Dear Daughters and Sisters,
Isn't it incredible that we are headed into week 3? You all have certainly made this study interesting with your insights and input. How I enjoy "hearing" from all of you! Its a much a richer experience than doing a study on my own. Thank you all for the time and effort you put forth as you contribute here!!!
As we finish up Esther 2, thought I'd share again from
~Be Committed ~
3. The intervention of Mordecai (Es. 2:19–23)
The second “gathering of the virgins” mentioned in verse 19 probably means that the king’s officers continued to gather beautiful girls for his harem, for Ahasuerus wasn’t likely to become a monogamist and spend the rest of his life with Esther alone. Those who hold that this entire occasion was a “beauty contest” see this second gathering as a farewell to the “candidates” who never got to see the king. They were thanked and sent home. I prefer the first interpretation. Queen or no queen, a man like Ahasuerus wasn’t about to release a group of beautiful virgins from his palace!
But most importantly, in verse 19 we now see Mordecai in a position of honor and authority, sitting at the king’s gate (4:2; 5:13). In the East, the gate was the ancient equivalent of our modern law courts, the place where important official business was transacted (Ruth 4:1; Dan. 2:48–49). It’s possible that Queen Esther used her influence to get her cousin this job.
Once again, we marvel at the providence of God in the life of a man who was not honoring the God of Israel. Neither Mordecai nor Esther had revealed their true nationality. Perhaps we should classify them with Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea who were “secret disciples” and yet were used of God to protect and bury the body of Jesus (John 19:38–42). Like these two men, Mordecai and Esther were “hidden” in the Persian capital because God had a very special work for them to do. Mordecai was able to use his position for the good of both the king and the Jews.
In Eastern courts, palace intrigue was a normal thing. Only a few officers had free access to the king (Es. 1:10, 14), and they often used their privileges to get bribes from people who needed the king’s help. (This is why Daniel’s fellow officers didn’t like him; he was too honest. See Dan. 6.)
It’s possible that this assassination attempt was connected with the crowning of the new queen and that Vashti’s supporters in the palace resented what Ahasuerus had done. Or perhaps these two men hated Esther because she was an outsider. Although it wasn’t consistently obeyed, tradition said that Persian kings should select their wives from women within the seven noble families of the land. These conspirators may have been traditionalists who didn’t want a “commoner” on the throne.
Ahasuerus enjoyed almost unlimited authority, wealth, and pleasure. He was insulated from the everyday problems of life (Es. 4:1–4); but this didn’t guarantee his personal safety. It was still possible for people to plot against the king and threaten his life. In fact, fourteen years later, Ahasuerus was assassinated!
God in His providence enabled Mordecai to hear about the plot and notify Queen Esther. When Esther told the king, she gave Mordecai the credit for uncovering the conspiracy; and this meant that his name was written into the official chronicle. This fact will play an important part in the drama four years later (6:1ff).
The phrase “hanged on a tree” (Es. 2:23, KJV) probably means “impaled on a stake,” one of the usual forms of capital punishment used by the Persians, who were not known for their leniency to prisoners. The usual form of capital punishment among the Jews was stoning; but if they really wanted to humiliate the victim, they would hang the corpse on a tree until sundown (Deut. 21:22–23).
Mordecai received neither recognition nor reward for saving the king’s life. No matter; God saw to it that the facts were permanently recorded, and He would make good use of them at the right time. Our good works are like seeds that are planted by faith, and their fruits don’t always appear immediately. “Evil pursues sinners, but to the righteous, good shall be repaid” (Prov. 13:21, NKJV). Joseph befriended a fellow prisoner, and the man completely forgot his kindness for two years (Gen. 40:23; 41:1). But God’s timing is always perfect, and He sees to it that no good deed is ever wasted.
The plot that Mordecai successfully exposed, however, was nothing compared to the plot he would uncover four years later, planned and perpetrated by Haman, the enemy of the Jews.
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