Session 6: Keep Standing
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Background
Background
At a second banquet with Ahasuerus and Haman. Esther revealed her request that the king spare her and her people’s lives. When Ahasuerus learned Haman had devised a plot against the Jews, the king left the banquet in anger. Haman fell at Esther’s feet to beg for his life. When Ahasuerus returned, he interpreted Haman’s act as an attempt to violate the queen. Ahasuerus ordered Haman hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordecai.
Someone read Esther 8:1-2
1 On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her. 2 And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.
Compare to Joseph in
41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. 43 And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, “Bow the knee!” Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt.
According to Greek historian Herodotus, it was standard for Persian kings to confiscate the estates of condemned criminals (Herodotus, Histories 3.128–129). In a gesture of kindness and perhaps as compensation for her hardship, the king grants Haman’s estate to Esther.
41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck.
According to Greek historian Herodotus, it was standard for Persian kings to confiscate the estates of condemned criminals (Herodotus, Histories 3.128–129). In a gesture of kindness and perhaps as compensation for her hardship, the king grants Haman’s estate to Esther.
This ring allowed for someone to carry out actions on the king’s behalf . Does this change your opinion of how much he king actually knew who the people were Haman was singling out? Consider Jezebel’s actions in
5 But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?” 6 And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money, or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’ ” 7 And Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. 9 And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. 10 And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” 11 And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, 12 they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. 13 And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. 14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”
15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” 16 And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
The possession of the ring is what had allowed Haman to create his evil plot without the king being aware of its full implications.
8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. 9 And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. 10 And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” 11 And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, 12 they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. 13 And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. 14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”
15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” 16 And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
(see note on 3:10). The possession of the ring is what had allowed Haman to create his evil plot without the king being aware of its full implications.
8:2 his signet ring This ring allowed for someone to carry out actions on the king’s behalf (see note on 3:10). The possession of the ring is what had allowed Haman to create his evil plot without the king being aware of its full implications.
Ancient kings used signet rings to designate authority, honor, or ownership. A signet contained an emblem unique to the king. Official documents were sealed with a dollop of soft wax impressed with the king’s signet, usually kept on a ring on his finger. Such a seal certified the document as genuine, much like a notary public’s stamp today. In , the evil Queen Jezebel took King Ahab’s signet ring and “wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal.” The ring’s stamp gave her letters the king’s authority. In , a signet ring was used to seal a stone covering a lions’ den: “A stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.” A royal signet ring is also featured in and .
The signet ring symbolized authority and made one as an image bearer of the king. Connect us as Christians to this concept. Look at
26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
In like manner, when God seals us, and puts His Spirit in us, we become image-bearers. The imagery conveys the idea of God stamping His signet upon our hearts, and leaving His impression upon us. We bear the image of the living God through the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.
In like manner, when God seals us, and puts His Spirit in us, we become image-bearers. The imagery conveys the idea of God stamping His signet upon our hearts, and leaving His impression upon us. We bear the image of the living God through the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.
Go to
Mordecai came before the king—that is, was introduced at court and appointed one of the seven counsellors. Esther displayed great prudence and address in acknowledging Mordecai’s relation to her at the moment most fitted to be of eminent service to him.
2. the king took off his ring, … and gave it unto Mordecai—By that act transferring to him all the power and authority which the ring symbolized, and promoting him to the high dignity which Haman had formerly filled.
Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman—as her steward or factor, to manage that large and opulent estate which had been assigned to her.
3 Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. 4 When the king held out the golden scepter to Esther, Esther rose and stood before the king. 5 And she said, “If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. 6 For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming to my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?” 7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he intended to lay hands on the Jews. 8 But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king’s ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s ring cannot be revoked.”
So what’s significant in this passage?
Notice the king never takes any responsibility for any of this - including the solution.
besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman—that is, to repeal the sanguinary edict which, at the secret instigation of Haman, had been recently passed ().
she fell before his feet An act of supplication, not an act of worship or reverence (see note on ).
Haman the Agagite’s Here and in v. 5, the narrative represents Haman as the epitome of Israel’s longtime enemy, the Amalekites, whom Yahweh had declared He would destroy. See note on 3:1.
