Nov 5 2023 Esther Today

Esther Today

Reading these last 2 chapters is like reading your newsfeed! Some of these things are kind of disturbing when you think about it. Then I will close with some hopeful things.

Haman has been killed – Mordecai has been lifted up – we just want to end it – but Haman’s edict to kill all the Jews is still active – so something must be done – and there is another decree made – this time by Mordecai:

Esther 8: 11 In them the king granted the Jews who were in each and every city the right to assemble and to defend their lives, to destroy, to kill and to annihilate the entire army of any people or province which might attack them, including children and women, and to plunder their spoil,

Now – exact words of Haman – Destroy – Kill – Annihilate – Thousands will die in the next chapter – thousands! And that will be disturbing to us – especially with women and children – now, there is controversy over that, but it is disturbing. This is in our news today.

Let’s look at it context. First – the immediate context – then the entire context of the Old Testament – and then to bring it to Jesus. Jesus has a lot to say about these last 2 chapters!

Back to verse 1:

Esther 8:1 On that day King Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther; and Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had disclosed what he was to her. 2 The king took off his signet ring which he had taken away from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

It starts off positive – Esther and Mordecai are rewarded – Haman was wealthy – and they receive all of his wealth – then Mordecai is given the Ring of Power

How to live as the people of God in the wealthiest nation in the world – that is a theme. First – they had to do that as an oppressed people. We have never experienced that. But I have experienced what is going on now. NOW – they have to learn to live as people of privilege and power. And history – and our current reality tell us – the tendency for Christians – when they get into the place of privilege and power – they tend to become OF the world.

Today – our excuse – we can excuse that – we reject and are against the sexual morality of the world – so we can say we are against the world, but when it comes to materialism, greed, anger, superiority, etc – we become OF the world.

3 Then Esther spoke again to the king, fell at his feet, wept and implored him to avert the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite and his plot which he had devised against the Jews.

So, now we have a very different Esther – previously – she had been very proper – almost emotionless – but now, it all comes out. The reason? It is desperate. It is now or never! Fast approaching is the death of all the Jews.

Nothing has changed with that.

We’ve talked about Esther’s wisdom – Wisdom adjusts based on the situation. The first couple times she approaches the king is very different – but now things have changed – but each time we see great wisdom in the way she does it.

4 The king extended the golden scepter to Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king.

5 Then she said, "If it pleases the king and if I have found favor before him and the matter seems proper to the king and I am pleasing in his sight

Still respect and grace – even amidst the emotion, desperation, and passion…

5b let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king's provinces. 6 "For how can I endure to see the calamity which will befall my people, and how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?" 7 So King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, "Behold, I have given the house of Haman to Esther, and him they have hanged on the gallows because he had stretched out his hands against the Jews.

2 things – right there at the end of verse 5 – she asked to revoke the letters devised by Haman – she requested a peaceful, nonviolent solution. All she asked was that he revoke the decree.

The king replies – I killed the guy and gave you power… to verse 8 – we see the king continues to pass the buck…

8 "Now you write to the Jews as you see fit, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's signet ring

Just like Haman did

8b for a decree which is written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's signet ring may not be revoked."

We see this early in the book – We see this in Daniel – Where the advisors suggested to the king of Persia that he build a statue… and ask everyone to bow down to it…

The laws of Persia cannot be revoked.

Here’s the deal – we cannot and should not trust in humans and laws to accomplish God’s purposes. That does not mean that we don’t work toward certain things. But the Bible is filled with warnings to not trust in princes, armies, kings, laws, etc.

If and when we trust in human leaders to accomplish God’s purposes, at that moment, we have become OF the world.

9 So the king's scribes were called at that time in the third month (that is, the month Sivan), on the twenty-third day; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded to the Jews, the satraps, the governors and the princes of the provinces which extended from India to Ethiopia, 127 provinces, to every province according to its script, and to every people according to their language as well as to the Jews according to their script and their language.

Exact same language as Haman’s decree…

10 He wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king's signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on horses, riding on steeds sired by the royal stud. 11 In them the king granted the Jews who were in each and every city the right to assemble and to defend their lives,

Here is the difference - This is a decree to defend.

But then -

to destroy, to kill and to annihilate the entire army of any people or province which might attack them, including children and women (this is where it gets difficult), and to plunder their spoil,

The Hebrew here is a little perplexing. There are a couple of possibilities – Again, I’m not a Hebrew scholar, but I read those who are.

