Esther - Pt. One
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning! Welcome to CHCC. Today marks a new season and a new book. We just finished up Luke, and now we make our way back into the Old Testament to a very interesting book, one chalked with debate throughout the ages to its canonicity which we will get into a little bit this morning. We are jumping into the book of Esther. My goal is to walk through this Old Testament narrative in 4-5 weeks which will cover 10 chapters. So we will be doing a little more textual reading each week than we did with Luke, but that is okay!
INTRO INTO ESTHER
So what is the book of Esther about? If you guessed it is about a woman named Esther you would be right! But there is a whole lot more to it than that. The reason for debate to its canonicity into Scripture is that, on the surface, it seems to lack a spiritual element to it. You will not find either the name Yahweh or Elohim—the Hebrew words for God.
But even so, I would contend that the writer cleverly is telling us that even when we don’t feel God’s presence, He is there. He is in the midst of all of life’s circumstances. So even though God is never mentioned directly in Esther, we will come to see that His fingerprints are everywhere.
As Gordon McConville wrote, “The story can become therefore a powerful statement about the reality of God in a world from which He appears to be absent.” Which I believe makes the book of Esther incredibly relevant for us today. If we were to sum up the theme of Esther in one word, I believe it would be “providence.”
Furthermore, even though the events take place after the decree of king Cyrus in 539 B.C., which allowed for Jews to return to Jerusalem after exile in Babylon, there is not a single mention of Jerusalem or the temple. When set side by side with the book of Daniel the similarities and differences are interesting. Both Esther and Daniel are set in the court of a pagan king. Yet, in Daniel, the book is filled with prayer, obedience to the Law, and prophetic and apocalyptic visions.
You will find none of those things in the book of Esther. While it is set in the court of a pagan king, there is no prayer; there seems to be a disobedience or—at best—a disregard for God’s law. There is also no prophecy or visions.
What is more, debate has encircled the main characters of the story as well with Esther and Mordecai. They are wholly unlike any other biblical heroes. We see Daniel and his friends stand for their faith against their captors. They choose to hold to strict dietary laws and refuse to bend the knee to Nebuchadnezzar. But in Esther, we see her and Mordecai hide their Jewish heritage. Esther at one point also shows some intense brutality. Upon hearing that the Jews have killed 500 in Susa, she requests one more day of attacks and asks for the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be impaled at the city gate.
Also, the narrative is rather quiet in regard to the motives and thoughts of Esther and Mordecai. We don’t know what Esther thought about being brought into the Harem and spending a night with the king. We don’t know why exactly Mordecai refused to bow to Haman. But the author of the text neither praises or condemns our protagonists for their actions. But we must understand that, while this may be frustrating for us in our modern day reading as we have grown accustomed to these kind of details being present, ancient historical texts were not like this. As Karen Jobes explains:
Biblical authors stand in the literary tradition of Mesopotamia and Syro-Palestine, Which was typically laconic in its description of characters. In Hebrew narrative, character is often revealed only through action and speech, leaving the reader to drop inferences about motives and intentions.
Because of the lack of religious values, the presence of a seemingly vindictive spirit, along with sensuality and brutality, it is no real surprise that the book of Esther has proven to be a problem for interpreters throughout the ages.
The first seven centuries of the Christian church produced a total of zero commentaries on the book of Esther. John Calvin never preached from the book, nor did he write a commentary on it. Martin Luther denounced the book (along with 2 Maccabees) stating, “I am so great an enemy to the second book of the Maccabees, and to Esther, that I wish they had not come to us at all, for they have too many heaven unnaturalities.”
On the other hand, the book has been held in high regard among Jewish scholars. For example, the Rabbi Moses Maimonides of the twelfth century ranked Esther equal to that of the Pentateuch. When you take a quick glance at the history of oppression among the Jews, it should come as no surprise that the book of Esther is held in high esteem as it is evidence of a faithful God that the nation of Israel will survive any and all assaults throughout history.
With all that said, if we truly believe that the entirety of Scripture is canon and is the perfect Word of God, then we cannot omit any word, much more any book of the Bible. And Esther is undoubtedly canon for both synagogue and church.