8:4 held out to Esther the scepter of gold It seems that this was both a sign of the king allowing someone to visit him without an appointment and the sign that someone may rise after the formality of bowing. This detail could indicate that Esther has again approached the king without an appointment (compare 4:11), which would mean that vv. 3–8 represents a different conversation than vv. 1–2, possibly on the next day.
In order to save the Jewish people from destruction, Esther proceeds to use a similar negotiating tactic as before—emphasizing the king’s favor of her while not implicating him in the decree against the Jews, even though he is surely also at fault (5:8; 7:3). Unlike the earlier negotiation, Mordecai is present for this discussion (v. 7).
The king reiterates the actions he has already taken to bring justice to the unjust situation—possibly in an effort to avoid the implication that he is at fault. In great irony, the king responds to the remaining problem by once again removing himself from the writing of an irrevocable edict (compare 3:12).
The whole conduct of Esther in this matter is characterized by great tact, and the variety of expressions by which she describes her willing submission to her royal husband, the address with which she rolls the whole infamy of the meditated massacre on Haman, and the argument she draws from the king’s sanction being surreptitiously obtained, that the decree should be immediately reversed—all indicate the queen’s wisdom and skill, and she succeeded in this point also.
5, 6. reverse the letters devised by Haman … to destroy the Jews—The whole conduct of Esther in this matter is characterized by great tact, and the variety of expressions by which she describes her willing submission to her royal husband, the address with which she rolls the whole infamy of the meditated massacre on Haman, and the argument she draws from the king’s sanction being surreptitiously obtained, that the decree should be immediately reversed—all indicate the queen’s wisdom and skill, and she succeeded in this point also.
Why couldn’t he just revoke the previous decree of Haman? Compare to
12 Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”
14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him.
In verses 5-6, Esther intercedes on behalf of the Jewish people to the king. Does this remind you of any NT concept?
8. Write … in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring—Hence it is evident that the royal ring had a seal in it, which, being affixed to any document, authenticated it with the stamp of royal authority.
25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
which … may no man reverse—This is added as the reason why he could not comply with the queen’s request for a direct reversal of recall of Haman’s letters; namely, that the laws of the Medes and Persians, once passed, were irrevocable.
8:5 let an edict be written to revoke the letters of Since the king was unable to revoke his own decree (1:19), a new decree was necessary to counter the effects of the first one (compare ).
Hebrews 7:25
8:7 the gallows See note on .
8:8 the king’s signet ring See note on 3:10.
2. A Rising and a Saving ()
Esther is the human trigger of the action that brings about the fall of Haman and now the rise of Mordecai. To grasp more of the book’s symmetry, make as many specific observations as you can about the ways in which chapter 8 mirrors and undoes the action of chapter 3.
Some have argued over whether Mordecai or Esther is the “hero” or central figure of this narrative. Clearly they are both necessary to the story—but how does make their relationship clear? (Refer also to the shape of chapters 5–8 as considered in the first question.)
At this point Esther knows the problem is not completely solved. How is her second petition (8:3–6) similar to but different from the first (7:3–4)? What does the king’s answer reveal about him (8:7–8)?
Gospel Glimpses
A PLEADING INTERCESSOR. Again not in the details but in the contours of the narrative, the shape of the gospel emerges as an advocate pleading on behalf of a people that they might be saved from destruction. In these chapters we see the intercessor actually doing the pleading: Esther here represents her people before a sovereign king. He is a poor figure of a king (pointing only by contrast to the heavenly one), but in King Ahasuerus’s hand rests the fate of God’s people for whom Esther pleads. And again, no figure points more than blurrily and inadequately to the righteous Son of God who intercedes for us. All such earthly dramas remind us of the one great heavenly one, in which Christ Jesus represents his people before a holy God, whose wrath is turned away by the atonement made by Christ himself on the cross ().
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
AT THE RIGHT TIME. The Bible makes clear that salvation happened according to God’s plan, with Christ our Savior coming and dying for us “at the right time” (), “when the fullness of time had come” ().
