Obedience is Rewarded

“Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse…..Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.”  Esther 8:8,11

Haman was no longer a threat to Esther, Mordecai, or the Jewish people.  King Ahasuerus gave Haman’s property to Esther, and she told the king that Mordecai was her cousin.  The king took off his ring that he had previously given to Haman and gave it to Mordecai.  Esther then gave Haman’s property to Mordecai.  However, there was still the problem with the original decree to destroy all Jews.  Once the king issued a decree, sealed it with his signet ring, and put his name to it, it could not be rescinded.  That seems rather harsh, but, I suppose, for the king to issue an order and then completely reverse it would make him look weak and/or like he couldn’t stand behind his own laws.  In the wisdom of our founding fathers, our own Declaration of Independence states that when any form of government becomes destructive and removed from the people, then the people have the right to abolish it and create a new government that will govern the people and protect their safety and rights.  Judging by the direction our nation is going, it seems like this might not be such a bad idea.  However, I don’t see that happening.  We are on a downward spiral, and only a miracle from God can help us.

Since the original couldn’t be rescinded or reversed, the king could write a new declaration for which he called in his scribes at the direction of Mordecai to write a new document.  He couldn’t stop the enemies of the Jews from attacking them, but he gave permission for the Jews to do whatever necessary to defend themselves even if it meant killing those who attacked them.  He also gave permission for the Jews to confiscate any valuables left behind by those whom they killed.  Thus, the Jews could form militias, gather weapons, and be prepared to defend themselves.  This new decree was delivered by what we might call, “pony express”, which was used in the early days of America to deliver mail.  However, these ancient riders did not ride horses, but rather mules and camels.  The Persian Empire was a vast territory, and it likely took some time for this new order to reach the most remote locations, but there were still several months before the enemy was allowed to attack the Jews.

Mordecai, now in a very prestigious position in the palace, donned royal apparel and a crown of gold and went out among the people of Shushan who cheered and rejoiced.  Imagine today how people would react if the leader of Iran, which is modern-day Persia, gave the leader of Israel royal apparel and a crown to wear.  Like that would ever happen!  The people of Iran wouldn’t rejoice; they would protest.  There is so much hatred toward the Jews by not only Muslims, but people in our country, particularly college students, who have no clue as to the danger they are putting themselves in by cursing and threatening the Jewish people.  It is sickening to watch their protests on television.  It makes me think of when Jesus, hanging on the cross, looking down at the people who were cheering His crucifixion, and saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

One other positive outcome of God’s rescue of His people was that many Gentiles became Jews because they saw how God prospered and cared for His people.  They also saw what happens to those who fight against God and His chosen people.  Zechariah 8:23 tells us that there would be others who would join with the Jews because they heard that God was with them.  The Living Bible has a different take on this.  It says that many pretended to be Jews because they feared being killed.  I suppose both interpretations are correct.  There would have been genuine Gentile believers in God, and there would have been those who pretended out of fear.

It is strange that both the Jews and their enemies had backing of the king.  Both could show an official document that gave them the right to attack or the right to defend themselves and confiscate possessions.  It was now Adar the 13th, the day when the enemies could attack the Jews.  I suppose that they likely assumed it would be a “piece of cake”, but when they saw such a formidable group of people who were not afraid, the attackers were so threatened by the Jews that they lost the will to fight.  Even the military officers and leaders joined on the side of the Jews.  They actually feared Mordecai because they knew that he had risen to great power and authority.  They also must have known that Haman had planned to kill Mordecai, but the tables were turned, and Haman was the one who was hanged.  Better to submit to Mordecai than die!

Esther requested that Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows even thought they had already been slain.  She desired to send a message out to all of Israel’s enemies that attacks against her people would not be tolerated.  Many of the enemies were killed on the 13th and the 14th of Adar, but the Jews did not take any of the possessions of the ones that they killed.  Mordecai set up the 14th and 15th of Adar as a time of celebration named Purim, and Esther seconded his decree by writing her own letter confirming the days for Purim.

In the account of Esther, Mordecai, Ahasuerus, and Haman we have seen how God protected and preserved His people from utter destruction by evil men who hated Israel and the Jews and desired to annihilate them from off the face of the earth.  In the present situation with Israel and Hamas, we can’t help but wonder:  what will God do to preserve His chosen nation in this day of evil?  While those leading America at this time seem to be wavering in support of Israel, if this wavering continues and our nation’s support of Israel diminishes, we will likely see God’s judgment continue perhaps growing greater and more consequential as each day passes.  God was serious when He said that those who bless His people will be blessed, and those who curse His people will be cursed.  God also said that we reap what we sow.  Maybe sooner than later.

