The book of Esther: A study of God in action when nothing appears to be happening!
by Patsy Norwood (c) 2023. All Rights Reserved.
Last week we were introduced to Mordecai and Esther, this week
we add another character to the plot … Hegai!
Who was Hegai, let’s find out …
Chapter 2: 8 – 11
8. 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.
What do we know about Hegai?
He was Persian.
He was a eunuch. (Very important since he was in charge of the young women!)
He was in charge of the maidens who were brought to the king’s harem.
He is mentioned in Esther 2:3 and 2:8.
That’s it, that’s all … don’t you know though that he was in a
prime position to obtain any and all info he deemed necessary to help his
favorite win the coveted title of Queen of Persia! Hmmm, now who could have been his
favorite? I love God’s planning and
foresight!
9 Now the
young woman 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.
Take note of who Hegai’s favorite turned out to be … you know, Hegai, the man who was ‘in the know’ … it was Esther! Look how his favor benefited her …
He readily gave beauty preparations/purifications to her, besides her allowance (it seems he gave her more).
Seven ‘choice’ maidservants were provided for her from the king’s palace (it seems he picked out the best of the best for her). What was the role of a maidservant? They were to attend their assigned girl to the bath, anoint and adorn her and be her servant in general. Hmmm, I can see why having the best of the best maidservants could be an advantage, can’t you?
He moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of women. (one has to wonder if that included her place in the rotation as well, which would likely have made a difference).
Could this favor be God providentially working behind the scenes? When Christians live faithful to God, they possess an inner beauty that cannot be described. Did God use that in her favor?
Reminder:
From lesson 7, Josephus tells us that Esther was the most beautiful of
all the rest, and that the grace of her countenance drew the eyes of the
spectators principally upon her.
Sidenote:
Grace of her countenance = inner beauty that comes from living faithful
to God. It is my opinion that this is
what set Esther apart, drawing favor from those around her.
10 Esther had not revealed her people or family,
for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it.
Why did Mordecai not want Esther to reveal her Jewish heritage?
Was he afraid of prejudice against her?
Would it have prevented her from receiving any kind of special favor?
Whatever the reason, Esther honored and OBEYED Mordecai’s
request which had to have called for restraint and self-discipline
on her part.
Could her air of acceptance, trust and obedience in God and Mordecai have given her that ‘grace of her countenance’ mentioned by Josephus?
Remember, few, if any in and around the palace knew that Esther was a Jew and a follower and worshiper of the one true God, but they knew that something was different about her!
Could 'this difference' have been what drew Hegai to favor her? If so, would it have an effect on the king
when it came her turn in the rotation?
At any rate, Esther’s obedience played a very important role
in what was to come!
11 And every day Mordecai paced in front of the
court of the women’s quarters, to learn of Esther’s welfare and what was
happening to her.
Was Mordecai worried and concerned about what was happening to
Esther? It would seem so! This verse says he paced in front of the
court of the women’s quarters, but how did he get access to it? We know from previous lessons that the palace
was well fortified.
I found the following from the Pulpit commentary on Esther that
sheds some light on how he was able to gain access …
Mordecai seems to have been one of the porters at
the main entrance to the palace, and his proper place was at the gateway. He contrived, however, during some part of
each day to visit the court in front of the seraglio, in order to see Esther,
or at any rate obtain intelligence concerning her.
Sidenote:
I did a quick Google search on the word ‘seraglio’ because I wanted to
make sure I understood what it’s meaning was.
Here’s what I found: the women’s
apartments (harem) in an Ottoman palace; the part of a Muslim house or palace
in which the wives and concubines are secluded; harem.
Well, that makes sense not only for this verse, but it helps
explain Mordecai’s ability to send messages to Esther later in the book.
Out of sight, out of mind, nor acceptance of his powerlessness
in the situation don’t appear to be Mordecai’s response. He continues to take an interest in the young
lady he raised as an orphan, taking his role as her guardian very seriously.
I see God’s providence in more than one instance in today’s
lesson. Here’s one … Mordecai’s position
at the palace! Without that position,
communicating with Esther would have been near impossible given what we know
about the security of the palace/citadel.
What about you, do you see God providentially working behind
the scenes in today’s lesson?
Next week we’ll look at verses 12-18 and see that the rotation
has started, and that the Mrs. Persia beauty pageant is under way!
I hope you’ve enjoyed today's lesson, what are your thoughts
on it?
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Until the next class ...
patsy @ From This Heart of Mine
(c) 2023 by Patsy Norwood ~ All Rights Reserved.
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