It's curious that the only two women in the Bible to have a book named after them are Esther and Ruth. The great Judge Deborah could have had a book, but of course she was included in the book of Judges.
Although the main idea of the book of Esther is Esther's being in a position to become a great intercessor for her people, the book also features her cousin Mordecai, who had adopted Esther after the deaths of her parents .Although it was Moredcai's great faith and his "behind the scenes" actions that put Esther in a position to save her people, the book itself is named for Esther. Just as Deborah pointed out in Judges 4:9 that a woman would get the credit for killing the enemy, Esther, in this case gets the credit as well. The woman in Judges who killed Sisera was Jael, the woman who saves her people in the book of Esther is Queen Esther, who although was Jewish, became the wife of the powerful King Xerxes (Ahasuerus) of Persia.
Esther as intercessor is also a preview of our great intercessor to come, our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 8:34 tells us:
34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
Before Esther became queen, the queen was Vashti. Vashti was deposed for the simple reason that she didn't come to the king when he called her. Sometimes in life it seems that the punishment doesn't really fit the crime. We who have faith have to remember that everything happens for a reason. In our human minds we might think,"this isn't fair," but the things that happen turn out for our best in the long run. Queen Esther would have never been in a position to save the Jews if Queen Vashti had remained queen.
So once Vashti was deposed and the king regretted his hasty action, his servants advised him to gather a supply of beautiful young women so that he may choose one to replace the queen. Esther ended up being one of these women. From the outset she had favor with the king's servant over the women and he gave her the best maidservants and the best place in the women's house. Esther, at her cousin's advice, did not reveal that she was a Jew.
While this was going on inside the palace, outside the palace her cousin Mordecai overheard a plot against the king. Mordecai often sat within the king's gate, although it was not revealed that his cousin was inside the citadel. Mordecai relayed the information about the plot to Esther, who reported it to the king. This incident was written in the king's book.
Inside the palace, after one year of preparation, Esther was taken into the king. He was pleased with Esther and she eventually became queen.
One of the king's servants named Haman was promoted to second in command to the king. All the other servants ( and apparently all the people who sat at the gate) were required to bow down to Haman when he passed by. Mordecai would not bow down to him. Obviously by this time the palace officials knew that Mordecai was a Jew, but they did not know about the connection between him and the queen. Haman was angry about Mordecai's refusal to bow down to him and plotted to kill all the Jews on a certain day. He even convinced the king to write a decree that this killing would take place throughout the provinces. Haman picked the day by drawing lots (called pur.)
Mordecai found out that the Jews' lives were in danger. He sent a message to Esther inside the palace and asked her to plead with the king for the lives of her people. Esther responded by saying she could only go before the king if he beckoned her. Anyone who approached the king uninvited would be executed. Mordecai, even in the face of annihilation of his people, still had faith that God would save the people even if Esther couldn't, yet Mordecai still implored his cousin to try. In Esther 4:14, Mordecai says,
14 If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”
Esther approached the king and he held out his golden scepter (the indication that it was all right to come before him.) She asked him to invite Haman to a banquet she was preparing.
That night the king couldn't sleep so he asked that the royal archives be read to him. In the archives was the story of how Mordecai had thwarted an attempt on the king's life. The king asked his servants if Mordecai had been rewarded in any way for his action. The servants said no, he had not been rewarded. The king then asked "Who is in the court?' As it happened, (of course as God ordained,) Haman was just entering the court. Haman was actually on his way to suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged. Before he could speak, however, the king ordered Haman to honor Mordecai.
Isn't it beautiful that the one who was plotting his destruction became the person to honor Mordecai?
When Haman went home and complained to his wife what had happened, she said, "If Mordecai is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him. "
At the first banquet Esther prepared, she invited the king and Haman to a second banquet. At the second banquet, Esther revealed her background and told the king that her people were going to be killed. She also revealed that the person responsible for her people's peril was sitting right there. It was Haman. The king, in anger walked out but walked right back in. As he walked in he saw Haman falling over Esther begging for his life. The king mistakenly thought Haman was attacking his queen right there. The king had Haman hanged on the very pole that Haman had erected to hang Mordecai.
Esther revealed too that Mordecai was her cousin. Mordecai was promoted within the palace. Esther reminded the king that the order still stood against her people throughout the provinces. The king responded that whatever was already written could not be revoked, but the king wrote a second decree, giving the Jews permission to defend themselves against any enemy and to "take the spoils" of those who would attack them. The Jews killed all their enemies over a two day period but did not take any spoils. After two days of destroying their enemies, Mordecai sent out a decree that the two days following this defense of their lives would be called "Purim," because of the "pur" or "lots" that were cast to determine the days of slaughter.
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