Day 272 Reading Schedule: Esther 1~5

Esther 1: Ahasuerus's Queen is Dethroned

[Summary]

King Ahasuerus of Persia held a grand banquet in the palace of Susa for one hundred and eighty days, and all the nobles ate, drank, and played. Through this, the king showed off his power and majesty (verses 1-4). Next, he held a banquet for the common people for seven days, allowing them to eat and drink as they pleased (verses 5-8). On the last day of the banquet, the king invited the beautiful queen to show off to the people, but Queen Vashti refused, and King Ahasuerus became very angry (verses 9-12). After listening to the advice of the wise men, the king dethroned Queen Vashti and prevented her from appearing before the king again in order to teach a lesson that all the wives of the kingdom would be judged if they did not obey their husbands (verses 13-22).

Esther 2: Esther Selected as Queen

[Summary]

After King Ahasuerus's anger subsided, his officials suggested that a new queen be chosen, and he decided to do so (verses 1-4). At that time, Mordecai and Esther, a Jew, lived in the castle of Susa. Esther was a beautiful virgin (verses 5-7). After the king announced the selection of a queen, virgins from all over the country gathered at the palace in Susa, and Esther was also selected as a candidate. Esther, following the teachings of her cousin Mordecai, entered the palace without revealing her ethnicity (verses 8-11). The king, who had rejected many virgins, was so impressed by Esther's beauty that he made her queen and held a great feast (verses 12-18). After that, Mordecai happened to learn of the eunuchs' plot to assassinate the king, and contacted Esther to help the king avoid a crisis (verses 19-23).

Esther 3: Haman's Scheme

[Summary]

Haman the Agagite gained the trust of King Ahasuerus and became the second most powerful man in the kingdom. Everyone bowed down to Haman, but Mordecai, who revealed that he was a Jew, did not bow down or bow down. So Haman became very angry and decided to exterminate the Jews, Mordecai's people (verses 1-6). He obtained the king's permission to exterminate the Jews by falsely reporting the truth about the Jews to the king (verses 7-11). Haman sent a letter to each province with the king's seal, ordering all Jews, regardless of age or gender, to be killed and their property confiscated. Haman's order was so harsh that the atmosphere in Susa was chaotic (verses 12-15).

Esther 4: Esther's Faith and Determination

[Summary]

When the king's edict was issued to exterminate all the Jews, the Jews in each province, including Mordecai, mourned, fasted, and cried out to God (vv. 1-3). Esther saw Mordecai in sackcloth and ordered Hathach, the eunuch, to find out what was going on. Esther and Mordecai had a conversation through Hathach's mediation. Mordecai explained Haman's plot to Esther, showed her the edict to exterminate the Jews, and told her to go to King Ahasuerus and ask for his help in saving the Jewish people. Esther asked Mordecai to fast and pray for the Jews in Susa, saying that she would go before the king, prepared to die (vv. 4-17).

Esther 5: Esther Holds a Banquet 

[Summary]

Esther fasted for three days and went before the king, prepared to die. When the king saw Esther and loved her very much, he held out his golden scepter and asked her to make a request, so Esther asked Haman to attend a banquet he had prepared for the king (vv. 1-4). The king did as Esther asked and attended the banquet with Haman, and when the king asked Esther what she wanted, he offered her up to half of his kingdom, but Esther asked Haman to attend one more banquet he would prepare for the king (vv. 5-8). Haman was very happy to be invited to the banquet alone with the king, and he bragged about it to his wife and friends. When his wife and friends insisted at the banquet that they ask the king to hang Mordecai on a gallows, Haman brought the gallows and placed it in the courtyard before attending the banquet (vv. 9-14).