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
The sovereign timing of the salvation story in Esther shows the ways of this same God, who determines the outcome of the casting of lots in 3:7, thereby allowing the perfect time span for not just one but two separate decrees to be sent out from Susa to the far ends of the Persian empire. Even the timing of Haman’s entrance into the court in chapter 6 is clearly ordained—and all not just for a good story but for the story of God’s people being saved from death. We glimpse here a sovereign God who at the right time perfectly saves his people.
A GOSPEL FOR THE NATIONS. When we read in that many among the peoples of the Persian empire declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews, we cannot help but think of God’s promise that through Abraham’s seed all the peoples of the earth will be blessed (). Of course much of the “fear” in Esther’s time might be plain old unrepentant fright, as with the Canaanites whose “hearts melted” when they heard what God had done for his people (). But that report in Joshua came from the mouth of the Canaanite Rahab, who heard and whose heart both melted and believed. God was drawing the nations with his saving truth, just as he promised. There may have been some Rahabs throughout the Persian empire, drawn perhaps not only by proper fear of such a God but also by the gladness and joy of his people, as the Spirit savingly melted their hearts.
Whole-Bible Connections
REJOICING OF GOD’S PEOPLE. Certainly not all the Jews who rejoiced at being saved were Jews who faithfully followed God. But what we see here are God’s people rejoicing at being saved (and their enemies destroyed). Such rejoicing resounds throughout Scripture, from the victory song sung after the exodus (), to the rejoicing over the defeat of Moab and Sihon and Og (), to Deborah’s song after the defeat of the Canaanites (), and so on. But even in the Old Testament the rejoicing of God’s people points to more than temporal battles; it points to an eternal God who rules all the nations with perfect justice and who blesses all who take refuge in him—ultimately through his Son (). In Jesus Christ, the promised Seed of Abraham, is the full and final rejoicing of all God’s people. Such feasting and rejoicing as we see in Esther only dimly foreshadows the eternal rejoicing we shall know in heaven with our risen and conquering Lamb ().
LIFE AND DEATH. is about who will live and who will die.
Esther offers a vivid glimpse into the life-and-death ramifications of God’s redemptive plan promised through the Jewish people. To reject this people and their God was to align with death, ultimately in opposition to God’s redemptive plan. Esther, in saving her people, is aligning herself with life—with God’s redemptive plan through his chosen people.
GOD’S PEOPLE. When Esther finally names her people, calling them “my people,” she aligns herself with the ones to whom and through whom God has promised blessing (). She is standing with and in God’s covenant community, as part of the people receiving his promises. The “Reflection and Discussion” questions pointed us to passages that show the extent of those promises (; ; )—all finally fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who came to die for us and make us his, a people for his own possession, his very body. Faith in the Lord God has never been only an individual matter; it means becoming part of God’s people, joining a blessed and blessing community of those living out the promises of God in Christ. We do not know if Esther’s heart was a heart of faith. What we can see is that she (and Mordecai) stood in the place of blessing, with God’s covenant people.
A Summary of God’s Sovereignty at Work
A Summary of God’s Sovereignty at Work
A Summary of God’s Sovereignty at Work
A Summary of God’s Sovereignty at Work
In the first seven chapters God
1. engineered circumstances so that Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman, would become queen of all Persia, in the place of the deposed Vashti;
2. orchestrated events so that Esther’s Cousin Mordecai would be a candidate for royal favor because of his discovery and reporting of an assassination plot against the king;
3. allowed the prideful Haman to concoct a seemingly airtight scheme to eradicate the Jewish people;
4. made the king agreeable to hear and comply with Esther’s desperate petition for her people’s deliverance;
5. kept the king from sleeping, only to remind him of Mordecai’s earlier act of loyalty;
6. forced Haman to honor Mordecai before having Haman executed.
What an amazing turn of events! A dark and bleak situation—with no hope in sight. But God was faithful, working in and through His faithful servants. The result? A true miracle! A good reminder of God’s proclamation in : “ ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’ ”
8) Read . How were the Thessalonians similar to the Jewish converts of ?
