The plot thickens in this account of bible stories – Queen Esther takes the stage as she makes a bold move to rescue her people. Mordecai also comes to the light as he stands up for his beliefs.
In this second part of our account of Bible stories – Queen Esther learns important lessons about courage and duty. We also see Mordecai take the stage with bold actions. And finally, we see how God works behind the scenes to create positive outcomes for His people.
Queen Esther
Queen Esther blossomed in the palace and soon settled into a routine. She appeared in court most mornings and every once in a while, she sat beside the king as he sat on his throne judging the affairs of the land that were brought to his attention. He still requested her companionship every now and then, but the honeymoon period was over. Esther tried to stay busy so she would not feel her husband’s distance.
This particular morning as she sat in court, she noticed a small line of people waiting to see her. Most times, it was people who brought her gifts to wish her well. Sometimes, it was widows or older women who wanted her to prevail over someone in their family who was trying to take advantage of them. Mostly small matters that she could easily ask the Eunuch who was her personal assistant to look into. This day, however, she noticed Mordecai in line waiting to talk to her. She wondered what it would be about.
When it was his turn, he knelt before her and bowed his face to the ground saying “long live the queen”. She flinched inwardly and would have asked him to get up immediately, but her position and office required it, and Mordecai would have been in dishonor if he did not bow.
“May I approach the queen?” he asked when he stood up “the matter is confidential.”
“Yes, you may” Esther motioned for him to come forward and as he did, Hathach, one of the king’s Eunuchs who had been appointed to attend to her stepped up as well.
Urgent Business
It was customary for the Eunuch to be a third party especially when the king’s wives were in the presence of another man. He paid close attention to Mordecai as he addressed her. “Hadassah, you must warn the king immediately,” he said urgently “There is a plot to take his life”
“Are you sure about this,” she asked him looking shocked, “who would want to harm the king? Everyone loves him”.
“Surely, you can’t be that naïve, Hadassah” Mordecai said
Hathach looked pointedly at him and Esther said, “don’t worry, he is my cousin and a father to me really”
And at this, Hathach resumed his posture of an observant listener.
“Look, I heard two of the king’s guards planning how they were going to sneak into his bed chamber at night and kill him while he is asleep. You must inform the king at once”
Mordecai told Esther the names of the guards and she informed the king and gave Mordecai credit as the informant. The two guards were arrested and upon investigation, it was found to be true, and the two men were hanged. This act of Mordecai was recorded in the book of records of the reign of king Ahasuerus.
The rise of Haman
There was a wealthy man from the city of Amalek named Haman. He had only been around the king for a short while, but the king grew increasingly impressed with his ideas and wisdom. Haman was promoted over all the princes and nobles in Media and Persia and he became very powerful. All the king’s servants and the men who worked at the gate were required to bow to Haman. But Mordecai, who also worked at the gate, was adamant and would not bow to Haman.
As Haman, passed by the gate on his way to and from the palace every day, everyone bowed to the ground before him, except Mordecai. He would remain standing with a straight face and rigid back. Haman, being a proud man, resented Mordecai for that. Though he never made a fuss about it and just walked on. When Haman enquired and found out that Mordecai was a Jew, his resentment grew, not just towards Mordecai, but towards Jews in general.
The Jews and Amalekites had a common ancestor, Isaac the son of Abraham. Amalekites descend from Isaac’s first son Esau while the Jews are descendants of his second son, Jacob.
Jacob had stolen Esau’s birthright, and there had been anger and bitterness between the brothers. But while the brothers later put their differences behind them, their children and generations after them were in constant feuds. They did not see eye to eye and had fought many battles between them.
Mordecai being a staunch Jew would not bow to any son of Amalek, and Haman who was in a position of power decided to get even. He began to hatch a plan to destroy not only Mordecai but all the Jews in the empire of King Ahasuerus, from Ethiopia all the way to India.
The date is set
So, Haman consulted his gods to determine the best day to get rid of all the Jews. The chosen date was in the 12th month of the year, it was almost a year away. He then went to the king and told him a carefully fabricated story. Of a group of people in his kingdom who were not loyal and did not obey the laws of the land. He painted the Jews as rebellious people who kept away from everyone else and had their own laws and customs different from the kings.
