A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

Each of the girls selected possessed a physical beauty that made her naturally attractive to
men, but nothing was being taken for granted in this contest. For a complete year the women
were treated with oils and perfumes to enhance their attractiveness. Only then were they brought
into the presence of the king. If on that occasion he was not sufficiently impressed to remember a
woman’s name, that would be the last time she and the king would meet. As the selection
process continued, Esther soon became the favored choice of both the king and others who met
her. A feast was held to recognize the selection of the new queen and Esther began wearing the
royal crown (2:17). About the time she became queen, Mordecai learned of a plot against the
king and sent word by way of Esther. The conspirators were captured and hanged and the
incident was duly recorded in the chronicles of the king (vv. 21-23).
Some time after the coronation of Esther, a man named Haman was promoted in the
administration of the king. Because of his closeness to the king, it was customary for others to
bow before him. Around the palace, such a response to Haman was commonplace. But because
of his religious convictions, Mordecai refused to bow or pay him homage. Haman was infuriated
at Mordecai’s response. It was not enough just to get back at Mordecai for his perceived
disrespect: Haman determined to annihilate the whole race of Jews to which Mordecai belonged
(3:1-7).
At the palace in Shushan, Mordecai did what many Jews were doing throughout the
nation. Word soon got to Esther that he was in sackcloth and mourning, so she responded by
sending him more presentable clothes. Only then was Mordecai able to communicate with her
concerning the danger to the Jews. He urged her to use her influence with the king to help her
people, but she argued it had been a month since she had even seen the king (4:1-17).
“Then Mordecai told them to answer Esther: `Do not think in your heart that you will
escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent
at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your
father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a
time as this?’ “ (w. 13-14) In response to Mordecai’s appeal, Esther agreed to risk her own life to
save her people. She asked, however, that the Jews fast with her for three days before she made
her appeal to the king.
When Esther entered the presence of the king, he was receptive to her coming and asked
her to make her request. She simply invited the king and Haman to a private dinner she had
prepared. After the meal, the king again asked her to make her request. She promised to do so if
Haman and the king would return the next night for a similar dinner (5:1-8).
As Haman left the palace that night, he was happy. He considered his being invited to
dinner with the king and queen among the greatest of the many honors he had received. But as he
saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, “he was filled with indignation.” Though he had set things in
motion to finally rid himself of that man, Haman could not wait. On arriving home, he shared his
mixed emotions with his family and friends. They rejoiced in the favor he seemed to have found
with the queen, but also understood the frustration he felt over Mordecai. They agreed the best
way to deal with the problem was to have Mordecai hung on a gallows the next day; then Haman
could enjoy the banquet with the king and queen. The idea made a lot of sense to Haman, “so he
had the gallows made” (w. 12-14).
The king was having a restless night and thought a boring book might help him sleep. He
called on one of his servants to read “the book of the records of the chronicles.” Apparently, the
book did not have the desired effect. The king listened to account after account of the things that
had occurred in the kingdom. Eventually the servant came to an account of the attempted coup