9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
17 And in every province and in every city, wherever the king’s command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.
(verses to consider: ; )
9) Some people of faith argue that total trust in God means it is never right to defend oneself against the charges or attacks of the wicked. What do you think about this argument and about Mordecai’s decree?
Let’s look at
Summing Up …
“Through the centuries … men have shaken their fists in defiance at God. And though the folly of fighting Him is self-evident, that does not stop each succeeding generation from trying. They pit their impotence against His omnipotence, shattering themselves like raw eggs thrown against granite. … Though sinful men often hail those who fight against God as wise, in reality they are fools. True wisdom lies in being on God’s side.”—John MacArthur
20 And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, 22 as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
Reflecting on the Text
10) Can you think of an area in your life in which all seems hopeless? How does the story of Esther and Mordecai alter the way in which you think about this situation?
The name given to the festival is Purim, so-called after the name of the Pur (v. 26)—that is, the Persian lot that was cast before Haman (see 3:7 and comments there).
7 In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) before Haman day after day; and they cast it month after month till the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.
To this day, Jewish people continue to celebrate their deliverance by God from the genocidal plans of Haman. The celebrations include reading the scroll of Esther in the synagogue, complete with noisemakers to drown out the name of Haman every time his name is read. It is also customary to deliver baskets of foods and sweets to neighbors (v. 22), to eat tri-cornered pastries reminiscent of Haman’s hats (or some say his ears), and to perform plays reenacting the defeat of Haman. In light of Hitler’s Holocaust, these celebrations have broadened their meaning to remember God’s care to preserve His people at other times, for as the Jewish Passover liturgy states, “In every generation, they rise up to destroy us, but the Holy One, blessed be He, always delivers us from their hands.”
Summarize the explanation for the Feast of Purim (). Review Hannah’s song in and Mary’s song in . What similar themes do you notice?
20 And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, 22 as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
23 So the Jews accepted what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur (that is, cast lots), to crush and to destroy them. 25 But when it came before the king, he gave orders in writing that his evil plan that he had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. 26 Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term Pur. Therefore, because of all that was written in this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them, 27 the Jews firmly obligated themselves and their offspring and all who joined them, that without fail they would keep these two days according to what was written and at the time appointed every year,
1 And Hannah prayed and said,
“My heart exults in the Lord;
my horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because I rejoice in your salvation.
2 “There is none holy like the Lord:
for there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
3 Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble bind on strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
The barren has borne seven,
but she who has many children is forlorn.
6 The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low and he exalts.
8 He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap
to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
and on them he has set the world.
9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
for not by might shall a man prevail.
10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;
against them he will thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
11) Consider those individuals in your life who need to see God work an amazing comeback. How can you come alongside them in their time of need? What specific acts of encouragement could you perform?
Like a first-rate suspense novel, this true narrative of the Jews who remained in Persia following the exile takes the reader on an emotional roller-coaster ride. From surprise to despair and from fear to triumph, Esther records how the invisible (but powerful!) hand of God protected His people and provided great blessing for them in a foreign land.
One moral of the story is this: The faithful who participate in the work of God will eventually see and celebrate the wonders of God.
How did this unlikely holiday come about? Esther’s charm and beauty won the king’s heart. Mordecai’s honesty and wisdom won the king’s gratitude. When the crisis arose, therefore, this God-fearing tandem was able to use their position and influence to make a life and death difference. The Jewish people were spared; the glory of God was revealed.
This book is packed with powerful lessons, but one moral of the story is this: The faithful who participate in the work of God will eventually see and celebrate the wonders of God.
20 And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, 22 as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
Read 9:20—10:3, noting the key words and definitions to the right of the passage.
20 And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus,
21 to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar,
22 as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor.
23 So the Jews accepted the custom which they had begun, as Mordecai had written to them,
24 because Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to annihilate them, and had cast Pur (that is, the lot), to consume them and destroy them;
25 but when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letter that this wicked plot which Haman had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
26 So they called these days Purim, after the name Pur. Therefore, because of all the words of this letter, what they had seen concerning this matter, and what had happened to them,
27 the Jews established and imposed it upon themselves and their descendants and all who would join them, that without fail they should celebrate these two days every year, according to the written instructions and according to the prescribed time,
28 that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city, that these days of Purim should not fail to be observed among the Jews, and that the memory of them should not perish among their descendants.
