Esther Explained | Salvation Will Ariseনমুনা

Day 2 | Esther 2 

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Welcome back to Through the Word, pastor Jonathan here in Esther 2. And today we find, a beauty pageant? 

Chapter 2 begins with King Xerxes remembering what has happened with Vashti. By this time, three years have passed. Xerxes has returned home from fighting the Greeks, and the fight there did not go as planned. He’s humiliated, and, walking into his palace, remembers that his wife is gone. Verse 2:

"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).

So Xerxes’ attendants propose a “Miss Persian Empire” beauty pageant. The king would send out men who would travel throughout his empire, and bring the most beautiful women to the king so he could decide which one would be the new queen. This, unfortunately, seems to be the major factor in picking a new bride, looks. After the last chapter’s description of Xerxes’s palace and garden party, it is clear he had an eye for beautiful things, and unfortunately, that is what women were to him, just things. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the king decided that this was a great idea. 

And that brings up, a challenging question for us here. King Xerxes clearly objectifies women, and his officials aren’t helping. But what about the Bible? Does the Word of God support him? The issue is complicated further by the history of religion in our world, which has often been used in much the same way as political power, placing women as subservient and unequal to men. But what does the Bible say, and what is God’s intention for us in this critical matter? We will come back to that. First, let’s get back to our story. Verse 5:

"Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin king of Judah. Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died" (Esther 2:5-7).

And here we are introduced to two major characters in our story. Mordecai and Hadassah, also called Esther. Mordecai was a descendant of Jews who had been carried off by King Nebuchadnezzar at the destruction of Babylon. After King Cyrus had defeated Babylon, he proclaimed that the Jews could return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple. 40 years have passed, and many Jews, such as Mordecai, remain in Persia. Mordecai had adopted his cousin Hadassah and had cared for her as his daughter.

But this happy little family is about to have a big shakeup. Verse 8:

"When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem" (Esther 2:8).

Esther, caught up in circumstances beyond her control, was taken into the palace to participate in the beauty contest. It doesn’t appear that she had a choice about this. But she does appear to progress quickly in the program. Verse 9:

"She pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem.

Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so" (Esther 2:9-10).

Esther seems to have been the ideal candidate for these beauty treatments. She pleased Hegai, who gave Esther better rooms and personal servants. Esther seems like she has a decent shot of winning this thing. Not only is she the favorite of the harem guard, but verse 15 says that Esther: 

“…won favor with everyone who saw her” (Esther 2:15). 

Esther progressed quickly in the court in Xerxes, but it came at the cost of suppressing her identity. No one knew of her faith in the God of Israel. This becomes a theme in Esther, and we will revisit it in a few chapters. For now, let’s move on to the actual beauty contest. Verse 12:

"Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics" (Esther 2:12)

The Persians were well known for their beauty treatments, and historians have detailed ritualistic baths, plucking of eyebrows, henna, beautifying paste, skin-lightening regimens, and facial makeup that the Persians all participated in. So, what about makeup? The Bible doesn’t offer any commentary here regarding the rightness or wrongness of this whole process, it simply presents for us the reality of Esther’s story. She is introduced as a beautiful woman, and because of her beauty, she is forced along this path, with months of treatments to make her more beautiful, and all for the sake of pleasing a king that she doesn’t even know. Yet, 1st Peter tells us that a woman’s beauty isn’t about the external, fancy hair and beauty treatments, but that true beauty comes from the inner person, from the heart, that is: 

“…the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.” (1 Peter 3:4)

And we know that, but it’s so easy to get caught up in a world that celebrates and treasures physical beauty. It’s a complex issue, and there’s a lot more to it. But let’s go on with the story here. Verse 13:

"And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name" (Esther 2:13-14).

One night, then banished to the harem, never to be free to marry another. No kids, no husband, no love, no freedom, just life as a perpetual widow. Banishment with a group of women, all who had just missed being good enough for the king. 

So, Esther is taken to the king for her one night. Verse 17:

"Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti" (Esther 2:17).

“There she is, Miss Persian Empire.” But, did Esther compromise her faith while winning this contest? Esther may have wanted to remain Hadassah and live with Mordecai, but that option was not on the table. When she was brought into the palace, she had two options: put God first, and open herself to possible suffering, or conceal her identity and make the best of this difficult situation. With Mordecai’s insistence, she chooses concealment. 

At this point in the story, Esther seems to live opposite the life of Daniel. Daniel and his friends were brought into the King’s palace but refused to take the special treatment given to them because it would compromise their faith. 

It might be easy to progress far in the world by concealing your faith in Christ, but it is never the answer, and there are always consequences. Abraham and Sarah compromised, and brought Hagar into their family, setting up years of family strife. David compromised with Bathsheba, resulting in the death of an innocent man and some pretty messed up kids. Peter compromised in Antioch, and Paul had to publicly rebuke him. 

So, stop concealing your faith because you are afraid of missing a promotion or losing a friend. Stop holding on to the world’s values over those of Jesus. Live a life of bold faith, and don’t fear what may come. 

But can you blame Esther? The world sees her beauty and values her for it, even rewards her, albeit in an objectifying and degrading manner. But sometimes it’s easier to believe the world’s labels than to find who you really are, to find the beauty that Peter says:

“…is of great worth in God's sight” (1 Peter 3:4).

But Esther’s story isn’t over yet, and neither is yours. Regardless of past compromise, God can take broken sinners, change them, and use them for his glory. We’ll see how God uses Esther in the coming chapters. 

The chapter closes with Mordecai uncovering a plot on the King’s life. Mordecai informs Esther, who notifies the King. The king has the conspirators arrested and killed. And the entire event is written down in the annals of the king, where it’ll stay for a few chapters. 

Now, read Esther 2, and join us in chapter 3 as we meet the biggest, baddest, ugliest villain the Jews had ever faced up to now, a man named Haman.

Read Esther 2

All verses are quoted from the NIV unless otherwise noted.