Haman’s Surprise

“Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request: For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish.  But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage.”  Esther 7:3-4

The gallows that Haman ordered to be built on which to hang Mordecai we assume was constructed right away.  That following night, the king could not sleep and asked for the book of records to be read before him.  He discovered that it had been Mordecai who had reported the two chamberlains who were plotting to kill the king.  One would think the king would have enquired about that when the two were caught.  He wanted to know what had been done for Mordecai to reward him for this great deed and was told that nothing had been done for this hero.  Later, Haman came to speak to Ahasuerus to get permission to hang Mordecai on the gallows.  The king asked him what should be done for the man whom the king delighted to honor.  Well, of course, Haman assumed that it was himself of whom the king was referring.  Haman said that he should be given royal attire and a crown to wear and a horse to ride upon throughout Shushan.  The king agreed and told Haman to arrange it, and then Ahasuerus shocked Haman by telling him to prepare all of this royalty for Mordecai.

Can you imagine what was going through the mind of Haman about now?  He was going to have to participate in honoring his archenemy.  Mordecai was supposed to die this day, not ride on a beautiful horse wearing royal apparel with a crown upon his head.  This was supposed to be for Haman.  This is where assuming gets us into trouble.  However, Haman complied with the king’s command, very grudgingly.  We wonder about how Mordecai felt about all of this attention.  He was just a humble Jew and likely didn’t want this kind of attention, but he, too, couldn’t refuse the king’s orders.  I doubt that Mordecai took any pleasure in this humiliation of Haman.  Jesus said in Matthew 23:12 that whosoever exalts himself shall be humbled, but Haman didn’t appear to learn this lesson.  After the parade, Haman returned home disgusted and sickened by how he had to serve Mordecai.  He told his wife and friends about the entire event.  However, his wife and friends gave him some advice that they should have given him to begin with:  if Mordecai is truly a Jew, then you will not prevail against him, but you will be the one to fall before him.  In a short while, chamberlains came to escort Haman to Esther’s second banquet.

Again, Ahasuerus asked Esther what it was that she desired.  She finally gave him the reason why she had been arranging these two banquets.  She was very respectful of the king and informed him that she and her people were to be slain.  She continued by saying that if instead they were to be sold into slavery, she would have kept quiet.  After all, slavery and bondage were nothing new to the Jewish people.  The king became very upset and asked her who and where was this person who dared to do such a thing.  By his response, Ahasuerus must have been very far removed from the daily administration of his kingdom.  Did he not remember the decree for which Haman asked? (3:7-11)   He had given his signet ring to make the decree official.  How could this king not remember that his right-hand man, Haman, had received his permission to do whatever he desired to an entire nation of people?  Also, this is apparently the first time that Ahasuerus discovered that Esther was Jewish, but it didn’t seem to concern him that she had kept that secret.

Esther identified the adversary and enemy as “this wicked Haman”.  Can you imagine the fear that came over Haman?  Did his mind go back to what his wife and friends had said to him earlier that day that he would be the one to reap what he had sown?  The king was apparently so furious that he went out into the garden to cool off.  It seems to me that Ahasuerus bore some of the guilt for he signed off on this plan to annihilate an entire population of people in his kingdom without even questioning as to who these people were, and why was Haman so intent upon punishing them.  Surely, he was now questioning how he could have been so reckless and trusting of a man who was so evil.

When the king returned into the palace, Haman had fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was reclining.  It was not unusual to recline at banquets in ancient times.  It could be that Haman, in approaching the queen to beg for his life, tripped and fell upon the bed.  I can’t imagine him thinking that she would be more favorable to him if he was on her bed.  When the king saw Haman on Esther’s bed, he assumed that Haman was going to sexually attack her.  He asked Haman, “Will you force the queen also before me in the house?”  By this time, servants had apparently been called, had come, and placed a veil over Haman’s head and took him away.  One of the king’s chamberlains told the king that Haman had built a 75-foot-tall gallows on which he planned to hang Mordecai.  Ahasuerus ordered Haman to be hanged instead.  Those who are filled with hate will be destroyed by it.  Haman discovered that the hard way.

Next time:  God has rescued His people once again.

Esther’s Plan

“And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand.  So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.”  Esther 5:2

When the fasting ended on the third day, Esther put on her royal attire and made her way to the inner court which was just before the throne room of king Ahasuerus.  She must have been extremely anxious not knowing how the king would react to her uninvited presence, but she was determined to take a stand for her people even if it meant death for her.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  She knew that God would be with her, and whatever happened would be His will.  Perhaps, as a hope for success, she thought back a few years to how Ahasuerus chose her over countless other women and favored her above them all.  Perhaps this would give her an advantage over anyone else who appeared before the king without being called by him.  On the other hand, this could be her last few moments on earth.