29 Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter about Purim.
30 And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews, to the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth,
31 to confirm these days of Purim at their appointed time, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had prescribed for them, and as they had decreed for themselves and their descendants concerning matters of their fasting and lamenting.
32 So the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim, and it was written in the book.
10:1 And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea.
2 Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?
3 For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen.
And Mordecai wrote these things (vv. 20–25)—a brief summary of God’s providential intervention on behalf of the Jews
Purim (v. 26)—the only biblically revealed, non-Mosaic festival with perpetual significance
second letter (v. 29)—an additional letter (see verse 20 for the first letter), which added “fasting and lamenting” to the prescribed activity of Purim
written in the book (v. 32)— This could be the chronicle referred to in 10:3 or another archival type document; it certainly does not hint that Esther wrote this canonical book.
And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute (vv. 1–3)—apparently a postscript
Mordecai … was second (v. 3)—Mordecai joined the top echelon of Jewish international statesmen like Joseph, who ranked second in the Egyptian dynasty (), and Daniel, who succeeded in both the Babylonian () and Medo-Persian Empires ().
speaking peace (v. 3)— Ahasuerus was assassinated. No further details are available concerning Esther and Mordecai. What Mordecai did for less than a decade on behalf of Israel, Jesus Christ will do for all eternity as the Prince of Peace (; ).
Understanding the Text
4) According to the description in this passage, what sorts of things did the Jews do to celebrate the Feast of Purim?
The Pur (or lots) that Haman had cast as part of his scheme to annihilate the Jews eventually became a symbol, not of death and destruction, but of God’s goodness and power. How? Can you think of other negative symbols that ironically have come to serve as positive reminders?
6) At the end of this book, how is Mordecai described? What does this reveal about God’s ability to place His people in positions of strategic importance?
Reflections
Reflections
(verses to consider: ; ; )
6 The Lord lifts up the humble;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
15 By me kings reign,
and rulers decree what is just;
1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
Cross-Reference
Read .
1 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
2 For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.
3 He will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet.
4 He will choose our inheritance for us, the excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah
5 God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding.
8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne.
9 The princes of the people have gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.
7) What is the theme or message of and why would this have been an appropriate song of praise for the Jews in Persia to sing?
As you think about the religious days Christians celebrate (Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas), are they holy days to you? Or mere secularized holidays? Why? What needs to change?
Exploring the Meaning
8) Read . What specific deliverance was being celebrated here? What common elements do you see in the celebration of the Jews at Purim and the Jews at the Red Sea?
9) Read . What does the scene pictured in this passage teach about God? About appropriate worship on the part of the people of God?
Summing Up …
“Genuine worship is the supreme service a Christian can offer to Christ. There is a time for ministering to the poor, the sick, the naked, and the imprisoned. There is a time for witnessing to the lost and seeking to lead them to the Savior. There is a time for discipling new believers and helping them grow in the faith. There is a time for careful study and teaching of God’s Word. But above all else that the Lord requires of His people is true worship, without which everything else they may do in His name is empty and powerless.”—John MacArthur
Reflecting on the Text
10) As you think about the religious days Christians celebrate (Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas), are they holy days to you? Or mere secularized holidays? Why? What needs to change?
What, specifically, could you do today to celebrate and commemorate God’s goodness and deliverance?
What, specifically, could you do today to celebrate and commemorate God’s goodness and deliverance?
11) What, specifically, could you do today to celebrate and commemorate God’s goodness and deliverance?
A friend comes to you and says, “I have no joy in worship. It has become nothing more than a time of dry, dull ritual. What should I do?” What counsel would you give?
A friend comes to you and says, “I have no joy in worship. It has become nothing more than a time of dry, dull ritual. What should I do?” What counsel would you give?
12) A friend comes to you and says, “I have no joy in worship. It has become nothing more than a time of dry, dull ritual. What should I do?” What counsel would you give?
