[Esther 10] The Epilogue

The story of Esther could have ended just as it ended in Esther 9. Esther and Mordecai win; Haman loses. The good guys win; the bad guys lose. But what’s a good story without a happily ever after? That’s what Esther 10 is: our happily ever after. Some consider Esther 10 another scene in our 3-act play. I see it more as an epilogue. An epilogue is a conclusion to a story that gives full closure. Esther 10 will conclude the story of Esther in a way that gives full closure, so we know confidently that the people of God will live happily ever after.

Esther 10 closes the book of Esther the same way Esther 1 opens the book: proclaiming the greatness of King Xerxes. This time, however, very little is said about Xerxes. Esther 10:1 mentions that Xerxes imposed an empire-wide tax. This seems like an odd way to end a story. In their Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Whole Bible, Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown suggest it could be to compensate for the hole in the state budget due to not receiving Haman’s funds. On the contrary, Mervin Breneman, author of The New American Commentary: Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, suggests the tax is to contrast Haman’s funding to the treasury in exchange for the lives of the Jews. The king remains prosperous even with this tax and without Haman’s funds. Carl Keil and Franz Delitzsche, in their Commentary on the Old Testament, propose the tax funded the Purim festival. In Be Committed, Warren W. Wiersbe suggests that tax was on the work and the money of the Jews. If the Jews would have died at the hands of Haman, Xerxes would have never received this money. Now that the Jews could live, the king would prosper off their work and their living, far beyond if the Jews were dead. Or just maybe it’s demonstrating his great power, in his ability to decree and enforce a tax to the far ends of his kingdom. Either way, this is King Xerxes’s happily ever after. For everything else, Esther 10:2 tells the reader to look them up in the official Persian historical records. Unfortunately, to this day, we don’t have most of those records, and furthermore, the Greeks didn’t have a lot to say about him either. Besides that, that’s it.

Esther 10 also closes out with the greatness of Mordecai. Everything else focuses on Mordecai. Notice that Mordecai’s greatness rests on his position in the empire. Note the text says nothing about Mordecai being a righteous Jew or devoutly following the law. He is a good Jew because of his position in the Persian Empire and what he did for the Jews. Speaking of which, notice chapter 10 only credits Mordecai for saving the Jews and not Queen Esther. Mordecai’s pride and Esther’s absentness have left scholars in their textual criticism to doubt Mordecai wrote this chapter, believing it was added later. Sadly, Esther’s absence just might be old fashion sexism. Since Esther did her part of intervening with the king, she is no longer needed. She probably had little to no power when it comes to administering government power. Probably, in King Xerxes’s eyes, just like other kings of that, her sole purpose was now bearing sons. Since the book of Esther does not concern itself with the king’s children, Esther role as mother of the king’s children need not to be mentioned.

While the statement about Mordecai might sound like prideful boasting (especially if Mordecai is the author), the statement also shows some attributes of Mordecai’s character than the reader can learn from. Just as Mordecai put the welfare of his people before his own wellbeing, the reader comes to realize that we cannot truly love our neighbor until we put them fully before ourselves. Just as Mordecai spoke up for a victimized people, the reader learns not to fear defending the poor and weak in society. Both of these life lessons learned from Mordecai come in great contrast to Haman. Remember Haman used his second-in-command power to put himself first and to overpower the small and weak of the empire. In contrast, Mordecai used that power to lift his people up and empower them. Now the reader learns a third lesson: whenever in power, we should use it in a wise and godly way. That way will involve loving other and help the poor, needy and weak.

So the book of Esther ends with this 3-verse epilogue in chapter 10. It contains the greatness of Xerxes, the greatness of Mordecai, and no mention of Esther. That’s it. Like I said above, the book of Esther would have ended just fine without this epilogue. But I believe the Bible has no fillers, so the reader has to ask what the purpose of this epilogue is. Look back at the text again, but more closely. We have Xerxes, supportive of the Jews, as king on the throne. Second to the king is the Jew Mordecai. With a Jew and a Jewish supporter as the two most powerful men up on top, the Jews living all over the Persian Empire must have felt peace and safety. They no longer had to fear any man or men trying to use the government to harm or oppress the people because they had a Jew and a Jew supporter as the top two men of the government, who would protect the Jews from any such attack. Persian records record a new name for the grand vizier position, which dates to around 465 BC. I bet all the way up to that point, the Jews felt this peace and safety, knowing the Jew Mordecai and the Jew supporter Xerxes kept a faithful watch of the Jews’ wellbeing. This was a blessing from God, that came out of his providence.

 

 

When I spent the summer of 2009 in Israel, I noticed some shops selling a certain t-shirt. This t-shirt listed all the nations that stood up against the Jews, and then it recorded them all as “gone.” It even listed Iran as “????.” The bottom of t-shirt said, “The Jewish Nation: The smallest of nations with a friend in the highest of places. SO…BE NICE!” I didn’t buy the shirt, for I didn’t think I agreed with it, but now I wish I did, for it would have created a nice illustration for Esther chapter 10. I invite you to look beyond the shirt’s prideful, arrogant cockiness, and I invite you to make the connection to the book of Esther. Prior to the book of Esther, the Jews ran into conflict with the Egyptians, Philistines, Assyrians and Babylonians. Each one of those civilizations attempted to exterminate the Jews, yet each one ended being exterminated, and the Jews survived and thrived. Add Persia to the list. Haman intended to exterminate the Jews, only for himself and his family to be exterminated. Later on, even Persia would die out (its remnants are the modern-day nations of Iraq and Iran), but the Jews would still be there. A Jewish reader of the book of Esther would look on this past of God siding with the Jews, and he or she could look towards the future in hope, believing God would act the same. I mentioned this in Esther chapter 4. In Esther 4, Mordecai could speak about a deliver to Esther with such boldness because he knew the history of God saving his people the Jews. Add now the Jews living in Persia during the events of the book of Esther. God intervened for Esther. Now the Jewish reader should share in the same hope Mordecai had in Esther 4.

For the Christians, who are also God’s people, the lesson remains the same. Reading the book of Esther, we see how God intervenes in the lives of His people to give them hope, peace, safety and blessing. Therefore, the Christian reader can also hope in a future of peace, safety and blessing. This hope can be for the present, when things may not be going the way the Christian would have hoped. But this hope even extends to the future. The hope seen in the book of Esther is the same hope found in the book of Revelation. We can hope in a peaceful and secure future because we know God is actively involved in the past, present and future. And that future involves God and his people winning at the end, just like Esther and Mordecai led the Jews into winning over the bad guys.

I guess the best way to end this story is the way any good tale ends. “And they lived happily ever after.” J

[Esther 9] Act 3 Scene 3: The Heroes and The Good Guys Celebrate

Why do we celebrate holidays? Typically, holidays are established in order to commemorate some kind of good, wonderful event that happened in the past, whether it be for a religion or for a nation. Even more somber holidays come with a joyous undertone. For example, Americans celebrate Memorial Day to somberly remember the military men and women who had died in American wars, yet the holidays a joyous undertone of celebrating the freedom Americans have due to their sacrifice. If you think about it, the purpose of the holiday is to annually continue the goodness that happened on the commemorative event. For Christmas, to commemorate God’s gift to mankind, Jesus Christ, we give gifts to other people. For Thanksgiving, to commemorate the Pilgrim’s thankfulness for surviving in the New World, we share our thanks. In the Old Testament, God commands Israel to celebrate 7 holidays. Just as we defined “holiday,” the purpose of these holidays was to commemorate what God had done for Israel. Also as stated above, while some of these holiday reminded Israel of bitter times in their history, they had joyous undertones. Passover would remind the Israelites when they were slaves in Egypt, yet it celebrates how God rescued them and freed them from the hand of Pharaoh. Yom Kippur would remind Israel of its sins, yet it would celebrate that God had forgiven them.

In Esther 9, a new holiday will be established. If you remember where we left off in Esther 8, we discussed that Esther 8 was mostly planning. We didn’t see a lot of action happen. Now that plan will come into action. Not to spoil what happens, but it will end good, so good that Esther and Mordecai will decide it deserves to be celebrated for years to come as an annual holiday.

If you can recall how we concluded last chapter, we talked about how God’s providence involves role reversal. Well, that’s exactly where Esther 9 picks up the story. Esther 9:1 confirms the roles were reversed. About 9 months passed since the events of Esther 8. The day that Haman picked by lots finally came. With Haman’s law backing them, the enemies of planned to overpower and annihilate the Jews. Instead, with Mordecai’s new law, the Jews turned the tables and got the upper hand. To put in the words of the New Bible Commentary, “The victims had become the victors.”

Esther 9:2-4 goes into deeper detail on how the Jews turned the tables and got the upper hand. Some of you might have wondered while reading the book of Esther, “If the Jews knew someone was out to kill them on a certain day, wouldn’t they defend themselves anyway? Why wait for a law to be passed?” Well, why did over 6 million Jews march into the Hitler’s concentrations camps, knowing they’d be worked to death (quite literally)? True, we do hear stories of Jews resisting the Nazis during World War II, but those stories are in the minority. The Persian law now backed the Persians Jews with the Persian government. The enemies of the Jews, who wanted to still carry out Haman’s law, must have seen the Persian government stand behind the Jews and then realized they had no such backing. That alone must have struck them with enough fear to back off. Although God’s name is absent from the book of Esther, this has God’s signature on it, for the Lord used fear to help the Israelites win over their enemies in the past. Esther 9:4 reminds us this all only possible through the Lord’s providential plan to make Mordecai second in command. Without Mordecai second in command, the Persian government would not have helped out the Jews, and they would been annihilated.

Esther 9:5-15 records the results of that day. Because Persian laws cannot become totally negated, carnage was inevitable. Despite his death, Haman’s supports probably stood behind his beliefs and readied themselves to attack the Jews. A civil war would break out. When all is said and done, the Jews struck down, killed and destroyed 500 enemies that hated the Jews in Susa alone. This may seem like a lot, but from historical and archaeological records, this is only a small percentage of the city. This means that most of city supported the Jews (or were at least too afraid to attack), and only a minority attacked the Jews. The passage does not mention how many Jews died, hinting that not a lot did die, especially now they could defend themselves. The text also mentions the Jews in Susa killed Haman’s 10 sons, naming each one of them. The sons of Haman must have sought to avenge their father’s death by carrying out and leading their father’s evil plan. Esther 9:7-9 makes it clear that God sided with the Jews and against Haman, for God also sides against Haman’s family when they try to commit the same sin. Naming each son affirm each’ son death, symbolizing total defeat of Haman and his family. If you remember Esther 5:11, Haman brags to his wife and friends about his great number of sons, his great wealth and his great position. Haman now loses his wealth to Queen Esther, as seen in Esther 8:1, his position to Mordecai, as seen in 8:2 and 9:4, and finally his sons in 9:7-9. The destruction of Haman has now come to full completion.

Note in Esther 9:10 the Jews did not plunder any of these enemies, although the law gave them permission to do so. The Jews weren’t in it for the money. Unlike Haman, who sought total domination over all races and ethnic groups in the Perisan Empire, in both power and wealth, the Jews did not seek to become wealthier than any other race or ethnic group in the Persian Empire. They just wanted to defend themselves. Perhaps it is because they knew they didn’t need any national law to receive such blessings, for they knew the Lord would provide them. Shadowing Abram in Genesis 14:23, the Jews did want people, especially enemies making them rich, but God making them rich. Also consider the historical occasion and paralleling Esther 9:10 with 1 Samuel 15:19-21. King Saul, an ancestor of Mordecai, plundered King Agag, the possible ancestor to Haman. This action might have caused generations of anger, conflict and tension. The Jews in the time of Esther made sure they didn’t make the same error.

