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1. How was King Xerxes' banquet and what was its purpose? (1:1-8) On the last day of the banquet what did the king ask of Queen Vashti? (9-11) How did the queen respond? Why such a response? (12a) How did the king’s attitude change toward the queen? (12b) 2. Whom did the king consult and what proposition was made? (13-19) What was the reason of such a proposition? (20) What did the king do? (21-22) 3. How much time elapsed since the beginning of the passage? (1:3; 2:16) What was the king’s situation and what was done for the king? (2:1-4) Who were suddenly introduced at this national event and how were their human conditions? (5-7) 4. How was Esther made queen? How was Esther different from any of the other virgins? (8-18)

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Esther is the only book of the Bible in which the name of God is not mentioned. The book of Esther was intended to describe the origin of Jewish Feast of Purim. But the main purpose of the book was to reveal the faithfulness of God and the unfailing love of God. Also it describe of God’s preservation of His chosen people among pagans. The time frame is about 5th century of B.C. The most of the Jews who were carried to Babylonian returned to their home country. But not everyone went home. Esther was one of the Jews who were left over in Persia, which was formally Babylon. Today’s passage is about how Esther was made queen. I. QUEEN VASHTI DEPOSED. Look at verses 1 -2. 1 This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush : 2. At that time King Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa King Xerxes was the king who had a huge territory from India to Cush. His land includes modern countries of Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, even the part of China. King Xerxes was the king in the movie, '300'.(It was M. Mary' favourite movie) He was the Dario's first son. Look at verses 3-4. 3 and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present. 4 For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. In the third year the king invited all the nobles, military generals, governors, and mayors from the provinces. The capital city began to be crowded with nicely dressed fat guys and with the overcharged horse chariots. The banquet continued for six months. It was a long party. Even the international Olympic Games continues only 12-16 days. We get couple weeks of excitement for 2009 Vancouver Winter Olympic games. Last week the torch passed through Toronto. Go Canada! But they had six months of party. They loved drinking. But upon the party there was a political purpose. The king was planning to invade Greek to avenge his fathers' defeat at Marathon. (The word is familiar.) He prepared the war for four years. So the party was a kind of planning session for the war. They must have had strategic meetings. Also he wanted to impress the leaders of the provinces with his wealth and majesty in order that they may be convinced to start the war. Look at verse 5-8. 5 When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest, who were in the citadel of Susa. ( 6 The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones. 7 Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality. 8 By the king’s command each guest was allowed to drink in his own way, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished. ) When the main banquet was completed he had another seven days of banquet. It was for the city. It was like a party for Torontonians. He wanted to show his thanks to the citizens for their corporation and support for the national event. Look at verse 5. All the people from the least to the greatest were invited. The mayor came with police officers. Nurses came. Bankers came. Students who were exhausted with the final exam came. Daddies came holding their kids' hands. It was the best day for the homeless. The food was free and the coffee and drink were ready. Look at verse 6. The king showed his hearty welcome by decorating the palace garden. The hanging white and blue linen boosted the party mood. The marble pillars were rounded by the silver strips like Christmas decoration. The ground was paved by marbles mixed with gold and silver. Look at verse 8. The king showed his liberality by esteeming their nationalities. They could eat in their own way. Look at verses 9-11. 9 Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes. 10 On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carcas— 11 to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at. Queen Vashti was holding a banquet for the women. Probably the queen was in charge of the guests' wives. Their party was woman style. They talked a lot and drank only mild champagne. Look at verses 10,11. It was the final day of the whole banquet and the king was in high spirits from wine. But because of the alcohol the king was out of his mind and he made a huge mistake. He brought an idea to impress the guests by showing his wife's beauty. He commanded the seven eunuchs to bring the Queen Vashti with her royal crown. Look at verse 12. 12 But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger. A totally unexpected outcome was brought out. The queen refused the king's command. The Bible doesn’t tell why the queen refused the king’s command. But there are some assumptions. Maybe she was drunk. Maybe she was not happy on her hair style. Someone said that maybe she got a boyfriend.