SueAnn Porter

 

Vashti the Queen had disobeyed the King for the last time. He decided she would no longer be queen and he would replace her. 

So we learn about Esther who is following her cousin Modecai’s plan to ascend to the Queen’s position. 

Chapter 2 

After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed against her. ² Then the king’s servants who attended him said: “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king; ³ and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to Shush an the citadel, into the women’s quarters, under the custody of  Hegai the king’s eunuch, custodian of the women. And let beauty preparations be given them. ⁴ Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.”

This thing pleased the king, and he did so.

Vashti was out. A new queen was to be chosen from among all the young ladies. Now, the way they went about it is quite disgusting. The King was to “try out” each virgin, and whoever he liked the best would be queen. Kind of like an assembly line. But what does this mean in the spirit realm? If we look at this as a spiritual test, not a natural test. What if the King of Glory examines each of us, to see whether we would obey Him? 

⁵ In  Shushan the  citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite. ⁶ Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been captured with  Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. ⁷ And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

Mordecai was Esther’s older cousin and he took care of her.

⁸ So it was, when the king’s command and decree were heard, and when many young women were gathered at  Shushan the citadel, under the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was taken to the king’s palace, into the care of Hegai the custodian of the women. ⁹ Now the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to her, besides her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women.

Hegai is the custodian of the women. He gave her favor, and she got extra help to become even more beautiful, and SEVEN maidservants were provided for her, and he moved her to the BEST place in the house of the women. 

¹⁰ Esther had not  revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it. ¹¹ And every day Mordecai paced in front of the court of the women’s quarters, to learn of Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her.

Mordecai wanted ongoing news reports of how Esther was doing, and how she was being changed.  She also was keeping the secret that she was a Jew.

¹² Each young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months’ preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women. ¹³ Thus prepared, each young woman went to the king, and she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the women’s quarters to the king’s palace. 

Each woman was given whatever SHE desired to take with her from the women’s quarters to the King’s palace.

¹⁴ In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name.

So each woman was taken in turn, and brought to the King to sleep with him. She was then returned to the second house of the women. She was a “lesser wife” to the King at this point. She could not marry. She had to stick around in case the King wanted her again.

¹⁵ Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. 

Esther took the advise of the King’s eunuch, Hegai, the custodian of the women. He was close to the King; he would know what the King liked best. Why would Esther do it her own way? It didn’t work out for the women before her. She was wise and did what The King would like best.

¹⁶ So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. ¹⁷ The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. ¹⁸ Then the king made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the ^[l]generosity of a king.

The King loved Esther more than all the other women. She was made Queen. The King made a Feast of Esther, for he had found what He was looking for. (Marriage supper of the Lamb picture.)

Mordecai Discovers a Plot

¹⁹ When virgins were gathered together a second time, Mordecai sat within the king’s gate. ²⁰ Now Esther had not revealed her family and her people, just as Mordecai had charged her, for Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai as when she was brought up by him.

There is something in here: “when the virgins were gathered together a second time”             But I have not figured it out yet! Any ideas?

²¹ In those days, while Mordecai sat within the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs,  Bigthan and Teresh, doorkeepers, became furious and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. ²² So the matter became known to Mordecai, who told Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king in Mordecai’s name. ²³ And when an inquiry was made into the matter, it was confirmed, and both were hanged on a gallows; and it was written in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.

Mordecai found out that Bigthan and Teresh the doorkeepers, wanted to kill the King. Mordecai found out, and told Queen Ester, and Esther told the King. So the doorkeepers were hanged on the gallows.

Esther has not yet revealed that she is a Jew, and she has the favor of the King. Mordecai is earning points with the King by protecting him.