A young Jewish woman rises from poverty to Queen of Persia and is put in a position to save her people.
The story of Esther is told in one of the shortest books in the Bible’s Old Testament. It reads like a Cinderella story – born in poverty and obscurity she becomes queen over one of the most powerful empires in history. For those who didn’t know much about her, Esther became a real person when portrayed in the 2006 movie “One Night With a King,” released by Fox Faith.
She was born into a Jewish family and became an orphan at a young age. Her Jewish name, Hadassah, was changed to the Babylonian name Esther to protect her identity and heritage. Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, raised her after the death of her parents.
In a twist of events, Queen Vashti was summoned to appear before her husband and his ministers at a banquet. The Bible says that she disobeyed her husband because he was drunk and wanted to parade her around inappropriately in front of everyone. Xerxes grew angry over her refusal to obey him and embarrassing him in front of his court. He turns the matter over to his advisors and they fall back on the laws of Persia. Xerxes is forced to decree that Vashti isn’t his queen any more and that begins a search for a new queen.
Beautiful young virgins are gathered up from all over the land and brought to the palace. Esther is one of these girls. They are trained and prepared for months before they are ready to appear for their one night with the king. Xerxes is supposed to make a choice who his next queen will be. The movie is well researched historically, but is based on a novel written about Esther. There are variations in the movie and the actual biblical account (New King James translation), but the character of this young Jewess who became queen of Persia is well portrayed.
The Bible’s Esther is faced with difficult choices but never looses her trust in the Lord God of Israel. She is put into a position where she can save her own people from the evil plans of Haman, the minister to King Xerxes, who hates the Jews. Most of all he detests Mordecai because he won’t bow down to Haman.
Haman manipulates the King and the laws to call for total annihilation of the Jews still living in the empire. Mordecai appeals to Esther to use her power and position to save her people. She must decide and begins three days of fasting and praying for guidance. Esther realizes that all that has happened in her life has prepared her for this moment in history.
Appearing before the King without being summoned could mean certain death for her. She will have to reveal her heritage and appeal for deliverance for her people in a hostile court. Trusting in God, she asks her husband, King Xerxes, and Haman to a series of three private banquets and then petitions Xerxes. She reveals the truth about Haman and is successful in her plea.
The lessons that we can learn from Esther are faithfulness, trust in God, and a willingness to follow His will whether we are afraid or not. Esther’s act on behalf of the Jews is a picture of sacrifice. The Hebrew culture, as well as other Middle Eastern cultures, saw things in pictures. Western Civilization looks at the world with words. Her story is a partial illustration of what the Savior, Jesus Christ, would do 500 years later. Esther – Hadassah – was willing to sacrifice herself to save her people.
