The Story Of Esther Part 4: Esther Becomes Queen

Esther 2:1-4

“After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed against her. Then the king’s servants who attended him said: “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king; and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to Shushan the citadel, into the women’s quarters, under the custody of Hegai the king’s eunuch, custodian of the women. And let beauty preparations be given them. Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.”
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After the anger of the king had subsided, the king listened to his advisor, “Memuchan.”  He decided to hold a beauty pageant, if you will, featuring all the beautiful young virgins in his kingdom.  From among them, he would choose a new queen.
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Royal Summons.
“So it was, when the king’s command and decree were heard, and when many young women were gathered at Shushan the citadel, under the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was taken to the king’s palace, into the care of Hegai the custodian of the women.
Now the young woman (Esther) pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to her, besides her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women.”
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Isn’t God good! He showered her with favor and, right from the start, Esther is ahead of the game.  Hegai realized there was something special about this young woman.  She had so much favor that he gave her more beauty treataments than were allotted. He even gave her maidservants and moved her to the best place in the house of women!  So long before the king ever saw her, God was preparing the way for Esther to become queen.

Just like Esther, when you are a child of God, you walk in God’s favor!  He goes before you to prepare the way for you to reign in your own life!

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Secrets In The Hebrew Language.
Like every other book of the Bible, there are many things hidden, not only within the story itself, but in the Hebrew Language as well.  The passage says, “Hegai” was the custodian over the women.  His name in Hebrew comes from the root word, “Hagah,” which means “Meditation.”   The next step in the beauty treatments for these women figures into our story and shows the significance of the eunuch’s name.

(For more on the Hebrew word, “Hagah,” and secrets in the Hebrew letters of the word, you may follow the link below:

Meditate: Hagah הגה

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Esther 2:12-14
“Each young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months’ preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: Six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women.
Thus prepared, each young woman went to the king, and she was given whatever SHE desired to take with her from the women’s quarters to the king’s palace. In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name.”

Hegai provided all the women with the prescribed beauty treatments over a period of twelve months. When it was their turn to go in to the kings chambers, they were dressed and adorned in whatever jewelry and/or garb THEY chose.

Esther, however, was wise enough to know that Hegai, being well-versed in what kinds of adornment, perfumes, beauty treatments and dress would be most pleasing to the king, didn’t choose her own perfumes and apparel.  Look what she did:

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Esther 2:15-18
“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. In other words, Esther requested nothing but what was came out of “Meditation.”

This is a graphic demonstration that when you “Hagah” on God’s word, He gives you wisdom and favor in your life.  Blessings flow to one who depends on God in this way.  You are “Adorned” with only the best things. 

But meditate on what?  On the death of Messiah Jesus!  That’s what the myrrh and spices depict.  She may not have known what these things stood for, but we sure do. These were used to prepare the body of our precious Jesus before He was placed in the tomb.  Esther, having received more myrrh and spices than the rest, is a picture of believers who are laser focused on Jesus and what He did for us at Calvary.  His death is central to all of history.  It is the pivotal event that divides B.C. from A.D.  It is “His-story,” and the focus of the ENTIRE BIBLE!

There actually are churches that have communion weekly, some even on a daily, basis.  This pleases God when Jesus’ death is central.  As an individual, you can do this in your own home. You are, after all, a priest of God.  You don’t need an ordained anyone.  Haven’t you read that in the early church, they “Broke bread,” from house to house? That’s what they meant:  They had communion OFTEN.

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Keeper Of The Beautiful.

Shaashgaz’ name means, “Keeper of the beautiful,” and “He that shears the sheep.”  It was his job to maintain the “Flock” in good condition so that, if any of them pleased the king and were called her back into his presence, she would be ready for him. It is not recorded that any of the other women were ever summoned by the king yet they were obviously well treated by Shaashgaz.

These other “sheep” are a typology of the Church at large, many of whom are perhaps not as focused on Jesus death, but more on the “Do’s and Don’ts;” legalistic religion if you will.  God still loves, cares for, and protects them of course, but they don’t really share intimacy with the King. Sadly, a greater number of Christians are, if not outright afraid of God, at least not totally at ease in His presence.  They might feel that God is angry at them, or mildly disappointed at best.  The point is, their relationship with Him is not warm and intimate, like the Queen. Lest you thing this is an isolated topic, the Bible has A LOT MORE to say about it.  If you are interested, you may follow the link below:

Queens, Concubines, and Virgins Without Number!

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Esther Obtained Favor.
“And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. 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. 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.

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Vashti’s name, like every other in this story, is very telling.  To a Hebrew audience, her name sounded like, “When drinking.”  Remember how she refused the king’s request?  Well, “When drinking, that’s what you get.”  Her Judgment was impaired.

Not so with Esther.  She had so much favor before the king that she was not placed with the other women:  She was set apart.  And when she came before the king, she was so pleasing to him that he loved her more than all the rest, so much so that he set a crown on her head and made her his queen instead of Vashti.

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You may proceed to Part 5 to continue our story if you like by following the link below and learn how Purim came to be:

https://emmausroadministries.international/2020/10/03/esther-series-part-5-the-13th-of-adar/