(The Book of Esther was the last of the twelve books that made up the historical section of the Old Testament. However, the events took place prior to the events documented in the previous two books: Ezra and Nehemiah. Jewish tradition and other sources identify Ezra as the author of this book. The events in this book were kept in the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia. Consequently, the name of God was not mentioned in this book, however, the king was mentioned 195 times, his kingdom 28 times, and his title 29 times, in a book that only contained 167 verses.)
Esther 1
1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this is Ahasuerus who reigned from India even unto Ethiopia, over a hundred and seven and twenty provinces),
(We will see Mordecai was the cousin of Esther and taken captive with Jehoiachin, king of Judah, by Nebuchadnezzar. That was eleven years before the final captivity of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem. The Chaldean king after Nebuchadnezzar released Jehoiachin from captivity after thirty-eight years and raised him above the other kings.
This means the Chaldean king in Babylon was the "king of kings" and other nations, like the Medes and Persians, had a king under the Chaldean king. Ahasuerus was the king of the Medes and Persians at about the same time as Nebuchadnezzar.)
2 that in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace,
3 in the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him;
(The third year of Ahasuerus's reign would definitely put him during Nebuchadnezzar's time.)
4 when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even a hundred and fourscore days.
5 And when these days were fulfilled, the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Shushan the palace, both great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace.
(The reason for the feast was for the king to show off his kingdom. After the six month long feast which was intended for people to come when it was convenient for them, the king had a specific feast for the people present in Shushan, the city of the palace. This one lasted seven days.)
6 There were hangings of white cloth, of green, and of blue, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the couches were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and white, and yellow, and black marble.
7 And they gave them drink in vessels of gold (the vessels being diverse one from another), and royal wine in abundance, according to the bounty of the king.
8 And the drinking was according to the law; none could compel: for so the king had appointed to all the officers of his house, that they should do according to every man's pleasure.
(Each nation had its own rules for drinking and they were as binding as laws. For example, the Greeks had a proverb, "Drink or be gone." If you did not drink the round of drinks with all the others, you had to leave the party. At Roman feasts, a master was selected with dice and he was able to make the rules. The Jews had a similar situation with the governor of the feast. During Darius' feast, there were no rules requiring people to drink.)
9 Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus.
(Queen Vashti made a feast for the women. It was customary to separate women and men during feasts with alcohol.)
10 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 ministered in the presence of Ahasuerus the king,
11 to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to show the peoples and the princes her beauty; for she was fair to look on.
(The king was "merry with wine" and requested his household servants to bring his wife to his feast to show her off to the men, who may have also been "merry with wine." Do you think Vashti should have obeyed this request or not?)
12 But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by the chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.
(Vashti refused to come. The queen was usually kept from public gaze. Here, Ahasuerus sent for the queen by household servants to be shown off to the general public. It was questionable whether the king would have accepted this occurrence if he had been sober. Her refusal humiliated him and he became angry, while he was still "merry with wine." Remember, the rules of the feast did not require Ahasuerus to drink.)
13 Then the king said to the wise men, who knew the times, (for so was the king's manner toward all that knew law and judgment;
14 and the next unto him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, and sat first in the kingdom),
15 What shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not done the bidding of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains?
(The king, while he was still "merry with wine" then asked the wise men what to do. The names of the seven princes of Persia were listed.)
16 And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the peoples that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus.
(One of them stated that Vashti not only did wrong to the king, but to all the people.)
17 For this deed of the queen will come abroad unto all women, to make their husbands contemptible in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.
(They were worried that what Vashti did would make women throughout the kingdom despise their husbands.)
18 And this day will the princesses of Persia and Media who have heard of the deed of the queen say the like unto all the king's princes. So will there arise much contempt and wrath.
19 If it please the king, let there go forth a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, that Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.
(They wanted the king to make a law that Vashti was no longer queen and that another woman would take her place. They wanted it written according to the law of the Medes and Persians so it could not be altered.)
20 And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his kingdom (for it is great), all the wives will give to their husbands honor, both to great and small.
(They believed this decree would cause women to honor their husbands. This law was made due to fear of loss. This was an example of why it is easy for God to control kings. The king's options were actually more limited than the common person. The king must respond in a manner that alleviated short term stress and this usually ended with more long term problems. People think that kings are greater than common people, so they read the passages in the Bible that say God controls kings and think God controls everyone. Think of Pharaoh (Exodus 5) and the circumstances surrounding Israel's first king (Saul in 1 Samuel 8), God did not want people to follow kings because it was deception: the king appeared excellent but was actually the weakest person, because of pride.)
