Esther reveals to the king her blood relation with Mordecai. It is interesting that the king did not know or care about this before. Here she was this beautiful "virgin" girl in his harem who he elevated to queen and it seems he never really asked about her family.
The story continues. King Xerxes confiscates the land of Haman and gives it to Esther and Mordecai. Esther again goes before the king and requests his help to stop the annihilation of the Jewish people, which Haman had implemented. The king spares her life again by showing her the scepter.
The king then grants incredible power to Mordecai - he allows Mordecai to write a supplemental edict to be sealed with the king's insignia. We later find the edict that Mordecia writes is grandiose and powerful in scope. Via Mordecai's hand, the king tells the kingdom that stretches from India to Mesopotamia that the Jewish people are not to be harmed and they have the right to kill and annihilate the enemies of the Jews.
The Jews do just exactly that. They kill and annihilate the enemies of the Jews. The text focuses on the immediate action in the citadel of Susa, where the king and Esther resides. The Jews rise up and slay their foes. People even convert to become Jewish out of fear of the Jews.
Esther even asks permission to hang the ten sons of Haman, which the king the grants.
The Jewish people are not only saved from destruction, but rise up as warriors to fight and slay their oppressors. Chapter 10 gives an epilogue of Mordecai personally.
Aside from the sexual innuendos written in between the lines, I think there are a few other things to explore:
1. Is Esther a Proverbs 31 woman?
I give it a 70-80% match. Proverbs 31 focuses on the woman's caring for the family and relationship with God. Esther does that. She is brave in the face of danger, has face in God, and knows how to act.
However, it is not an exact match because Proverbs 31 also gives random details about manual labor and running a vineyard. We do not know from Esther about any of these except she prepared a banquet for the king and Haman (she may have not actually cooked anything) and she eventually inherits land. That said, the focus on the manual labor of Proverbs 31 is to provide for her family, which in Esther's case is not only Mordecai but the entire Jewish nation. She does not weave flax, but rather walks with faith in her field - she is a politician and requests many to fast.
So, Proverbs 31 applied to Esther's situation, I would say yes, she is.
2. The book of Mordecai?
The book is called Esther and not Book of Mordecai. Esther clearly is the central character, but it is also Mordecai's faith that drives the story. Not only did he raise and teach her as a daughter, but he patiently waited with a quiet faith.
Mordecai saved the life king Xerxes. We see no complaint from Mordecai for lack of praise or honor from Xerxes, not even when Haman is plotting to kill Mordecai. Rather, Mordecai awaits with a quiet patient faith for God's deliverance. Finally, the king cannot sleep and remembers Mordecai. Given the timing in the story, it is strongly implied that this was the work of God because Haman was going to kill Mordecai within a few days.
Finally, the faith of Mordecai is redeemed. He is not only honored, but the timing of it saves his life.
3. What can we get from Esther?
A few things scream out from the text.
The Biblical standard of femininity of "the Proverbs 31 woman" can be applied to a variety of different circumstances, even if it does not literally fit. In all honesty, let us hope that few women today can literally fit the Proverbs 31 woman 100%.
There is nothing wrong with beauty. In fact, it is an asset. I would even go even further that if we read between the lines, then sexualized beauty is an asset. But if we go there, we also must admit the Esther example is within a quasi-polygamous marriage. The king had a harem and maybe other wives. This seems to be the standard among Old Testament families if we also consider Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon.
That said, Proverbs 31 cautions that beauty is fleeting. But really, it is only whatever king Xerxes found beautiful is what mattered. Given that different men have different standards of beauty, and hence different potential husbands have different standards of beauty, this should encourage women. Likewise, different women have different attributes so they cannot all manage vineyards or weave flax.
God's timing matters, not ours. Mordecai was probably discouraged that he did not receive immediate praise for saving the king's life. He was completely overlooked for something that should have elevated him within the Persian kingdom. I imagine everyone can relate to this. However, his life was likely spared because his praise was delayed until the time when men plotted against him. At that time, God acted and gave him praise among men which changed his life, but also Esther's and the entire Jewish nation.
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