INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN OF THE BIBLE: QUEEN ESTHER PART 4

3/26/2020

INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN OF THE BIBLE

QUEEN ESTHER

PART four

IN PART THREE OF THIS FOUR PART SERIES ON QUEEN ESTHER, WE WILL LOOK AT ESTHER 7-10, DIG INTO THE LIVES OF THE CHARACTERS, AND HAVE REAL TALK ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING IS THE BOOK OF ESTHER.

ESTHER IN THE BIBLE

ESTHER 7

Haman and the King go to have a banquet with Queen Esther again. The king asks Esther again what her request is. Esther tells Xerxes her request is that she and her people be spared from annihilation [Esther 7:1-4].
Xerxes asks Esther who was responsible for the decree to kill her people and she explains that Haman is [Esther 7:5-6].
Xerxes is furious and walks to the palace garden. Haman begs Esther for his life, and the king walks in to see Haman laying with his face down on the couch that Esther was on. Xerxes becomes more angry, thinking Haman is assaulting his wife. [Esther 7:7-8].
Haman's face is covered and Xerxes orders him to be impaled on the gallows Haman built for Mordecai [Esther 7:8-10].
- Haman's face is covered [Esther 7:8] most likely because it was customary to do so to disorient a criminal before they were executed.
- In Esther 7:9, a eunuch of the King's, clearly knows Haman's plans involving Mordecai and points out the gallows to Xerxes. This emphasizes that Xerxes was very oblivious to the Haman's plot and what was happening in his palace.

ESTHER 8

That same day, Xerxes gives Esther Haman's estates [Esther 8:1]. Mordecai and Esther's family relationship is revealed to Xerxes.
- The Greek historian Herodotus explains in Herodotus, Histories 3.128-129 that it was common for Persian kings to appropriate the land and estates of criminals who were convicted.
The King takes his signet ring back from Haman and gives it to Mordecai. Esther makes Mordecai the head over Haman's estates [Esther 8:2].
Esther pleases before the King for her life and the life of the Jews, crying at his feet. Xerxes extends his scepter to Esther, saving her life again. Esther proposes an edict to be written to revoke Haman's edict to annihilate the Jews [Esther 8:3-6].
Xerxes tells Esther to write whatever edict she sees fit and to seal it with his signet ring [Esther 8:7-8].
Mordecai writes an edict that saved the lives of all of the Jews in Persia and gave them permission to defend themselves from anyone attacking them. Esther 8:9-14].
Mordecai leaves the palace in royal clothing, wearing a crown, shouting and rejoicing. All the Jews in Susa were celebrating, and when the new edict spread, the whole country was celebrating and partying [Esther 9:15-17].
- Esther 8:17 mentions "some people were posing as Jews" because the Jews had become so respected in Persia after edict was issued.

ESTHER 9

Around 8 months have passed, based on the dates given in Esther 8, from when Mordecai issues the edict to save the Jews and Esther 9:1.
When the day comes that Haman originally decreed to be the day when all the Jews would be killed, the Jews follow Mordecai's edict and defend themselves from everyone who attempt to attack them. All of the governors in Persia supported the Jews in this [Esther 9:2-3].
Mordecai becomes well known with the King and the people in Persia and becomes more and more powerful [Esther 9:3-4.]
The king tells Esther that the Jewish people have killed five hundred men and Haman's ten sons in order to protect themselves and retaliate against their enemies. She asks the King if he would extend the one day the Jews had to destroy their enemies one more day and if he would allow Haman's sons to be hung on the gallows. Xerxes agrees and issues the decree [Esther 9:11-15].
- Xerxes seems to have changed in this passage from Esther 3:11 when he hadn't spoken to Esther in a month. Here the King appears to genuinely want to please Esther and make her happy.
The Jews defend themselves for two days instead of one, because of the King's decree. After the battles, they have a celebration.
Mordecai documents the events and establishes the Jewish holiday Purim to celebrate their victories. He sends letters to all the Jews in Persia explaining the holiday, and the Jews adopt it for themselves as an official Jewish holiday [Esther 9:20-28]
- In verse 20, the author details that Mordecai documented the events, which could possibly indicate Mordecai as the author of the book of Esther.
Esther and Mordecai send out another letter to the Jews of Persia, confirming that Purim would now be celebrated [Esther 9:29-32].

