Esther 2:1 - Meaning and Application

In the last chapter, we saw how God brought down a proud woman from her place. Now we see how he raised up a humble one. Mary sings of this in her song (Luke 1:52), and Hannah said the same before her (1 Samuel 2:4-8). Vashti was humbled because of her pride, and Esther was lifted up because of her humility.

The king then took extreme measures to please himself with a new wife instead of Vashti. Josephus says that when the king’s anger cooled, he was very sorry the matter had gone so far. He would have made peace with Vashti, but the law of the government would not allow the decision to be reversed. So, to help him forget her, they first surrounded him with many concubines, then tried to settle him on the most pleasing one as queen instead of Vashti.

Princes usually arrange marriages for political gain, to expand power and strengthen alliances. But this one depended partly on what pleased the king’s taste, whether the woman was rich or poor, noble or humble. What effort was spent to indulge him. It was as if his power and wealth existed only so he could fill every desire of the body to the highest level. Yet even at their best, such pleasures are only dust and refuse compared with spiritual pleasures.

All the provinces of the kingdom were searched for beautiful young virgins, and officers were appointed to choose them (Esther 2:3). A special house, a harem, was prepared for them, and someone was put in charge to provide for them well. They were given twelve months for cleansing and beautifying themselves, at least those brought from the countryside, so they could be made very clean and perfumed (Esther 2:12). Even those who were the finest work of nature still needed all this help from art to please a vain and sinful mind.

After the king took them to his bed, they were kept apart from then on, unless he chose to send for one again (Esther 2:14). They were treated as lesser wives, supported by the king, and could not marry anyone else. From this example, we see how far people can sink when they do not have God’s revelation and are left to their sinful desires as a judgment for idolatry. They broke through the law of creation, which came from God making man, and then broke another law, which came from God making one man and one woman. This shows how much the gospel of Christ was needed to cleanse people from fleshly lusts and bring them back to the original order. Those who have learned Christ will feel it is shameful even to speak of such things, which were done not only in secret but openly (Ephesians 5:12).

Still, God was working through all of this to bring Esther to be queen. If she had been suggested to Ahasuerus as a wife, he would likely have rejected the idea with contempt. But when her turn came after several others, it was clear that although many were clever, sensible, graceful, and pleasant, Esther surpassed them all. Even her rivals helped make a way for her into the king’s favor and the honors that followed. Bishop Patrick rightly says that those who accuse Esther of great sin in reaching this dignity do not understand the customs of that time and place. Every woman the king took to his bed became his wife of a lower rank, as Hagar was Abraham’s. So if Esther had not become queen, Jacob’s sons would not need to say that he treated their sister like a prostitute.

We should notice several things about Esther. First, her background and character. She was one of the captives, a Jewess who shared her people’s exile. Daniel and his companions were also raised up in the land where they were prisoners, because they were among those whom God had sent there for their good (Jeremiah 24:5). Esther was also an orphan, for both her father and mother had died (Esther 2:7). When parents fail us, then the Lord takes us up (Psalm 27:10). When children who lose their parents early later become notably godly and successful, we should give glory to the God of grace and providence who cares for the fatherless. He calls himself a Father of the fatherless.

She was also beautiful, with a fine form and good face, as the margin notes say (Esther 2:7). Her wisdom and virtue were her true beauty, but it is still a help when a diamond is well set. Mordecai, her cousin, took care of her and brought her up as his own daughter. The Septuagint says he planned to marry her, and if that was true, he still deserves praise for not standing in the way of her greater advancement. Let us thank God for raising up friends for children without parents. And let it encourage those who care for orphans, since many who have raised them have later seen the good fruit of their labor with great joy.

Dr. Lightfoot thinks this Mordecai may be the same man named in Ezra 2:2, who went up to Jerusalem with the first return and helped the people settle until the temple work stopped, then returned to the Persian court to serve there. Since Mordecai was Esther’s guardian, we are told how tenderly he cared for her, as if she were his own child. He walked every day before her door to learn how she was doing and what would become of her (Esther 2:11). Those who have dependents placed in their care by God should show the same kindness and concern.

We are also told how respectful Esther was to Mordecai. Though they were equal in family relation, she was younger and depended on him, so she honored him as a father and did what he commanded (Esther 2:20). Orphans should take this as an example. If they come under the care of those who truly love them, they should respond with proper gratitude, love, and obedience. The less their guardians were required by duty to provide for them, the more they should feel bound by thankfulness to honor and obey them.

Esther also showed her obedience when Mordecai told her not to reveal her people or kindred (Esther 2:10). He did not tell her to deny her country or speak a lie about her birth. If he had, she must not have obeyed. He only told her not to make her background known. Not every truth must be spoken at every time, though no lie should ever be told. Since she was born in Shushan and her parents had died, everyone likely assumed she was Persian, and she was not required to correct them.

Second, we see her advancement. Who would have thought that a Jewess, a captive, and an orphan was born to be a queen, even an empress? Yet that is what happened.

Providence sometimes lifts the poor from the dust and sets them among princes (1 Samuel 2:8). In Esther’s case, the king’s officer treated her with honor and was ready to serve her (Esther 2:9). Wisdom and good character often win respect. Those who are secure in God’s favor will also find favor with people, as far as it is good for them.

Everyone who saw Esther admired her (Esther 2:15) and thought she was the one most likely to win the crown, which she did. The king himself fell in love with her. She did not try to impress others with artificial beauty, as the other young women did. She asked for nothing except what was assigned to her (Esther 2:15), and still she was the most pleasing of all. Natural beauty is often the most attractive.

The king loved Esther more than all the women, and he quickly decided to place the royal crown on her head and make her queen (Esther 2:17). This happened in his seventh year, while Vashti had been put away in his third year (Esther 1:3), so he had no queen for four years. The text notes the honors the king gave Esther. He marked her coronation with a royal feast (Esther 2:18), and Esther may have appeared there in public, at the king’s request. That would have shown obedience in the very matter where Vashti had shown disobedience. He also gave a release to the provinces, perhaps by canceling unpaid taxes or by pardoning criminals, as Pilate later released a prisoner at a feast. This was meant to add to the joy.

The text also notes that Esther kept showing respect to her former guardian. She still obeyed Mordecai, just as she had when he raised her (Esther 2:20). Mordecai sat in the king’s gate, which was the highest place he had reached, serving as one of the court’s gatekeepers. Whether he already held that post or Esther helped him get it, we are not told. Still, he was content there and did not seek higher rank. Even so, Esther, now raised to the throne, continued to listen to him.

This shows a humble and thankful spirit. She remembered his former care and trusted his wisdom. It is a great honor for those who are advanced in life to remember their benefactors, keep the lessons of a good upbringing, be modest about themselves, welcome advice, and be thankful for it.