And while the name of God is not found in the book of Esther, since it is in Scripture, we can understand it in such a way as if it is God Himself telling us this story.
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
HISTORY LEADING UP TO ESTHER’S STORY
As we prepare to immerse ourselves into the story and setting of the book of Esther it will do us some good to lay the groundwork. At the time, the Jews were in captivity.
This took place in 586 B.C. by king Nebuchadezzar of Babylon. When we look at this historical event in light of Deuteronomy 28 we see the spiritual significance of this.
“But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.
“The Lord will bring you and your king whom you set over you to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known. And there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone.
“And the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.
So with that said, we will look at chapters 1 and 2 together this morning since it tells us how a Jewish woman would become queen of Persia and be in a place to be God’s instrument in the deliverance of God’s people.
PRAY
Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the citadel, in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days. And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king’s palace. There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones. Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. And drinking was according to this edict: “There is no compulsion.” For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired. Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus.
Ahasuerus is the Hebrew name for Xerxes. For history nerds, this is the same Xerxes that would come up against the 300 spartan soldiers in the infamous Battle of Thermopylae. He would eventually prevail, but would falter shortly after in the Battle of Salamis to the Greeks.
As we will see, this helps us determine why there was a delay of four years in replacing Vashti. He was at war.
But right now, at the opening portion of chapter one, Xerxes is throwing a massive party. This thing goes on for six months! And we can determine it was a political party. All the nobles and governors were before him. Extrabiblical resources tell us that the purpose was the party was there to gain support for the war on the Greeks I just mentioned.
Esther would have been written with the outcome of the war already played out. So in a sense it is setting up Xerxes failures right off the bat. He may have the largest army in the world, they may have great riches. But it wouldn’t be enough.
Furthermore, we will see here that this king among earthly kings, the superpower of their day, was unable to control his own wife. While putting on a party to display his power and might, it wasn’t a good look.
So the opening scene reveals the grandiosity; the pomp and power of the Persian empire. While they did falter in their conquest of Greece, it cannot be denied that they were a remarkable empire.
Queen Vashti enters the scene in verse 9. Let us see what happens of her.
On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.
It tells us in verse 10 that Xerxes was “merry with wine,” which is a fancy way of saying he was drunk as a skunk. And how often does one make great decisions while imbibed? Not often. Perhaps never. And I think that one of the underlying lessons throughout Esther is that when God calls us to act rightly and live well, that is for our blessing and the blessing of other people.
Here we see that Xerxes overplays his hand. There was no real reason to parade his wife around like that. It’s dehumanizing. It’s selfish. It’s disgusting. Men, you may find your wife to be the most beautiful woman in the world. I hope that you do!
God knows I’m punching above my weight class. But if I tried anything remotely close to this, I’d six feet under the ground, and rightly so!
I believe the text allows us to sympathize with Vashti here. Some have made Vashti to be the ultimate heroine of the story. I don’t know if I would go that far, but I can’t help reading this passage and thinking, “Good for you, Vashti!”
I feel for her. Her husband has put her in a terrible situation and she has refused to play ball. Good thing Xerxes is a man of great humility and understanding! Not so much. This enrages him so greatly, he makes it a legal matter! Talk about overreaction.
Then the king said to the wise men who knew the times (for this was the king’s procedure toward all who were versed in law and judgment, the men next to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king’s face, and sat first in the kingdom): “According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti, because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?” Then Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, “Not only against the king has Queen Vashti done wrong, but also against all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. For the queen’s behavior will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt, since they will say, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.’ This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen’s behavior will say the same to all the king’s officials, and there will be contempt and wrath in plenty. If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not be repealed, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus. And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, for it is vast, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike.” This advice pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memucan proposed. He sent letters to all the royal provinces, to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, that every man be master in his own household and speak according to the language of his people.
I would say this is a tad bit of an overreaction here by Xerxes. But the writer of Esther beautifully sets up the future face-off between Xerxes and Esther. We see that the Persian king is swift to enact judgment, he has a very quick temper—especially under the influence of alcohol (which is also going to come into play again), and has little regard for his wife. So little, that denying a request that would shame them, results in their dismissal.
