Esther is chosen as queen to replace the banished Vashti.

Esther 2:15-18

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 “Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her.” Esther 2:15

Esther was an orphaned Jewish girl, raised by her cousin Mordecai after the loss of her parents. She followed the Ten Commandments and respected the authority of others. When Esther was selected as one of the finalists on the king’s wish list for his new wife and queen, it was her turn to spend a night with him as part of his decision process. She did not ask for anything special to take with her, but listened to the advice of those who were in charge of her. She was humble and obedient, and she won the favor of everyone who saw her. “It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud.” Proverbs 16:9

“So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.” Esther 2:16-17

Esther, having a humble and obedient spirit, and asking nothing for herself, was brought before the narcissistic and grandiose king Ahasuerus. He chose her over all the other girls because she satisfied his need for admiration, loyalty, and empowerment. Her beauty also served as an ornament that he could display to enhance his own image. The king granted Esther more grace and favor than any of the other virgins and crowned her as his new queen, replacing Vashti, whose life he had destroyed for saying “No” to him.

Unlike King Ahasuerus, who grants grace and favor only to those who boost his image and reputation, God extends favor and grace to the flawed and despised of this world who admit their sins and their failure to meet His standards of glory, “For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…” Romans 3:23-24

“Then the king made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the generosity of a king.” Esther 2:18

The great feast, named after Esther, is also referred to as the Feast of Purim in Esther 9:18-32 Mordecai and his cousin Queen Esther instituted this as an annual celebration for the Jewish community, and it is still observed today.

The Feast of Purim commemorates the events recorded in the book of Esther, where Esther rescued her people, the Jews, from a massacre. She was God’s person for that specific occasion. However, most Jews do not recognize the “scarlet cord” connecting the deliverance of their ancestors with the Salvation that God offered through Jesus Christ. Mordecai also had a crucial role in persuading the king to accept Esther’s plea to spare the Jews. Mordecai prevented the king from being killed by exposing a conspiracy against him. However, most Jews do not accept Jesus Christ as God’s envoy who came to save them from eternal death, which is hell. Mordecai is elevated to the position of the king’s chief adviser, while Esther remains as queen. However, most Jews do not acknowledge the ascension of Jesus Christ, who sits at God’s right hand.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1