Esther 2:1–14
But after Xerxes’ anger had subsided, he began thinking about Vashti and what she had done and the decree he had made. [It is believed that four years have passed between the end of chapter one and the beginning of chapter two. During these four years, King Xerxes attempted a massive invasion of Greece which turned out to be unsuccessful.] So his personal attendants suggested, “Let us search the empire to find beautiful young virgins for the king. Let the king appoint agents in each province to bring these beautiful young women into the royal harem at the fortress of Susa. Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the harem, will see that they are all given beauty treatments. After that, the young woman who most pleases the king will be made queen instead of Vashti.” This advice was very appealing to the king, so he put the plan into effect.
At that time there was a Jewish man in the fortress of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair. [Mordecai, Esther’s cousin, came to Persia in one of the waves of deportation that the Babylonians imposed on Judah when it conquered that land.] He was from the tribe of Benjamin and was a descendant of Kish and Shimei. His family had been among those who, with King Jehoiachin of Judah, had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. This man had a very beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah, who was also called Esther. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter.
As a result of the king’s decree, Esther, along with many other young women, was brought to the king’s harem at the fortress of Susa and placed in Hegai’s care. Hegai was very impressed with Esther and treated her kindly. He quickly ordered a special menu for her and provided her with beauty treatments. He also assigned her seven maids specially chosen from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem. [Esther is compelling both in her appearance and ability to connect with others. Esther is experiencing a quick reversal of her original status as a poor, exiled orphan to being very special and elevated. Only God could orchestrate this great reversal.]
Esther had not told anyone of her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had directed her not to do so. Every day Mordecai would take a walk near the courtyard of the harem to find out about Esther and what was happening to her.
Before each young woman was taken to the king’s bed, she was given the prescribed twelve months of beauty treatments—six months with oil of myrrh, followed by six months with special perfumes and ointments. [Twelve months of beauty treatments feels excessive to us; however, this is a vastly different culture than ours.] When it was time for her to go to the king’s palace, she was given her choice of whatever clothing or jewelry she wanted to take from the harem. That evening she was taken to the king’s private rooms, and the next morning she was brought to the second harem, where the king’s wives lived. There she would be under the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She would never go to the king again unless he had especially enjoyed her and requested her by name.
RESPONSE
- Esther’s story refl ects the reality that God does not always save his people from experiencing the complicated tensions of this world. And yet, he still has the power to receive glory despite that brokenness. As Christians, we are called to live in the tension that God is in control even when we experience hard things. He can take the most broken parts of our story to change us and the world. What sinful or broken parts of your story do you struggle to believe God can use for his glory and purposes?
2. The Lord created Esther to be appealing to others both in her natural beauty and ability to connect with others. What qualities and gifts has God given you to be a blessing to his Kingdom?