ESTHER 10

Esther 10 is a short, three verse chapter, explaining that Mordecai made a lot more accomplishments for Xerxes, but they aren't mentioned in the King's official records.

In Esther 10:3, the author uses the Hebrew word gadol [גאדול], which is translated to "great" or "big" in English, to describe Mordecai.
- The word gadol is also used in Esther 2:18, 4:1, 4:3, 8:15, and 9:4. According to the Faith Life Study Bible, gadol is used throughout Esther to "emphasize significant moments and symbols; it provides drama and intrigue."

LET'S TALK ESTHER CHAPTERS 7-10

Xerxes and Haman go to dinner with Esther the next night and Esther finally tells the king what’s actually up. She explains that someone is trying to kill her and her entire family. Xerxes is furious that someone would target his wife, and he asks the obvious: who? Esther musters up her courage and tells Xerxes it’s Haman.

I imagine that Xerxes and Haman were both completely shocked by Esther's name drop. Xerxes is beyond mad and takes a walk to the garden. Haman realizes what’s going on and pleads on his face to Esther that she would talk to the king and spare his life. Xerxes comes back to find Haman all over the couch his wife is reclining on, and is completely enraged now, thinking Haman is trying to take advantage of Esther. Haman is taken away and impaled on the ridiculously oversized gallows he built to execute Mordecai on. [Alexa, play the song Isn’t it Ironic by Alanis Morissette] It’s hard to know for sure from such little detail, but it at the end of the book, it seems like Xerxes and Esther are becoming closer. Xerxes seems to really want to make Esther happy, and show her his love. He shares news with her, grants her requests, and gives her what she desires.

Mordecai didn't have it easy either in the book of Esther. Mordecai was a hard-working single guardian. He raised his cousin and she gets whisked away in a flash to potentially become the queen, in a country, time, and place where there was a huge amount of social and racial tension directed at their group of people, as we can see from Haman. He saves the king's life, without a thanks, and then gets a new, very racist boss who actually does have it out for him. Then he gets news that his boss is trying to kill him and all of the Jews, and he is beside himself, as one would be. He is grieving, hurting, and broken. But we can see in Esther chapter 4 that Mordecai trusts God. He believes God's promises. He knows he may die, but still God would be faithful to the Jews and still good.

God gives Mordecai a wild redemption story. Mordecai gets a parade, the King's clothes, and a horse, led by the man trying to kill him [talk about symbolism]. Mordecai shares his faith in God with his cousin and she saves him and all the Jews in Persia. He gets all of Haman's estates and properties. Mordecai gets a promotion, he gains the King's respect and trust, his people have victory over their enemies, and Mordecai is filled with joy. He celebrates with his people, and he creates a new holiday to commemorate what God has done.

God didn't abandon His people. God kept His promises. God was faithful. God was kind.

God was faithful and kept his promises by saving the Jews from extinction [Genesis 12, Genesis 17, Leviticus 26]. God never promises that we won't have trials or pain or face fear. He never promises our hearts won't get broken. He never promises we will live happy, hurtless lives. It wasn't a display of God's faithfulness that He gave Mordecai honor and a promotion and victory; that was a display of God's kindness. God, in his lovingkindness provided those things for Mordecai. This is important because when we forget that God does things out of kindness, we forget that God is a kind, loving, caring God.

God used the most painful things that happened to Mordecai and He redeemed them.
Although God isn't mentioned by name, it's so abundantly clear that He is present and working through the whole story of Esther. God used people to do His work. God redeemed people because of His love. God blessed people out of his kindness. God was never gone for a second.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

WHAT can you learn from queen esther? What stands out to you the most about Esther's story? What does the book of Esther teach you about God? In what ways do you relate to the story of esther?

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