First possibility – kill the army and the women and children of those coming against you – that is the majority view – OR it could be attack any Army that attacks the Jews including their women and children.

There are a couple ways to look at this if it is disturbing.

There are many things in the Bible that are referenced but never affirmed. This might not mean that God is promoting killing the women and children. It never says anywhere in Esther that God promotes that.

Another thing – when you look at the language – Kill, destroy, annihilate – that is the language of the Bible – and also many other ancient documents – and some believe this is war rhetoric and not what they actually did.

When it talks about killing specific peoples – it only references specific men.

Some translations say 75000 – others 15000 – sometimes they don’t know with numbers how they translate.

It is possible that this is just the kind of rhetoric that was used.

It may say – the Jews killed all the Amalekites – and then 3 chapters later, the Amalekites are coming against them.

It could just be the rhetoric language that they used.

Often times, the women and children are part of the plunder. This comes up all the time in the Old Testament – and it specifically says that they do NOT take the plunder in the last 2 chapters of Esther.

Ancient book – doesn’t affirm everything – and we can’t always put it into our framework. And sometimes we just can’t do that.

Bible Project – Ancient book written by ancient people with one unified story that all points to Jesus.

That line is most important – we can’t understand the Bible in and of itself – we have to say -this points to Jesus – and then we need to ask – what does Jesus say about such things – so we can go there and understand!

Peter pulls the knife and cuts off the ear… - and Jesus responds -

Matthew 26:52 Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.

This phrase appears in the apocrypha – but not in other places. But Jesus is saying – you – as a nation – as a new people – have a different way to live.

The world’s way is that of the sword – that is not your way. That is not our way – we are not people of the sword! And the consistent reality is that those who live by the sword die by the sword!

One commentator said this – Violence will always injure those who employ it – even if the violence is done in a just cause.

Look at PTSD soldiers from WWII – you might think stopping Hitler was a just cause, but look at the damage done! We were not created to be violent! It is an enormous flaw in us because of the Fall.

A police officer may need to employ violence to apprehend a suspect – I am not talking about that…

Another writer: We live in a world as a society that still deeply trusts in violence – we believe, trust, and rely upon violence. We can see this reflected in our national rhetoric (What a time to talk about this)– and we can see it reflected in our movies and television shows which perpetuate that violence is needed to bring about justice and ensure our safety”

As if there is no other option.

Jesus says there IS another option.

Matthew 5: 38 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'

That is a direct quote from Leviticus – but in context – and recognizing that it all pointed to Jesus. The law before this was – you poke out my eye, I’ll wipe out your family!

What this law did – was THERE to LIMIT retribution and revenge. It is limiting – BUT – Jesus happened to be around when it was all written!

39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person.

(As followers of Me – you have a whole new way of doing this.)

If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.

As followers of Christ – what should be our attitude toward retribution, violence, and revenge? He is not talking about a bad guy breaking into your house and you defending your family. God says numerous times – Vengeance is Mine. Retribution is never ours.

Leave that to Me, Jesus says.

Violence does not bring justice. Revenge never works – in God’s kingdom, there is a different way.

Finally – to wrap things up and to make the king look like a good guy:

Esther 9: 26 Therefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. And because of the instructions in this letter, both what they had seen in this regard and what had happened to them, 27 the Jews established and made a custom for themselves and for their descendants and for all those who allied themselves with them, so that they would not fail to celebrate these two days according to their regulation and according to their appointed time annually. 28 So these days were to be remembered and celebrated throughout every generation, every family, every province and every city; and these days of Purim were not to fail from among the Jews, or their memory fade from their descendants

So, they set up a celebration – custom – tradition – of remembering their deliverance.

One thing God did with the Jewish people – they have all kinds of celebrations – remembrances. We need to remember the importance of traditions and customs to remember.

This is very important for our spiritual life and the church.

We have been given a few – and it all ties back to Esther – being rescued – being freed.

We have communion. We remember His death. That is our rescue.

We have baptism – we remember His death and resurrection.

We have Easter where we celebrate His death and resurrection and suffering. And we have Advent – where we remember that God became one of us.

We are not people of power or privilege – but are people who have been freed from spiritual oppression and slavery – I was enslaved and I need to be rescued.

The moment we start to think we are doing well….

We are not superior, but loved and chosen.

We have not obtained a better morality -but we have received the righteousness of Jesus.

We were rescued, redeemed, and delivered, because we needed to be!

And so, our celebration – as we celebrate all these things – we need to celebrate as aliens and strangers – citizens of a heavenly nation.