At the end of the day, the total number of fatalities is reported to King Xerxes. I can’t imagine King Xerxes happy to hear so many people within his capital city of Susa dying. He fears what could happen in the rest of his providences. But he must have understood the necessity for saving the Jews. He asks Queen Esther for further advice on what more could also be done. Esther does not ask for “up to half the kingdom,” but she does ask for a lot. Esther suggests to extend Mordecai’s law for an extra, after Haman’s law expires, to make sure that no one else wants to harm a Jew. Esther also must have been aware that her next request might further infuriate some people, causing further attacks on the Jews. She also suggests that Haman’s dead sons be hanged on the gallows, right beside their father. A note must be made here to understand the culture. Hangings in the Old Testament were rarely to execute by asphyxiation. More often, the person was executed by a different method, then the person was hanged, on either a tree or a gallows, to send a clear message to people: “Don’t commit the same crime, or else you will face the same fate.” Both of Esther’s suggestions are meant to send the same message: “The king sides with the Jews. Don’t mess with the Jews.” King Xerxes takes Queen Esther’s advice. On the second day, 300 more enemies that hated the Jews died. Once again, Esther 9:15 repeats that the Jews did not take any plunder, reaffirming that the extension of the law was merely to further ensure the Jews’ protection and self-defense, not to become more powerful or wealthy.

Esther 9:16 records what happened in all the other providences of Persia. In this 1 verse alone, the reader sees the Jews have the upper hand again. In that 1 day alone, the Jews killed 75,000 enemies that hate the Jews across the Persian Empire. This huge number causes the reader to reflect on how God’s providence has given them a great win. For a third time, the reader hears the Jews did not take any of the plunder. The Jews in the other providences of the Persian Empire reflect the same feelings as the Jews in Susa. They do not participate in this law in order to become richer or more powerful. They just seek protection and self-defense. I call you to remember the book of Esther takes places during the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Remember the Jews back in Jerusalem are struggling to rebuild the temple and rebuild the city walls, against much opposition from enemies surrounding the city. Take the phrase “get relief from their enemies” (NIV) as literally as possible! How relieved these Jews must have felt to see now the Persian government and Persian military was on their side, defending them. Now the Jews in Jerusalem could truly focus on their reconstruction projects. Comparing the Jews in Jerusalem to the Jews in Susa, the reminder that the Jews did not plunder has a stronger impact the third time around. I imagine it’s possible that the Jews in Susa might have been wealthier than the Jews in Jerusalem, living in a wealthier city (after all, the king’s palace resides there). They wouldn’t really need any plunder. But war had left the Jews in Jerusalem all in the middle class. Plundering their enemies could have increased the city’s gross capita. Instead, they saw God’s blessing not in wealth, but rather in the protection He gave them.

Most Bible start off the section about the Purim festival in verse 20. I believe it starts in verse 17 because verses 17 to 19 establish the reason why the rural Jews celebrate on a different day than the city Jews. In both instances, the festival happens the day after the slaughtering. Since the rural Jews only killed 13 day of Adar, they celebrate on the 14^th of Adar. Since the city Jews annihilated their enemies on the 13^th and 14^th of Adar, they celebrate on the 15^th of Adar.

Esther and Mordecai saw what God had done for them, and they recognize it needs to be celebrated. So Mordecai commands all the Jews to celebrate with a festival. Mordecai decides to name it Purim, after the Hebrew word pur, meaning lot. This references the lot Haman cast to decide the day on which to execute his law. It’s cool to see that when Mordecai saw God’s providence going into action. Esther 9:19-22 depicts what celebrating Purim should look like. On the appropriate day (14^th of Adar for rural Jews, 15^th of Adar for city Jews), the Jews were to give gifts of food to everyone, give gifts of all kinds to the poor, and have a big feast. If you’re reading out of the New American Standard Bible (NASB) or the English Standard Version (ESV), you’ll notice that verse 21 says Mordecai “obliged” the Jews to celebrate. In fact, the ESV uses another form of the word, “obligated,” down in verse 27, and twice more in verse 31. This strong word, along with the strong emphasis in verses 28 and 31, reveal to the reader that the Jews were required to celebrate Purim, for it’s commanded with the same force as the festivals in Leviticus.

Devout Jews today still take this command very seriously, and they still celebrate Purim. Today, they have universalized to 1 day, the 14^thof Adar, with a few important Jewish cities, like Jerusalem, also celebrating it on the 15^th of Adar. Since the Jewish calendar does not sync up perfectly with the Gregorian calendar, the date fluxuates slightly every year, but it typically is mid-March, more specifically March 15. Jews worldwide celebrate Purim universally the same, just as it is recorded in Esther 9:19-22. Jews send food gifts to friends and family. The give donations to the poor and charities. They hold a big feast with special Purim foods (just Google it or Wikipedia it for more information). Although not recorded in Esther 9, yet rightfully practiced, the book of Esther is read aloud by a woman. When Haman’s name comes up, the audience rattles noisemakers to “blot out” Haman’s name. When they read Haman’s sons’ names in Esther 9:7-9, they read it in 1 breath because Haman’s 10 sons died all at once. Depending where the Jewish community is, additional festivities are celebrated. Some Jews will greet each with such greetings as “Happy Purim,” “Have a festive Purim,” “Blessed Be Mordecai,” and “Cursed Be Haman.” Some Jews wear masks to represent how Esther hid her Jewish ethnicity and how God was hidden in the story. Synagogues will put on dramatizations of the book of Esther, in the form of plays or puppet shows. Some Jews will even go as far as burning an effigy of Haman! Some others start the observance of Purim before the actual holiday. Just like Advent before Christmas or Lent before Easter, the 3 days before Purim is a time to prepare for Purim. Following the example of Esther in Esther 4, some Jews will fast and lament to prepare themselves for Purim.

Looking back on Esther chapter 9, Esther and Mordecai saw God’s providence fully work out in the first half of the chapter. They responded to God’s providence by celebrating it in the second half of the chapter. Esther 9 teaches us God’s providence is worth celebrating. Throughout our study of Esther, I’ve been challenging you to think and meditate over how you have seen God’s providence in your life. Have you celebrated them? Have you at least praised God for them? A celebration is an act of praise! Now that you have gathered together all your memories that you see as God’s providence, I now encourage you to praise God for them and find appropriate ways to celebrate them.

[Esther 8] Act 3 Scene 2: The Good Guys Win, the Bad Guys Lose

2 chapters ago, we saw God’s providence on a small scale. Haman went into the king’s presence expecting to punish Mordecai and get rewarded, and he came out rewarding Mordecai and punishing himself. Last chapter we saw God’s providence on a medium scale. King Xerxes sided with Esther and her people, the Jews, and he sided against Haman, leading to his execution. This chapter will see God’s providence on a large scale, and it will be truly a larger scale. We’ll see God’s providence throughout the entire Persian Empire. Just remember how important this large scale providence is. Haman may be out of the picture, but his decree still is in the picture.

We left off in Esther 7 with Haman’s execution. Because Haman is a criminal, the king holds the right to seize his possessions. King Xerxes could have kept it for himself, but he decides to give it to away, perhaps admitting partial guilt for allowing such a foolish law to be signed. Since Esther revealed her relationship to Mordecai, revealed her gratitude to Mordecai for giving her courage to speak to king, and the king’s gratitude for saving him the first time, the king and queen see it fit to receive Haman’s possessions. Xerxes had no objections, especially now learning that Mordecai was his relative by marriage! Once again, the reader sees the tables turned as King Xerxes decides Mordecai shall receive Haman’s belongings. Haman desired to plunder the Jews of the goods after annihilating the Jews, as seen in the edict he wrote up in Esther 3:13. Now Mordecai ends up plundering Haman of his goods. Most significant of all these goods was the king’s signet ring. The signet ring gave the king’s final approval for all the laws of the land. When Mordecai receives the king, he now becomes the grand vizier and second in power in Persia. With Mordecai now in control of the ring, Mordecai has the power to control the fate of the Jews. Whereas Haman abused the king’s power for his own personal vendetta against the Jews, now Mordecai will loyally use that power to save the Jews and benefit the Persian Empire.

Since I said that Esther 8 is a larger scale of what happened in Esther 7, expect to see some parallels in the 2 chapters. Here, in Esther 8:3-6, we will see first parallel. Before we get to that parallel, we see a parallel to Esther 5. In Esther 8:3-6, Esther appears before King Xerxes unplanned and unannounced, just like she did in Esther 5:1-3. The results are the same. Xerxes extends his gold scepter so Esther may stand in the king’s presence and make her request. Now we can reach the first parallel of the consecutive chapters. Just as Esther pleaded for the mercy of herself and her people in Esther 7:3-6, so Esther pleads for the mercy of her people in Esther 8:3-6. I do wonder why Mordecai, the new grand vizier, does not make a plea for a new edict. Perhaps Mordecai did not feel like he had a voice of influence, being new on the job. Or maybe it’s simply a literary device to preserve the parallel to Esther 7. Just like in Esther 7:3-6, Esther humbles herself before the king. Although King Xerxes could rightfully share the blame for passing such a foolish law that cannot be reverse, Queen Esther does not want to shame King Xerxes, for that could sway him. She knows she alone does not have the power to do anything, and she knows the decision purely resides in the judgment of the king. She also keeps it simple, as she simply requests for an edict that will supersede the Haman’s edict.

Esther’s simple request does not have a simple answer. As seen in Esther 8:8, none of King Xerxes’s edicts can be revoked, including the edict Haman wrote. Yet Xerxes gives Esther and Mordecai all the power and resources they need, including the king’s signet ring, to do whatever they see as best of the Jews. Even in the Hebrew, King Xerxes literally says, “You write,” emphasizing the power given to Esther and Mordecai. When I see Xerxes hand so much power over to godly Jews like Esther and Mordecai, I can’t help but see it as Xerxes giving the power back to God. It’s not like God needs the power, for the power was always his. But it’s more like King Xerxes is admitting, “Let’s do what God sees is best.”

Now that Esther has made her plea to Xerxes, and Xerxes has granted the plea and allowed Mordecai to write it up, the attention turns to Mordecai. If you’re keeping track of all the dates in your head, Mordecai writes his decree 2 months after Haman wrote his decree. That means the Jews now have 9 months to prepare themselves. Mordecai’s decree and Haman’s decree have a lot of similarities. Both were sent out as fast as possible to all regions of the Persian Empire. Both Haman and Mordecai had their decrees written in every language spoken in the Persian Empire. Mordecai’s orders even parallel Haman’s orders. Just as Haman ordered for individuals, families and groups to destroy, kill and annihilate any and all Jews, Mordecai orders the Jews to destroy, kill and annihilate any individual, family or group that attempts to harm the Jews. This parallel leads to our second parallel to Esther 7. Just as Xerxes ordered Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to be executed in Esther 7, so Xerxes’s signet ring orders any and all enemies of the Jews to be executed in Esther 8. Finally, just as Haman planned to take all the possessions of the dead Jews, now the Jews can take all the possessions that once belonged to their dead enemies. All these parallels and similarities are supposed to get the audience, both the original audience and you today, to be thinking about Haman’s law in Esther 3. This law was clearly written in this way to combat and overpower a certain law, that is Haman’s law. Overall, Haman’s law commanded death, while Mordecai’s law commanded life.