(Internet source) Maybe she was pregnant and her belly was growing. Historically the king's son Artaxerxes was born the next year. But one thing was clear that she was having her own guests and her pride was greatly hurt when she was asked to do a fashion show. Anyway by this accident the king's marriage began to suffer greatly. The king enraged and burned with anger. The king made a mistake himself and could not hold his own temper. He was an emperor of a great country but he was a mere person who makes a mistake easily. Like king Xerxes we make mistakes so easily. It is the time for us to close one year and start a new year. And every one of us has the memories of our own mistake and sin. We don't want to carry them to the New Year. We don't want any guilt rule over our thoughts. And we need God's grace. The way how to entrust all our sins and mistakes in God's hands is illustrated in a struggle of a missionary to China Rosalind Goforth was a missionary to China who, along with her husband Jonathan. For many years even having laboured for the Lord in China, Rosalind often felt oppressed by a burden of sin. She felt guilty and dirty, nursing inward sense of spiritual failure. Finally one evening when all was quiet, she settled at her desk with Bible and determined to find out God’s attitude toward the failures, the faults, the sins of his children. She put these words at the top for the page: WHAT GOD DOES WITH OUR SINS. Then as she searched through the Scriptures, she compiled this list of truths: 1. He lays them on his son – Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53:6 2. Christ takes them away. John 1:29 3. They are removed an immeasurable distance – as far as East is from West. Psalm 123:12 4. When sought for, they are not found. Jeremiah 50:20 5. The Lord forgives them. Ephesians 1:7 6. He cleanses them ALL away by the blood of his son. 1John 1:7 7. He cleanses them as white as snow or wool. Isaiah 1:18; Psalm 51:7 8. He abundantly pardons them. Isaiah 55:7 9. He tramples them under foot. Micah 7:19 10. He remembers them no more. Hebrews 10:17 11. He casts them behind his back. Isaiah 38:17 12. He casts them into the depths of the sea. Micah 7;19 13. He will not impute us with sins. Romans 4;8 14. He covers them. Romans 4:7 15. He blots them out. Isaiah 43:25 16. He blots out even the proof against us. Nailing it to His son’s Cross. Colossians 2:14 We all need to come to God and solve our emotional and heart problems. We are all invited to God's redemptive love in Christ. Look at verses 13-18. 13 Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times 14 and were closest to the king—Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan, the seven nobles of Persia and Media who had special access to the king and were highest in the kingdom. 15 "According to law, what must be done to Queen Vashti?" he asked. "She has not obeyed the command of King Xerxes that the eunuchs have taken to her." 16 Then Memucan replied in the presence of the king and the nobles, "Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the nobles and the peoples of all the provinces of King Xerxes. 17 For the queen's conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands and say, 'King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she would not come.' 18 This very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about the queen's conduct will respond to all the king's nobles in the same way. There will be no end of disrespect and discord. 19 "Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be repealed, that Vashti is never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes. Also let the king give her royal position to someone else who is better than she. 20 Then when the king's edict is proclaimed throughout all his vast realm, all the women will respect their husbands, from the least to the greatest." 21 The king and his nobles were pleased with this advice, so the king did as Memucan proposed. 22 He sent dispatches to all parts of the kingdom, to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, proclaiming in each people's tongue that every man should be ruler over his own household. The king consulted with the legal department of the palace. Then Memucan picked the queen's faults in verses 16-18. As a result they added a new law to the constitution, “The women will respect their husbands.” “Everyman should be ruler over his own household.” And the queen Vashti was deposed. These verses are arguable among men and women and old generation and new generation. But the main point of the Bible is that the queen was deposed and Esther got a chance to be a queen. Who would be able to think that the girl in a minor ethnic group Esther be a queen? But God's invisible hand enabled it. The world is full of accidents big and small. But we should believe that still God is the sovereign ruler over all things. 1 Cor 1:25 says, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength" There is a funny story of a man who tried God. The man asked, "What is a million years to you?" God answered "Like a second." The man's next question was "What is ten million dollars to you?" And the answer came, "It is like a dime." "Well then" the man continued, "Can I borrow a dime?" God responded, "Just a second." We need to believe in God's absolute goodness in his invisible working. We see the great men and women of God in Christian history who trusted in God absolutely. The next illustration shows how William Carey trusted in God. "William Carey had been working for years to fulfill his burning desire to go as a missionary to India. Having overcome one obstacle after another, he finally found himself aboard the Oxford, bound for Asia. But the sheep was left on the shoreline of England by contrary wind and he had to take off to the ground with his luggage piled up beside him. But William Carey absolutely trusted in God's overfilling plan. To his friend Andrew Fuller, he wrote: "All I can say in this affair are superintended by an infinitely wise God." We don't know what are waiting for us in the coming year. But we all hope that the victory and happiness may be reserved for us. But sometimes things seem to be going as we do not desire. And it is the time for us to trust in God who works invisibly for our sake. Whatever happens, one thing is clear that everything is in God's hand. Don't worry about the future. Just trust in God. II. ESTHER MADE QUEEN. There was four year interval between chapter 1 and chapter 2. King Xerxes invaded Greek and was defeated at the famous Battle of Salamis. Look at verse 1. 