Esther 8

3-8 9-14 15-17

3-8

Haman has been taken care of but his plan to have the Jews wiped out is still in effect for the 13th of Adar so Esther once again comes in to see Ahasuerus without being summoned by him and once again Ahasuerus extends the golden sceptre to her and allows her to state her request. This time there is no feasts or wine but she does start by inquiring if he still loves her and prefacing the request with if he thinks it is right and acceptable that the decree that Haman devised to destroy the Jews be revoked. Esther lays all of the blame on Haman and none on Ahasuerus, even though Ahasuerus was aware that Haman wanted an entire people group killed, but not the exact people he wanted killed. Side note that one commentator brought up, all of this may have been avoided if Esther did not hide that she was a Jew or that Mordecai was her adopted father. Mordecai may have been promoted to second in command after he saved Ahasuerus’ life if he knew that he was related to Esther, then Haman would not have been in the position that he was to send the first decree out. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned here about attempting to hide one’s relationship with God? Ultimately the way it happened was God’s plan but maybe this is another lesson to be learned from Esther.

Ahasuerus’ response to Esther is basically, I have given you everything of Haman’s and had him killed, and the decree that went out cannot be revoked so in Ahasuerus mind the matter was settled. But since Esther is making this request he allows her and Mordecai to make any new decree that they want involving the Jews in his name. What a great hands on ruler Ahasuerus is, he basically does the same thing with Mordecai and Esther as he did with Haman, let them make a law in his name without actually being involved with the actual composition of it.

9-14

Two months and ten days has passed since Haman’s decree was sent out so Mordecai and Esther wasted no time in summoning the king’s scribes to write down and copy a new decree that would allow the Jews to gather together in each city and defend themselves, and to annihilate anyone who would might attack them including their enemies women and children, it was also written that they, the Jews, were allowed to take any possessions from their would be attackers although we see in the next chapter that in the skirmishes that do take place none of the plunder is taken. This decree was going out on the fastest horses, mules, and camels, the ESV only mentions horses, to all of the provinces in every language spoken in the kingdom including the language of the Jews and this decree is to take place on the same day as Haman’s decree the 13th day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. One commentator called this edict from Mordecai a Holy War and there have been several Holy Wars in the bible, some carried out by God or his angels, like the flood or Sodom and Gomorrah and some that God have commanded his people to carry out, like the expulsion of the Canaanites or the command to totally destroy the Amalekites, the command that Saul disobeyed that led to Haman. God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, but He will not allow the wicked to go free with out any punishment, one commentator saying: “The Lord waits long to be gracious, as if he knew not how to smite. He smites at last as if he knew not how to pity” and aren’t we so blessed that our smiting was taken by Jesus and we can be called sons and daughters of God.

15-17

This time Mordecai is not going out in borrowed robes but ones of his own showing his status in Ahasuerus’ court, the crown was either a prince’s crown or other adornment for the second in command or it may have been carried before him or a great golden chain per the Targum, which is the Aramaic translation of the Old Testament. The Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, translates the garment of fine linen and purple as a diadem of fine linen, of a purple color, which makes the Targum translation of the crown as a chain make more sense. Everyone in the capital shouted and rejoiced at Mordecai and also people in all of the kingdom where the new edict was taken rejoiced and among all of the Jews there was joy and gladness, everyone celebrating with holiday’s and feasts. Many of the Gentile peoples declared themselves to be Jews when they read the new decree. This could be the people aligning themselves with the Jews out of fear of being killed but some of them may have proselyted themselves into the Jewish religion upon seeing that the the God of the Jews was far greater and more powerful and capable of saving His people when compared to all of the false “gods” and idols in Persia especially since they were coming off a huge defeat at the hands of the Greeks.

From Esther and Ruth by Iain M Duguid

Esther and Ruth Right to Rejoice?

RIGHT TO REJOICE?

But should the Jews have been so quick to rejoice at the news of the second edict? The empire had not changed, even though Mordecai was now the vizier. Today they had a friend in high places, to be sure, but Haman’s fate illustrated the insecurity of that position. What was to prevent Mordecai from suffering a similarly rapid demise from power, and the people from finding themselves right back in fasting mode? It made sense for them to rejoice only if their deliverance was not simply one of the random oscillations of the wheel of fortune, but rather the expression of a more fundamental principle in the universe. Rejoicing was warranted only if their deliverance was an expression of God’s unshakable commitment to protect his own people and to bring judgment upon their enemies, as promised in the Abrahamic covenant: “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse” (Gen. 12:3).

We might expect, then, that the Jews’ praise would be God-directed. Once again, though, this vertical dimension to their thankfulness is not exactly prominent. Just as their earlier fasting and wailing didn’t seem particularly heaven-directed, neither do their rejoicing and feasting. It seems that there was plenty of relief that disaster had been averted, but precious little genuine praise for the One who averted it by the directing hand of his providence. The same is often true of us, though, isn’t it? When life goes badly, we are so quick to become anxious and despairing about the future and so slow to bring our concerns before God in believing prayer. Meanwhile, when life goes well and our trials are removed, we rejoice and celebrate the good news of deliverance, but all too often forget to give thanks to the One to whom it is due. What a narrow vision of the world we have!