OVERVIEW: Vashti (a Gentile woman) is removed from her royal position as queen; Esther (a Jewish woman) is chosen to be the new queen; the evil plot of Haman against the whole Jewish race.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
The events of Esther take place between Ezra 6 and 7. When verse 3 of Esther chapter 1 sets the time as the third year of Ahasuerus, the year is actually 483 B.C. Note that the term “Ahasuerus” is not a particular man’s name, but was the title used to refer to the supreme ruler in Persia at this period in history, just as “Pharaoh” was the title of the supreme ruler in Egypt.
It is interesting to note that God’s name is found nowhere in the Book of Esther, although Jewish scribes have found the name Jehovah “hidden,” as it were, in five different verses. It illustrates a beautiful spiritual lesson: when it seems that God is nowhere to be found, if we look beneath the surface, we will actually find Him working “behind the scenes” to accomplish His purposes for our lives! (Rom. 8:28)
The Book of Esther opens with the king holding a seven-day feast for all those in his palace. (1:5) After seven days of excessive drinking (1:10), Ahasuerus decides to show off Vashti, his beautiful “trophy wife” and queen, to all of his male friends. In her wisdom, however, and with her apparent high moral values, Vashti refuses to cater to the king’s selfish and carnal drunken request. This, of course, infuriates the male chauvinist king, and all his male chauvinist princes, so they collectively decide that it would be best for the king to remove her from her exalted position, and to spread the word of her removal, so that all the women in the kingdom might not follow her “rebellious example,” but would rather “learn from her mistake,” and would be sure to “honor their husbands.”
After about four years, however, the king begins to miss his wife, and regrets his rash decision to put her away. (2:1) Recognizing, not only his regret, but his loneliness, the king’s servants convince him to pick a new queen, from among the many beautiful women in his kingdom, by holding what might be considered the equivalent of a “beauty pageant”. “It just so happens,” that God had placed a Jew, a man named Mordecai, in a very important position, seated at the king’s gate. (2:21) Mordecai, a cousin of Esther, who had not only brought her up from her youth, but had actually become like a father to her (2:7), decided to enter her into this “contest” to potentially become the next queen. Per the instruction of Mordecai, Esther did not let it be known to anyone, however, that she was a Jew. (2:10,20)
In God’s sovereignty, and because of her distinct character and beauty, Esther was chosen by the king to be his new queen, and a feast was held in her honor. At the end of chapter 2, Mordecai finds out about a plot to kill the king. He notifies Esther, who in turn, tells the king in Mordecai’s name, and it all gets written down in the book of the chronicles of the king. While this may seem like a rather insignificant detail at the time, we’ll find that it ends up being the very thing that God uses to save His people from destruction! Isn’t it just like God to save His people by something written in “the Book of the King”?! (Rom. 10:17)
Chapter 3 begins with a man named Haman getting a big promotion from the king. Haman becomes the king’s “chief advisor” and “right-hand man!” It might be important to note, that he just happens to despise the Jews! Haman, as a perfect picture of the flesh, is a selfish, self-seeking, self-serving, egomaniac. When he sees that Mordecai refuses to bow to him as he passed by, he becomes incensed. (3:5) Haman decided to offer the king the equivalent of about $25 million in silver if the king would pass a law condemning the entire Jewish race to death (including women and children). This money would, no doubt, come from the revenue acquired from the sale of the property of the slain Jews, much like what has happened at other times in history, such as with Hitler during WWII, and the Roman Catholic Church during the Crusades. The king passes the law and the date for their execution was set by casting lots. (Est. 3:7, Pro. 16:33) In God’s providence, the date for the extermination of the Jews was set an entire year away (3:7), providing plenty of time for the “plan of God” to unfold through the “plan of Mordecai”, to halt this satanically generated plot against the Jewish people.
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
Through KING AHASUERUS — Esther 1–2. There is coming a day very soon when God will remove (rapture) the church (His Gentile bride and queen) off of this earth because of her unfaithfulness to Him, and replace her with the nation of Israel (His Jewish queen) for His 1000 year reign on earth as King.