I think there is a good lesson here for all of us: anger is a dangerous motive by which to take action. As the old adage goes, “Act in haste and repent at leisure.” And what we read really is quite sad. This woman was minding her own business when her drunken husband of a king decides he needs to show her off to his political friends. Xerxes’ embarrassment by Vashti’s refusal is his own fault. Yet, he takes it out on his wife, leading to her banishment.
Also, I think it should be noted, because I find it ironic (lots of irony in the book of Esther). I like how Memucan’s grand idea from word getting out that the king was stood up by the queen was by telling everyone in the kingdom what had happened and sending out a decree…
So with Vashti out of the picture, let us see what happens next…
After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her.
Interesting. Xerxes sobers up and quickly realizes what he did. And while the text doesn’t say it outright, the language tells us there is some regret there. Again, not many a great decision has been made under the influence.
Also, again, the author of Esther is setting up the rest of the book beautifully. Early on we get this idea of a king who tries to display his might and power and authority. But really what we see is his ineptitude. For all his power, he acted on a whim, was manipulated by his advisors, and quickly regretted what had happened. With that kind of ruler, you can imagine that life in Susa could be dangerous.
Let’s continue…
Then the king’s young men who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king. And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the citadel, under custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women. Let their cosmetics be given them. And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This pleased the king, and he did so.
So Xerxes awakes from his drunken stupor, realizes what he’s done, and goes back to his advisors. Their idea? Let’s put on Persia’s Got Talent! But, of course, it is more worldly than that. Far more sexualized.
And now our main protagonist makes her appearance.
Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away. He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. So when the king’s order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king’s palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women. And the young woman pleased him and won his favor. And he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king’s palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem. Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known. And every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her.
What I’ve always found interesting in Scripture is that we know some of its main characters by their non-Hebrew names. Esther is Persian. Sharach, Meshach, and Abednego were their Babylonian names. Their Hebrew names were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Esther’s Hebrew name was Hadassah. Now the reason for this here is because Esther hid her Jewish identity. That is one of the biggest bits of information we gather from the story. So it makes sense we know her by Esther as that is how everyone knew her.
Esther is the Persian name meaning “star.” Hadassah is the Hebrew name for “myrtle.” Myrtle, of course, being a shrub. And that too I think has some notable imagery. From ground to sky. From humble beginnings to Queen.
Let us conintue…
Now when the turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women— when the young woman went in to the king in this way, she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second harem in custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines. She would not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.
When the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her. And when Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. Then the king gave a great feast for all his officials and servants; it was Esther’s feast. He also granted a remission of taxes to the provinces and gave gifts with royal generosity.
How quickly things move here. Esther goes from humble orphan to Queen in 11 verses. Now the passage we just read has stirred up debate through the centuries. Was Esther a heroine or not? Some commentators argue she wasn’t. She played the role as commanded and shows no resistance to it.
Others contend that she ultimately influenced the situation and was put in a position to do so by staying involved and ultimately rescuing her people because of it.
I can understand either side of the argument here. We see Daniel stand up for his beliefs and is rewarded through it. But we also see the ineptitude of Xerxes already on display. Should Esther have stood up for her beliefs and put her foot down? The text doesn’t say one way or the other. But what we do see in comparing the books of Daniel and Esther is that God can and will work in all situations for His will.
For what it is worth, I do find Esther to be a remarkable woman with great faith and great courage and a sharp mind. Was she perfect? Of course not. But as we read the story of Esther, I believe there is no doubt she was where God intended her to be for His purpose. And I’ll leave the discussion at that.
I think we also need to understand that very precarious predicament that Esther finds herself in. There was an attempt by those surrounding Xerxes to soften the king’s sadness and disappointments by indulging his known propensity for beautiful women. A beauty parade was organized for all the eligible young women of the kingdom to be brought to the king’s harem, and appallingly they were sent to him one at a time for one night at a time, so he could choose a new queen.
