THE QUEEN OF PERSIA - ESTHER

Over 100 years earlier, Nebuchadnezzar (the king of Babylon) had attacked Jerusalem. He overcame the  Jews and he took many  Jews to Babylon. Almost 70 years after that, the king of Persia defeated the armies of Babylon in battle. Then the people in Persia allowed the  Jews to return to their own country, but not many  Jews did return. When the story of Esther happened, most Jews were still living in the country called Persia.

Persian Queen Esther was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin who grew up as an exile in Persia (492 B.C. – 460 B.C.) Esther was her Persian name. Her Jewish name was Hadassah. (meaning a Myrtle, is a branch that signifies peace and thanksgiving.) The myrtle tree was native to Babylonia, but Jewish exiles who returned to Jerusalem took the tree with them, and it became a symbol of the nation of Israel. The name Esther itself means star and happiness. Esther was the daughter of Abihail, of the tribe of Benjamin. 

           

When Esther's parents died, she was adopted by her cousin, Mordecai, who later became a courtier of the Persian King Ahasuerus (commonly identified as Xerxes I, reigned 486–465 BCE). Mordecai raised her as his daughter, and they became residents of Susa (Shushan), which was formerly the capital of Elam. But in their time, it was one of several Persian capitals and was located about 200 miles east of Babylon, 75 miles east of the Tigris River, and 130 miles north of the Persian Gulf.

One day the king of the Persian Empire, Xerxes I, who decided to display his abundant wealth for 180 days. As if not enough, it is followed by a seven day feast. A lavish display of his power indeed. On the seventh day of the seven day feast, King Xerxes summons Queen Vashti in order to display her beauty to all the people. She refuses to come and is eventually banished from the kings presence as a punishment.

King Xerxes now sought a replacement queen and wife among the beautiful young virgins of his kingdom. He ordered the most attractive maidens to be brought before him. One of these included Esther. At the time, Esther was only fourteen years old, but she possessed remarkable beauty as well as charm and precocious tact. When her opportunity finally came to appear before the king, King Xerxes was immediately taken with Esther's attractiveness, and he made her his new queen. Esther's adopted uncle Mordecai remained constantly near the palace, so that he would be able advise her in all matters. As his first bit of counsel, he told her to conceal the fact that she was Jewish. It has been suggested that Mordecai served as a gatekeeper, and this position enabled him to stay in continual communication with Esther.

But there was evil brewing in the shadows of the king's courts. Haman the Agagite had been appointed to the highest position in the kingdom, but Mordecai refused to bow to him. Haman became so infuriated that he devised a plan to destroy not only Mordecai, but all of the Judeans in the empire. The king gave Haman the authority to execute his plan, although the king was unaware of the nationality of his beloved queen. Haman had letters sent to every governor of every province that on a certain day they would coordinate the total annihilation of every Judean man, woman and child. 

Mordecai learned of this devious plan. In order to prevent the execution of all the Jews Mordecai calls on Esther to intercede to the King. Mordecai tells her to reveal to the king that she is Jewish and to ask him to repeal the order. Esther hesitates, saying that she could be put to death if she goes to the king without being summoned and the king does not want to see her; Mordecai urges her to try. She goes to the king, and the king welcomes her, and says he will give her anything she wants. Instead of asking directly about the order, she invites the king and Haman to a banquet the next day. During the banquet, the king again asked Esther if there is anything she wants, and this time she reveals to the king that she is a Jew and that Haman has plotted to kill them all. 

Events now take a drastic turn for Haman who ends up getting hanged on the gallows he erected for the death of Mordecai.

Esther revealed to the king Mordecai's relationship to her and the king promoted him to Haman's position, giving him all of Haman's property. Mordecai used this opportunity to send out letters in the king's name that all Judeans were to unite, to arm and defend themselves against any that would assault them. The letters were distributed and the plan to destroy God's people was thwarted. Mordecai's powerful position emboldened God's people and empowered them to defend themselves. 

"Mordecai the Jew became the prime minister, with authority next to that of King Xerxes himself. He was very great among the Jews, who held him in high esteem, because he continued to work for the good of his people and to speak up for the welfare of all their descendants."

The book of Esther records the origin of the holiday called Purim. During this holiday, the Jews remember how God saved them from their enemies.

The character of Esther serves as a positive role model for Jewish women and men living in diaspora, both in the time the book was written and down through the centuries to the present day. The contemporaneity of the message helps to account for the enduring popularity of the book, and Esther herself, in the Jewish community.