Esther 8 ends with a picture of Mordecai wearing all the royal clothes. This is the real deal, unlike the borrowed robes Mordecai wore in Esther 6! His blue and white robes are the colors the royal family wore. The purple represents wealth and nobility, as only the richest could afford to wear purple. The crown, or headdress, was probably a large turban, matching in color to the robes. This crown would point back to his close relationship with the king as well. More importantly, however, is how the people reacted to Mordecai and his law. If you remember in Esther 3, Haman’s law left the people of Susa bewildered. The Jews responded with fasting, mourning, wailing and weeping. Mordecai’s law led to a much more positive outcome. The whole city of Susa rejoiced. The Jews were ecstatic, and rightfully so, for they now had a chance to live instead of accepting death. They even got some converts. Yes, it may be out of fear (and whether that’s a good method of conversion is a conversation for another time), but I wonder if some of those converted because they were amazed at how the God of the Jews rescued them when all seemed lost, and they wanted a part of that. Either way, it changed the Gentiles’ attitude towards the Jews throughout Persia.

 

I hope you’ve noticed all the parallels in Esther 8, not only to Esther 7, but to all the previous chapters in the book of Esther. The author of book of Esther (most likely Mordecai) puts these parallels in there to show to you the tables being turned, as we have already seen, yet in this chapter, we see it more specifically. In this chapter, we see the power change specifically connected with certain people. In previous chapters, Haman was second in command. In Esther 8, Mordecai is second in command. In Esther 6, Mordecai is going to be hanged, but Haman ends up getting hanged in Esther 7:10, and Xerxes reminds the reader again in Esther 8:7. Prior to Esther 8, An edict is issued to kill, destroy and annihilate the Jews. In Esther 8, an edict is issued to kill, destroy and annihilate anyone attacking the Jews. The power has shifted from one person or one people to another. This is a specific tables turned, called role reversal. Therefore, in Esther 8, God’s providence is seen in role reversal. God reveals himself in role reversal. In order for God to truly reveal his great and mighty power, he has to reveal it through the weak in the world. God has always been this way from the start. God explains why he chose Israel in Deuteronomy 7:7,8. In those verses, he says, “It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” God made it clear from Israel that he did not choose Israel for any desirable characteristics, like the number of the people or the strength of all the people. Rather, God chose them out of love and devotion to their forefathers. Therefore, Israel could not claim their own power, but instead they had to fully rely on God. Thus, when Israel did become powerful through the Lord, they needed constant reminders to humble themselves, so they can continue to be on the Lord’s side. Proverbs 3:34 reminds Israel, “He mocks proud mockers, but gives grace to the humble.” Peter and James once again remind Christians of this when they say in 1 Peter 5:5 and James 4:6 respectively, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” The Bible makes it clear that if you want God to be on your side, you must humble yourself, even submitting yourself to be the weakest. Then God can role reversal you to the top. As Jesus said in Luke 14:11, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Esther and Mordecai have created a decree which will allow the Jews to fight back, but it doesn’t mean the fighting won’t cease, and it doesn’t mean the bloodshed for either Jew or Gentile will disappear. In the next chapter, we’ll see how the two combating decrees fight it out.

[Esther 7] Acts 3 Scene 1: The Heroes Win, The Villain Loses

Two idioms that can be heard in 21^st century American culture is “having the upper hand” and “having the tables turned.” To “have the tables turned,” someone or something reverses the situation to have the upper hand. To “have the upper hand” means to have power and control over someone or something. Whoever or what “has the upper hand” controls the person or the thing. Put it all together, having the tables turned means reversing the situation in order to have the power and control. That’s exactly what we’ll see in Esther 7. Last chapter, we saw the book of Esther climax as we saw the tables turn to give the Jews the upper hand on the small scale. In this chapter, we see will the tables turn on a medium scale. In the next chapter, we will see the tables turn on the large scale.

Esther chapter 7 opens up with the 5^th banquet mentioned in the book. This banquet probably took place in the afternoon, for time is needed to carry out the rest of the events of the story. In accordance to Persian customs, this banquet probably mostly consisted of drinking wine, perhaps with a few desserts on the side.

It also has the 3^rd opportunity that Esther has to present her request to King Xerxes. This time, Esther wastes no time in relaying her request. She requests the life of her and her people. Esther must have rehearsed this speech, for she carefully chooses her words. Despite the banquet creating an informal time to talk to her husband, Esther still uses the proper terms that someone would use in the public court, like referring to her husband as “o king.” She humbly admits she cannot boss the king around, but rather she needs his favor. Although not using the term “Jew,” by saying “her and people,” Esther has revealed her ethnicity as a Jew. She is smart to say “my people” instead of calling them Jews outright, for it brings the attention to Esther, the queen the king loves dearly, instead of making them an unrelated people. Note that Esther says that her people have been “sold for destruction and slaughter and annihilation”. The “destruction and slaughter and annihilation is a direct quote from the decree Xerxes and Haman drew up in chapter 3. The verb “sold” is a reference to the money Haman put into the treasury in order for the genocide to happen. Speaking of Haman, notice that Esther leaves out his name. Esther makes sure King Xerxes’s focus is on her people, not on Haman.

Finally, I find it peculiar that Esther says that if the case was anything but death, even slavery, Esther would have remained silent. Esther might be proposing that the king cannot afford to let the Jews die. The Jews have contributed to Persian society. Even if they were slaves, they could still contribute to the empire. If they died, however, they could not contribute anymore. I wonder if Esther is thinking of history of Israel. God is able to bless the people of Israel, no matter where they are or what their condition is. God blesses them so much, it overflows to the nations around them, and those countries benefit. Persia has been benefiting from God’s blessing to the Jews. Without the Jews, Persia loses that blessing. Esther makes the annihilation of the Jews an issue for the king. Anything else, it would not be the king’s problem, for the Jews could still contribute to the Persian. But now the Jews are going to be wiped off the face of the Persian Empire, it is the king’s issue, for it could lead instability within the empire, an issue for a king!

Altogether, Esther’s statement shows how humble Esther stands before the king. Esther knows she does not know have the power to sway the king, nor does the king have to even take into consideration what she thinks. Esther’s job, as queen, is to agree and support the king on all matters. Knowing that, I wonder if Esther remember Vashti’s fate for standing up against Xerxes, and she feared she would receive the same fate. Yet God gave her the strength to go through with her request.

As you can tell from verses 5 and 6, Xerxes does not stand against Esther, but rather he sides with her. He demands who has done such a thing. There is some irony in the question. A mass murder on this scale cannot happen without the king’s consent, so the king stands somewhat guilty. Still, it would seem Xerxes does not remember the edict Haman coerced him to sign, or at least Xerxes cannot put the pieces together. Esther waits until the end to mention the name for dramatic suspense, but she then points out it is Haman, whom she calls “the foe (or adversary) and enemy.” This title will stick with Haman, as he’ll be known as the “enemy of Jews” at least 3 more times in remainder of the book. Perhaps Esther used these titles in order to remind that king that actions Haman committed were not just against the Jews, but against the king himself as well. Esther 7:6 describes Haman’s look as complete horror. I can imagine the horror immediately coming over Haman’s face as Esther begins making her plea. He puts the pieces together sooner than Xerxes. No longer is his hatred towards foreigners from a distant land. He was now stands against the queen, the king’s wife, and against the royal family. For that, the king would accuse him of treason, which would lead to his execution.

When Xerxes hears who planned this genocide, he immediately leaves the banquet hall for the palace gardens. Many have attempted to suggest why Xerxes did this. Some suggest perhaps Xerxes tried to calm himself down and let the anger subside. Other suggest maybe Xerxes was planning how to execute Haman, especially without violating any laws of the land. And yet others think Xerxes was doing the opposite: thinking of how to spare Esther and her family when the laws of Persia were irreversible. It could just simply be the king needed from fresh air to process all these things. In a matter of seconds, the king learned his lovely wife and her family were going to be executed, and all at the hands of his second-in-command! That’s a lot to process in such a short time. Imagine trying to think up a way to solve it, too!

King Xerxes’s exit provides some alone time for Esther and Haman. Haman takes advantage of this time to beg Esther for mercy. He knows that he is a dead man walking, and that his only hope for survival is to beg Esther for mercy. Now in the Bible times, people would recline around the table for meals. This was the case for Esther’s banquet. Also in the Ancient Near East, when someone wanted to beg for mercy, that person would fall at the feet of the other person and kissed those feet. When Haman begged Esther for mercy, he must have fell at laid down at her feet, kissing them. Social protocol of the day dictated that men had to keep a safe distance of 7 steps from any of the king’s women, so no wonder Xerxes saw this action as molesting the queen when he re-entered the banquet hall! Xerxes announces, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?” This is not a rhetorical question, but King Xerxes speaks as judge bring judgment down on Haman’s actions. At that very second, those nearby covered Haman’s head, the first step for those about to be executed. Even the attendants and the guards nearby knew at the king’s last words that Haman was a dead man.

From Esther 7:8, I draw a parallel from chapter 6. In Esther 6, Haman covers his head in shame after carrying out the reward for Mordecai, the foreshadowing of what was to come. Now here in chapter 7, the attendants cover Haman’s to prepare him for execution. Perhaps Haman should have covered his own head in humility and begged Yahweh, the God of the Jews for mercy instead of Esther. Then maybe his life would have been spared. Yet I don’t blame Esther for extending mercy to Haman, as much as we Yahweh-worshippers would want to extend to grace and mercy to others as Yahweh has extended it to us. Because Persian laws are irreversible, if Haman were allowed to live, he could have still led a successful uprising against the Jews, even if King Xerxes changed his mind. Esther knew Haman could not be trusted, so he had to be dealt with swiftly and harshly.

Soon after covering Haman’s face, Harbona, a eunuch of king, speaks up. He informs the king of gallows Haman built by his house. He even mentions how they were meant for “Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.” How does Harbona know about the gallows, especially concerning their purpose? Knowing Haman and his pride, he probably boasted and bragged loudly about them. Harbona uses this information to his advantage. As we can tell from the first 6 chapters, Haman was not a nice guy to hang around. He thought he was the best, and he looked down on anyone who disagree with him on that fact. I can imagine that Haman had many enemies besides Mordecai (maybe Mordecai was the only one to stand up to Haman). Perhaps Harbona was one of them. Maybe Harbona saw his opportunity to finish Haman off. To make sure Xerxes finished him off, Harbona reminds King Xerxes that not only is Mordecai a Jew, but also the man who saved his life. Harbona knows what he’s doing. It fuels Xerxes’s anger, and Xerxes demands Haman is hanged on it.

Looking back on this passage, I see a whole lot of irony. Haman wanted the Jew Mordecai to fall at his feet in worship. Now Haman falls at the feet of Mordecai’s cousin, the Jew Esther, for mercy. The gallows Haman built to hand Mordecai now will become the place where Haman will be hanged from. Up to this point, Esther has been a shy queen, staying within her expected boundaries. Now Esther is strong and courageous, making requests and calling out people. Reading Esther 7, it’s easy to notice that there’s a power change happening. In fact, it’s so easy, it’s hard to tell there’s not a power change! Truly the tables have been turned!