Haman urged the king to issue a decree that these people be destroyed entirely. He also promised to deposit a large amount of silver into the king’s treasury to ensure the decree was carried out hitch-free. The king did not really investigate the matter, trusting Haman he gave him his signet ring and told him “Go ahead and do as you see fit to this people.”
Haman could not believe his luck and how easy it had been. He went to work immediately and asked the king’s scribes to write the decree exactly as he dictated it and transcribe it to all the languages of the provinces. The decree was sealed with the king’s signet ring and circulated to the 127 provinces by swift messengers.
Distressing news
The content of the decree read along the following lines:
“On the 13th day of the month of Adar, the good people of the kingdom of His eminence, the great king Ahasuerus of Persia are required to rise up against his enemies the Jews. Every man is expected to help destroy, kill, and annihilate every one of Jewish origin, and you may keep their properties for yourselves after you have successfully carried out the king’s command.”
The people in the provinces received the news with shock, but everyone noted the king’s seal on the decree. In those days, whatever was passed into law and sealed with the king’s ring could not be changed. It became law forever. There was wailing and deep sorrow in all the Jewish communities where the king’s decree was read. They put on mourning clothes, covered their heads in ashes, and they fasted and prayed to God.
The next day, Esther was in her room preparing to appear in court when two of her maids brought her news. They had been in town earlier that morning and informed her that they saw Mordecai sitting in the city square wearing rags and with his head covered with ashes. Only her maids and the Eunuch, Hathach, who attended her, knew her relationship with Mordecai and that she was Jewish.
Message from Mordecai
Esther was distraught when she heard the news but could not imagine what happened to Mordecai. The rags and ashes were standard Jewish mourning apparel. So, she sent her maids to him with a change of clothes and sandals for his feet and asked them to urge him to get up and go home.
The maids came back with news that Mordecai had refused the clothes and shoes, and would not get up from where he sat in the city square. So, Esther sent Hathach the Eunuch to Mordecai to find out what the matter was and why he was so distressed.
Hathach came back with a copy of the decree that had been issued against the Jews. Mordecai told him to inform Esther about their predicament and how Haman had paid a huge sum of money into the king’s treasuries for their destruction. He urged Esther to go to the King and plead with him on behalf of her people.
Esther received Mordecai’s message with despair. She was heartbroken at Haman’s plan for the Jews, but she felt even worse for not being able to help. She sent Hathach back to Mordecai with this message;
“Everyone knows the law that if a man goes into the inner court of the king uninvited, he will be put to death. Except the king holds out his golden scepter to spare the man’s life. And I have not been invited to see the king for a month at least”.
For a time like this
Hathach was soon back with another message for her.
“Do not think that you will be safe in the king’s palace. If you keep quiet at a time like this, then help will come for the Jews from some other place. But you and your father’s house will be destroyed. In fact, who knows if you were made queen for just a time like this.”
The message was not unlike Mordecai. Esther thought about it and it was not hard to see that Mordecai spoke the truth. She was afraid for her life, but her inaction could cost the lives of all the Jews across the empire. She determined that even if she was not successful, it would not be because she did not try.
“Hathach” she called “Please go and tell Mordecai to gather all the Jews in Susa together. Ask them to fast and pray for me for three days. No one should eat or drink anything, not even water. My maids and I will do the same. Then, I will go in to see the king, and if I must die, then so be it.”
Before the King
So Mordecai went ahead and did as Esther had asked. Esther also fasted with her maids and on the third day, she asked the palace cooks to prepare a feast of everything the king loved to eat. They had the best wine and when the banquet was ready, she dressed up in her royal robes and wore her royal crown.
As she approached the king’s inner court, a hush fell among the people who had been standing outside as they wondered if they were about to witness the deposition of another queen, this time by beheading.
Esther paused at the entrance and took a deep breath. This was her husband, but he was also the king. He had chosen her above dozens of girls, but he had not requested her company in thirty days. This man had loved her enough to put the royal crown on her head, but would that love be strong enough to save her head? Esther could not tell, the king had people beheaded for lesser reasons in the past.
It was too late to turn back now. She stilled herself, straightened her back, and walked into the inner court. As she approached the throne, the guards beside Ahasuerus looked at her. Then they looked at the king who had been talking to one of the officials standing at his side. Noticing the stares, he looked up and saw Queen Esther walking toward his throne. He looked surprised but pleased to see her, as he wondered what was so important for her to risk her life. Then he picked up his golden scepter and held it out toward her.
