Please Read Chapter 20, The Queen of Beauty & Courage and Esther 1-9
Timeless Truth: God’s providence includes both justice and love.
King Xerxes of
Persia had reason to party. His vast
empire was powerful and prosperous. His queen was lovely. His palace was ideal for a celebration
befitting such a monarch. His
merrymaking continued for six months when Xerxes summoned Queen Vashti so he
could put her on display for the inebriated revelers. She refused.
Kings do not like to be refused.
With his advisers’ support, he stripped Vashti of her crown and banished
her from his presence.
Kings also do not
like to be queenless. The king commissioned a kingdom-wide beauty pageant, and
young women from every province were whisked into the king’s harem for a
year-long visit at the royal spa. One
such woman was a Jewish girl named Esther who had been raised by her cousin,
Mordecai. Esther won everyone’s heart,
including the king’s. He made her queen
but did not know she was a Jew. Soon
after, Mordecai learned of a plot kill the king. He passed the news to Esther; the king was
rescued and the conspirators hanged. Xerxes’ scribe recorded Mordecai’s service
in the annals of the king.
Haman was King
Xerxes’ right-hand man. Haman reveled in
his high standing and enjoyed having all the royal officials kneel at his
feet. Mordecai refused to pay such
homage. Haman was enraged. To exact his revenge, Haman deceived the king
into issuing a decree to exterminate Mordecai and his people, the entire Jewish
population of Persia. He cast a lot, or
pur, and chose a single day of unfettered violence against the Jews.
Mordecai sent word
to Esther asking her to beg the king for mercy. Queen Esther feared for her
life because no one could legally go before the king without prior permission. Mordecai’s immortal words persuaded her: “Who
knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” Her courageous response was, “If I perish, I
perish.”
She and the Jews in
Susa fasted, and Esther approached the king.
Xerxes welcomed her and offered to grant her heart’s desire. She invited the king and Haman to a private
banquet. Haman was delighted. Esther invited them both to another fancy but
ultimately fatal feast. Haman was elated
to be the exclusive royal guest but still enraged over Mordecai’s
insolence. With all the satisfaction of
a Cheshire cat, he erected a pole on which Mordecai could be impaled.
Kings with full
stomachs must not sleep well, so Xerxes spent the midnight hours reading the
royal records. He discovered the account
of Mordecai’s report that saved his own life and wondered how he might honor
such a man. The king asked Haman for
advice on how he might honor one of his favorites. Assuming that he was the king’s favored,
Haman dreamed up an elaborate ceremony. Within moments, a mortified Haman was
giving his nemesis the king’s robes, leading him through the streets and
singing his praises. Haman later enjoyed the queen’s second banquet until
Esther exposed his plot to destroy her people. The king left the room in a fury
only to return and discover Haman appearing to assault his queen. He ordered
that Haman be impaled on the very pole intended for Mordecai.
The king could not
repeal his original edict declaring the destruction of the Jews. But he enabled
Mordecai to issue a counter-edict providing for the Jews to take up their own
defense. The day planned for destruction became a day of deliverance. Though the lot was cast, God remains the
author of the story. Even in exile, God
protected His people, and in Esther, we see God’s heart for saving us all.
Questions
- Analyze the positives and negatives of King Xerxes as a leader.
- The book of Esther has been called the “godless book” because God’s name is never mentioned. Prayer, the Law, sacrifices and temple worship are also conspicuously absent. Where can you find God’s supernatural blessings in the story anyway?
- Look up Isa. 48:20, Jer. 29:10, 50:8, 51:6. What do these verses say about the Jews like Mordecai and Esther who stayed behind? What do you learn about God through His providential care of the Jews outside of the Promised Land?
- The book of Esther is full of irony, such as Queen Vashti who would not come before the king when requested and Queen Esther who came before the king when not requested. What other examples of irony can you find in this chapter?
- What life lessons does Haman teach us about pride, self-centeredness and hatred?
- Review the correspondence between Mordecai and Esther concerning an appeal to the king (p. 232-233). What is the relationship between God’s providence and our responsibility?
- What risk was Queen Esther taking by approaching the king and how did she prepare for it (p. 232-233)? What factors do you suppose could account for Esther finding favor in the eyes of the king?
- Queen Esther was willing to risk her life to save her people. Can you share a time when you took a risk to do what was right?
- Esther is not the first Hebrew that God positioned in a place of influence to be a source of deliverance for His people. Who are the other deliverers we have studied in The Story and what common threads connect Queen Esther’s story to theirs?
- How does the Lower Story of Esther fit into the covenant that God made with Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3)? How does it fit with God’s Upper Story of redemption?