 

That’s how great God’s providence is. It can turn the tables; it can give the powerless the upper hand. God’s providence reminds us that God is truly the all-powerful one. 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 states that God is more powerful than the greatest power on earth. In order to demonstrate that power, God uses the powerless of the world and gives them the power to become more powerful than the most powerful. In short, God uses his providence to display his power, and God wants to use you to display his providence and his power. God does so by turning the tables in your life. He can turn you from the powerless to the powerful. You just need to trust in him and take that opportunity when he gives it. Perhaps you can think of a time God has turned the tables for you. You were once weak and lowly, and God turned you the strong and powerful. Reflect on that moment. Thank God for it. Then, use that moment next time you are weak and lowly to rely on God to turn the table. Remember, God is the all-powerful. When the powers of this world turn against you, fear not, for they cannot take down God.

We will see a similar theme in Esther chapter 8, but in a larger scale. Remember this chapter’s theme of God’s providence, and look out for it in the next chapter.

[Esther 6] Act 2 Scene 3: CLIMAX! – A Foreshadowing of the Villain’s Downfall to the Heroes

When I first introduced the book of Esther to you, I said that Esther 6 would be the climax of the story. In literary terms, the climax is the point of the story when the tension heightens to the max, and then a turning point happens in which things cannot go back to the way there were, due the heighten tension maxing out. The characters move forward in either victory or tragedy. If tragedy, the protagonist’s good fortune will run out, leading to downfall, but if victory, the events will cease to stand against the protagonist and now favor the protagonist. Esther 6 is the climax because the tension between Haman and the Jews, like Mordecai and Esther, will come to its max. In Esther 6, Esther and Mordecai will stop receiving bad news and actually get some good news. The climax in the book of Esther will come in the form of foreshadowing. A small event will happen which will foreshadow how the rest of the falling action will occur. As we read Esther 6 together, look out for how the chapter serves as the climax of the story. In what ways does the heightening tension max out, and things cannot return to the way they were? Also look out for what small event will foreshadow Esther and Mordecai ending in victory, and Haman ending in defeat.

The first sentence of Esther 6 mentions how the king cannot sleep. While this sentence may seem like just the opener to explain why the events in the rest of Esther 6 occurred, it also helps give more clarity to what happened in the last chapter. In Esther 5, we hypothesized on why, for Esther’s favor, Esther invited King Xerxes and Haman to a banquet, only to invite him to another banquet again. Perhaps this was God’s working. God knew the king would not sleep, which would eventually lead to Xerxes thinking favorably about Esther. Maybe God himself did not allow Xerxes to sleep until he had favorable views of Esther and Mordecai.

I’m not sure about you, but when I can’t find sleep, I find it helpful to read. Scientists believe reading helps people sleep because it calms the mind down. Xerxes must have known this because he orders for someone to read a bedtime story to him. What better story than one about yourself! Indeed, these stories could put one to sleep, as the king would require the record keeper to record every event that happened, even as much as getting up, eating breakfast, getting a haircut, etc. Now keep in mind that at this point King Xerxes has reigned for 12 years. Of all the events in 12 years, it just so happens to be the one where Mordecai and Esther report to Xerxes about Bigthana’s and Teresh’s assassination attempt. Furthermore, the king remembers Mordecai has not received a reward for his heroic act. Xerxes must have been shocked to hear Mordecai never had been rewarded. In a world where assassins sought every opportunity to assassinate the king, kings made sure recognize and reward supporters who backed the king. Kings did not hold back on their rewarding; rewards were scrupulous and extravagant. To give anything less would bring shame upon the king’s head. Maybe Xerxes felt he now owed Mordecai even more, considering his well-deserved reward was overdue. Once again, the reader has to awe at God’s providence. If Xerxes would have rewarded Mordecai sooner, the king might not have had favorable thoughts on Mordecai. He might have thought he already paid his due to Mordecai, if Haman presented a case against Mordecai, Xerxes would have punished Mordecai to the fullest. Instead, King Xerxes wants to show thanks and favor Mordecai, which will lead to Mordecai’s uplifting and Haman’s defeat, as we shall see

And it just so happens at that very instant in which King Xerxes ponders how to thank Mordecai, Haman has completed his gallows project and has arrived to the outer court of the palace, wishing to request Mordecai be hanged on the gallows immediately. Kings would do their business in the outside court early in the morning before it became too hot. Haman wanted to make sure he was first in line (even before the king was up!). Upon hearing someone in the court, Xerxes asks who entered the court. The young attendants answer that it is Haman, and the king orders Haman to enter. Haman must have thought he just received another privilege. How many people get the opportunity to enter the king’s bedroom? I imagine Haman about to speak up and make his request when Xerxes interrupts him. As the king’s second in command, Xerxes asks Haman for his opinion on how the king should reward someone who the king wants to honor. From previous chapters, we know that Xerxes likes to consult his advisors for sage wisdom. How convenient one of his closest nobles is nearby. As we saw in the last chapter, Haman is selfish and egotistical, so naturally he thinks the king speaks about him. Haman might have thought that this was going to turn out to be the best day honored. Not only was he going to finally finish off Mordecai, but he was also going to be honored by the king, and then dine with the king and queen at a banquet! Haman wants the king to go all out on him, so Haman goes all out in his description.

In essence, Haman suggests King Xerxes throws a parade for the man the king delights to honor, but not just any parade. In this parade, the man the king delights to honor will wear a robe the king has worn (wearing the king’s robe would symbolize close relation to the king), will ride a horse the king has ridden (the crown/crest on the horses head will display that this horse indeed is the king’s horse), and will have a royal noble proclaim the man as a man the king delights to honor. This parade was nothing new. Kings would sometimes do something similar to demonstrate their luxury and/or their power. Such a parade for anyone who wasn’t the king was the highest honor to be received in the kingdom. In essence, Haman suggests that the man the king delights to honor should be treated like the king for day, in which all his peers look upon in dignity and respect.

How fitting Haman planned such an elaborate award, especially because he thought it for himself. Haman could have suggested a monetary reward, but he did not, for he already had great wealth as the king’s second in command. He could have suggested a position of power in the empire, but he did not, for he already was second in command. The only person more powerful than he was the king himself! Instead, Haman suggests an event which will give him the one thing that he does not have. It will force his peers and the people of the empire give him the honor and respect he believe he deserves and has not received. After all, Haman’s hatred of Mordecai and the Jews stems from the fact that Mordecai will not bow to Haman out of respect. Haman’s desire for honor and respect will be his fatal flaw, almost quite literally.

If you’re looking for the exact climax and the exact turning point, look no further than verses 10 and 11. This climax is full of irony. To state the obvious, the tables get turned. Haman arrives expecting to execute Mordecai and then receive honor from the king. Instead, Mordecai ends up receiving honor, leading Haman to walk home ashamed and Mordecai quite alive. Not only is the action ironic, but the internal feelings make this event even more ironic. Haman hates Mordecai, so Haman wants Mordecai dead. Haman does not feel respected or honored by his peers, so he wants a parade. Instead, Haman has to honor and respect someone he hates. As the Bible Knowledge Commentaryputs it, “He who wanted respect fromMordecai had to give respect toMordecai.” Even the fact Xerxes calls Mordecai “the Jew” reeks of irony. This possibly could be the first time Xerxes learns that Mordecai is a Jew, for the official record books would have recorded the citizen’s nationality and family history. The reader has to wonder if the king remembers he order the genocide of the Jews. Yet in this instance, he wants to award a particular Jew, more specifically the one Haman focuses his hatred towards. The reader also has to wonder about how the onlookers in Susa must have felt about this parade. Thoughts that might have run through their head would be something like, “Why is the king honoring a Jew who he will have killed in the near future? And why is Haman, the man who wrote the decree, leading the procession himself?” It must have left the citizens of Susa bewildered! Yet Mordecai seems unaffected. At the end, he simply returns to the king’s gate.

I want you to compare Esther 6:12-14 to Esther 5:10-14 and note the parallels. The parallels further reveal that the climax has happened and the tides have turned. In Esther 5:10-13, Haman comes to his wife, sons and friends boasting. In Esther 6:12, Haman comes to his wife, sons and friends in grief. The covering of the head is a public display that verifies the feeling of grief. In Esther 5:14, Haman’s family and friends encourage his boasting, further lifting him up and further encouraging him. In Esther 6:13-14, Haman’s family and friends put him down and discourage him. The Persian religion strongly believed in signs and omens. What someone might consider luck or fortune meant fate for the Persians. When Haman reports that he went to execute Mordecai on the gallows, only to reward him with a parade, Haman’s family and friends even know how this story will end, and it’s not good for Haman. In contrast to Persian pagan polytheism, Judaism in the book of Esther says different. The God of the Jews does not have to submit to fate. The God of the Jews can actively insert his hand into history and do as his sovereign hand pleases. Since God does not change, the God of the Christians reacts the same way. He inserts his sovereign hand, working the favor his people and against those who oppose him people, just like Haman. God has decided Haman’s fate, and everyone can see it. It would almost seem as if Haman’s wife and friends recognize the Jews have this divine protection. Haman himself has no chance to react, as the king’s eunuchs hurry him away to the next banquet.

God’s providence comes in small pieces

Taking a step back and overlooking the whole chapter, at what points did we see God’s providence at work? First, we see it with King Xerxes’s insomnia. The night before an important banquet, the king cannot sleep. Second, we read about how the king reads from the annals and chronicles of Persian on how Mordecai saved him from an assassination attempt. Of all the events of the king’s twelve years reign, he heard the one about Mordecai saving him from certain death. Third, Xerxes wants to honor Mordecai. He could have forgot about paying back Mordecai and never paid him back. Rather, the story reminds Xerxes, and Xerxes wants to pay him back. Fourth, Haman resides in the courtyard when Xerxes cannot sleep and is planning his reward for Mordecai. Because Haman stands in such close proximity, he ends up being the one to carry out the king’s reward for Mordecai, foreshadowing the rest of the story. If you don’t believe in God’s providence, you’ll be saying “it just so happened” a lot in this chapter. It just so happened the king couldn’t sleep. It just so happened the annals and chronicles of the Persians reminded King Xerxes of Mordecai’s heroic act. It just so happens the king is overdue for rewarding Mordecai. It just so happens Haman stands in the courtyard when Xerxes plans his reward for Mordecai, so Haman has to carry out the reward. Truly, God is at work here. All these small pieces of God’s providence come to make a “medium-sized” event of God’s providence, which will foreshadow the larger story of God’s providence for His people.

[Esther 5] Act 2 Scene 2: The Heroes Set Up The Plan

If the book of Esther were to be split into two equal halves, it would be evenly split between chapter 5 and chapter 6, 5 chapters in each half. This chapter, chapter 5, would end the first half. I’m not sure I would recommend splitting the book in half. There’s not really a reason to. If there was a reason, it would be that splitting the book in half creates a chiasm between chapters 1 and 5. So there’s going to be a lot of paralleling chapter 1 and chapter 5. But I rather stick with outlining the plan of the book with the literary pyramid. According to the literary pyramid, Esther 5 is part of the rising action. In this rising action of Esther 5, the reader will see a growing tension between the protagonist and antagonist, and it’s going to come close to peaking.

