Esther-Chapter-9

Book of Esther

Chapter 9 Part 15

August 5, 2012

“Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)” (Esther 9:1) This Adar 13 was the day appointed for destruction. Haman had selected this day for the killing of all Jews by casting lots. His evil plan cost him his life and it cost his family their home and riches. Remember, according to Jewish tradition, Jeresh and 70 of Haman’s sons fled Shushan and became street beggars. They went from the lap of luxury to the pit of despair. Yes - they were Haman’s advisers and deserved what they got, but we can understand what a difficult transition it had to be for them. Adam Clarke, in his commentary, said, “None are ever too low for God to lift up, or too high for God to cast down.”

On that day when the commandment and the decree, one from Haman giving power to the enemy to defeat the Jews and the other from Mordecai giving the Jews the right to defend themselves as needed. On that day when the enemy was to have power over life and death of the Jews, the Jews rose up by decree and showed whose side God was on.

Again I remind you that the name of God is never mentioned in the Book of Esther, and yet - His presence is everywhere throughout.

“The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them fell upon all people” (verse 2). Do you see that? They “gathered themselves together!” They came to one place and stood side by side back to back and defended themselves, their families and their neighbors. This was the day in history when, by decree of Haman, every nationality had been given the right to kill the Jews and take their property. The decree by Mordecai and Esther gave their people hope which gave them power. (Hope is an amazingly powerful tool. We should learn how to use it.) There were many factors in why the Jews prevailed over so many who wanted them dead.

1.The promise of God that there would always be a remnant of Jews in the world.

2.The Jews came together in all the cities of the provinces to stand together against their enemies. This gave them the advantage as there is strength in numbers.

3.The fear of the Jews fell on the people. The enemy knew two things about the Jews.

A.They knew what had happened to Haman when he stood against the Jews.

B.They understood that Haman’s decree was covered by Mordecai’s. They knew Mordecai was now second in command and they feared him.

4.They knew in their hearts they could not win.

“And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the deputies, and officers of the king, helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them” (verse 3). Another reason the Jews prevailed is that every leader in the kingdom was on their side. Every man involved in serving Ahasuerus stood with the Jews and helped them. This was because they knew that Mordecai and Queen Esther were Jews. They knew the position Mordecai held in the kingdom and they feared his influence with the king.

God made a way where there seemed to be no way for the Jews to win. There is a portion of Scripture that speaks to this. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3: 5, 6). Remember, Esther prayed and fasted before she did anything about Haman. It was Esther’s faith that opened the door for God’s direction. I believe she and Mordecai along with the Jews continued to pray and that God stirred up a panic among the people so that “the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.”

Lesson from Esther: Know what? This holds true for us as well. When we show the devil our connection with God, he comes to know our power against him, and he gets scared. Our enemies of sickness, disease, lack, want, family problems etc… can be overcome if we will trust in the Lord. ”But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

If Haman had still been alive on Adar 13, all the people in the kingdom would have felt secure in murdering the Jews because Haman had held the power. Now that he was dead and Mordecai sat in his place, the people were scared to come against the Jews. God is good!

“For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater” (verse 4). It became well known that Mordecai was the king’s favorite and most trusted advisor. It also became well-known that he was related to the queen. More importantly to the leaders in the kingdom and the people was that fact that Mordecai was fair and just in all his dealings.

“Waxed” in this verse doesn’t mean polished, it means grow. Mordecai was great in the kingdom and he continued to grow greater in influence and in riches.

“Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto those that hated them” (verse 5). The Jews used swords, clubs and various assorted weapons to defeat their enemies. They killed their enemies who would have killed them with a slaughter, or deadly intent. They were successful because God was on their side. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31b)

“And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men” (verse 6). “And in Shushan the palace” doesn’t mean they killed 500 people in the actual palace where the king was living, but within the city of Shushan. These were most likely the friends of Haman who were angry that Haman was embarrassed and then killed by hanging. Apparently these were men who hated the Jews as much as Haman had and would go out legally, according to Haman’s decree, to kill the Jews and plunder them to avenge their friend. This would have included his ten sons named in the following verses.

“And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha, And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha, And Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vajezatha, The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, slew they; but on the spoil laid they not their hand” (verses 7-10). These ten brothers who had so badly advised their father were killed at the same time on Adar 13. It’s a tradition that when the Jews read the Book of Esther, to read these ten names quickly. They do this so it won’t appear to be gloating over their deaths.

Look at the difference between the greedy people and the Jews. One reason many wanted to kill the Jews was from jealousy. They wanted to plunder the Jews who were successful in business and had much to show for their diligence. The Jews killed their enemies, but did not lay a hand to their property, although the new edict by Mordecai allowed them to plunder their enemies, they did not. All they wanted was to save their lives. They didn’t need what the others had. The killings were done in self-defense. The Jews did not go out looking for people to kill. The people came to them.