(We saw how the Name of God, or even the word "God" did not appear in this book. However, in the ancient Hebrew text there were five places where the Name of God was hidden. JHVH (Jehovah) appeared four times and EHYEH (I AM THAT I AM) appeared once. In three of the original manuscripts, these letters were written larger than the rest of the text. The first instance was in verse 20: "All the wives will give" was JHVH. As we look at each hidden Name of God, I hope you will be able to see God's Hand in the specific circumstances that were documented.)
21 And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan:
(The king that was "merry with wine" took the advice of Memucan and declared the law.)
22 for he sent letters into all the king's provinces, into every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language, that every man should bear rule in his own house, and should speak according to the language of his people.
(This first chapter followed the classic story telling technique of: introduction, conflict, resolution. The king and queen were introduced, the queen would not obey Ahasuerus' request to appear in public before a group of drunken men, and the king passed a law that forbade the queen from being queen.)
Esther 2
1 After these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was pacified, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.
2 Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king:
(Conflict: Ahasuerus realized what happened after he sobered up and realized he would never see her again. The proposed solution was to find Ahasuerus a wife.)
3 and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hegai the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them;
(The "king's chamberlain," of which Ahasuerus had more than one, was a man who was the keeper of the king's women. Chamberlains were often eunuchs who protected and observed the king's women.)
4 and let the maiden that pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.
(Ahasuerus liked the solution: the virgin that pleased him the most would be the new queen.)
5 There was a certain Jew in Shushan the palace, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite,
6 who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives that had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.
(Introduction: Mordecai was one of the Jews (of the tribe of Benjamin) carried away to Babylon with Jehoiachin by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24). This was before Zedekiah's eleven year reign. Daniel and Ezekiel were not taken in this group. In fact, Mordecai may not have been taken as a slave. He may have been selected for his special talents in order to work in the palace and since he was older than the youths kept in Babylon, he would have been sent to the palace of one of the lesser kings.)
(The events documented in this book occurred before the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. There were two thoughts as to why this book was placed last in the historical section of the Old Testament even though it was not the final book chronologically. First, this book appeared to be written by the Medes and the Persians, which may have caused the assemblers of the Old Testament to defer to the books written by Jewish authors. Second, the section that followed the historical section was the poetic section. This book was as good as any book in the entire Bible in its storytelling and may have facilitated the transition between the historical section and poetic section of the Old Testament.)
7 And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maiden was fair and beautiful; and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter.
(Introduction: Mordecai brought up Hadassah (Esther's Jewish name) to the king's house because she was an orphan. Esther was Mordecai's cousin.
-The name Hadassah meant "myrtle" which its root word meant "myrtle tree." This tree was called a "myrtle tree" because it sprang; it grew rapidly.
-Esther meant "star." It was a Persian name.)
8 So it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was taken into the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.
(This was the only "beauty pageant" mentioned in the Bible.)
9 And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with her portions, and the seven maidens who were meet to be given her out of the king's house: and he removed her and her maidens to the best place of the house of the women.
10 Esther had not made known her people nor her kindred; for Mordecai had charged her that she should not make it known.
11 And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women's house, to know how Esther did, and what would become of her.
(Esther kept her nationality hidden because Mordecai told her to. It appeared Mordecai was presenting her as a Persian when he changed her name.)
12 Now when the turn of every maiden was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that it had been done to her according to the law for the women twelve months (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odors and with the things for the purifying of the women),
13 then in this wise came the maiden unto the king: whatsoever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women unto the king's house.
14 In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's chamberlain, who kept the concubines: she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and she were called by name.
(The rules of the beauty pageant: twelve months to prepare, she got to take anything into the king's house when it was her turn, the next day she went to a second house and remained until the king called her by name.)
15 Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all them that looked upon her.
(When it was Esther's turn, she asked for nothing but what was given to her and she gained favor from all that saw her. Perhaps the other women distracted the king, while Esther's simplicity caused her beauty and confidence to stand out from all the other women.)
16 So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained favor and kindness in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
(Resolution: The king loved Esther more than all the other women. He gave her the crown and she became queen. Notice, four years had elapsed since the 180 day feast. We learn from Daniel 9 Ahasuerus' son was Darius the Mede. Cyrus was Darius' son and leader of his armies.