 

Start off with the first verse of Esther 5. Right away, right after Esther has ended her fast. She has been fasting and praying for 3 days, know how volatile her husband can be, praying God will intervene in his heart. She realizes what she must do, and she goes off to see the king. She has already placed her life in God’s hands; now she will place her life in her king’s hands.  Now if you know anyone who has ever fasted, even if it was just for one day, that person will tell you that fasting for a whole day can make you pretty weak. Now imagine fasting for 3 days. Esther could have been pretty weak. On top of that, remember Esther is doing something very scary. Ever do something so scary that it makes you extremely nervous? What happens to your body? How does body react? Your knees might get weak. Esther is already weak from not eating for 3 days. And now, she nerves might be making her weaker. But Esther isn’t going in stupid. She wears her finest clothing, the royal robes. Perhaps it was for sexual advance. But I think it was just common courtesy. If you were going to see the President about some important petition you wanted to make, you too would dress in your finest. Esther dresses in her finest to appease to the king. Still, what a contrast to what we saw in chapter 2, where Esther took a whole year to prepare before she appeared before the king! One final note in verse 1. In verse 1, most Bibles say “stood,” but it’s really a double entendre. While Esther is literally standing, the word could also mean Esther is “taking a stand.” She is defying the king’s order to make her presence known and to make her wish known.

Now’s a good time to parallel this even to Esther 1 by first reminding you of the rules. The rule for the queen is not to enter the king’s presence unless she is summoned. When the queen is summoned, she cannot refuse, she has to come. Failure to follow either rule, whether it’s to appear uninvited, or to refuse an invitation, could result in anything, from exile to death. The last one to break this rule was Vashti, and she was banned from the king’s presence (which could mean the whole city of Susa). This serves as reminder of how much danger Queen Esther is putting herself in. It all comes down to how King Xerxes responds.

Let’s see how King Xerxes responds in verse 2. The verse says that when King Xerxes saw Esther, he was pleased with her, or she won favor in his sight. I bet Xerxes forgot how beautiful his wife was and got excited seeing her beauty after a 1 month draught of no sight or contact. Immediately the tension dies down as Xerxes holds out his scepter. The scepter was probably as long as Xerxes was tall, covered in gold, and had a knob at the end. Esther touches it, symbolically receiving the mercy, but still recognizing submission and humility. More hope arises in verse 3 when the king asks the queen what her request was. Xerxes must has sensed that Esther had a dire request if she dared to risk her life by entering his presence unannounced. He offers her up to his half his kingdom, a common idiom used by kings during that time, to express that he could give anything his power, as long it did not involve making him less powerful.

Esther could have asked for anything. She could have requested the safety of her people right there, and that would end the story right now. But she knows it is neither the right time nor the right place. The throne room was not the right place for a queen to beg and cry to the king, especially in the presence of nobles and guards. Even if the king did side with her, he might look weak by taking orders from a woman. On a similar note, Esther did not want to make her accusation of Haman a public affair. She wanted it just to be between her, Haman and the king. It was not the right time because Xerxes did not expect such news. Esther knew her husband did not make the best decisions on the spot. For all she knew, she could end up being the one held for treason! But most importantly, we see God at work here, for another event will happen before the big announcement that will make Xerxes lean in favor of Mordecai.

Instead, as seen in verse 4, Esther humbly asks for his presence at a banquet, as well as Haman’s presence. Believe it or not, the second part, the request for Haman’s presence, is the unusual part. Kings were usually very protective, even overprotective, of their women, both wives and concubines alike. Kings were so protective that they were only allowed to interact with other women, eunuchs and the king himself. Both wives and concubines were strictly prohibited from coming into contact with other men (not counting the king and eunuchs). But Xerxes did promise Esther anything, and Esther did request Haman’s presence, so he fulfills the request. But still, why even invited Haman in the first place? Couldn’t Esther just told Xerxes in private, and that would have done the job? Many have speculated why. Maybe Esther hoped to make Xerxes jealous by having another man present, which would make Xerxes come down even harder on Haman. Perhaps Esther just wanted to see Haman’s reaction of shock when the news comes. Or maybe Esther is following a godly example of proper confrontation by personally facing the person she is about to accuse in the presence of a rightful judge.

The story skips ahead to the banquet recorded in Esther 5:5-8. Just like the previous banquets, drinking wine stood at the forefront of the event. The event must have been a more relaxed environment, as Xerxes calls Esther by her name alone, not by her title and name, as he did in verse 3. By the end of the banquet, King Xerxes senses that this was not Esther’s real request, and that she has another real request, and she’s setting up some form of negotiation. He asks again for her request, again promising up to half the kingdom. Once again, Esther requests another banquet with Xerxes. The text does not say why Esther diverted the request again. Perhaps she noticed he was too drunk and not in right mind. Remember this is the king who makes rash decisions when drunk. Maybe she had second thoughts about making such a request at such a venue. It could be as simple as fear got to her. For us as the reader, it builds the tension as we get closer to the climax. Either way, when we look at the overall story, we see God working through it. Once again, because Esther holds off on the big accusation, another event will happen that will put Mordecai in favorable standing with the king. Although we don’t get an answer from Xerxes, we know that answer is “yes” from Esther 5:12. Still, the reader has to appreciate the king’s patience. Kings get what they wanted when they want. They are rarely told to wait. God must have been at work in the king’s heart, for the king waits patiently.

Esther 5:9 says that Haman left the banquet in good, high spirits. Why shouldn’t he be? He was the guest of honor at a banquet with the king, and the king was usually that honorable guest! No noble in the whole empire has ever had that honor. Furthermore, he gets to hear private conversation that normally happens between the king and queen. He must think he’s pretty special to get that kind of treatment. His whole mood goes sour, though, when he exits and sees Mordecai at the gate. Not only will Mordecai not bow to Haman, he will not stand in honor, or even recognize him! It reminds him of how not everyone will give him respect, and it puts him in a bitter mood. How fast can worldly pride and recognition go sour! He is able to restrain himself and go home. There, at home, he brags and boasts about everything from his family to his money, from being second-in-command in Persia to being the honored guest at Queen Esther’s banquet. Take note on how many times Haman uses the pronoun “his” when bragging. As always, it’s all about him. He should have many reasons to be happy with all the good fortune in his life. Still, he can’t get past seeing Mordecai at the king’s gate every day.

The chapter closes with his friends and his wife Zeresh advising him. Their advice seems to feed into his pride. They further lift him up, as if he can do anything. With his power, they suggest he builds a gallows 50 cubits, or 75 feet high. Then go to King Xerxes and request that Mordecai be hanged on them by morning, so Haman can enjoy the banquet in the evening. For those of you of need a visual, this height is about the average height of a barn silo. These hanging gallows were not meant for execution by asphyxiation, but rather, they were meant as a display. Everyone can see the person brutally executed. They would remember the crime the person committed. This encouraged the other citizens of the nation to not commit the same crime. By building a gallows 75 feet high, Haman wanted to send that same message in regards to himself. Haman wanted everyone to know his power, and that he deserved respect for it. Anyone who disagreed with also be hanged on those gallows. Perhaps Haman might have noticed the Jews fasting, and he might have figured this was in response to his decree. Haman wanted to discourage the Jews from standing up and fighting this decree, and what a better way then executing the leader. How ironic for the reader to know that it will be Esther that will lead to his downfall!

 

 

I want to draw you back to the first part of Esther 5. I want to you remind you again about the parallels between Queen Vashti and Queen Esther. In Esther 2, Queen Vashti is summoned to the presence of King Xerxes, and she does not come. In Esther 5, Queen Esther is not summoned, and she arrives unannounced. Both actions show disobedience and disrespect to the king. But notice the great difference in the king’s reaction. King Xerxes responds to Queen Vashti by exiling her from Susa and perhaps the whole Persian Empire. King Xerxes responds to Queen Esther with grace and mercy. Someone people want to brush aside, attributing it to the king making up his own mind or Xerxes being sober. I attribute it to God’s providence. God’s providence involves grace and mercy. Of course, God’s ultimate grace and mercy is his Son on the cross, paying for all our sins, so we would not have to pay with our own lives. Yet God displays grace in and mercy in little pieces within our lives to remind us of that grace and mercy. Ever not finish your homework in time for high school or college, and the teacher gives you an extension on the due date? Ever make a mistake a work, and the boss still lets you keep your life? Ever get pulled over by a police officer for a traffic violation, and the officer lets you go on a warning? This is how God inserts grace and mercy in your life, and he can only do by personally interacting in your life. That’s God’s providence. Therefore, when we have requests, we don’t have to approach God’s throne with fear and trembling, like Esther had to do with King Xerxes. On the contrary, the author of Hebrews reminds us in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Esther approached God’s throne before approaching King Xerxes’s throne, and we can tell by Xerxes’s reaction. Xerxes gave Esther the same grace and mercy God gives all who ask of it. It’s who God is.

We’re halfway through our study on Esther. Tension is tightening on both sides. Both sides are getting riskier. Both Esther and Haman are going to approach their king with requests, each one wanting to kill the other. Who will win out? We’ll see at our climax next chapter. It will all be downhill for one side for the rest of the story.

[Esther 3] Act 1 Scene 3: The Villain Is Introduced, and He Begins His Evil Plan

In Esther 1, God’s providence is shown through God setting the stage for Esther to be queen. In Esther 2, God’s providence is demonstrated through God strategically placing Esther and Mordecai. Up to this point, the heroes have been introduced. In Esther 3, we, the readers, will meet the villain. We’ll watch him introduce conflict into our story. Then we’ll ask ourselves, “How does God’s providence work when evil is afoot?”

So let’s meet our villain. Start reading Esther 3, and you’ll bump into him right away. First, we learn that his name is Haman. Second, we learn Haman is the son of Hammedatha. Third, we learn that Haman made his way through the ranks to second-in-command. Haman, in our terms, was a prime minister. We don’t know why he was elevated; the Bible simply tells us he was. Fourth, we learn Haman was an Agagite. The term “Agagite” could mean a couple of things. The complicated answer is that it means he’s a descendant of Agag, the last king of the Amalekites. To give you a brief history reminder, the Amalekites were Israel’s greatest rival. Because of their sin and great hatred towards God’s people, God planned to blot them out. So in the last war between the Israelites and Amalekites, God, through Samuel, told King Saul to totally wipe out the Amalekites. That includes every man, every woman and every child. But King Saul did not listen. Instead, he let King Agag and his family live. It wasn’t until Samuel appeared that the king was killed. Haman might be a descendant of Agag, but it’s dependant on the fact the King Agag’s wife or child escaped the Israelite army somehow. A more simple answer would be Agagite means “from the town/region of Agag” and Agag is either a town or providence of Persia. Unfortunately, the uncertainty of the location also brings this theory into question. Also, may I add, to further the frustration, that Haman’s name has not been found in any archaeological records. But to anyone who says that, I add “yet” to the end. It could still be out there, and it’s just that no one has found it. And even if they can’t find anything, that does not mean Haman didn’t exist.

Continue onto Esther 3:1-5. From the first 5 verses of Esther 3, the conflict is clear. Mordecai won’t bow down or pay honor to Haman. Haman here connects the fact that Mordecai won’t bow down because he is a Jew, and that’s the best reason I can give you, too. Mordecai won’t bow down or pay honor to Haman because Mordecai is a Jew. If I tried to explain it more specifically, I couldn’t because there is no clear, specific answer. Perhaps Mordecai is simply following the 2^nd commandment, which commands the Jews to bow down to no one or nothing but God Himself. So perhaps Mordecai considers bowing down to Haman as idolatry. Maybe it goes back to a historic battle, the battle between King Saul and King Agag. Now it’s the descendant of King Saul who refuses to pay homage to the descendent of King Agag, just King Saul refused to surrender to King Agag. But that would require for both of them to know each other’s ancestry. Or maybe it’s as simple as Mordecai not recognizing Haman as a legitimate authority or power. Remember Mordecai sides with Xerxes, the king, but he doesn’t side with Haman, the second-in-command. Since we don’t know how Haman got into power, it’s possible he got into power in a dishonest way. So maybe Mordecai doesn’t recognize Haman as a legitimate leader and ruler. The specific reasons could be any and every reason given, so it’s hard to say officially. But broadly speaking, we can make the same connection as Haman. It has something to do with Mordecai being a Jew.

