Although much of the book of Esther introduced in the previous article (see Esther 1:1-2:4) has been about King Xerxes and (ex-) Queen Vashti, we meet two Jewish people in the second chapter of this book – individuals who have key roles in the rest of the account.
Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin king of Judah. Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.
Esther 2:5-7 NIV
Mordecai (however you choose to pronounce his name) had been descended from those who had been exiled. 2 Kings 24:8-17 describes Jehoiachin’s three-month reign and how Nebuchadnezzar removed him and thousands of others from Jerusalem back to Babylon. This was the first of two times that Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, with the damage from the later invasion being even worse than the first.
So, one of Mordecai’s ancestors may have been one of the “fighting men” or “skilled workers and artisans” described in 2 Kings 24:16. Mordecai himself would have had to be over 100 years old to have been an exile from the first conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, even if he was exiled as an infant. So, we can probably interpret this as either Mordecai being descended from an exile, or perhaps Kish, Mordecai’s his great-grandfather (or more distant ancestor, since “the son of” might mean descendant rather than immediate child), being the exile.
Mordecai has a cousin named Esther (or Hadassah, her Hebrew name), and Esther was an orphan. It seems likely that Esther had been born in this foreign land (far from her people’s native home), given her youth and the fact that more than a century that had passed since Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion of Jerusalem. While some Jewish people had returned to Jerusalem, there were still plenty elsewhere in the Persian kingdom.
Regardless, Mordecai takes care of his cousin, who may have been quite a bit younger than him. Their relationship in this book is a touching example of family closeness, as Mordecai looks after Esther, and she shows him respect for his wisdom and advice.
Per the previous article (see Esther 2:1-4), the king was looking for a new queen, and per Esther 2:8-9, it appears that the quest to find the next queen went throughout the empire. The Jewish historian Josephus [per Mangano, p.55] wrote that there were 400 candidates found, and we learn from Esther 2:8-9 that Esther (Hadassah) was among those candidates. However, Mordecai (and presumably Esther) are apparently already living in Susa itself (one of the king’s “home bases”), so Esther doesn’t have to travel far from her cousin and caretaker.
In addition, the guy in charge of preparing the candidates (or “contestants”, perhaps, for becoming the next queen) takes a liking to Esther, and gives her special treatment.
So, now we’ve met the woman who this book is named after. She was from a conquered people, living in a foreign land, and she had lost her parents, which doesn’t seem like a good start. However, she had a cousin to look after her. In fact, even her good looks – which the Bible took time to point out – would play a part in her historical role that impacted not just her immediate family, but for her entire nation.
You probably don’t have a book of the Bible named after you. (I suppose that you might have been named after someone in the Bible, though, whether directly or because you were named after someone who was.) You might feel like your situation in life isn’t one that will place you at the center of key moments in history. However, in God’s plan and with His guidance, we never know how He will place just the right people – including you and me – at the right place at the right time. The book of Esther shows us that what might seem like a handicap can be just the advantage we need, in order to do good for others when the time is right. After all, if Esther hadn’t been of Jewish descent, and close to her cousin Mordecai, what happened next wouldn’t have fallen into place in the same way!
From Sunday School lesson prepared for July 7, 2024
References:
- The Lookout, July 7, 2024, © 2024 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The Bible and Archaeology, by J.A. Thompson, © 1962, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., p.166-171.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Esther & Daniel, by Mark Mangano. © 2001 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 