ESTHER - meaning “Hide or conceal” Esther was an orphan Jewish girl. Both her parents died and Mordecai, an older cousin of hers, adopted her and raised her as his own child. When she was grown, King Ahasuerus, (also known as Xerxes), the son of King Darius the First, ruled over the lands of Persia. Biblical Persia was a huge empire consisting of modern-day Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, parts of Central Asia, Macedonia, Thrace, Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Northern Saudi Arabia, Syria, most of Egypt, Libya and most of the Black Sea Coastal Regions. After the King banished his wife for not obeying him, he was on the hunt for a new queen. About 400 potential candidates were kept in a harem for twelve months. During this time, they received intense beauty treatments. Esther was one of the candidates, and Mordecai instructed her not to reveal to anybody that she was a Jew. She obeyed his instructions and when she was eventually brought before the King, he fell in love with her immediately and chose her as his new Queen. Sitting outside the King’s gate, Mordecai overheard a plot between two men who wanted to assassinate the King. He told Esther about this, and she immediately told the King, giving Mordecai the credit for this. After an inquiry, this matter was confirmed and both men were executed. King Xerxes then appointed a man called Haman to look after his affairs. Haman despised the Jews and immediately put a plan in action to try and eliminate all the Jews from Persia. At his instruction, all the officials at the King’s gate had to kneel before him. But Mordecai refused. Seeing that Mordecai was a Jew, Haman immediately issued a decree, (with the permission of the King), throughout Persia, that on the thirteenth day of the twelve month, the people were “to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day”. (Esther 3:13) Mordecai sent a copy of the decree to Esther and asked her to intervene on behalf of the Jewish people to the King. It was the law that nobody, not even the wife of a king could see the King without the King asking to see them. Once in his presence, he would hold out a golden scepter to show that a person might live. If he didn’t hold out the scepter, that person was put to death. At that stage it has been thirty days since Queen Esther had an audience with the King, and she knew that she would be put to death if she entered the inner court without being invited. Esther sent a message to Mordecai to instruct all the Jews in the area to fast for 3 days. She would do the same and after 3 days she would enter the inner court. “And so, I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” (Esther 4:16) When she entered the inner court after 3 days, the King held the golden scepter out to her and said to her that he would grant her anything she wished for. Even half of his kingdom! Esther invited the King and Haman to a banquet she prepared. Haman was called and the two men went to enjoy the banquet with Esther. Here the King asked her again what she wished for. She replied that the King and Haman must also join her for a banquet the next day where she would put her request to the King. Haman was very excited as he was under the impression that he found favor with the King and the Queen. In his heart, he still carried a hatred for Mordecai and that night he instructed gallows to be erected for Mordecai to be hanged upon. That night the King was not able to sleep, and he requested the records of his reign to be read to him. When the King heard that no honor or dignity was bestowed on Mordecai for saving his life, he instructed Haman to dress Mordecai in one of the King’s robes, put a royal crest on Mordecai’s head and have him paraded through the city on one of the King’s horses. Haman hated this but did as the King requested.That day at Queen Esther’s banquet she petitioned the King in a very humble and respectful manner to save her people. She told him if her people were sold into slavery, she would not have bothered him with this, but as it is decreed that they must be executed and murdered, she asked him to show her favor and spare her people. It was only then that she revealed to the King that she was of Jewish descent. The King was extremely angry that anybody would want to murder his wife’s people and before he stormed out the room, he asked her who decreed this. She told his it was Haman. While the King was out of the room, Haman pleaded with Esther for mercy and fell across the couch on which she was sitting. At that moment the King walked back in, and thinking that Haman was busy assaulting the Queen, he immediately had him executed on the same gallows that Haman erected for Mordecai. The King then gave Esther the whole estate of Haman and appointed Mordecai over it. He also gave Mordecai the signet ring that he previously gave to Haman. Esther pleaded with the King one more time to revoke the decrees issued by Haman to slaughter all the Jews. As decrees could not be revoked, new decrees were issued where all Jews were allowed to gather together and protect themselves. They were allowed to destroy, kill, plunder and annihilate anybody that attempted to assault them. On the thirteenth day of the twelve month, the governors, officials, satraps and all those who worked for the King, assisted the Jews whenever anybody tried to attack them. The Jews were victorious and the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the twelve month were decreed to be days of remembrance that had to be celebrated every year. It was called Purim. Up to this day, the Jews celebrate Purim every year by exchanging gifts of food and drink and by donating to the poor. Esther was a remarkable woman. She was one of the few women in the Bible to whom a whole book in the Old Testament bearing her name was dedicated. God placed her in the right place at the right time to deliver His people from evil. From the beginning she was totally obedient. Although Mordecai was not her father, she still obeyed him as a father after he adopted her. She never revealed she was a Jew until he instructed her to do so. She was prepared to pay with her life to try and save her people. Even when she was married to the King and had extreme favor with him, she still approached him in a humble and respectful way. Esther trusted in God and was prepared to do the right thing, no matter the cost.