“On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the palace was brought before the king” (verse 11). Why they brought the count to the king no one really knows. There are to schools of thought. 1. The king wanted to know how many in his city would have killed Jews that day. 2. The people brought the number to the king as a way to make the Jews look bad. “Look, King, how many of your people these Jews have killed!” I lean toward 1. As the leader of the kingdom, Ahasuerus would have wanted to know how many of the people in his kingdom had been killed.

“And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: or what is thy request further? and it shall be done” (verse 12). After the number of dead had been delivered to Ahasuerus, the king spoke with his queen to inform her of what had taken place in their city. He told her that 500 men of Shushan and the ten sons of Haman who had remained in the city, in my opinion, to kill Mordecai themselves as vengeance for their father, were dead.

Can’t you feel the king’s sadness when he says, “…what have they done in the rest of the king's provinces?” If they had already killed 510 men just around the palace, how many others in the thousands of miles of the kingdom were dead?

After the king expressed his sorrow to Esther he wanted to know if there was anything else she wanted. It’s as though Ahasuerus said, “Esther, what do you want. I’ll get it for you. What do you need, I’ll do it for you.” He would not refuse anything Esther asked for. This is the third time the king made this offer to Esther. This time he didn’t offer her half the kingdom.

“Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews which are in Shushan to do to morrow also according unto this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows” (verse 13). In other words, “King, if it’s ok with you, I’d like another day of freedom for the Jews to kill their enemies here in Shushan to purge it of all people who would do them harm.” Esther wasn’t blood thirsty. She wasn’t looking to kill more people all over the kingdom. She just wanted the city cleansed. Maybe she had heard some of their enemies had escaped and needed to be taken care of.

That Esther asked to hang Haman’s ten sons seems strange to us. But being hanged, dead or alive was not uncommon in that era. It is always a disgrace, and in this case, was done as a warning to the people. If Haman and his sons could be hanged, so could the people who followed them.

“And the king commanded it so to be done: and the decree was given at Shushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons” (verse 14). King Ahasuerus sent out another edict allowing the Jews one more day to that care of their enemies. The Jews could not legally kill their enemies on Adar 14 without another order from the king. Esther asked for it and got it. Ahasuerus also gave the order for Haman’s sons to be hanged on the gallows Haman had built for hanging Mordecai. It’s thought they were hung by chains and allowed to stay on the gallows for several days. That means decomposition would have begun. It would have been visually repulsive to see them dangling; a smelly lesson for the people and a hard mess to clean up afterward.

“For the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shushan; but on the prey they laid not their hand” (verse 15). The men came together once again as an army as they did the day before. They added 300 more bodies to the list of dead, bringing the total to 800 plus the 10 sons of Haman, 810 people in Shushan alone.

Look at this again. They did not lay hands on the property of those they killed. They didn’t kill those people for personal gain, but for safety for family, friends, and self.

“But the other Jews that were in the king's provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey, On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness” (verse 16, 17). The Jews who lived all over the kingdom who had pulled themselves together as armies in each province defended themselves on the 13 as was allowed, but on the 14, when Shushan still fought, these people rested. The Jews in the provinces had killed 75,000 people, but as with those in Shushan, not one of the Jews touched any of their enemies’ property.

On the evening of Adar 13 and on the day of Adar 14, the Jews celebrated with a feast. They rejoiced over the fact that they might have been wiped out had not Esther been brave enough to face the king and name Haman as her enemy and the enemy of her people. They rejoiced that they and their loved ones were alive. They rejoiced that they were able to defeat the enemy with dignity and without greed.

The feast that began that day called Purim is still celebrated by the Jews today. Israelites send out packages to the poor and gifts to their families and neighbors. In the temple on Purim, when the name of Haman is read, 54 times in all, some people spin noise makers to cover the sound of his name. Others write the name of Haman on the soles of their shoes, and at the mention of Haman’s name, they stomp their feet so as to blot out the name.

Book of Esther

Chapter 9 Part 16

August 12, 2012

“But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness” (Esther 9:18). Last week we saw that the Jews in the kingdom of Persia fought and killed 75,000 people by decree from Mordecai on Adar 13 and feasted with gifts and celebration of Adar 14. It was also made clear that the Jews in the citadel of Shushan fought on Adar 13 and, by extended decree, on Adar 14 when they found and killed another 300 of their enemies. These Jews rested on Adar 15 with gifts and celebration.

These two feast days were not celebrated to gloat over killing so many people legally. Rather, I believe the Jews came together on these days to praise the Lord for preserving them. Again I point out the fact that God is never directly named in this Book of Esther, but is prominently standing in the background of all the events. Who else would the people praise and worship for their salvation, Esther: Mordecai? No, they raised a glass to the Lord God for their triumph. We can believe this because the Jews always celebrated the successes they had at the hand of God. They still, to this day, celebrate the feasts the Lord declared for them.

