Do you love a great story? The story of Esther is a great story! It starts with King Ahasuerus, the powerful king of Persia. He “reigned from India to Ethiopia” (Est. 1:1). One day (actually for 180 days!) he threw a big party. He invited lots of people and showed them his riches. He also wanted to show off his beautiful wife, Vashti. So, on the seventh day of a seven-day feast, the king commanded that the queen parade herself before all the people. Vashti refused. The king was so angry that a royal decree was made: “Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus” (1:19). Instead, he declared he would find a new queen. From all the beautiful young women in his kingdom, the king choose Esther. She “was lovely to look at” (2:7). Esther was also a Jew. She lived with her uncle Mordecai, because both her parents had died.

One day Mordecai refused to bow down before Haman, an important man in the kingdom. (Mordecai, as a good Jew, knew that only God should be worshiped.) When Mordecai refused, Haman was “filled with fury” (3:5), which is another way of saying he was really, really mad! He was so mad that he not only wanted to kill Mordecai but actually wanted to kill “all the Jews” (3:6). What a crazy, evil overreaction! And he almost succeeded. He tricked the king into signing a decree that was sent throughout the kingdom with instructions to kill all Jews, “young and old, women and children, in one day” (3:13).

When Esther’s uncle Mordecai learned of the plot, he begged her to help. “You can’t stay silent any longer,” he said. “Perhaps the only reason you are queen was for this very day—to save your people!” (see 4:14). Esther was not allowed to see the king unless he summoned her. If she went to him without being invited, he could have her killed! But she knew she needed to act fast. She walked into the king’s chambers, thinking to herself, “If I perish, I perish” (4:16). What a brave woman! She saved the day. The king called off his decree and found out about Haman’s evil plans and lies. He had Haman killed instead of the Jews. That’s called justice, and the Jews celebrated God’s justice and mercy with a great feast of their own.