The reality is that she didn’t have much choice on the matter. Her people were captives to Persia and so she was taken into the king’s harem. I cannot imagine the situation was easy for Esther (who I believe was a faithful Jew who knew and understood the Law). The book remains mute on her feelings on the matter, but does reveal to us in verse 11 that her cousin Mordecai was very concerned for her as he would walk in front of the court every single day to hear how Esther was doing.
So I think that tidbit of information does reveal to us a sense of conviction among Mordecai and potentially Esther as well.
What the text also reveals is that Esther was much more than just a pretty face. Verse 15, I believe, reveals she had humility, grace, and wisdom perhaps beyond her years. She was “winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her.” And verse 17 reveals that the king loved Esther more than all the women and won grace and favor in his sight.
And as the book continues, we see that humility and character on display.
Another point of contention here comes in verse 20 when we again read that Esther did not mention her Jewish roots. The question among theologians is this: Was she right to hide her faith?
Another great question of debate. My response to that is to first ask what our thought is on underground Christians in persecuted lands? Are we okay with Christians in Nigeria, Mozambique, Kenya, China, and so many other countries to meet in hiding and not reveal their faith outwardly?
If we are okay with that, then I think we ought to be okay with Esther here. She is living in a pagan land that we will come to see has a deep rooted hatred for Jews. She doesn’t remain hidden forever, but at the proper time stands with her people in a courageous act that could ultimately have her killed.
Wallace P. Benn makes this contention; he state:
I think in many ways there is a subtle piece of advice here. If you are in a dangerous pagan situation, it is probably wise not to flaunt your faith. Please don’t misunderstand me, because as we go on in the book of Esther we will discover that at the right time Esther stood up and was counted. When she needed to identify as a believer she stood with her own people, and she was brave and courageous. I am not at all advocating that Christians bury their light under a basket, as Matthew 5:15 puts it; that we hide our Christian profession. But it may be right, in a very hostile situation, not to flaunt our faith.
I think that sometimes we can overthink passages and narratives from a theological standpoint. The Bible doesn’t clarify why Esther and Mordecai saw it best to keep her identity under wraps. It doesn’t tell us if they did so out of fear, if they did so because God placed it on their hearts, or for some other reason altogether. What we do know is that her identity as a Jew remained hidden until the proper time where she did stand in boldness and courage. And God worked in that.
Let us look at the final few verses here of chapter 2 as we close.
Now when the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had commanded her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him. In those days, as Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai. When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.
What we can gather here is another clue into the theme of God’s providence in the book of Esther. By God’s will, Mordecai overhears some information that will prove crucial in helping establish his good standing with the king which will come into play later on.
This is one of those fingerprints I mentioned earlier. We don’t read of God’s name here in the text, but I think it is easy to recognize His hand in the situation.
One thing history tells us is that Persian kings highly valued loyalty and tended to reward loyalty greatly. What is interesting here in regard to Mordecai, however, is that Xerxes essentially forgets to honor Mordecai until later in the story (chapter 6 to be precise). But again, that is all God’s timing and God’s providence over the moment.
I hope you are capturing the reality of God’s presence in the story of Esther. His name isn’t spelled out but He remains in the center of the whole affair. As Jon D. Levenson says, “A coincidence is a miracle in which God prefers to remain anonymous.”
And the book of Esther, you could say, is full of these little and big coincidences.
One of the great lessons, which I believe will become more clear later in the book of Esther, is this: it isn’t only when God spectacularly answers prayer—we see a friend healed, or we know God’s healing in our own life—and it isn’t only when God does something dramatic or miraculous that he is at work. God is wonderfully at work in the little “coincidences” of our lives, often behind the scenes in a way that only time will reveal. People that are constantly looking only for the miraculous can miss this. We all need to be encouraged to further ponder God’s good providence and (as Karen Jobes says) “the miraculous quality of the ordinary.”
And that is the application for us today as well. We need to keep our eyes peeled and see the subtle ways in which God is constantly at work in our lives. I believe the more you recognize the little things the more amazed you will be of God’s providence over all things.
PRAY
