Bible Character Spotlight: Esther

It is well known that most of the Bible’s more prominent characters are men, but that does not mean that women did not play important roles in the Bible nor that they did not attain statuses of great power and influence. Esther is an example of one such Biblical woman. Along with Ruth, she is distinguished as being a woman and having a book of the Bible named after her.


Esther lived during a time where the Persian Empire was still in control of much of the region in which the Bible’s stories take place. Just as during Nehemiah’s time, the Jews found themselves under the control of the Persians. However, at the time, the Jews did not have a person like Nehemiah who was close to the king and able to advocate for the Jews.


At the beginning of Esther’s story, King Xerxes was in control of the Persian Empire (yes, this is the same Xerxes from the movie 300) and was betrayed by his queen, Vashti. What is the great wrong that Queen Vashti committed?

On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Karkas—to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at. But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. - Esther 1:10-11

She was deposed as queen for simply not parading herself before the people at the king’s whim. Women were not exactly empowered in the Persian Empire as evidenced by the fact that even the queen could be so harshly dealt with in response to even the slightest offense. The perception of Persia’s outlook on women doesn’t get any better when considering the requirements for Vasht’s replacement.

Then the king’s personal attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them. Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it. - Esther 2:2-4

Mordecai, a Jew who had taken in Esther after she lost both her parents, knew that she was beautiful and decided to have her answer the king’s call. While by our standards, being a woman in the king’s court might not have seemed like something to which to aspire. At the time, it was still a good position to have for a young woman. Esther found favor with the king and became the new queen. Almost immediately, she made the king happy with his decision. Acting on information from Mordecai, she was able to warn the king about a proposed attempt on his life.

Esther was a Jew, but her background was not known to the king or his advisors and for good reason. The Jews did not have the same favor with Xerxes and his advisors that they did with the king during Nehemiah’s time. This becomes painfully clear soon after Esther becomes queen. After the plot to kill the king was uncovered, a man named Haman, was promoted to the role of chief official. In honor of his new title, the king commanded everyone in attendance to kneel before Haman, but Mordecai refused. As with the Pharaohs of Egypt, the kings of Persia and the people to whom they granted power were to be treated like living gods. As a Jew, Mordecai knew not to bow before anyone claiming a role that only God deserves.

Mordecai’s defiance angered Haman, but it wasn’t just Mordecai that drew Haman’s ire. Haman set his sites on all the Jews. Mordecai knew that his people were in danger. He also knew that there was only one person in a position to do anything about it - Esther.

The problem is that as we saw with Vashti, Persian queens did not seem to have much power. They were mostly just eye candy for the king. Still, Esther agreed to try and help. To modern readers, her asking the king to spare her people might seem to be a simple and safe thing, but that was not the case. It actually took a lot of bravery on Esther’s part. She was putting her life at risk.

“All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.” - Esther 4:11

Esther agreed to take the risk, but the first thing she did was tell Mordecai and his people to fast. She knew they would need God’s help in the matter. She approached Xerxes without being summoned, and to her delight, he welcomed her and even agreed to grant a special request from her. At a gathering involving Xerxes and his officials, Esther made it known that she and her people were being persecuted and marked for death by Haman. Xerxes responded by having Haman executed and protected the Jews. He gave Esther Haman’s property, which she left in the care of Mordecai, instantly giving him a position of influence within the empire.

Xerxes eventually extended protection and favor towards all the Jews in the empire and even helped them fight off their enemies. God used Esther just like he did Nehemiah to help His people even at a time when they were under the control of someone else. Esther’s story is more proof that God never forsakes His people. Even when it seems like someone else is in control, God finds a way to protect His own. Esther’s story is also proof that no matter what your position or your role in the world, you can make a difference especially when you put God first.

Chris Lawyer

Image Courtesy of nickcady.org