Esther, to be found in the old testament, was a Jewish wife of a Persian king. Esther was classified as a poor woman who did not have much. At this time in the bible, the Jews had been defeated by Babalan, which meant they were exiled from their homeland and taken as slaves. However, later in the story the Babylonians were defeated by the Persians and the Jews were under the authority of the Persian king, Xerxes. 

King Xerxes decided he wanted to throw a party, but not just any party. The most lavish seven-day extravaganza known in their time. This would be carried out with expensive feasts and drinks, music, and more. On the last day of this soiree, the king wanted to show off his wife, who was very beautiful. However, when the king called for his wife to come to the feast, she refused. As result, this angered the king and he declared she was no longer the queen. Now at this time, a king wasn't a complete king without a queen. Given that he had just dismantled his queen, he needed to find a new queen. So he paraded every single woman through the palace like an auction, seeing who would be the best fit for the title of queen. Among those women trotting through the palace was a lady named Esther. Esther was secretly a jew, who was raised by her uncle, Mordecai. Although Esther was possibly the lowest in class among them, the Lord was with Esther. When she was brought forth, she found favor among all the palace and the king’s staff and ultimately the king himself. He chose her to be his queen. 

A while down the road, Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, overheard men speaking of plans to kill the king. Her uncle quickly told Esther what he heard and Esther told her husband, the king. As soon king Xerxes, he swiftly ‘handled’ the situation by having the accused men hung. Even though he saved the king’s life, Mordecai was never recognized for what he did. Later, Mordecai found himself in trouble when a man named Haman rose to power. 

Haman was the king’s second in command. When Haman walked the streets, all men were ordered to bow to him, but with Mordecai being a jew and a follower of Jesus Christ, he refused to bow. Of course this angered Haman when he found out and he threatened to kill every Jew in the palace. He sent out a decree that ordered all Jews to be executed and their property taken. When Mordecai found out about the decree, he went to Esther begging her to ask the king to override and change Haman’s mind. Esther knew if she approached the king without being summoned, by law she could be put to death. Esther was torn, but after much fasting and praying, she decided to approach the king. 

When she came before the king, he asked  “what do you desire?” She replied that she wanted to invite the king and Haman to a feast that she will prepare for them. King Xerxes and Haman were excited. At the end of the meal, the king asked her once more “what is it that you wish? Anything you want will be granted to you, even half the kingdom”. Her response “ if it pleases the king, the King and Haman will join another feast that I will prepare. There will I answer the king’s question.” 

Upon Haman’s exit from the palace, he passed Mordecai, which only reminded him of the ‘dishonor’ of his refusal. He set an order to have Mordecai executed. On the other hand, the king could not rest that night, so ordered his staff to have a book of records read to him. When the king learned of the plans against Mordecai, he asked “what honor has been brought to him for saving my life?” The king called forth Haman and asked what shall he do for someone he wants to honor. Haman quickly responded thinking the king was talking about him, saying “ you should dress him in royal robes, put him on your horse and ride him through the city to let everyone know this is the man the king has honored. ” The king agreed to the response and ordered Haman to fetch Mordecai and do exactly that. 

The second feast had come. And it had gone. The king asked again what Esther desired and she answered for her and her people to be spared because it had been declared that all Jews be executed, which I am a jew. The king was upset and asked who would vow such a thing and upset my queen. She stated, “Haman.” Also that Haman set a platform for the execution. The king replied and ordered Haman to be executed on that platform. And so it was. A new decree was issued saving the lives of Esther and all Jews. Esther and Mordecai were honored and the rest of their days were serving the king.