1. Later when the anger of King Xerxes had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what he had decreed about her After the anger of the king subsided, he realized that he had been foolish in his actions. Look at verses 2-4. 2 Then the king’s personal attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. 3 Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful girls 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. 4 Then let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it. The personal attendants sensed of the king's problem and suggested an idea. It was to select a new queen. And the queen would be from the beauty contest. That would be the world’s first beauty contest. The king liked the idea and signed on it. Look at verses 5 – 7. 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, 6 who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin a king of Judah. 7 Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This girl, who was also known as Esther, was lovely in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died. Mordecai was introduced first. He was a Benjamite and Kish's great grand-son. Mordecai was the fourth generation of the immigrants. Esther was an orphan. She saw her parents' death. And her cousin Mordecai took her and raised her like a daughter. She was lovely in form and features. I have a Bible quiz here. What is Esther's original name? Answer is 'Hadassah'. Hadassah means 'pomegranate' and Esther means 'star' in Persian language. Look at verses 8-9. 8 When the king's order and edict had been proclaimed, many girls 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. 9 The girl pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven maids selected from the king's palace and moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem. Many girls were brought to the city of Susa for the contest. Now the city began to be crowded with beautiful girls distracting men's eyes. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace. Esther pleased the Eunuch and immediately her beauty treatment and special food were provided together with seven maids. What is special food? The dictionary describes, the special food is the food, which is better than ordinary food. Obviously the low calorie foods were provided. I researched for the diet foods for the Bible study purpose. And the top seven diet foods are as followings: 1. Apples 2. Avocadoes 3.Grapefruits 4. Hot peppers(Kim-chi is good) 5.Broccoli 6. Blueberries 7. Almonds (I know it is controversial. I checked only one website.) Look at verses 10, 11. 10 Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. 11 Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her. Those verses show of the intimidate relationship between Esther and Mordecai. Esther was obedient to him and Mordecai cared of her like his own daughter. Look at verses 12-14. 12 Before a girl'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. 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. 14 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. These verses describe the rules of the beauty contest. The girls who participated would live a lonely life unless she was favoured by the king. Look at verses 15-18. 15 When the turn came for Esther (the girl Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her. 16 She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 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. 18 And the king gave a great banquet, Esther's banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality. Finally Esther's turn came. Esther put only basic foundations. But Esther's beauty was outstanding. Other girls used all kind artificial make-ups such as gold ear rings and fancy finger nails. Some girls used very expensive cosmetic creams. They say there was a very special cosmetic, which was made out of chemicals of insects. The other girls used all kind of things, even insect cream to get the king's attention. But they could not compete with Esther. Look at verse 15, 16 again. Esther won the favour of everyone. And the king was attracted to her more than to any of the other women. Look at verses 17b, 18. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 And the king gave a great banquet, Esther's banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality. Finally Esther became the queen Esther. The king set the crown on her head. He gave a great banquet and called it Esther's banquet. He even proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts to people. Esther was beautiful and was used for God's purpose because of her beauty. And her beauty was shining more by her obedient inner beauty. As an orphan she could nurture bitter root in her heart. But she overcame her environment by learning faith from Mordecai. We are not all beautiful like Esther.(I know you are beautiful.) But we all can be used because each one of us has God uniquely given gift. And it will be more shiny when we grow in God inwardly. Nobody expected that Esther would become a queen. Especially when she was little, all kind of sorrowful things as an orphan overshadowed her. But when she endured all these, she became a queen of the greatest country of the time. Life is full of endless trials. But the faith is to wait for God's work and God's time. God will bring victory to us in his own time if we faithfully serve him. Dr. Pamela Reeve, a famous professor and writer, wrote that 'Faith is resting in the fact that God has a purpose in me when I feel useless to Him and a burden to others.' She also wrote, 'Faith is engaging in the deepest joy, knowing his unfathomable love for me as I walk through the thorny desolate road." Let's learn faith and experience God's grace of victory in the coming year. In conclusion, God's invisible work was among the worldly events and God prepared his people for the coming danger. Also Esther was used as God's instrument to save his chosen people. Written by Peter Moon

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