July 16, 2025
In Shushan, the capital of Medo-Persia, about 2,500 years ago, there lived a young girl named Hadassah, who was destined to play an important role in history. After the death of her parents, an older cousin named Mordecai, who was married and had a position as a government official at the royal palace in Shushan adopted her as his own daughter, giving her the Persian name “Esther,” meaning “star” (Esther 2:5–6). Mordecai faithfully brought Esther up in the ways of the Lord, and she learned to pray and trust in God and found strength through faith in His love and goodness.
Mordecai was one of the many Jews who had chosen to stay in Medo-Persia rather than return to Jerusalem. Ever since the days when King Cyrus (590–529 BC) ruled Persia, the Jews had been permitted to return to their land. Some 50,000 Jews had chosen to return there with Zerubbabel as their governor, yet hundreds of thousands of others remained behind. King Cyrus was a benevolent ruler and had allowed the Jewish people to work and worship God according to their beliefs.
During the reign of Ahasuerus, the good relations continued. Some, like Mordecai, found good jobs in the palace and became friends of the king. As an official in the royal court, Mordecai, along with other royal servants “sat in the king’s gate,” near the palace entrance, where he waited for any assignments given him from the king.
In the third year of King Ahasuerus’ reign, the king gave a lavish feast for all his officials and servants, which included the army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the 127 provinces of his realm (Esther 1:1–4). At the conclusion of this lavish seven-day feast, when the heart of the king was “merry with wine,” he summoned the queen to make an appearance wearing her crown to display her beauty before all. Queen Vashti refused, which led to the news that she had been deposed, and all the palace was in an uproar (Esther 1:11–12)!
For a queen to publicly rebel against the wishes of her king was unheard of and a challenge to his authority, and King Ahasuerus was furious and burned with anger. He immediately called a meeting to confer with his closest and most trusted advisors. As a result, an irrevocable decree was made known in all provinces that Vashti would never again enter the presence of the king and “her position would be given to another who was better than she” (Esther 1:13–21).
Once his anger abated, the king apparently had some regrets about dismissing his beautiful queen. The young men who attended him had a solution: the loveliest virgins from all the provinces under his reign would be brought to the royal palace at Shushan for the king’s inspection (Esther 2:1–3). From India to Ethiopia, beautiful young women began to arrive at the royal house of the women, where they would undergo months of special preparation and beauty treatment.
The Bible tells us that Esther had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when the king’s order and his edict were proclaimed, Esther was also taken into the king’s palace and put in custody of Hegai, the king’s most trusted keeper of these young women (Esther 2:7–8). Hegai was so pleased with Esther that he quickly provided her with cosmetics to enhance her beauty and assigned seven chosen young women from the palace to care for her, and advanced her to the best rooms in the house of the women (Esther 2:9).
While Esther was in awe at this sudden turn of events, she silently heeded Mordecai’s words of warning when she was taken into custody: “Tell no one of your nationality or family background.” Mordecai was concerned for the well-being of his daughter and would walk every day in front of the court where she was dwelling to learn how she was faring and what was happening to her (Esther 2:10–11). If she wasn’t chosen by the king, what would happen to her? Would she be allowed to come home again?
Many of the women who had been introduced to the king were chosen to be his concubines, married to the king, yet only to be called into his presence if and whenever he pleased to summon her by name. In fact, this would be true of the queen as well, since she would live in her own separate house and would only visit the king at his request.
Twelve long months were designated for each girl to undergo a time of beautification—six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments—before she would be presented to the king (Esther 2:12). Yet this time of preparation gave Esther time to prepare her heart for her future mission. Surely she must have sought the Lord daily in prayer for His protection, help, and wisdom to say and do the right things.
When the day finally arrived for Esther to meet the king, Hegai asked her what she desired to take with her. Each girl was allowed to take whatever gift she desired from the house of the women before meeting the king. But although Esther could have asked for anything, as did many of the other girls, she wisely and humbly required nothing but what Hegai recommended. Her humility and beauty won her favor in the eyes of all who saw her (Esther 2:15).
Many lovely young women had passed that way to the royal throne room before her, but Esther was different. She had a special inner beauty which seemed to radiate from within. Her eyes shone brightly and lovingly, and her smile reflected a joy that only a child of God could possess. From the moment King Ahasuerus first saw her, his heart began to well with emotion. The Bible says that “The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen” (Esther 2:16–17).
As Esther stood beside the king, for an instant her mind rushed back through her life as a young girl. “How God has kept and protected me all these years,” she thought. “Even when I had no parents and my future looked so dark, still the Lord had a plan for me. If He could help me then, surely He will help me now, when I need Him most.” This was the beginning of one of the most important missions ever given to a woman of God—that of preserving the people of God from many dangers and risks yet to come.
Esther’s coronation was a great cause for celebration. No longer was the kingdom without a queen. King Ahasuerus gave a magnificent feast for all his princes and officials, to be held in Esther’s honor. As a gesture of the king’s generosity to the people, a special tax holiday was proclaimed throughout all the provinces, and the king “gave gifts with royal generosity” (Esther 2:18).
But it wasn’t long after young Esther’s coronation that trouble began to brew within the palace walls. No king was safe on his throne in those days. There was always somebody plotting to take his life, and King Ahasuerus was no exception. Two of King Ahasuerus’ servants who guarded the door became angry with the king and conspired to assassinate him. As they whispered news of their plans, Mordecai, who sat in the king’s gate, overheard them and immediately told Esther, who reported it to the king, and gave Mordecai the credit for exposing them.
After an official investigation confirmed their intentions, the would-be assassins were arrested and hanged. But in all the excitement, Mordecai was forgotten, and no recognition was given him for saving the king’s life, though it was recorded in the book of the chronicles of the king (Esther 2:21–23). However, it was this very act that would be pivotal to the future of the Jewish people, the restoration of Israel, and the coming of the promised Messiah nearly 500 years later. (See Part 2 of “The Story of Esther.”)
From an article in Treasures, published by the Family International in 1987. Adapted and republished July 2025.
Copyright © 2025 The Family International