Many pastors nowadays are saying that, since we have been grafted onto the Vine, we should celebrate the Jewish feasts as the Jews do. I am not opposed to celebrating the Jewish feasts as a symbol of what God did for the Jews, but as a Christian, my celebration is that the final Passover Lamb was slain for us and we now live under His kingdom’s authority with authority. We are no longer waiting for the Lord to come, He’s been here. We are waiting for the Rapture, the catching away, when we will be with Jesus and celebrate an amazing feast of the Marriage Supper of the Bride, and the Second Coming when Jesus will finally sit on the throne over all the earth, on earth.

“Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the un-walled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another” (verse 19). All who lived outside the wall of Shushan celebrated their triumph over evil on Adar 14. They took “portions” of the meats that had been slaughtered on that day and sent them as food to the poor in order that they might celebrate too. The Jews who have are expected to send two different foods to one person and two charitable donations to two people. No one is to be left out of the celebration for lack of funds or food. God’s mercy preserved all the Jews and all must take part in the feast of thanking Him.

“And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far, To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly” (verse 20, 21). Mordecai wrote a new letter to the Jews in the kingdom and sent it to all the places the two decrees had gone. Even the end of the vast kingdom got the notice that Adar 14 and 15 would from then on be recognized as a feast time. What the devil had meant for evil against the Jews, God, through fasting and prayer, turned it into a major blessing for them, and now, they must remember annually what God did for them those days. Just like in the feast of tabernacles, or trumpets, or the Passover, the people would not work, but would honor the Lord for those two days.

Lesson from Esther: No matter what plans the devil has made against us, we are not helpless. We need only rely on God and believe his Word which is filled with good promises for us, and we will be alright. God will turn the plots of devil and of man that were made against us to our good, if we will give it to Him and trust Him. It should also teach us not to plan evil against anyone else knowing it will come back on us eventually. Remember, “Therefore all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12).

A little note: Many of us don’t have an understanding of the end of that Matthew verse. We get the concept that man has paraphrased to say, “Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you.” And that’s a rightful translation. But the part that reads, “for this is the law and the prophets” is confusing. What that phrase means is that doing right to others is a concept that was well established in the Old Testament by the prophets of God and the writings of the Law. It’s not written out verbatim as we see it in Matthew, but it is a truth thread that runs throughout the Books of the Law and the teachings of the prophets. We learned a lot about this concept in our Amos study where we saw that the people were being punished for using unbalanced scales, for taking away from the poor and making them slaves, etc… Doing well for others is a running theme from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21.

With prayer and fasting, Esther influenced her king for her people. With prayer and fasting, we can touch the heart of our King for the good of all and for our good. Esther fasted and prayed for her people, and her result was, they and she were saved. Bless the name of the Lord. Mark Twain once wrote, "All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?" The answer to his question is, God.

“As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor” (verse 22). The Jews “rested from their enemies” who had attacked them and been killed. When we think of war we envision rifles, bombs, hand grenades, tanks, planes etc… that distances the warrior from his target. In the case of the Jews in Esther, the combat was face-to-face. The Jews literally beat their opponents to death, or stabbed them through with swords. It was fatiguing and they definitely needed to rest, physically, mentally and spiritually from the carnage of killing so many.

The month of Adar was to be the time when all Jews were destroyed off the face of the earth. Instead, the Lord turned things around and the Jews were preserved and their enemies lay dead. Adar went from being the anticipated worst month in Jewish history to being a victorious month. These two days, Adar 14 and 15 were now legally declared feast days of eating, drinking and sharing with the less fortunate as decreed in the new letter Mordecai had sent out.

“And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written unto them;” (Verse 23) The Jews accepted the decree to continue what they had done those two days and make them an annual celebration of praise and thanks to God for keeping them.

“Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them; But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows” (verse 24, 25). Why should the Jews have a two day feast that doesn’t involve the temple? One reason is because Haman, who hated Mordecai so deeply that he planned to destroy all the Jews to avenge himself of the supposed snubbing he received from Mordecai when he refused to pay Haman homage was stopped almost as soon as he sent out the letter of decree. Another reason is that Haman had no way of knowing that Esther, by birth, was one of his enemies because even the king didn’t know her nationality, and God used her to rescue the Jews. Both men were equally surprised when she revealed her heritage. We can believe it affected Haman far more than it did Ahasuerus to hear this. Can you see God’s hand in this? Mordecai commanded Esther not to tell anyone that she was of the Jews. Keeping this secret allowed everything else to play out perfectly.

