Esther - a summary

In Chapter 1, King Artaxerxes exhibits his pride in his material possessions.  This pride includes his Queen, Vashti.  He wishes to show her off along with all the things.  How that pride was wounded when she refuses to be shown off at the great drinking party following the feast for all his friends and servants!

Big mistake by Vashti!

But more trouble: The wives of the Persian and Median governors who the king had consulted on the matter, also refused to obey their husbands.  These governors advised Artaxerxes to strip Vashti of her queenly status and proclaim a law that wives must obey their husbands.  (Is this the beginning of a pattern still seen in some cultures to-day?)

Ever ready to vacillate, Artaxerxes enacts a decree to make this law.

The king’s servants advise him to search for a new queen, a beautiful virgin.  Another great idea, says the king, “This pleased the king and he did so.”

Enter Mordecai. This man was a captive Jew, brought from Jerusalem and serving in the palace.  He had uncovered a plot against the king by two eunuchs. The eunuchs were executed and Mordecai promoted. He had had a dream about what was to happen. 

Mordecai had a niece foster child, Esther: beautiful, and of course a Jew.  He put her before Hegai the keeper of the women, who decided she was special and gave her special treatment amongst the contenders in the beauty contest, so to speak.  It was a secret that Esther was a Jew and Mordecai kept an eye on her and told her not to let it be known.

After the twelve month preparation period for the girls, Esther won the contest and was crowned Queen when she pleased the king.  However, she remained true to her Jewish beliefs.

Enter the villain of the story – Hanan, appointed as Prime Minister by the king.  Reverence was due to him by the king’s servants.  Mordecai refused and Hanan was “full of wrath” about it, and knowing that Mordecai was a Jew, he plotted to destroy all the Jews.  He gets the king's ear on the matter, and Artaxerxes approves the plan, giving Hanan his ring to seal the decree which was carried out throughout the kingdom.  Not only would the Jews be destroyed but their goods would be taken as plunder.

My additional reading material adds a copy of the letter the king writes to all the governors – “from India to Ethiopia.”  It sounds like something the Nazis might have written about the extermination of the Jews in 1939.  Perhaps Hitler was familiar with it.

Esther gets a copy of the letter to Mordecai and he begs her to intervene with the king.  She thinks she is helpless (she is not permitted to approach the king; he must call for her). She hasn’t been called for 30 days.  Mordecai reminds her of her heritage as a Jew and her duty to her people.  The inference is that God will save the people through another avenue, but if she doesn’t do her part, her family will perish.  “Who knows if this is the reason she has attained to this position?”

Esther agrees and asks Mordecai to gather the Jews together for prayer and fasting and does the same with her attendants.  (God is never mentioned in the King James Version of the book of Esther.)  She says, “And if I perish, I perish.”

More additional information from my extra reading: Mordecai’s prayer.  This is quite scientific from a Christian Science perspective. And Esther’s prayer.  What a shame these prayers are not included in the canonical book of Esther!

Interesting notes:

·         Esther is not represented in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

·         The Council of Trent, the summation of the Roman Catholic Reformation, reconfirmed the entire book as canonical.

·         Luther doubted the value of the book.

·         Esther is a small book but there seems to be quite a bit to write about it. 

·         I have never, over lots of years of preparing readings for Christian Science Wednesday Evening Meetings, been able to include any verses from the book.*

 Joyce Voysey

*Ed. I have included the story in Wednesday Testimony Meetings on at least two occasions, with happy results.