If Esther got pregnant around this time, Cyrus would have been in his early twenties when he commanded his father's armies which took Babylon in Daniel 5. Darius ruled Babylon for two years before Cyrus began to reign at around age twenty-seven and made the decree in Ezra 1:1. Depending on when Esther had Darius and how old Darius was when Cyrus was born, we would be able to figure out the date of these events, but notice, it would still put us during Nebuchadnezzar's reign.)
18 Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the bounty of the king.
19 And when the virgins were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai was sitting in the king's gate.
20 Esther had not yet made known her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him.
21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting in the king's gate, two of the king's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those that kept the threshold, were wroth, and sought to lay hands on the king Ahasuerus.
(Introduction and Conflict: Bigthan and Teresh (two chamberlains) sought to kill the king.)
22 And the thing became known to Mordecai, who showed it unto Esther the queen; and Esther told the king thereof in Mordecai's name.
(Mordecai found out about the conspiracy against the king and told Esther. Esther told the king that Mordecai was the one who found out.)
23 And when inquisition was made of the matter, and it was found to be so, they were both hanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king.
(Resolution: The two chamberlains were hung on a tree and Mordecai's name was recorded in the king's chronicles. Remember this "mini-story" because it resulted in a critical fact that will prove to be crucial during the "Featured Story" that began in the next verse...)
Esther 3
1 After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.
(Featured Story Introduction: About five years after Esther became queen, the king promoted Haman above all the princes.
The Agagites were of Amalekite (from Esau) descent. God had asked Moses and Saul to wipe out the Amalekites. Deuteronomy 25:19 documented God's command to "blot out the rememberance of Amalek from under heaven." Agag was the king of the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:32) that Saul did not kill.)
2 And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed down, and did reverence to Haman; for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence.
(Mordecai did not bow or give reverence to Haman.)
3 Then the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment?
4 Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew.
(The king's servants told Haman that Mordecai would not listen to them. Mordecai told the king's servants he was a Jew.)
5 And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.
6 But he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had made known to 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.
(Haman noticed Mordecai not bowing to him and he became angry. Haman’s reaction to his anger was to plot the destruction of all the Jews throughout the entire kingdom. This story was like a giant chess match. Haman, the Amalekite who should have never existed if Moses and Saul had followed God's commands, was now focused on destroying all the Jews. Meanwhile, God had a plan that seemed to be hidden not only from Haman, but also from Satan. It appeared God's plan began with Ahasuerus getting drunk and making a bad request. What caused Ahasuerus to make this "bad" request?)
7 In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.
8 And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from those of every people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them.
(The first month lined up with our April. The twelfth month lined up with our March. Pur was Persian for "lots." The lots were cast in April to determine when was the optimal time to destroy the Jews. Haman told Ahasuerus that the Jews held a different law than the king's and that these people were no profit to the king.)
9 If it please the king, let it be written that they be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those that have the charge of the king's business, to bring it into the king's treasuries.
10 And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy.
11 And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee.
(Ahasuerus had full confidence in his chief prince and gave Haman his ring. It looked like Satan was winning. In Daniel 6, the same thing again happened to Ahasuerus' son Darius, however, all of his princes, except his chief one (Daniel), begged him to pass a law against Daniel's practice of daily prayer. Darius also blindly trusted those princes.)
12 Then were the king's scribes called in the first month, on the thirteenth day thereof; and there was written according to all that Haman commanded unto the king's satraps, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the princes of every people, to every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and it was sealed with the king's ring.
13 And letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.
(Featured Story Conflict: On Nisan (April) 13, letters were sent to the whole kingdom to destroy all the Jews on the 13th day of Adar (March), eleven months later. Notice, the Passover was celebrated on Nisan 14, the day after the letter was written. Again, an example of Satan's counterfeit. Passover was a day of remembrance when the Jews did not die. Nisan 13 would be a future day when all the Jews would die.)
14 A copy of the writing, that the decree should be given out in every province, was published unto all the peoples, that they should be ready against that day.
15 The posts went forth in haste by the king's commandment, and the decree was given out in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Shushan was perplexed.
(We have a conflict. Everything was in place to kill all the Jews. How would it be resolved?)
(This post covered the king's removal of Vashti as queen, Esther becoming queen, and Haman getting the king to make a decree to attack all the Jews.)
Day 139
No comments:
Post a Comment