From his throne, Ahasuerus could see Esther standing in the inner court.  Her beauty and grace were two attributes that attracted him to her, and that had not likely diminished.  He hadn’t seen her in a month, and maybe he had missed her and was glad to see her.  We wonder, since he had been so infatuated with her, why had he not called her before now, but him being an idolater and not one who possessed godly love for others, was apparently not a doting husband.  He held out his scepter to Esther, and she touched the tip of it, a sign that she humbly thanked him for this privilege.  Ahasuerus asked Esther the reason for her visit and promised to give her half of the kingdom if that’s what she wanted.  (I doubt he was serious.  That may have been a common phrase folks used in ancient times to indicate a willingness to grant requests).

Esther had been working on a plan to expose Haman so that his plan to kill all the Jews could be stopped.  Considering how fond that the king was of Haman, she obviously couldn’t blurt out an accusation of evil against the king’s right-hand man.  Her plan began with a banquet to which both the king and Haman were invited.  Haman probably thought that he was in the “catbird seat”, being invited to join the king and the queen in a private banquet.  It was held, and the king again asked Esther what it was that she desired.  She answered by inviting the two of them to another banquet the next day.  She likely did not take the occasion of this first banquet to accuse Haman, even though she had the king’s decree in writing that he had agreed to, but in all likelihood, the king really didn’t know the extent of Haman’s plan.  In my opinion, Ahasuerus was a man who relished his position of king over a very large kingdom, being more of a figurehead, but was not really aware of everything that happened from day to day.  He probably depended on his staff to keep everything in order.

In delaying Esther’s accusation of Haman, the LORD had apparently cautioned her spirit to wait for He knew that some things were going to happen on the following day which would help to convince the king that Haman was indeed a very evil man.  Esther promised to give the king her request at the next banquet.  Perhaps the king thought, “What’s up with all of these banquets?”  It seemed a little mysterious to Ahasuerus, but to Haman, it was a sign that he must have been the most important man in the kingdom besides the king.  He was becoming overconfident of himself and his ability to have influence over the king and the queen.  And you know what happens when folks become overconfident of themselves, their abilities, and their importance–the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

After the first banquet, Haman went home and, on the way, saw Mordecai, who did not bow to him, making Haman furious, but he calmed himself down and continued home.  When he arrived, he called for his friends to gather and bragged to them and his wife about how important he was to the king and queen.  He told them that he was invited to another banquet the next day.  However, seeing Mordecai on the way home took the wind out of his sails.  He couldn’t be happy because of his hatred of Mordecai.  His wife and friends told him that he should have gallows built and hang Mordecai thereon.  Hatred eats away at people.  Those who hate usually overreact.  They have that “don’t get mad, get even” attitude.  These gallows were to be 75 feet tall enabling everyone in Shushan to watch Mordecai hanged by the neck until dead.

Haman was pleased with their suggestion and ordered the gallows built that same day.  Apparently, the first banquet had been held in the daytime, perhaps noon in order for there to be time to build the gallows and have it ready by the next day.  Once Mordecai was dead, Haman could go to the second banquet a happy man, at least that is what he planned, but plans don’t always work out as he will soon discover.

Next time:  Haman’s Surprise

Now What?

“Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai; All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.  And they told to Mordecai Esther’s words.”  Esther 4:10-11

We understand that this was a desperate situation for the Jewish people, and a desperate situation sometimes takes a desperate solution, and Mordecai’s request that Esther speak to the king to try to avoid the slaughter of their people was asking a lot of her, considering that she would be taking a tremendous risk.  Should anyone approach the king without first being called could result in a death sentence unless the king held out his golden scepter which would indicate permission to come before him.  Mordecai’s request was a real predicament for Esther.  The ball was in her court.  At this time, about 130 years after the initial captivity of the Jews by Nebuchadnezzar, there were likely millions of Jews scattered out across the entire Persian Kingdom.  These were Esther’s people, thus if all Jews were killed, so would she, unless she continued to keep her secret.  However, if she were the only one spared, then imagine the guilt that would come upon her.  It seems like it would be better to die with all of her people than to live knowing she could have possibly averted the entire slaughter but was too afraid to do what was necessary.

To not be able to approach the king whenever one desired is not that unusual.  Try to enter the Oval Office in the White House to see the President without permission.  Hopefully, it wouldn’t mean death, but it would be very risky.  Esther said that she had not been called in to see the king in a month.  I don’t know about you, but not seeing one’s loved one who lives in the same house for a month is weird.  However, customs were different then.  I would imagine that Ahasuerus had been keeping company with some of the women in his harem which, to me, is disgusting, but, like I said, customs were different.  Besides, Ahasuerus had probably never read in Genesis where God said that a husband and wife become one (Genesis 2:24).  How much happier would Esther have been to marry a young Jewish man and raise a family, but she was willing to forego her own happiness in order to serve God by doing His will even though, heretofore, she didn’t know what that as until now.  She was definitely caught between a rock and a hard place.  She sent her reply to Mordecai which explained what danger she would be in to approach the king without being called.

