Esther - A Book in the Bible - and Purim

The Book of Esther tells of a King of Persia, Ahasuerus. At a time of celebration, when the King called for Queen Vashti to appear before him, she refused. The King’s wise men counseled him to make the decree, “That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.” (Esther 1:19).

Mordecai, a Jew who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity that Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, cared for his cousin Esther as his own daughter. Esther was taken with the other maidens for the King to choose from among them his new wife.

"Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew it." - Esther 2:10 KJV

"And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti." - Esther 2:17 KJV

Later, the King promoted Haman, the Agagite, over all the other nobles, making him the most powerful official in the empire. While it was commanded that all the people bow down before Haman, Mordecai refused to bow. Thus, when Haman saw this, he was full of wrath.

Haman had learned that Mordecai was a Jew, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Ahasuerus.

Lots were cast in Haman’s presence (the lots were called purim) to determine the best day and month to take action. The day selected was the month of Adar (March 7), nearly a year later.

Haman convinced the King he should get rid of the Jewish people. Ahasuerus gave his authority and backing, and issued official letters from the King to carry out Haman’s evil plan. (Esther 3:8-13).

"And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey." - Esther 3:13 KJV

When Mordecai heard this, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry; and in every province, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

Mordecai told a messenger from Esther to tell her to go to the King to beg for mercy and plead for her people.

Esther responded, “Everyone knows that anyone that appears before the king in his inner court who is not called, will be put to death, unless the king holds out his golden sceptre that he may live: but the King has not called for me to come to him for thirty days.”

Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die.”

“And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

To be continued…