Esther ~ Queen
She could not believe she let Mordecai talk her into this. What was she thinking? Her palms began to sweat as she walked slowly towards the inner court of the palace, in front hall of King Xerxes. Although she had prayed and fasted for three days before she gathered the courage to approach the king unannounced, a crime punishable by death, she couldn’t help but be nervous. When she reached the door there he sat on his throne. His face brightened when he saw her, dressed in her royal robes, the most beautiful woman in all of Persia. His Queen. Queen Esther. She remembered Mordecai’s words, “Esther, you were made for such a time as this!”
Esther was playing the long game. She would have to be strategic and patient to win this one. Haman, the King’s highest official was secretly plotting to have all her people, the Jews, in the kingdom annihilated. Her cousin, Mordecai, who had taken her in after her parents died, was also a high ranking official in King Xerxes court. He and Haman did not jive. All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, but Mordecai refused to play his into his ego. Haman was determined to have Mordecai, along with everyone else in the kingdom, bow down to him as if he were the king! When Mordecai refused to do so, Haman decided to punish any and every one that was Jewish, because he knew Mordecai was also a Jew.
Since Xerxes had banished Queen Vashti, her rise to being the next Queen in line proved tedious. She had attended so many beauty classes and services it made her sick. Not that she needed them, but this was required of all the virgins in the land if they wanted a shot at the throne. Each time she went before the King for him to look her over, she put on the best show she knew how. She did the opposite of everything Vashti had done. She batted her eyes, she licked her lips, she showed a little more skin than she was actaully comfortable with. She often thought of Vashti and admired her bravery. Sometimes, she felt like an imposter in her own skin, playing these ridiculous games. Did she want to be Queen? No. She did not. But between her and Mordecai, it seemed to be the only way to save their people. They would infiltrate from the inside, and bring down the bad guy, Haman. From what she could tell, being in the palace for only a short time, Xerxes listened to all Haman’s advice without question. As king, she found him pompous and easily influenced. Swayed by wine, and gossip, and women. Basically, he was a moron. She was going to have to use her looks to manipulate this man, which shouldn’t be hard. After all, that’s how he chose his queen. He based it soley on outward appearance. He didn’t even know that she was Jewish. He never even asked anything about her! How shallow can a person be?
So, here she was about to ask both Xerxes and Haman to attend a banquet she was putting together just for them. She had strategically planned two banquets, disguised as social events. By carefully orchestrating these gatherings, her goal was to be able to protect her people and expose Haman's evil plans. She would have to tread lightly. Feel out this first banquet, then put the hammer down during the second.
To her delight, Xerxes eagerly accepted the invitation. The party went off without hitch! She was able to watch the interactions of the two men together. They were both overflowing with egos so gigantic she knew the easiest way to get Xerxes to hear her, would be to make him jealous of Haman. “This is going to be even easier than I anticipated,” she thought to herself. When it comes to prideful men, thier egos are the most fragile things on the planet! She deciced to play this out as if nothing were wrong and invited them to the second banquet.
“I’ve had such a wonderful time tonight! Would you care to join me again tomorrow?” Her made sure her voice was as smooth as silk, and bit her lower lip just a bit, to play up to them how vulnerable and wanting she was. They agreed almost in unison, and she was pleased to see how their eyes cut quickly toward each other in a twinge of discontent.
The second party was underway, and Esther made sure to have the maid servants keep the wine coming. Xerxes began to slur his words, “Esther, my Queen what is it you wish! Anything you desire, it is yours!”
This was her moment. The moment for which she was created. “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life-this is my petition. And spare my people-this is my request. For I am a Jew, and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed, and annihilated.” The mouth’s of both men hit the floor. Haman turned bright red as Xerxes bellowed, “Kill you!? Kill your people?! Who conspires to do such a thing!?”
She slowed raised her arm and pointed her index finger at Haman, who stammered and stuttered, too drunk to find the words to defend himself properly. Xerxes left the room in a rage and stormed to the gardens to gather his thoughts. Haman hit the floor on his knees.
“Esther, my Queen, I beg you, have mercy!” He inched closer and closer so much that she could smell the wine on his breath. At that moment the King burst back in furious at what he saw.
“Look at you, Haman! I’m gone for five minutes and you’re already trying to grope my wife! How dare you! Tonight, you will be impaled on the pole you had set for your enemy! Tonight, you die, not my wife, and not her people!” She had accomplished her mission.
Esther homed in on a skill that is hard for a lot people to master, me included. Patience. She realized that sometimes you have to let people think you’re the fool. She understood timing. She understood the power of being underestimated. See, when people think you don’t know, they talk freely and reveal themselves. When they think you’re slow, they move sloppy. When they think you are naive, they will show themselves, every time. She sat with an airheaded look on her face, meanwhile she was collecting data like a CIA agent.
A fool reacts. Wisdom observes. Sometimes there is no need to correct every lie, or clarify every assumption. Here’s the truth. The person who has to prove they’re smart, is normally NOT the smartest person in the room. Sometimes you have to let them think you’re lofty. Let them think you’re harmless. Not loud, not bitter, not reactive. Sometimes acting foolish, is not foolish. It’s controlled restraint. Esther knew that the plot was coming against her people. She didn’t rush to the throne screaming and hollering, this would have surely had her killed. She preserved her power and waited for God’s divine timing. Jesus was the ultimate example of this behavior time and time and time again.
Pick your moment because you never know, “Maybe you were made for such a time as this.” Esther 4:14