Mordecai replied to her very bluntly.  His message was that for her to not think that she would escape the slaughter just because she was in the king’s house.  As usual, secrets are finally made known.  Someone, somewhere, at some time would have discovered that Esther was Jewish, and she would have suffered death, not for just being Jewish, but for covering it up the whole time.  They say that the cover up is worse than the deed, and sometimes they are right.  Mordecai continued by warning Esther that if she decided to keep her mouth shut and do nothing to save her people, then God would find someone else through whom He could deliver the Jews, but she and all those who were related to her, including Mordecai, would be destroyed.   Mordecai asked, (paraphrased), ” Who knows, Esther?  Perhaps you were selected queen for such a time as this.”

I am sure that Mordecai hated the fact that it was his cousin whom he loved dearly that had to be the one to take such a risk in order to save her people.  It makes me wonder if God felt the same way knowing that Jesus was the only one who could bring salvation to sinners.  If there had been any other way to save the Jewish people, then Esther wouldn’t have had to risk her life, but there was no other way for this was God’s plan.  If there had been any other way for people to be forgiven of their sins, then God would have chosen it, but nothing but the shed blood of Jesus could bring redemption to people lost in sin.

Mordecai was adamant that Esther was the only hope for her people at this time.  It was her destiny.  The question arises:  if deliverance came from another source, why would she and her relatives be destroyed?  If she had taken the coward’s way out and refused to honor God and obey His will, then that would cause her to fear His judgment, and that judgment could be a death sentence.  She was the one that God chose.  To obey meant life, but to disobey meant death.  I am reminded of Adam and Eve.  Their disobedience brought the scourge of death upon all creation.

Esther summoned some courage and replied to Mordecai, telling him to gather all the Jews that were in the city of Shushan and fast for three days.  She and her maids would do the same.  It is not stated in scripture, but along with the fasting, they surely would have been praying to the LORD for deliverance and for the king to be receptive of Esther when she appeared before him.  We have to wonder about Esther’s maids.  Were they Jewish, also, or proselytes, Gentiles who desired to worship God and adhere to the laws of Judaism?  If they were not Jews or proselytes, then, keeping her secret from them, she may have convinced them to fast and pray for those whom Haman sought to destroy because it was the right and compassionate thing to do to help fellow humans.  After those three days of fasting, she would go into the king’s throne room, and if he chose to execute her, then so be it.  Matthew Henry wrote concerning her attitude, “Better do my duty and die for my people than shrink from my duty and die with them.”

To be continued next time.

How Much Hate Can One Person Have?

And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.  And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.”  Esther 3:5-6

Continuing from the last blog of 4/7/24, King Ahasuerus of Persia now has a new queen, Esther, who is Jewish, but her cousin, Mordecai, who had been like a father to her, warned her not to let anyone know her heritage.  Mordecai had uncovered a plot by two men to kill the king, made it known, and the two were executed, but the king was not aware that it was Mordecai who saved his life at this time.  A new character has entered the narrative, Haman, the right-hand man to the king whom the king favored highly by giving him the top position above all the other princes of Persia.  If you have ever seen the movie, “The Green Mile”, there was a character in the movie whom I would compare to Haman.  His name was Percy, and he was a hateful, deceitful, and selfish man, and so was Haman, who also had an extremely high opinion of himself and expected everyone else in the kingdom to honor and revere him.  The king commanded everyone to bow before Haman.  The king made a huge mistake in not doing a background check on this man whom he thought was highly qualified and of great integrity.

Some of the king’s servants notified Haman that Mordecai was Jewish.  When Haman passed by the king’s gate where Mordecai was positioned, Mordecai did not bow because he worshiped the LORD God and did not bow to any man.  Haman did not notice Mordecai likely because Haman had his nose so high up in the air, he couldn’t see the servants, and he also likely assumed they all bowed.  These same servants, whom Mordecai had revealed that he was Jewish, questioned Mordecai as to why he didn’t bow, but he gave them no answer.  They decided to tell Haman maybe because they wanted to get Mordecai in trouble or perhaps, they thought that Jews were exempt from bowing to a Persian official.  Whatever the reason for snitching on him, Haman was outraged when he found out that this Jew was not paying him homage.  He was so full of hate for Mordecai’s insolence that he wanted to kill Mordecai but decided that it would be more fitting that all the Jews in the kingdom of Persia be killed.  The thing is, there are still plenty of Hamans even today who desire for all Jews to be annihilated.  (Just drop the “n” in Haman and add “s”, and you have Hamas).  However, just as God preserved the Jews during that time, He will preserve them today.

