Ezra to Job

      Esther challenges me.  Vashti is ousted as queen because she refuses to degrade herself in front of her husband and his drinking buddies.  Then a beauty pageant is held for the sole purpose of picking a new, and presumably more compliant, queen for Xerxes.  Esther “wins” and so gains an honored position in the kings harem.  Now, had Esther been chosen because of her noble character, or intellect, or impressive wisdom, or her great courage, I think I would be more okay with this story.  But those aren’t the things that won women a place in Xerxes’ love life.  And so both Mordecai and Esther accept this arrangement, not knowing that it would soon require of her much more than external beauty.  As it turns out, it’s a good thing that Esther has her foot in the palace door, because when Haman’s scheme involves wiping out all of the Jews, Esther is on the spot to save the day.

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