What is one thing you’d like to change about your habits of worship?
What is one thing you’d like to change about your habits of worship?
13) What is one thing you’d like to change about your habits of worship?
What lessons or truths from Esther have had the biggest impact on you personally? Why?
What lessons or truths from Esther have had the biggest impact on you personally? Why?
14) What lessons or truths from Esther have had the biggest impact on you personally? Why?
By the time we reach the final two chapters of Esther, the plot has been resolved. offers us what in literature is called the denouement, or the unraveling of all the pieces that have been put finally in place. Similarly, in the overarching biblical storyline of redemption, after the climax of the cross and the resurrection, what remains is to reap the fruit of that climax as we move toward the story’s consummation, its final piece. The consummation of Esther, like that of redemption’s story, involves not only the life of God’s people but the death of their enemies. The book ends with Queen Esther in a position of authority, having seen to the utter downfall of Haman’s house and influence, and the high honor of Mordecai, who uses his power for the welfare of the Jewish people.
The Big Picture
tells of the Jews’ victory over their enemies and their celebratory feasting on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar, establishing those dates as the documented source of the Jewish Feast of Purim. Esther and Mordecai are firmly established as powerful rulers under King Ahasuerus, seeking the good of their people, the Jews.
Reflection and Discussion
Read through , the passage for this week’s study. Then consider and write your reflections on the following questions, which move through this final section of Esther. (For further background, see the ESV Study Bible, pages 861–863, or visit www.esvbible.org.)
In many ways, might have been a nice conclusion to the book. The final chapters, however, bring home the full implications of that conclusion—first by summarizing the final shape of the action. Summarize the grand summary in ! How do the first four verses of chapter 9 dramatically reveal the reversal that has occurred?
Let us recall the larger scriptural context of the battles sanctioned by God in which his people were to destroy whole ungodly cities or nations and take nothing for themselves, devoting everything to destruction as a kind of offering to the Lord. The total destruction of Jericho, for example (except for Rahab and her family) was clearly commanded and carried out (). Achan disobeyed the command of destruction at Ai, with deadly results (). Now, having recalled this background, review : in what ways did Mordecai’s ancestor Saul fail in that story? In what ways might seem to bring final resolution to that story?
We have returned many times to the background of God’s covenant with Abraham in and his covenant with David in . How does the background of both the covenants and the battles help us see our Lord God more clearly? How does all this background help illumine the final battles of Esther?
What about God’s people now? The promised Christ has come, through the seed of Abraham and in the line of David; he has accomplished our salvation on the cross and in his resurrection from the dead. Through faith in him we are the spiritual descendants of Abraham (). We his people no longer fight physical battles as a physical nation. According to , what kinds of battles do we fight now, as God’s people in Christ?
Even though the climax of our salvation story has been accomplished in Christ’s first coming, our story awaits the consummation, just as Esther’s story awaited that set day of battle. Write down several things reveals about the day of Christ’s second coming.1 How might these words of Paul help us see what is showing us about God?
What should be our response to the huge reality of God’s wrath and eternal punishment coming for those who have not by faith in Christ become part of God’s people?
The feasting and gladness come in the text soon after the battles and destruction (as in Moses’ song in , and many other passages). Look ahead to the promised final feast, the marriage supper of the Lamb, in —and glance through the larger context of that whole chapter. Write your observations.
tells of two closing feasts. Recall the two opening feasts (1:4–5). Esther’s two feasts are in the middle. What might you observe about these feasts and their relation to the book’s themes and structure?
Notice the repeated emphasis on writing all this down, in . Why this emphasis, do you think?
