (Ao) 2: 12-20

III. HAMAN PLOTS TO DESTROY ALL THE JEWS (Ap) 2:21 to 4:3

A. Haman the Agagite: The Enemy of the Jews (Aq) First Samuel 15: 1-9

B. Mordecai Uncovers a Plot to Kill King Ahasuerus (Ar) 2:21 to 3:6

1. But Mordecai Found Out About the Plot and Told Esther (As) 2: 21-23

2. Haman was Honored, But Mordecai would not Kneel Down Him (At) 3: 1-6

C. Haman’s Plan to Annihilate All the Jews (Au) 3: 7-15

1. The Lot Fell on the Twelfth Month in the Presence of Haman (Av) 3: 7-9

2. The King Gave His Signet Ring to Haman (Aw) 3: 10-11

3. Kill all the Jews on a Single Day, the Twelfth Month of Adar (Ax) 3: 12-15

D. Mordecai Put On Sackcloth and Ashes (Ay) 4:1-3

IV. CALAMITY AVERTED BY ESTHER (Az) 4:4 to 9:19

A. I Will Go to the King: If I Perish, I Perish (Ba) 4: 4-17

B. The Plot Exposed by Esther (Bb) 5:1 to 7:10

1. Let the King and Haman Come Tomorrow to the Banquet I Will Prepare (Bc) 5: 1-8

2. Haman’s Rage Against Mordecai (Bd) 5: 9-14

3. That Night the King Could Not Sleep (Be) 6: 1-14

4. So They Impaled Haman on the Pole He Had Set Up for Mordecai (Bf) 7: 1-10

C. The Jews Were Delivered from Haman’s Evil Plot (Bg) 8:1 to 9:19

1. The King Gave His Signet Ring to Mordecai (Bh) 8: 1-2

2. Now Write a Counter-Decree in the Kings’ Name on Behalf of the Jews (Bi) 8: 3-14

3. The Jews Rejoiced (Bj) 8: 15-17

4. The Triumph of the Jews (Bk) 9: 1-19

a. The Fear of Mordecai Seized Them (Bl) 9: 1-4

b. The Jews Struck Down All Their Enemies with the Sword (Bm) 9: 5-19

V. THE FEAST OF PURIM (Bn)

A. The Names of the Feast (Bo)

B. The Five Step Process to Confirm the Feast of Purim (Bp) 9:20-32

1. Mordecai Told Them to Celebrate Annually the 14th and 15th of Adar (Bq) 9:20-22

2. So the Jews Agreed to Continue the Celebration They Had Begun (Br) 9: 23-25

3. Therefore, These Days Were Called Purim, From the Word Pur (Bs) 9: 26a

4. These Days of Purim Should Always be Celebrated by the Jews (Bt) 9: 26b-28

5. Esther and Mordecai Wrote a Second Letter to Confirm the Feast (Bu) 9: 29-32

C. The Feast of Purim in Judaism (Bv)

1. The Fast of Esther (Bw)

2. The Seven Jewish Traditions of Purim (Bx)

2. The Susa Purim (By)

3. Other Purim Customs (Bz)

4. Purim Pranks (Ca)

5. Purim Plays (Cb)

6. Purim Parodies (Cc)

7. Special Purims (Cd)

D. The Messianic Implications of Esther (Ce)

VI. THE GREATNESS OF MORDECAI (Cf) 10: 1-3

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