Let’s break down the rules.
13 The young lady would go in to the king in this way: anything that she desired was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. 14 In the evening she would go in and, in the morning, she would return to the second harem, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not again go in to the king unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.
First harem? Second harem?
The first harem was preparation for a night with the king. Only one night with the king! It’s not a lot of time. The king was bent on self-gratification, and bringing pleasure to himself, likely showing no concern for the young girls who very likely would never marry and some might never be called forth from the second harem. What is stopping them from getting married again? The second harem was where each young lady would wait until (or if) she was summoned by name by the king. If she were not, she would be consigned to spend the rest of her life essentially living as an unloved woman, unable to marry another.
It is unfortunate.
Yeah but tough times never last.
Only tough people last.
And with that out the way, it’s time for Esther to make her grand appearance.
15 Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the women, advised. And Esther found favour in the eyes of all who saw her.16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus to his royal palace in the tenth month which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
Esther’s big day. Her time to visit the king in his palace. She chose to take only that which Hegai, the king’s eunuch, had advised her on. Hegai knew what would please the king, and as Hegai favoured Esther, she was sent to the king with everything that would allow her to make the best impression possible. And what can I say, it worked.
Episode 4: Decision Time.
This would be one of those retrospective episodes, taking us from the beginning until this very point where we find out who will become the new queen. 17 The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
Esther took both the title and crown as the new queen, to be seated next to king Ahasuerus.
That was, well, quick. 4 episodes isn’t very long for a season. Also, there was barely any drama.
That is true, it’s been rather straightforward, but with the start of episode 5, we are introduced to a new character: Haman.
Haman? Is this a new woman? Ah, someone is going to try break them up, aren’t they?
In chapter 3 of Esther, we learn that Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, has been promoted to a high position by king Ahasuerus, gaining “authority over all the princes who were with him”. Actually, Haman’s position is so high that his mere presence demands a response from the king’s servant. However, Mordecai was not willing to bow to him.
Before we continue, let us give Haman a fuller introduction. He was the son of Hammedatha the Agagite.
Cool.
In First Samuel we find a man named King Agag, where King Saul is given a very specific command from the prophet Samuel to “go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” Unfortunately, King Saul disobeys Samuel, and hence God, choosing to capture Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, which, if not for God’s providence, would have led to the extermination of his own people the Jews.
Now why is any of this relevant?
Assuming that Haman was indeed related to King Agag whom King Saul wilfully chose not to kill, the book of Esther demonstrates the potential long-term ramifications of failure to obey the will of God. Furthermore, Derek Prime suggests that Haman’s ancestry is, therefore, mentioned to show that he was an enemy of the Jews by birth, and that it was more than just personal hatred of Mordecai that motivated him.
Continuing…
2 All the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman; for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage.
Is this drama that I sense?
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage to him, Haman was filled with rage.6 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.
Let’s just say that he wanted to annihilate the Jews.
So, correct me if I’m wrong, but right now we’ve got:
- A Persian king, Ahasuerus, who removed his queen because she refused to respond to him the way he wanted.
- A beautiful girl, Esther, a Jewish orphan, who has caught the king’s eye and became the queen of the kingdom.
- There’s also Haman, who has been promoted to a position that supposedly requires people to bow down to him.
- Finally, we have Mordecai, a cousin of the queen, who has now refused to bow to Haman, causing Haman to want to kill his people, the queen’s people.
And we’ve still got a way to go.
My Sunday Skl 