So now Haman doesn’t want to kill just Mordecai, but he wants to kill all the Jews, as seen in Esther 3:6. This might seem a little excessive. Wouldn’t killing Mordecai be alone enough to communicate the message to not disrespect the king’s second-in-command? Not in the eyes of prideful Haman! To kill Mordecai alone might make the matter seem insignicant, but to kill Mordecai, his family and his race would send a clear message that this was a significant issue. Once again, I will raise the question, “Does this go back to a historical battle?” Haman might be trying to win the war against King Saul’s descendants that his ancestor King Agag could not finish in victory. I also want to remind you that “every Jew” means every Jew in the Persian Empire. That includes the Jewish refugees trying to rebuild Jerusalem! They already have enough trouble from adversaries, they don’t need more problems.

Haman begins his evil plan in Esther 3:7. The word “pur” comes from the Babylonian word “the lot.” This would the same as flipping a coil, rolling a dice, or even using a roulette wheel. It has been used many times in the Bible, in both the godly and ungodly circumstances. Examples would include, but not be limited to: Lots were cast to choose Mathias as the new disciple, lots were cast to divide Christ’s clothes, lots were cast to figure out whose fault the storm was in Jonah, etc. Now whether the pur is a godly pursuit or not is up for debate. Those for it will quote Proverbs 16:33; those against it will demonstrate that casting the lot came from pagan roots. Let me add one more piece to that equation: the results. The pur is cast on Nisan, which is during our April-May, but for them, it’s the first month of the year. The lot falls on Adar, which for us is February-March, but for them, it’s the last month of the year. Is this a coincidence that it’s going to take a whole year to execute or not? Let that resonate with you for the rest of this chapter. I’ll come back to that, so make sure you have an answer, or at least a thought by the end of this devotional commentary on Esther 3.

Haman presents his plans to Xerxes in Esther 3:8,9. Haman convinces Xerxes that Jews’ customs will not allow them to follow the laws of the land, which will lead to anarchy. Haman suggests the only way to solve this problem is to completely annihilate all the Jews. Haman even offers to donate 10,000 talents of silver to the nation’s treasury, just in case Xerxes feared this would put a hole in the national budget. With the wealth the reader sees Xerxes pour in the first 2 chapters of Esther, it would not have caused a financial, and thus Haman’s payment can be more understood as a bribe. In today’s weight, that would be 666,000 pounds of silver. In today’s currency, that would be worth around $135 million. $135 million is a lot, back then and today, to commit genocide. But Haman sees it necessary and worth it.

Let’s finish up the chapter with verses 10 to 15. King Xerxes does what he does best. He does not consider the consequence of his decision; he just acts. The deal Haman presented sounds pretty good. What’s to disagree with? King Xerxes foolishly gives his signet ring to Haman. The signet ring was what was used to make a seal. The seal of the king was the king’s official word. It gave laws power. What this means is Haman’s words and King Xerxes’s words are now one and the same. Haman’s law declares that every Jew be destroyed, killed and annihiliated, including women and children. Once again, I draw you back to the historic battle between King Saul and King Agag. God, through Samuel, commanded Saul to kill women and children Amalekites, but Saul did not. Because Saul did not, now the descendant of the Amalekites, Haman, sought to kill the Jewish women and children. Haman issues the law to be written in every language and sent off to every province. It was to be proclaimed, or read aloud, for the illiterate. Everyone in the empire is going to know about the law because everyone in the empire is going to be effected. And at the end of this chapter, the only two people who are at peace are Haman and Xerxes. The whole empire is confused, bewildered and scared. This is out of character for King Xerxes. And as we know, the whole reason is because Xerxes is just a puppet for Haman.

Time is up. Do you think the pur is a good method or a bad method? Do you think the timing worked out well, perhaps too well? I’m not sure the method is exactly the mostly godly, but I do believe that the results are godly. Is it just a coincidence that of all the months it could have fallen on it has to fall on the last month, especially when the lot is thrown in the first month. I truly believe this is the providence of God. We’re going to call it “perfect timing.” God providence is perfect timing. For a picture to help you remember, I’m going to put on a calendar. If yesterday’s, which we called “strategically placed” is could be summarized as “in the right place” then “perfect timing” could be summarized as “at the right time.” Ever have one of those moments were things happened at the right time? Maybe you finished a test just before the bell rang. Maybe all your homework end up being due on the Thursday before the big Friday night big game, so you could watch the game without worrying about homework. Maybe the concert just so happens to fall on the weekend you have off of school or work. If I were to think of one, I remember a time where it was down pouring rain on and off. I had forgot my raincoat and I was carrying important papers with me. I was afraid they were going to get wet. Well, just I was about the building, the rain stopped. I walked across the parking lot dry. And just as I starting pulling out of my parking space, it began to downpour again. It stormed the whole time, until I got back to my place. As I parked, the rain stopped again so I could get inside dry. Once I was inside, the rain continued. Of course I praised God. I cannot say that was pure coincidence. It had to be God. I gave you my testimony about how God used perfect timing in my life, and I gave some possible scenarios. I hope you can find some scenarios in your life. And I hope once you realize those moments, you will respond in the same way I did: by praising God.

And with the end of chapter 3 comes the end of Act 1 of the Esther epic. All the characters have been introduced, from the heroes, to the villains, and everyone in between. The villain has brought in the conflict, which will lead us into Act 2 and the rising action. How will the heroes react to the conflict? Will they think up a plan to save themselves and their people? We’ll find out as we continue through Esther!

[Esther 2] Act 1 Scene 2: The Heroes are Introduced and are Strategically Place

In Esther 1, King Xerxes and Queen Vashti are introduced. But they aren’t the only two characters in the story. There are two more characters we will learn about today: Esther and Mordecai. In Esther 1, we saw how Vashti exiting had an important impact on the story. In Esther 2, we’ll see how Esther and Mordecai enter the story in an important place. So we must ask ourselves, “How are the heroes in Esther 2 strategically placed?”

Start off by reading Esther 2:1-4. A phrase that sticks out to me is “the king’s fury subsided.” Perhaps it means the king waited for his anger to settle down to make a judgment. Do you think King Xerxes might be regretting his decision? Maybe he is because he is no longer drunk and he made a quick movement. Maybe not because he is just waiting to make a sound decision. I think it could go either way. Moving on from Vashti, Xerxes wants a new queen. Just like in the deposal of the old queen, the king seeks his cabinet for how to go about seeking this new queen. Interesting enough, the cabinet advise the king to go against the customs of the day. When kings got married, they married for political or social reasons. It could be to make an alliance with a foreign nation, seek peace with a conflicting minority within the empire, or to further the wealth in both families. Instead, the advisors suggest putting on a beauty pageant and hold “try outs” to be the next queen. Ironically, this method is closer to how a king would find a new concubine! The council lays some ground rules for this search. First, the maiden must be young, but still within marriageable age. She must not be sexually active. The search for such a girl is an empire-wide search. This means that every young virgin girl, from Greece to Egypt to Rome, to even including the land that use to be Israel. But this also includes the girls in Susa. The text does not say whether women were required or if it was optional. But with the opportunity to become the richest and most powerful woman in the empire, it was a deal that would be hard to turn down. The Evangelical Exegetical Commentary on Esther even goes as far to say, “Almost all fathers, especially of less-noble families, would probably have been thrilled to provide their daughters with such a comfortable and secure life as that which Xerxes was offering.”

So here enters Esther and Mordecai. Move on to Esther 2:5-7 to meet them. Now we officially know Mordecai is from the tribe of Benjamin. And with that we know Mordecai’s family was sent into exile. An interesting point I may point out is Mordecai’s family line has some interesting names. Kish is the name of King Saul’s father. Shimei was an advisor to King David. The term “the son of” in the Hebrew language simply means a descendant, if taken a little figuratively. Now if we are taking the term “the son of” more literally, it’s still possible he’s a relative of these men because names of famous family members were recycled. Either way, Mordecai and his family had famous family members, and maybe even a direct relative of a brother of King Saul. The other person introduced is who we know as Esther, but before this story was called Hadasseh. I find it funny that Esther has become a Jewish name, but its origins are really either Babylonian or Persian, and not Jewish. The Jewish name is Hadasseh, which means myrtle. Whether the name Esther has Babylonian origin or Persian origin, the name comes from the word “Isthar” means “star.” Historians believe that is linked to what we call Venus, what the ancients thought was the most beautiful “star.” Either way, Esther is seen as beautiful. In fact, the Hebrew word translated “beautiful” in verse 7 is the same word translated “beautiful” in verse 2, and the Hebrew phrases translated “lovely to look at” (ESV) is similar to the Hebrew phrase for “pleases the king” in verse 4. Therefore, Esther 2:7 foreshadows Esther winning the pageant for the new queen. The text also connects our two heroes. When Esther’s mother and father die, for untold reasons, Mordecai takes his cousin in with him and treats her like direct family. Whereas most of the ancient world have no rules, guidelines or precedents for adoption, Persia did have legal codes, giving Mordecai special legal rights.

Back to the beauty aspect, I believe Esther’s beauty is an important part of these chapter, and the whole book as well. I believe Esther’s beauty is part a bigger picture. Esther is a charming woman, in both looks and personality. Read Esther 2:8,9 and you’ll see what I mean. What happens is when Esther is taken in as a possible virgin to become queen, she is put under the care of Hegai, a eunuch. Under Hegai, she, as a literal reading of the Hebrew text would say, “lifts up kindness” to him. With this kindness, she wins over his favor, and thus Hegai gives her special treatment. She gets first dibs on food, cosmetics and maids. The most important special treatments Esther receives from Hegai is that Esther and Mordecai can communicate with each other by sending messages back and forth, as seen in verse 11.

Esther 2:10 says that, despite receiving favorable treatment, she still kept her ethnicity a secret. Imagine how much Esther had to do to keep her Jewish roots a secret. For example, while Esther got first grabs at the food, she probably did not request a kosher meal. While some Jews might be offended at that, some rabbis have suggested kosher laws could be ignored in times of crisis. While Esther successfully keeps her ethnicity under wraps, the text never explains why Mordecai instructed Esther to remain silent on her ethnicity. Perhaps there was some anti-Semitism floating around the Persian Empire already, as we will see in the next chapter.

The process to become a queen is a long one. Read Esther 2:12-14 to see what Esther had to go through. The first step is about a half a year of oil and myrrh. This is what they used to bathe in Persian times. Remember, the virgins were not chosen based on their wealth on social status. Some of them could have been the poorest of poor, who have been living on the streets. They would have smelled poorly. After those 6 months, it’s another 6 months of perfume and cosmetics. It’s another half year on focusing on just becoming beautiful. We’re already up to a year. To prepare for her night with the king, she is given any clothing or jewelry she wants. She dressed the way she knew best. It seems as if she has access to riches they she wants, so she probably would go all out. Next, she spends the night with the king. And you can guess what that means. If you can’t, the next step will give it away. The last step is the woman goes to another part of the harem, under the care of Shashgaz. I’m not going to lie to you. That part of the harem is probably for the girls who are not virgins. So if they go from the part of the harem for the virgins to the part that is for non-virgins, you should be able to figure out what happens with the night with the king. If you still can’t, the myrrh treatment recorded in verse 12 is a process queens would undergo before lovemaking.