C. Establishing the Commemoration (9:19–10:3)
9:19–32. Just as the festival of Passover was instituted as “a memorial” () to Israel’s deliverance recorded in Exodus, so too was a festival instituted to memorialize Israel’s deliverance recorded in Esther. These two deliverance events are connected by their being the only biblical events of comprehensive Jewish deliverance set outside the promised land (on the theological significance of this connection/canonical juxtaposition see further our discussion in section B. in Introduction). In the absence of a direct word from God (on which see ibid., and section A.), this feast is enjoined by Mordecai, with the further backing of Esther (), by means of letters that he sent to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. The divine “backing” of this festival is, of course, implied by the inclusion of this record in the biblical canon (an admittedly circular view, since it is based on the unempirical [i.e., faith-based acceptance of the canon as inspired]). Early Jewish tradition also supports the tradition recorded in the Jerusalem Talmud (Megilla i.5) that the proto-Sanhedrin at the time of Esther, comprised of 85 elders, were enlightened by God Himself to accept the institutionalizing letters of Mordecai and Esther.
To this day, Jewish people continue to celebrate their deliverance by God from the genocidal plans of Haman. The celebrations include reading the scroll of Esther in the synagogue, complete with noisemakers to drown out the name of Haman every time his name is read. It is also customary to deliver baskets of foods and sweets to neighbors (v. 22), to eat tri-cornered pastries reminiscent of Haman’s hats (or some say his ears), and to perform plays reenacting the defeat of Haman. In light of Hitler’s Holocaust, these celebrations have broadened their meaning to remember God’s care to preserve His people at other times, for as the Jewish Passover liturgy states, “In every generation, they rise up to destroy us, but the Holy One, blessed be He, always delivers us from their hands.”
9:20–25 This passage describes how Mordecai established Purim as an ongoing observance for the Jews and lays out the expectations for the holiday (vv. 20–22). The narrator also offers some closing remarks that illustrate the significance of the book of Esther. The major events of the book of Esther are also recapped (vv. 24–25).
9:20 Mordecai wrote down these things This may be a reference to the text of vv. 24–25, the details of how Purim should be celebrated according to vv. 21–22, or to the book of Esther as a whole (a suggestion that makes Mordecai the book’s author). Considering that Mordecai sends this information to all Jews in the empire, it seems most likely that this is a reference to the details in vv. 21–22 or the text of vv. 24–25—or a combination of the two (compare v. 26).
9:21 the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and the fifteenth day The narrative now explains why the Jewish festival of Purim is celebrated on two days—the day after the Jews in the majority of the empire overcame their enemies and the day after the Jews in the capital overcame theirs (compare vv. 17–19).
Calendars in Old Testament Times
Israelite Calendar Table
Israelite Festivals Table
the fourteenth day of the month of Adar During the Second Temple period, the Jewish people called the 14th of Adar “Mordecai’s Day” ().
9:22 giving gifts to each other This generous dimension of Purim may reflect the need for relief following a time of battle, such as the battles mentioned in this chapter (). It also seems to reflect the ethical dimension of the Jewish law—to love your neighbor as yourself (; compare ).
to the poor The inclusion of the impoverished in Purim reflects that the entire Jewish population was saved, not just the wealthy—thus they should celebrate together (compare ). Based on the previous phrase, the gifts to the impoverished were likely food and perhaps other provisions. This request for caring for the impoverished also reflects the Jewish law (, ; , ; ; compare ; ; ).
4. God rewards loyalty. Vashti’s disloyalty is contrasted with Esther’s loyalty to the king and her people. Another contrast is the bumbling Haman, who hanged for his conspiracy (7:3–10), while Mordecai was honored for saving the king from assassins (2:21–23). Mordecai, in particular, exemplifies loyalty to the Jewish tradition. He functioned as Esther’s Jewish conscience (4:12–14), and as a “Jew” (3:3) he refused to pay homage to Haman the “Agagite” (3:1–2; 5:9). Mordecai attempted to hide their Jewish extraction, but he learned in the end that the revelation of Esther as a Jewess gave them the upper hand (2:10, 20). The story shows that those of the Diaspora could be faithful to their heritage while living as honorable citizens of a Gentile state.
5. Another recurring theme is the contrast between festival and fasting. The story begins with Xerxes’ elaborate seven-day feast which ultimately resulted in Esther’s appointment as queen. Later, Esther’s two feasts resulted in the death of the Jews’ archenemy Haman. Finally, Mordecai established the Feast of Purim, enjoyed by Jews and Gentiles for generations to come (8:15, 17; 9:17, 19, 26–28).