Of course, Haman couldn’t just issue a command for all the Jews to be killed.  He had to have the order come from King Ahasuerus.  He lied to the king and told him that there were a multitude of people in the kingdom who would not obey the king’s laws, and thus, it was of no profit to the king to keep them around.  Haman talked the king into issuing a written decree that all of them be destroyed.  Here’s where the king failed to do his due diligence.  As far as we know, he didn’t inquire as to who these people were or think about the long-range repercussion of eliminating workers in his kingdom.  He had put so much trust into Haman that he agreed to Haman’s request without question.  Haman even offered to pay a huge sum of money into the king’s treasury, but the king told him to keep his money.  It is not clear whether the king understood that Haman was going to commit mass murder, but he told Haman to do whatever seemed good to him.  Ahasuerus gave Haman his signet ring in order to make the written document to destroy Haman’s enemies official and irrevocable.

The order was written and sent to the rulers of all 127 provinces of Persia.  The day designated for this slaughter upon the Jews was the 13th of the twelfth month, Adar, exactly eleven months from the day the order was written.  Even with this length of time to prepare, because the Jews were scattered out across the entire realm, likely had no weapons, nor had ever had to go to battle as their forefathers did in years past, there were not many options to protect themselves, not when they were surrounded by an entire kingdom of idolaters, those who did not worship the LORD God of Israel.

When Mordecai found out Haman’s plan to destroy the entire Jewish population, he put on mourning attire and went out into the city and cried loudly and bitterly.  Imagine knowing that all of your people were going to be destroyed because of something that you did even though it was right to not bow to Haman.  All the Jews also mourned when they heard how they were targets of a hateful and selfish man.  Esther’s maids and chamberlains told her that Mordecai was in the streets in sackcloth and ashes, so she sent fresh clothes to Mordecai, but he refused to wear them.  She didn’t know why he was in such a state of mourning.  She sent Hatach, one of the chamberlains, to Mordecai to enquire as to the cause of his grief.  Hatach went to Mordecai, and Mordecai told him about the plan to eliminate all Jews and gave him a copy of the written order to give to Esther.  He also sent word that she must go before the king and request a reprieve of this terrible plan to destroy all of her people.  Hatach returned and told Esther everything that Mordecai had said.  How did she respond?

To be continued next time.

The King Picks a Queen

“Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shemei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;  Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.”  Esther 2:5-7

The title to this blog is more accurately, “God Picks a Queen for the King”.  God made Esther so beautiful that king Ahasuerus couldn’t help but pick her for his wife.  Anyway, continuing from where we left off last time, Vashti, the king’s wife had refused to come before the king’s (likely all men) guests so that he could show them how beautiful the queen was since he was a man who had a huge ego and was very boastful.  But when she refused, he became very angry and called for his advisors to decide the appropriate punishment for her.  Their solution was for him to divorce her and publish this news all throughout the 127 provinces of Persia.  That would instill in all the other women that they had better not go against their husbands. This news was meant to instill in the wives a desire to give honor to their husbands, but it seemed like more of a warning than an encouragement.

Ahasuerus was pleased with this plan, and his servants suggested that a fair, young virgin be sought to replace Vashti.  We don’t know how old the king was, but I suspect his younger years were far behind him.  Why do the old guys always go for the younger chicks?  The servants suggested that the king appoint officers in all the provinces who could gather all the fair young virgins to Shushan and lodge them in the harem under the care of Hege, the king’s chamberlain who was in charge of the house of the women.  Scripture doesn’t say, but Hege was likely a eunuch, one who had been castrated so that he wouldn’t be tempted to, well, you know.  Perfumes and spices would be given for their purification rituals.  Verse 12 states that there was a period of 12 months allowed for purification.  Once the year had passed, Ahasuerus would be able to choose which woman to marry and make his new queen.  The king liked this idea a lot.  I wonder if the producers of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” got their ideas from this account.

Serving inside the palace was a Jewish man named Mordecai.  He was the great-grandson of Kish, a Benjamite, who had been taken into captivity many years before, thus Mordecai had been born in captivity as was Esther, his cousin, whose Hebrew name was Hadassah.  Her mother and father were both deceased, and Mordecai had taken her under his care and treated her as if she was his own daughter.  Esther was very beautiful.  We don’t know her age either but suspect that she was either an older teenager or in her early twenties.  (Young people in ancient times were much more mature, generally speaking.  By comparison, today’s younger generation seems very immature, again, generally speaking.)  Mordecai brought Esther to the king’s house as the other young women were entering in competition for the queen’s position.  God must have given Mordecai the idea to bring Esther to vie for the queen’s position because I wouldn’t think that Mordecai, caring so much for his cousin, on his own would offer her to marry a heathen king.  It seems like he would have preferred for her to marry a young Jewish man and raise a family.