Going back to our canonicity and textual criticism question, this passage is used both in favor and against Esther. You can probably guess how the critics would speak against it. They would be concerned about the year of preparation. Does it really take six months to bathe with oil and myrrh? Does it really take six months of perfume and cosmetics? It seems too long. How could we use this as a strength for Esther? Well, the author is well informed about the customs of the day. This has to be how things went because the author is able to give good detail about what happened here. Therefore, some scholars have suggested that this is not a process of applying the cosmetics directly to the skin, but rather burning them as incense, and then letting the skin naturally absorb them. For this process to actually create a smell on the woman, it would take a long time, possibly six months. Whether this is true or not, the text clearly shows this is the king’s excess in its finest.

Back to Esther, we continue to see her win favor in verses 15 to 18. First we see that while every women seems to be maxing out what she can take, Esther takes a small minimum. The result is Esther wins over everyone’s favor. Then she presents himself to the king, and she wins over his favor as well. This makes Esther queen, and everyone celebrates with more feasting.

A majority of this chapter focuses on Esther being made queen, but another little story happens in Esther chapter 2, and it focuses on Mordecai instead of Esther. Esther has been made queen. The losers of the pageant are settling into their new home as the new concubines of the king. Mordecai is at the king’s gate. The king’s gate is the most important and busiest place in the marketplace and the whole city of Susa. A lot of talk happens here. Mordecai is there probably to catch up on the latest political rumors. Among the talk, Mordecai overhears an assassination attempt on King Xerxes. Two men are attempting to kill King Xerxes. The Bible gives us their names, Bigthan and Teresh, but it does not tell what made them so angry to want to kill Xerxes. All it does is carry some irony. Eunuchs, like Bigthan and Teresh, were supposed to be the most trusted servants of the king. How ironic that the most trusted servants were thinking of ways to kill him! How Mordecai learns of the assassination attempt, the text stays silent, but the text implies that it is a sign of God’s providence. So Mordecai tells Queen Esther of the plot, and Queen Esther tells King Xerxes, giving Mordecai the credit. Really, Esther almost has to give credit. How else would a queen find out about an assassination plot between two eunuchs? When they find out the story is true, the two men are executed. This small story is a helpful reminder that Mordecai is faithful to the Persian monarchy. In the next chapter, the antagonist will accuse the Jews of being against the crown, but this story will defend that accusation. This small story will also foreshadow the larger story. Soon a much bigger plot will seek to kill, and Esther will have to come to aid in that as well! (Also, for those who know the story, note the antagonist’s fate will be the same as Bigthan’s and Teresh’s fate.)

It’s important to note this story in this chapter because the one common connection is that both characters are being strategically replaced. This goes back into our original question, “How the heroes are strategically placed?” Let’s quickly state why we can say the heroes are strategically placed. Esther is strategically placed because she is made queen. For Mordecai, Mordecai is given credit for preventing an assassination on the king’s head. His credit will show that he is in favor of the king and sides with him. Mordecai is not the king’s enemy.

Esther 1 showed us God’s providence as setting the stage, or preparing things behind the scenes, whether we know it or not. In Esther chapter 2, God’s providence can be seen in a similar way, but more specifically. It’s about God’s providence strategically placing us. What’s the difference? : In setting the stage, God is working before we get there. In strategically placing us, it is more specifically to us, being put in the right place. What good is it if God perfectly set the scene, but we are not there, or we are in the wrong place? We need to be in the right place. I put up a picture of Risk to help remind you of strategic placing, but if you’re not familiar with it, you can use another game, like Settlers of Catan, which requires strategy in placing pieces. I’m going to stick with Risk because, frankly, it’s one of my favorite board games. In Risk, you start out by splitting up the territories, and then splitting up the starting soldiers among the territories. Some players evenly split them out. Other players bunch them in one spot. Yet others will focus on one continent. Still others put extra fortification on their boarders, while using the minimum on the interior territories. This decision can make the different in who wins and who loses. We can relate to this in real life. Where we are placed in life determines how our life plays out. How comforting it is to know God is at work placing us.

The example I would use in my life is my student teaching. Finding me a place to student teach at was hectic. Technically, I was suppose to have two different places to student teach, but it was so hectic finding me one, the college and I settled at just one place. When the education department finally found a school for me to teach at, it was all the way in York, a whopping 45 minute drive from Lancaster, where I was living. This was going to be hard on me (getting up earlier, leaving later, spending time in traffic, etc.), but also hard on my gas tank, for I had little gas money. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it! But God knew what he was doing when he strategically placed me. Because I stayed at one school (as compared to two schools, which I was suppose to do), there were some things I didn’t have to do a second time. At sometimes, I felt like I had half the work compared to my other classmates. Unlike my classmates, I didn’t have to get re-accustomed to a new school. Furthermore, I was suppose to do 2 middle schools, instead I did 1 middle school, and even got to do a bit of high school, which is what I preferred to do. It even extends to after my student teaching. It would just so happen that, 3 months later, I would find out my girlfriend lived 10 minutes away from that school. A few months later, my co-op teacher from that school would help me connect with someone who would help me find a place to live closer to my girlfriend. God strategically placed me in York in order to have the best possible student teaching experience, as well as know the area for when I would begin dating my girlfriend. And now that girlfriend I call my wife. Now if that’s not divine providence, I don’t know what is.

In closing, notice how the two scenes from this first act go hand-in-hand. Without the position being opened in scene 1, Esther could not fill it in scene 2. But if you remember, Act 1 is all about introducing the characters and the main plot. We’re still missing one more character, the antagonist, who will introduce the conflict into the story. All that will happen in the next chapter.

[Esther 1] Act 1 Scene 1: A Spot Opens Up

If you remember from my literary pyramid that I made for the prologue/introduction, I said that the base on the left is where the setting and the characters are introduced, and then I placed Esther 1 on there. Therefore, Esther 1 is all about introducing new characters to the story. In Esther 1, we’ll meet two main characters: King Xerxes and Queen Vashti.

Remember how I said Esther is a 3-act play, almost like a Jewish fairy tale? Esther 1:1 would further reinforce that. In the original Hebrew, the text begins, “And it was…” This is the typical way stories in the ancient Hebrew began. In essence, this story is opening up as “Once upon a time…” in the Hebrew fashion. Our story has begun!

Right from the bat, in Esther 1:1, the text introduces the king. Let’s start off with a question that might seem obvious: What’s the king’s name? It may seem like an obvious question, but it might change depending how your Bible translates. Depending on the translation, the king’s name might be “Xerxes” or “Ahasuers.” It’s not that big of a deal. Xerxes is the king’s Greek name, and Ahasuers is the king’s Hebrew name. The name your Bible chooses is based off if it consulted the Septuagint, which the Greek Old Testament. If it did, it calls him “Xerxes,” but if it did not, it calls him “Ahaseuers.” But the king is not Greek or Hebrew; he’s Persian. So the most “accurate” name would be his Persian name. So what is his Persian name? His Persian name is “Khshayathiya Khshayathiyanam.” Yeah, good luck trying to pronounce that. Interesting enough, the name means “king of kings and lord of lords.” I find that interesting because that’s a title God gives himself, as seen in Revelation. Maybe Xerxes saw himself as God, or maybe it’s just a title to show he’s the king of an empire, which is made of many kingdoms. I don’t want to go too theological into that. But verse 1 does back up that Xerxes is a king of an empire. Verse 1 says that Xerxes rules over 127 providences from Indiato Cush, which is the upper Nile region. In fact, Xerxes extended the Persian to Ethiopia and Greece as well. Xerxes’s father was Darius I, which is the one we know from the story of Daniel. Xerxes reigned from 486-465. There’s the proof that Esther does belong in the Bible because the story of Esther fits right in that time period.

Esther 1:4-6 records one of the first actions Xerxes does. The first thing we hear King Xerxes do is throw a banquet. In the Hebrew, it’s called a misteh, which more literally translated into “drinking bout,” showing the emphasis on drinking much. Nonetheless, many foods would have been vastly consumed as well. The Bible records it happens for 180 days, which is about 6 months. Naturally, some people question this. Why do some people question this? It’s not feasible to have a banquet for 180 days. It would six months, taking the princes and governors away from their jobs to party. At least, that’s what the critics say. So perhaps a better explanation would be that Xerxes threw a bunch of small banquets for one prince of governor at a time over a period of 180 days. Also, may I add this might to rally all his princes and governors to his side. Greeceis threatening to take back their lost land. King Xerxes needs all his governors on his side to wage war. Well, after this 180 days of banquets, King Xerxes throws another week long banquet for just the officials in Susa, possibly to thank them. This banquet is vividly described. So what’s the point of this? What’s the point of six months and one week of banquets? Why does the Bible want to describe what the decorations look like? To show us how rich King Xerxes is and that King Xerxes spares no expense. It shows King Xerxes’s wealth, and in a way, it shows King Xerxes’s power. He can afford to do this.

Another important part of this banquet was that there was drinking aplenty. Read Esther 1:7-8. The Persians took pride in their wine. Persians had a vast amount around and a vast amount of drinking vessels. One historical writings hold Persia for the record of most unique drinking vessels. Depending on your nationality, there was different drinking customs. For example, in the Greek culture, you were required to drink, and if you did not drink, you were asked to leave. In the Roman culture, a guest of honor was chosen at random, and he decided when to drink, where to drink, and how much to drink. Usually, Persians drank nonstop, and they would force their guests to do the same. This time, however, Xerxes feels hospitable and acts against the Persian custom. According to this passage, Xerxes did not place rules on this. He let them drink when they wanted, where they wanted and as much as they wanted. There were no limits. As fun as this might sound, the danger about alcohol is distorts reality, which leads to rash judgment. This might have led to the downfall of Queen Vashti.

Now let’s meet Queen Vashti in Esther 1:9. Before we talk about the queens of Persiaor the wives of Xerxes, I want to mention that this is where archaeology does not help us. There is no mention of Vashti in the Persian writings at all. In fact, there is only one mention of a queen, but the name is “Amestris.” Some have suggested this might be another name of Vashti, but we cannot be sure. Anyway, this verse tells us that Queen Vashti also threw a banquet, but for the women. This actually fits with the custom of the day. When banquets were thrown, men and women were in separate rooms. In fact, men would have women dine separately from them just in case the party got too out of hand. So that’s probably what is happening here.

Conflict can sometimes arise in the first chapter of a novel. While the big conflict does not arise in this chapter, a smaller conflict will. It happens in Esther 1:10-12. King Xerxes has had too much wine, and it will lead him to make a costly decision. We hear King Xerxes, in front of nobles, officials and servants, asks for Queen Vashti to appear. What is King Xerxes trying to do? Show off Queen Vashti. Some have suggested that when the text says, “with her royal crown,” it means “with only her royal crown.” There is no proof holding up this tradition. On the contrary, it would make more sense for the opposite to be true. Xerxes wants to show off his vast wealth and possessions. By calling Vashti forward, Xerxes has turned her into one of those possessions. He wants Vashti decorated in her fanciest and most expensive wardrobe, include the royal crown, to show off how well he can dress his wife the queen. Queen Vashti doesn’t take this as a compliment. She doesn’t want to be used as something to show off. When Queen Vashti receives the message, she refuses to come.

