Reflection: We are not told why Bigthana and Teresh conspired to assassinate the king. We don’t know how Mordecai discovered their plot nor why he and Esther exposed it.
Eunuchs were prisoners of war or children taken from their families or born into slavery. Close to the centre of power, royal eunuchs were the scenery and machinery of the court, attending the king, managing his business, protecting his interests. Ostensibly powerless, they exerted considerable influence through suggestion, inuendo and intrigue—and did not always protect the king’s interests.
Did you notice that eunuchs are involved everything that happens in court? At times, we’re told how they influence events: Harbona remarks on the height of the gallows Haman prepared at a critical juncture (7:9). More often their influence is implied: Hegai works behind the scenes to promote Esther (2:8-9, 15). Occasionally, we’re left guessing whether influence was exerted by a eunuch or not: Who decided to read that particular section of the annals to the king on that particular night?
Imagine you are a eunuch. What do you remember about your enslavement? How do you feel about the regime that enslaves and mutilates boys and men?
Engaging our world: Kingdom service is often most effective when it goes unnoticed. How does love of God and neighbour shape the habits and rhythms of your everyday life?
Prayer: Jesus, you called your disciples “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (Matt 5:13, 14). You said that your kingdom grows like yeast within dough, hidden, silent, unobserved (Matt 13:33). Holy Spirit, we trust you to work in and through us when we feel as if we have no influence and no power. Amen.