However God had another plan, and His plans always trump those of men.  God’s plan is evident in the favor that was shown to Esther.  She was given extra attention by Hege, even assigned seven handmaids to serve her and given the best location in the house of the women.  Mordecai had instructed Esther to not tell anyone that she was Jewish.  If the king and his staff had known that she was Jewish, she likely wouldn’t have been accepted into the palace, thus would not have become queen, and not have been able to save her fellow Jews.  She could have even suffered punishment for attempting to join the other maidens in the quest to be the new queen.  Apparently, God arranged that no one would ask her ancestry as far as we know.

Mordecai no longer had direct contact with Esther.  He would walk to the court of the women’s house and enquire as to her welfare.  I am sure that he worried about her as any parent separated from his or her daughter would worry.  The purification rites in which these women underwent were different from those of Jewish women.  To the Jews, purification was a ritual which brought one from a state of uncleanness to clean.  For the Persians, purification was basically to make one more attractive, presentable, and/or desirable.  Since the Persians were idolaters, they were more concerned about the outward appearance than the condition of the heart.  Once purification was completed, each evening a different woman would go to the king’s house for the night, sleep with him, and then be taken to a secondary house of women overseen by Shaashgaz.  If she wasn’t chosen to be queen, she would become a concubine.  (Women today complain about their “rights” yet they haven’t a clue about what it is like to really not have any rights).  If the king delighted in her, she would be called back a second time.  Otherwise, she would become property of the king, a recluse, never able to marry and have a family.  It makes one feel sorry for them, but we don’t know if they were rounded up like cattle or if they had a choice to go to the palace.

One night, it came Esther’s turn to go to the king’s house.  This was in the tenth month, Tebeth, in the seventh year of Ahasuerus’ reign over the Persian empire, perhaps about B.C. 478.  Not only did God give favor to Esther in the eyes of all the servants and concubines in the palace, He gave the king favor toward her.  Ahasuerus loved Esther more than all the other women that he had been with.  His love for her was so great that there was no need for him to see other women.  He chose Esther for his queen and gave her the royal crown, and she still had not divulged her Jewishness to the king or anyone else.  The king made a royal feast to celebrate the new queen Esther, as Mordecai remained by the gate of the palace which became an advantage for him and the king.

To be continued next time.

The First Feminist

“On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king, To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on.  But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.”  Esther 1:10-12

The book of Esther is like reading a novel written by a modern-day famous author, but this novel is a real event that occurred during the time when there were still Jewish captives living in Persia.  To set the scene for this passage, Ahasuerus, also known as Xerxes I, was the king who ruled Persia from B.C. 486 to B.C. 465, and during his reign, he gave a feast for the princes and nobles of the 127 provinces over which Ahasuerus reigned.  After that feast, he gave another one for the common folks in Shushan, the city wherein we find the king’s palace.  Shushan is believed to have been located about 150 miles north of the Persian Gulf near the border between present-day Iraq and Iran.  The time of this feast was about 60 or so years after the first Jewish captives were allowed to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple which had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, who captured the Jews and took them to Babylon.  Babylon was eventually defeated by Persia, and thus the Jews became the captives of Persia, and some of them decided to remain in Persia.

The purpose for this account in scripture is to show God’s providential care of His people no matter where they are in the world or under what conditions.  The account also gives the origin of the Feast of Purim which celebrates the deliverance of the Jews at that time.  God’s name is not found in the book, but His influence and power are all over it throughout every verse.  Because God is omniscient, He knows the end from the beginning.  Nothing takes Him by surprise.  He placed Esther in her generation, under captivity, and gave her courage to fulfill His plan to rescue His people once again.  Matthew Henry wrote, “This shows how God serves His own purposes even by the sins and follies of men, which He would not permit if He knew not how to bring good out of them”.  We mortal humans don’t have the ability to see into the future nor do we have the capacity to understand why God does what He does.  Our faithful duty is to trust Him.

The first feast lasted about six months.  One of the main features of the feast was a tour of the luxurious palace and its treasures.  Ahasuerus was a man who fed his ego by boasting of his wealth.  This lengthy feast did come to an end, but the feasting had not ended.  The king made a seven-day feast that was held in the garden court by the palace.  This feast was for the citizens of Shushan, but the king spared no expense to treat them like royalty.  There were elaborate decorations throughout the garden, wine served in abundance in gold and silver vessels.  No one was forced to drink, but those who chose to do so did so very liberally, thus many were intoxicated, including Ahasuerus.

Vashti was the wife and queen of Ahasuerus.  She had a separate feast for the women in the royal house of the king.  Apparently, men and women did not party together.  In ancient days, women were seen as second-class citizens with little rights.  They were more like property, mostly to bear children, particularly sons.  Men could have many wives and concubines.  King Ahasuerus had a harem, called “the house of women”, but there is no record in scripture that he had any children by Vashti or any other of the women.

