A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

For the Jews who chose not to return to Judah, life was good most of the time. Most had
established their homes and businesses and were part of the community in which they lived.
Because of the cosmopolitan character of the kingdom, it was not thought strange that these Jews
chose to meet on the Sabbath and read from the Law of Moses. There was a degree of tolerance
for varied religious expressions in that pluralistic society. There was, as has often been the case
in societies throughout history, an undercurrent of anti-Semitism; but law and order was
important to the Medes and Persians, and the physical security of the Jews did not seem to be
threatened in any way. That was the case most of the time, until the day a strange decree began
appearing throughout the land (Es. 3:715; 9:1).
What made the decree a matter of concern for the Jews was that it affected them most
directly. On the thirteenth day of Adar, the people in every province of the kingdom were granted
permission to kill and annihilate all the Jews and confiscate their possessions. The decree was
signed by the king and that meant there was no way it could be changed. For thousands of Jews
throughout the kingdom, their fate appeared settled. There seemed to be no way to prevent the
inevitable. What they did not realize was that God had taken steps years earlier to stop this
planned extermination of His people.
Years earlier, a young girl had been born to a Jewish couple living in or near Shushan.
Shortly after her birth, both of her parents died. Her cousin, a man named Mordecai, adopted
young Hadassah as his own daughter and raised her to become a beautiful young lady. Like most
fathers, he wanted the best for his little girl. It might be supposed he thought of her someday
marrying a leader in his community, but it is doubtful if he could have imagined the
circumstances that would result in Hadassah becoming the queen of the kingdom (2:5-7).
From time to time, King Ahasuerus would entertain visiting officials from his 127
provinces. But three years into his reign, he gathered all of his leading officials together for an
incredible time of celebration. For 180 days there was an exhibition of the immense wealth and
splendor of the king and his kingdom. To conclude the exhibition, the king hosted a banquet
lasting 7 days. The finest decorations adorned the hall, and an abundance of food and wine was
available. On the seventh day of the feast, the king brought about a confrontation (1:1-8).
While the king had hosted the banquet for the men, his wife Queen Vashti had hosted a
similar feast for the women in the palace. She was probably in another banquet hall with a group
of women when several men arrived with a message for her. The king wanted to show off her
beauty to the officials he had gathered. Normally, it was a great honor for a queen to be invited
into the presence of the king, but Vashti refused to go.
Ahasuerus was furious. Not much could have been more embarrassing than to have his
own wife refuse to come at his request. This was especially embarrassing in light of the recent
exhibition of his splendor and the presence of so many key leaders in his kingdom. The influence
of alcohol probably did not diminish his anger in any way. He knew he had to respond to this
situation decisively to minimize the damage that had been done. After consultation with several
of his advisors, he determined to banish Vashti from his presence and find another to replace her
as queen (vv. 13-22).
A search was initiated to find a young and beautiful replacement for the queen. Many
promising candidates were brought into the palace at Shushan and placed in the care of Hegai
until the selection would be made. Hadassah was among those selected, but on the advice of
Mordecai, she did not reveal her Jewish background. She changed her Jewish name to Esther (v.
10).