We must remember that our actions do not only bring consequences on us. Haman’s pride didn’t only cause his death, but the death of his ten sons as well. Our actions always bring a return, whether positive or negative. Understand though that, for us Christians, doing well for others is not an assurance that we will never suffer. Jesus said, ‘In this world You shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world’” (John 16:33b).

“Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,” (verse 26) Haman wanted to make sure the day would be perfect (according to the gods he worshipped) for this holocaust to take place, so he shot dice to see what day would be best. He didn’t count on God’s providence of Esther queen of the kingdom being a Jewess.

All the words Mordecai had written in his decree came to pass, and the people saw the results with their own eyes. In every town, and in the walled city of Shushan, wherever the enemy rose up against the Jews, they were overcome and killed, the Jews the victors. Everything that had been written by Mordecai for the Jews to do had come to pass. The Jews were safe in all the kingdom. They had heard the report of what Esther had done, that Haman and his sons were hanged, and that they had reason to celebrate and remember the hand of God on them.

“The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year; And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed” (verse 27, 28). The Jews “ordained” or accepted that all the Jews, whether by birth as a Jew, or by acceptance as a proselyte, were to follow the order Mordecai wrote to set apart these two days annually at the “appointed time” of Adar 14 and 15 as a memorial. These two days were to be feast days throughout all the generations of Jews. The importance must be taught to all the generations so that their meaning would never be lost. From the babes suckling to the doddering older people, all must take part in the celebration.

“Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim. And he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth, To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry. And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book” (verses 29-32). Mordecai had written earlier to suggest the Jews make Adar 14, 15 feast days. Now Esther and Mordecai had written a second letter that makes this a command to all the Jews. Apparently this second letter was written the following year when many of the Jews failed to observe Purim. Esther made it clear that this was to take place each year, and in the intercalary years when there were two months of Adar, were to observe it in the second month of Adar.

The letter was sent to all 127 provinces with “words of peace and truth.” Meaning, the letter instructed and encouraged the Jews to live in peace with their neighbors now. They were to demonstrate their faith by observing the feast days before the people.

On Adar 13, the Jews fast for the entire day until the reading of the Megillah, or Book of Esther on Adar 14 except in the walled city where they fast the 14th until the reading of the Migallah on the 15th. This command of feasting was recorded in this Book of Esther and in the chronicles of Persia.

Book of Esther

Chapter 10 Part 17

August 19, 2012

These three verses in Esther 10 are the conclusion of the Book of Esther. They actually should have been the end of chapter 9, but for some reason, the translator chose to divide it unto itself. Perhaps it was as a tribute to Mordecai.

The suspense is over, the actions have taken place, this Book reached its climax, and the Jews were saved: Now the Book ends.

“And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea” (Esther 10:1). When Ahasuerus married Esther, he cancelled the taxes in the 127 provinces for a time. (Esther 2:18) With the war he was fighting against Greece, and with the cost of operating such a massive kingdom so substantial, Ahasuerus reinstated the kingdom taxes. Some suggest the taxes that were then laid on the people were heavy and burdensome. As with any other government, he laid the burden of his accrued debt on the people of the kingdom and her protectorates.

“The isles of the sea” refer to the islands in the Aegean Sea which Persia kept control of after the victories of Greece against them. It’s like Hawaii. All the islands that form Hawaii come under the jurisdiction of the government of the United States. They pay their taxes like every other state.

“And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?” (Verse 2) Everything Ahasuerus did, all the battles he fought, all the successes and failures he had were written in the chronicle (record; diary; journal) of the Persian kingdom. This chronicle of Persia, which God used to save the Jews, now contained he record of Mordecai. Mordecai had served graciously and faithfully in the king’s gate in behalf of the Jews. Now, through his connection to Queen Esther, and because of her courage, he was elevated to the highest office next to the king. All he had done. For the people was recorded for posterity.

Watch this! The chronicles of Persia are nowhere to be found any longer. But the Bible, the chronicle of history of the Jews, stands and will through eternity.

“For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed” (verse 3). Mordecai was “next unto king Ahasuerus.” He was the Prime Minister of the entire Persian Empire. He was greatly respected among all the people, but especially the Jews. He worked to see that all his people shared in the bounty of Persia. Although working with Ahasuerus, Mordecai was still a devout Jew. He prayed for and blessed his people, even the seed of his people to come.

That reminds me of Jesus when He was heading to the cross. He prayed for Himself, His disciples, and His future disciples (us) that would be born physically, and re-born unto Himself spiritually. Do you want to hear the heart of Jesus for you? You can read this for yourselves in John 17. It’s a very good read. What can be more encouraging than to know our blessed Lord prayed for us long before we were born? Only that right now, Jesus stands at the right hand of God making intercession for us.

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). This is the kind of peace Mordecai prayed for the Jews.