On the last day of the week-long feast, the king was intoxicated and commanded his chamberlains, who were officers of the palace, to bring Vashti, wearing the royal crown, before his guests to show her off for she was a very beautiful woman.  Persian women did not usually appear in a public setting like this one.  The queen couldn’t even approach the king unless she was summoned, but now she was summoned.  The king sent seven men to bring her to the feast.  Why did it take seven men?  Did the king expect her to refuse?  This was embarrassing and intimidating to her, and she did refuse.  We have to give her some credit for standing up for herself.  Had it been the king alone who summoned her, she could not have refused.  But, in her mind, this was different.  However, if she had complied and come before all of these guests, even if it was not normal, she would not have damaged her reputation, but rather would have been looked upon as a loyal and obedient queen.  A husband who truly loved and respected his wife would not have asked her to do such a thing, but folks didn’t always marry for love in those days.  Besides, he was drunk.  This was an unusual situation, but God used it to fulfill His purposes.

The king was furious.  Not only did Vashti disobey him, but she also made him look bad before all of his guests.  I am sure that this incident was the talk of the town.  Ahasuerus had a huge ego and was not the kind of man who could let something like this go.  He called seven other men who were his advisors and asked them what could be done to Vashti according to the law because she did not honor his command.  At least the king did not desire to go outside of the law to punish Vashti.  One of his advisors said that not only was he dishonored, but all the men throughout the kingdom would have to deal with defiant wives.  Once the word spread, there would be no stopping it.  Life would never be the same.

To be continued next time.

Go Tell the Good News

“And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them saying, All hail.  And they came and held Him by the feet, and worshiped Him.  Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell My brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me.”  Matthew 28:9-10

Jesus had just risen from the grave.  Several women, who were followers of His, had just come from the site of the empty tomb where an angel spoke to them.  He had rolled the stone away from the sepulcher exposing the open empty grave.  He was a rather frightening sight to see.  The guards, who had been placed at the tomb to keep the disciples from stealing Jesus’ body so that they could claim He had arisen as the authorities suspected they would do, were frightened so badly that they fainted.  At least the women didn’t faint, although they were frightened of the angel, but he told them to not be afraid for Jesus had arisen just as He said would.  He showed them the empty tomb and then told them to go tell the disciples that Jesus was alive and to meet Him in Galilee.

Excited is not nearly a word good enough to describe how they felt.  I can picture them on their way back into town probably running if they were able, although ladies running was likely frowned upon by the townspeople, probably mostly the men of the town.  In ancient Israel and still in some areas of the Middle East, women are treated like second-class citizens with much fewer rights that men.  However, Jesus Christ is the greatest liberator of women the world has ever known.  Matter of fact, His first appearance after His resurrection was to a woman, Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9), and the second appearance was also to women.

As they hurried back to town, they must have been chattering away about this good news.  Jesus is alive!  All of a sudden Jesus was standing before them, saying, “All hail”.  Some Bible commentators believe that Jesus was greeting them “Good morning” or “Hello”, but His greeting was more profound than that.  Perhaps He was instructing them to rejoice because they were in the presence of the Living Lord and Savior.  Or He could have meant for them to salute, because they immediately bowed themselves to the ground, holding on to His feet, and worshiping Him.  These women had a deep sense of Jesus’ divinity giving them a desire to worship Him.  Jesus sensed that they were fearful.

A person can be joyful and fearful at the same time depending upon the circumstances of the moment.  These were supernatural circumstances and were so overwhelming to these ladies that they couldn’t help but be fearful.  They knew for certain that Jesus had died, but now He was alive again.  They weren’t fearful of Him because they knew that He loved them, but many thoughts were likely going through their minds.  They knew how badly Jesus was treated before His crucifixion, and what would those who hated Him do now?  Killing Him didn’t do away with Him.  Jesus knew they were anxious and wanted to calm their uneasiness.  He said, “Be not afraid: go tell My brethren that they go into Galilee and there shall they see Me”.  If Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords tells us to not be afraid, then why do we remain so fearful?  Jesus wants us to trust Him with our lives, our day to day living, the highs and the lows.

To feel fear is a natural response to unsettling circumstances.  It is not the immediate sense of fear, but allowing the fear to overwhelm and consume us about which Jesus cautions His followers.  It was now time for these ladies to be bold and courageous.  He had important work for them to do.  “Go tell My brethren…”  It was only after His resurrection that Jesus called His disciples and His other followers “brethren”.  Heretofore, the relationship of Jesus to His followers had been more like, in a simple example, a teacher to his students or an employer to his employees.  Before Christ arose, there was not what we might call a “permanent” relationship between Jesus and His followers, but because of His death and resurrection, believers are “sealed” (Ephesians 1:13) into a permanent, eternal, spiritual unity with Christ in which they become His brothers, sisters, and joint heirs (Romans 8:17), sons and daughters of the most high God.