So as a problem arises, a solution is sought. It takes verses 13 to 22 to fully develop the solution. What’s the first thing Xerxes does? He consults his advisors. Some have suggested King Xerxes is showing weakness because he can’t make the decision on his own, but needs help to make decisions. I don’t think this is showing weakness. I actually think he’s being a good king for seeking guidance and advice. After all, we wouldn’t think the president is a bad president for seeking the cabinet for help. We wouldn’t think our president is weak for seeking the cabinet’s advice. King Xerxes is seeking his cabinet for help. The first “cabinet member” to speak up is Mermucan. Mermucan suggests that if King Xerxes allows Queen Vashti to disrespect him, women all over will disrespect their husbands. Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s false, or maybe it’s just an exaggeration. Either way, it leads Memucan to give what he thinks is a good solution. Memucan suggests Xerxes first banish Vashti from his presence, which most likely means the whole city of Susa. How ironic that the punishment for not entering the king’s presence when summoned is to never be allowed in the king’s presence ever again! Then Mermucan suggests a new queen should replace her. Memucan claims that this will set an example to women to stay in their place.

I want to spend the rest of this on focusing on a single question: “How is this small story important to the big story?” or “How does Esther 1 contribute to the book of Esther?” First, this story makes a comparable standard for when Esther becomes queen. We knew the rules set for the queen, what the appropriate response is suppose to be, and what the result will be for not following orders. Now I don’t think I’m spoiling the story because most of you are familiar with the story, but when Esther is queen in the future, she will also defy the King’s law in a somewhat similar way. The rule for the queen is that you don’t appear for the king if he does not summon you, but if he does summon you, you must appear. While Vashti refused to enter the king’s presence when summoned, Esther enters the king’s presence without being summoned. Look at how different the results are. Queen Vashti is kicked out of the capital city. But King Xerxes allows Esther to enter. Why do you think that is? It could be a difference in laws, Esther has more favor, pure grace and mercy, or a whole plethora of other options. I’m not going to go any further into that, as we’ll be able to see it more clearly by the time we reach that point. Keep that in mind as we get closer to the chapter where Esther defies the law. It will become clearer then. But for now, I want you to see that Esther does have an upper hand over Vashti.

But I want you to look at the bigger picture here, which is the second point that last group hit on. This story opens up a spot for Esther to be queen. There is no way Esther could have saved her people without being queen. To be queen, there needs to be an open spot to be made queen. I see God working here to open up that position. When God calls us to a position, he’s not going to call us to a position that is already taken. God isn’t going to always put us in a position that we can get to. God will provide a way to put us in the place, position, ministry or mission God wants us in. And sometimes to do that, he’s at work even before we get there, or even before we know it ourselves. It may even be before we were born. The best example I can think of is my own life. When my mother was pregnant with me, my father and mother thought it would be best to start going back to church to raise me to be a good, moral American citizen. And I am very sure that if my parents did not make that decision, I would not stand before you today teaching you the Bible. I had no control over what parents I would get, and whether they were godly or not. But God does have control, and he controlled it to be so.

So the lesson about God’s providence in Esther 1 is “setting the stage.” I’m going to try to put a picture for every lesson, not only to help you remember the lesson, but also to show God’s providence. In this picture, a stage crew is setting the stage for a performance. In Broadway musical and plays, the stage crew sets the stage. The cool thing about the stage crew is that they are not always seen, but you know they are there and working because everything is perfectly in place for the actors and actresses to use. If all the world’s a stage, and the people merely actors, then one of God’s roles is to be the stage crew, setting the stage for your life. Ever think hard about that? It might blow your mind. Think about it: God is already setting the stage and planning out the next stage in your life, even if you don’t know about it. Now think about where you are in left. Looking back, can you see how God set you up to be in that position? Every positive blessing that you have in your life, God set it up for you to have it. Take the time to praise him for that. If you’re doing the “assignment” I gave you, try to make your “God Sighting” of the day to be a recent way God has set the stage for you. Give God the credit due.

Don’t be too worried if you can’t see God setting the stage right now. This is just the beginning of Esther. As we go through Esther, we’ll see how God setting the stage leads to God working in other parts of the book of Esther. And then maybe you can see God working through other parts of your life, too.

[Esther 3] Act 1 Scene 3: The Villain is Introduced,and He Begins His Evil Plan

In Esther 1, God’s providence is shown through God setting the stage for Esther to be queen. In Esther 2, God’s providence is demonstrated through God strategically placing Esther and Mordecai. Up to this point, the heroes have been introduced. In Esther 3, we, the readers, will meet the villain. We’ll watch him introduce conflict into our story. Then we’ll ask ourselves, “How does God’s providence work when evil is afoot?”

So let’s meet our villain. Start reading Esther 3, and you’ll bump into him right away. First, we learn that his name is Haman. Second, we learn Haman is the son of Hammedatha. Third, we learn that Haman made his way through the ranks to second-in-command. Haman, in our terms, was a prime minister. We don’t know why he was elevated; the Bible simply tells us he was. Fourth, we learn Haman was an Agagite. The term “Agagite” could mean a couple of things. The complicated answer is that it means he’s a descendant of Agag, the last king of the Amalekites. To give you a brief history reminder, the Amalekites were Israel’s greatest rival. Because of their sin and great hatred towards God’s people, God planned to blot them out. So in the last war between the Israelites and Amalekites, God, through Samuel, told King Saul to totally wipe out the Amalekites. That includes every man, every woman and every child. But King Saul did not listen. Instead, he let King Agag and his family live. It wasn’t until Samuel appeared that the king was killed. Haman might be a descendant of Agag, but it’s dependant on the fact the King Agag’s wife or child escaped the Israelite army somehow. A more simple answer would be Agagite means “from the town/region of Agag” and Agag is either a town or providence of Persia. Unfortunately, the uncertainty of the location also brings this theory into question. Also, may I add, to further the frustration, that Haman’s name has not been found in any archaeological records. But to anyone who says that, I add “yet” to the end. It could still be out there, and it’s just that no one has found it. And even if they can’t find anything, that does not mean Haman didn’t exist.

Continue onto Esther 3:1-6. From the first 6 verses of Esther 3, the conflict is clear. Mordecai won’t bow down or pay honor to Haman. Haman here connects the fact that Mordecai won’t bow down because he is a Jew, and that’s the best reason I can give you, too. Mordecai won’t bow down or pay honor to Haman because Mordecai is a Jew. If I tried to explain it more specifically, I couldn’t because there is no clear, specific answer. Perhaps Mordecai is simply following the 2^nd commandment, which commands the Jews to bow down to no one or nothing but God Himself. So perhaps Mordecai considers bowing down to Haman as idolatry. Maybe it goes back to a historic battle, the battle between King Saul and King Agag. Now it’s the descendant of King Saul who refuses to pay homage to the descendent of King Agag, just King Saul refused to surrender to King Agag. But that would require for both of them to know each other’s ancestry. Or maybe it’s as simple as Mordecai not recognizing Haman as a legitimate authority or power. Remember Mordecai sides with Xerxes, the king, but he doesn’t side with Haman, the second-in-command. Since we don’t know how Haman got into power, it’s possible he got into power in a dishonest way. So maybe Mordecai doesn’t recognize Haman as a legitimate leader and ruler. The specific reasons could be any and every reason given, so it’s hard to say officially. But broadly speaking, we can make the same connection as Haman. It has something to do with Mordecai being a Jew. So now Haman doesn’t want to kill just Mordecai, but he wants to kill all the Jews. Once again, I will raise the question, “Does this go back to a historical battle?” Haman might be trying to win the war against King Saul’s descendants that his ancestor King Agag could not finish in victory. I also want to remind you that “every Jew” means every Jew in the Persian Empire. That includes the Jewish refugees trying to rebuild Jerusalem! They already have enough trouble from adversaries, they don’t need more problems.

Haman begins his evil plan in Esther 3:7. The word “pur” comes from the Babylonian word “the lot.” This would the same as flipping a coil, rolling a dice, or even using a roulette wheel. It has been used many times in the Bible, in both the godly and ungodly circumstances. Examples would include, but not be limited to: Lots were cast to choose Mathias as the new disciple, lots were cast to divide Christ’s clothes, lots were cast to figure out whose fault the storm was in Jonah, etc. Now whether the pur is a godly pursuit or not is up for debate. Those for it will quote Proverbs 16:33; those against it will demonstrate that casting the lot came from pagan roots. Let me add one more piece to that equation: the results. The pur is cast on Nisan, which is during our April-May, but for them, it’s the first month of the year. The lot falls on Adar, which for us is February-March, but for them, it’s the last month of the year. Is this a coincidence that it’s going to take a whole year to execute or not? Let that resonate with you for the rest of this chapter. I’ll come back to that, so make sure you have an answer, or at least a thought by the end of this devotional commentary on Esther 3.

Haman presents his plans to Xerxes in Esther 3:8,9. Haman convinces Xerxes that Jews’ customs will not allow them to follow the laws of the land, which will lead to anarchy. Haman suggests the only way to solve this problem is to completely annihilate all the Jews. Haman even offers to donate 10,000 talents of silver. In today’s weight, that would be 750,000 pounds of silver. In today’s currency, that would be worth around $25 million. $25 million is a lot, back then and today, to commit genocide. But Haman sees it necessary and worth it.

Let’s finish up the chapter with verses 10 to 15. What King Xerxes does is foolishly gives his signet ring to Haman. The signet ring was what was used to make a seal. The seal of the king was the king’s official word. It gave laws power. What this means is Haman’s words and King Xerxes’s words are now one and the same. Haman issues the law to be written in every language and sent off to every province. Everyone in the empire is going to know about the law because everyone in the empire is going to be effected. And at the end of this chapter, the only two people who are at peace are Haman and Xerxes. The whole empire is confused, bewildered and scared. This is out of character for King Xerxes. And as we know, the whole reason is because Xerxes is just a puppet for Haman.

 

 

Time is up. Do you think the pur is a good method or a bad method? Do you think the timing worked out well, perhaps too well? I’m not sure the method is exactly the mostly godly, but I do believe that the results are godly. Is it just a coincidence that of all the months it could have fallen on it has to fall on the last month, especially when the lot is thrown in the first month. I truly believe this is the providence of God. We’re going to call it “perfect timing.” God providence is perfect timing. For a picture to help you remember, I’m going to put on a calendar. If yesterday’s, which we called “strategically placed” is could be summarized as “in the right place” then “perfect timing” could be summarized as “at the right time.” Ever have one of those moments were things happened at the right time? Maybe you finished a test just before the bell rang. Maybe all your homework end up being due on the Thursday before the big Friday night big game, so you could watch the game without worrying about homework. Maybe the concert just so happens to fall on the weekend you have off of school or work. If I were to think of one, I remember a time where it was down pouring rain on and off. I had forgot my raincoat and I was carrying important papers with me. I was afraid they were going to get wet. Well, just I was about the building, the rain stopped. I walked across the parking lot dry. And just as I starting pulling out of my parking space, it began to downpour again. It stormed the whole time, until I got back to my place. As I parked, the rain stopped again so I could get inside dry. Once I was inside, the rain continued. Of course I praised God. I cannot say that was pure coincidence. It had to be God. I gave you my testimony about how God used perfect timing in my life, and I gave some possible scenarios. I hope you can find some scenarios in your life. And I hope once you realize those moments, you will respond in the same way I did: by praising God.

And with the end of chapter 3 comes the end of Act 1 of the Esther epic. All the characters have been introduced, from the heroes, to the villains, and everyone in between. The villain has brought in the conflict, which will lead us into Act 2 and the rising action. How will the heroes react to the conflict? Will they think up a plan to save themselves and their people? We’ll find out as we continue through Esther!

 

*Photo Credits: Microsoft Word 2003 Clip Art