The foil for this feasting is Jewish fasting which was the author’s way of expressing this people’s commitment to their religious heritage (4:1–3, 16). Fasting preceded feasting in the case of Esther’s approach to the king (4:16), and thus fasting was also commemorated as part of their Purim (9:31). Their fasting, the outward expression of their trust in God, precipitated their victory and celebration.
6. Finally, the story addresses the problem of social and religious bigotry. Haman’s anti-Semitism was frightfully expressed when he swore he would not rest until he rid himself of “that Jew Mordecai” (5:13). The Jews are warned by this story not to escape their heritage. In fact, their spiritual heritage preserved them as a people.
9:1–32 The Jews’ Feast of Victory
The dates of the edict and the subsequent victory of the Jews were repeated by the author because they established the traditional calendar for the Feast of Purim (9:1, 17–18, 21). On the thirteenth day of Adar (Feb.–Mar.), the appointed day of Haman’s plot (3:13), the Jews defeated their enemies. The nations feared the Jews, and local magistrates were favorably influenced by Mordecai’s position in Xerxes’ court. The king granted a second day of vengeance (the fourteenth of Adar). In Susa eight hundred were killed, and Haman’s ten sons were hanged. Among all the provinces, the Jews killed seventy-five thousand (9:2–17).
This explained why Purim was celebrated in the city on the thirteenth and fourteenth and in the provinces on the fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar (9:18–19). The author reiterated that the Jews, however, did not loot their enemies (9:10, 15). The motivation for the purging was not economic but an avenging of crimes committed against the Jews. Mordecai gave the official decree establishing Purim (9:20–28). The feast was named Purim because of the pur (“lot”) cast by Haman (9:26). The purpose of the feast was a memorial to Haman’s wicked plot, which returned “onto his own head” (9:25). To promote the feast Esther added her authority to a joint letter distributed with Mordecai (9:29–32).
MORDECAI’S PROMOTION ()
The story concludes in the way it began by describing the power and influence of Xerxes’ kingdom. The author refers the reader to the official records of the empire where a full account of the kingdom and the role played by Mordecai could be examined (10:1–2; compare ; ). Mordecai contributed to the prosperity of the empire and cared for the Jews’ welfare (10:3). The greatness of Mordecai vindicated the Jews as a people. Their heritage was not a threat to the Gentiles, but rather through Mordecai and the Jews the empire enjoyed peace.
Theological and Ethical Significance
Our modern experience of God is more like that of the Book of Esther than that of many Old Testament books. In Esther, God worked behind the scenes to bring about deliverance for His people. God did not bring deliverance through spectacular plagues or a miracle at the sea as in the exodus. Rather, God worked through a courageous old man who refused to abandon his principles and a courageous woman who valued the lives of her people more than her own life. The Book of Esther calls us to look at the lives of people committed to God if we want to know what God is doing to bring about deliverance in our own world.
The outlook for Mordecai and the Jews looked bleak through much of Esther. Today we may feel that God has abandoned us or that it is not profitable to be on the Lord’s side. The last chapters of Esther brought about God’s reversal of circumstances. We should live our lives with a view to how our story is going to end. Someday every knee will bow “and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord” (). What occasioned fasting and anxious prayer will be forgotten in heaven’s feasting (compare ).
As Christians our power and influence should be used for righteous purposes and not for self-gratification. Power is a gift from God to be used for the benefit of His people and His creation. Christian citizenship demands involvement in the affairs of the state. Anti-Semitism and other forms of racial and religious bigotry easily lead to dangerous abuses of power. Today’s Christians, like Esther, must be courageous in opposing such abuses.
Questions for Reflection
1. What is the proper relationship between religion and politics?
2. What does the story of Esther teach about evil and suffering?
3. What godly traits does Mordecai exemplify?
4. What is the purpose of fasting?
5. What does this story teach about the care of God for His people?
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ESV English Standard Version
1 Second coming of Christ—Jesus came two thousand years ago for the first time. One day he will return to earth again, this time not in disguise but openly as the ruler of all ().
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