When Jesus called His disciples “brethren”, He was indicating how much forgiveness He had for them.  They had really let Him down.  They were closer to Him than any other human on earth.  They should have stuck by Him through His agony, but they allowed fear to overcome them.  But He was not angry with them.  He understood fear when He hung on the cross, and His Father turned His back on Him.  The time for fear was now passed for these disciples.  They had work to do.  I speculate that Jesus desired to meet them in Galilee instead of Jerusalem where they were because the rejection of Christ by most of Jerusalem caused the Jews to lose the honor of having the risen Savior and Lord to walk along her streets for His remaining days on earth.  Besides, Galilee was where Jesus began His ministry and the home of the disciples.

Jesus would remain on earth for 40 days and be seen by over 500 people (I Corinthians 15:6) including the disciples, His women followers, and His mother.  We can’t see Jesus in person now, but we can know Him, and if we do, then we will see Him in person one day.  Imagine getting to spend eternity with the One who created you and me.

Whose Fault Was It?

“He saved others; Himself He cannot save.  If He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.  He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him: for He said, I Am the Son of God.”  Matthew 27:42-43

Whose fault was it that Jesus had to die on the cross of Calvary?  Was it the Jews?  Was it the Romans?  Was it Himself?  Did He do something that caused people to believe that He needed to die?  It certainly wasn’t Jesus’ fault.  Jesus was and is sinless.  He never did anything wrong.  He was/is God which makes Him perfect, holy, righteous, and sovereign.  The self-righteous religious leaders had in for Him because of envy.  They were so fearful that He would get so popular among the common folks that they would lose their prestigious positions as leaders of the Jewish people.  The Romans, perhaps, were fearful of insurrection.  What if Jesus did get so large a following that the Romans could be overthrown.  I mean, that is what most of the people expected their Messiah to do, free them from Roman dominion.

However, some of the people began to turn against Him even after all the praises that they heaped upon Him when He first entered Jerusalem on a colt.  The people, along with the religious leaders, mocked Him as He hung in excruciating pain on the cross, saying that He saved others, but He couldn’t save Himself.  In saying that He saved others, they were acknowledging the miracles that He had done, but in His supposed inability to save Himself, they were doubting that His miracles were real.  They even said that they would believe Him if He came down from the cross.  However, knowing their past actions, I doubt that they would really have believed Him.  If they wouldn’t believe Him to be the Son of God after watching Him raise a dead man to life, I don’t think anything that Jesus would have done would have made any difference to them.  Because Jesus did not cast out the Roman government from over them, they would not accept Him as their Messiah.

It got worse from there.  The people continued with their rant against Him, and, in so doing, they dared the God whom they claimed to worship to intervene.  They shouted that since He trusted in God, then let God bring him down off the cross, if God will have Him.  After all, Jesus claimed to be the Son of God.  What an insult to the holy One of Israel and to Jesus the Christ.  For the religious leaders to insinuate that Jehovah God would want nothing to do with this One who claimed to be His Son was the height of prideful arrogance.  This was a direct fulfilling of prophecy written by King David in Psalm 22:7-8:  “All they that see Me laugh Me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the LORD that He would deliver Him: let Him deliver Him, seeing He delighted in Him”.  I have often wondered just how familiar the religious leaders were with scripture.  There are so many specific details of the coming of Christ, how He was treated by the multitudes, and His crucifixion and resurrection written by several of the Old Testament prophets that we wonder why they couldn’t see the truth of Jesus.

I can almost hear the hateful sarcasm in the voices of the Pharisees and other leaders and the underlying note of glee that their supposed enemy would soon be gone as they assured themselves that their God would never rescue this One whom they believed was an imposter.  They could never have been more wrong!  Not only did God the Father rescue Him in His own way, He also resurrected Him and thereby brought rescue, reconciliation, restoration, and resurrection to all who would believe in Christ.

To answer the question, “whose fault was it” that is, who were the ones responsible for Christ’s sacrifice; it was the Jews, the Romans, the multitudes, and every person that has ever lived on this earth.  We were all born separated from God by our sins.  God made the ultimate sacrifice by sending His Son to suffer and die to pay the penalty for our sins so that we could be forgiven and saved from God’s wrath.  There are millions, maybe billions, of folks on this earth who are just like those religious leaders of Jesus’ day.  They either mock Christ, ignore Him, curse Him, and worse of all, reject Him.  But there are millions who have repented and received Him as Lord and Savior, exceedingly grateful for His extreme sacrifice so that they could be counted as children of the most high God and brothers and sisters of Christ, being able to spend eternity with Him in heaven.  Yes, it was my fault Jesus had to die, but He forgave me and counts me His friend.  It doesn’t get any better than that.