Making Progress
Relief would not begin to describe how Esther felt as she bowed to the king and touched the end of the golden scepter as was the custom. Then the king asked at her
“What do you want Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you even if it is half of my kingdom”
Esther replied “If it pleases the king, let him and Haman come to the banquet I have prepared for them this afternoon”
Ahasuerus smiled, “certainly Queen Esther. Someone get Haman and ask him to prepare to have dinner with myself and the Queen right away”
Esther was pleased her plan was going well so far.
After they had dinner and were relaxing with wine, the king asked again. “Tell me what you want Queen Esther, and I will give it to you. Even up to half of my kingdom.”
Esther knew her husband’s heart and how hasty he was to make decisions at times. She needed her request to come out right, and to come at the perfect time. She sensed he was not quite there yet.
“If the King wishes to grant my request,” she said “then let him and Haman also come to the dinner I will prepare for them tomorrow, then I will tell the king my request”
Ahasuerus was quite pleased with all the attention from his wife and he played along.
“So be it,” he said “see you tomorrow then”
Haman’s plot
Haman was delighted to have been invited to a private feast with the king and queen. He strutted out of the palace feeling like a peacock proudly displaying its colorful feathers until he reached the gate. Then he saw Mordecai standing tall as usual when all the others were on their knees with their faces to the ground. His ego was deflated but he would not react today. Judgment day was coming for the Jews.
He got home and invited his sons, and friends to come over. Then he told the small audience, which included his wife Zeresh, how mighty he had grown in Persia. They heard of all his wealth, power, and influence with the king. He also told them how the queen had invited him to a private dinner with herself and the king.
“But all this means nothing to me as long as I see Mordecai the Jew at the king’s gate,” he said dejectedly. “I hate that man so much!”
“Why don’t you ask the king to hang him” someone suggested. And everyone thought it was a good idea.
“You can ask that he is hanged tomorrow morning, so you can enjoy your banquet with the king and queen later in the evening” another person chimed in.
The idea seemed fantastic to Haman, and he wondered why he had not thought of it himself. So, he ordered some men to set up a pole to hang Mordecai the next day.
Mordecai’s honor
That night the king had trouble sleeping. So, he ordered an attendant to bring the book of records of his reign so it could be read to him. The attendant read, among other things, how Mordecai had exposed the plot of two guards who planned to assassinate the king.
“What reward or recognition was given to Mordecai for this?” the king asked
“Nothing has been done for him” the attendant replied
Now Haman had just arrived at the outer court of the palace to ask the king to hang Mordecai on the pole he had set up in his house.
“Who is in the outer court?” the king asked
“It’s Haman” a servant responded
“Ask him to come in,” the king said as the servant ran to fetch Haman.
He bowed to the ground as the king asked him, “what should be done for a man the king wants to honor?”
Haman in the pride of his heart could not think of anyone else the king would want to honor other than him. So, he described his most outrageous fantasy.
“First,” he began with a look of false humility “let them take one of the king’s royal robes. Also take one of the royal horses on which the king has ridden, which has a royal crown on its head.
“Then let the king ask one of the noblest princes in the land to dress this man in the king’s robe and set him on the king’s horse. Then this noble prince should parade him on horseback all through the city square. All the while shouting “This is what will be done to the man who the king wants to honor.” He finished with a satisfied smile.
Haman’s Shame
“Excellent,” said the king “Now take the robe and the horse and do everything you just described to Mordecai the Jew who sits at the king’s gate.
Hurry and make sure you do not leave out any detail of all you just described to me”
So, Haman took the robe and the horse, dressed Mordecai up, and led him on horseback through the city square. And shouted ahead of him “This is what will be done to the man who the king wants to honor”.
When they were done, Mordecai went back to the king’s gate and Haman went home hanging his head in shame! He could not believe the disgrace he had just been served. When he told his wife and friends what had happened to him their advice to him was quite different from the day before.
“It looks like this Jewish man now has the upper hand over you. You are not likely to succeed if you go up against him,” they said.
While they spoke, the king’s servants came to fetch him hurriedly for his dinner with the king and queen.
Adapted from the Holy Bible, book of Esther chapters 3 to 6.
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