July 19, 2012

It’s been a little while since I wrote on my Bible reading in the morning; here’s the conclusion of Esther. Having just flipped through “One Night with the King,” I’m having flashbacks of comparing the movie with the written Scripture. Fun times ☺

Following the execution of Haman, Mordecai is promoted to take his place. Having finally revealed her true identity, Esther no doubt had many things to explain to her husband. While it might seem like a big career jump, I’d say Mordecai earned it; having proven his humility and loyalty to the king time and again (first by saving his life, again by continuing his labor without demanding a due reward), not to mention being related to the queen and not using that connection to advance himself, one has to admire Mordecai for his character.

The trouble is, it’s not happy ending time; Haman is gone, but the edict he set in motion against the Jews still stands, and there is no way to reverse it. Fortunately, Mordecai and Esther gain permission from the king to write another edict to counter Haman’s; the Jews are now free to defend themselves against what would have been the unopposed attack of their enemies, and many who might have taken part in the attack are now afraid due to the Jews having found favor so high up in the kingdom.

When the appointed day comes, the tables are turned, and rather than being destroyed, the Jews instead conquer those who would destroy them. Among the fallen are Haman’s ten sons; with Haman having had quite a bone to pick with the Jews, his sons would only have tried to avenge their father’s death, and therefore are killed so that Haman’s hatred has no legacy. I can’t help but be reminded of Saul’s failure to obey back in 1st Samuel; his lack of obedience cost Israel so much in the centuries to come. In a similar way, I admire Esther’s courage, slow as it was to come; if she had not done so, she never would have come to such a place of honor among her people and Scripture itself.

Looking back through the whole Exilic period, it seems to me that the Jews have repeated history and yet done so in reverse as well. In the narrative from Genesis to Exodus, the Jews go from being in the favor of an empire to being its conquered servants; in Esther, Ezra, and Nehemiah, we see just the opposite occur. Mordecai’s position of power appears to recall Joseph’s prestige in Egypt; he is second only to the sovereign of the land, and he has arisen to such heights because of the will of GOD, to help save his people from disaster. It is truly amazing how GOD works in different situations with different people/generations and yet remains true to the same Truth and theme through it all.

July 7, 2012

Finally, the climax of the book arrives, and everything comes to a head.

Esther’s second banquet begins; in a very real sense, this is Haman’s last meal. When Xerxes asks again what Esther wishes of him, she comes out and reveals everything to him. At long last, she tells him of her Jewish heritage, exposing Haman’s plot to slaughter the Jews; naturally, Xerxes is furious, but just at whom is hard to say. I think his anger has three possible angles: he could be angry at Esther for hiding her true identity from him for so long; conversely, he is angry at Haman for manipulating him by telling him falsified and half-true information about the Jews; Xerxes may even have been raging at himself for not seeing this series of events unfolding. Whatever his reasons, the king needs time to let the royal temper subside, and he goes into the garden to clear his head.

Haman, in the meantime, is pleading for his life from Queen Esther; unlike Belshazzar in Daniel 5, he can see the writing on the wall and what it spells out for him. So desperate is he that he physically takes hold of Esther in his desperation; this was taboo, as by tradition no one but the king could touch the queen or the women of the harem. Thus we can understand another layer of Xerxes next statement when he returns and finds Haman seemingly assaulting his wife. No sooner does the king speak than the eunuchs/bodyguards move in, and Haman’s head is covered (ironically, for the second time that day) for the shame he has caused. Haman’s special gallows is then revealed along with its purpose, and Xerxes, finally seeing Haman for what he truly is, orders his execution by the very means that Haman had intended for Mordecai.

That same day, Xerxes signs over everything Haman had possessed to Esther and Mordecai, whom the king makes his new prime minister in Haman’s place. Unfortunately, there is still the matter of Haman’s legacy: his decree that the Jews be utterly destroyed. By tradition of the Medes and Persians, a law with the king’s seal cannot be changed once it has been passed; however, Xerxes finds a loophole: he cannot reverse the law, but he is able to pass another that would allow the Jews to defend themselves. He gives Mordecai his reclaimed signet ring, allowing Esther and Mordecai to write anything they need with royal backing to make it happen. Thus, only two months after Haman’s diabolical scheme was set in place, the Jew’s salvation counteracts it.

The letters of Esther and Mordecai go throughout the Persian empire, bringing joy and hope where there was once grief and mourning. The Jews begin to mobilize, and many who are not Jews choose to proselytize, converting to Judaism to avoid being destroyed at their hands. This, then, is a sort of testimony to the reputation of GOD and His chosen people abroad; people everywhere know the histories of those who dared oppose the Jews and failed, and with another judgment near at hand, they wish to be on the right side. Adding to this is the enhanced status of Mordecai, who has been honored even further by the king, and been given royal apparel; being not only a palace official but a relative of the queen, this is a high honor for Mordecai, and he is worthy of it, having proved his loyalty to the king before. It is even more advantageous for the Jews that Mordecai is in this position; along with Esther, the Jews now have two close contacts/spokespeople with access to the king’s confidence, and this will help protect them against any future opposition such as those in Nehemiah and Ezra’s time.

How best to apply this? Even though GOD is not named in this book, He moves silently and powerfully through those who live for Him. Not only does He protect the Jews from destruction, but He also sets the stage for later generations. Had He not done so, Nehemiah would not have had the opportunity to minister to the rebuilt city of Jerusalem and the Jews therein, and Jesus would not have been able to come as prophesied. The next time you feel doubt about GOD’s goodness or power to act, remember that He is always there – and He always cares for those who wait on His voice and live for His glory.

The plot builds as Esther looks for the right time to plead her people’s case, while Haman’s scheming takes a new turn.

July 3, 2012

Esther 5 & 6

After three days of seeking GOD and preparing herself, Esther audaciously approaches her husband the king in his throne room; by coming unannounced, she has put her life on the line. Fortunately, both GOD and the king smile on her, and he extends the scepter as a sign of acceptance and permission to approach. She then makes a countersign by touching the scepter’s tip; this means she wishes to make a request of the king. She asks that both he and Haman be her guests at a banquet she is preparing especially for them; this serves two purposes – first, it allows Esther to replenish her body from the three day fast, and second, with both the king and Haman present, it puts all her eggs in one basket, so to speak.

Esther apparently decides that she needs another day to gather her courage and/or prepare her husband for the revelation she is going to make with her plea. Perhaps she was unnerved somewhat by the presence of Haman, who planned to annihilate her people and held a special hatred for Mordecai. Whatever the reason, it allows Haman to steal a march on her, putting his next move into play.

Following the private feast, Haman travels home feeling triumphant; he has achieved a measure of intimacy with the king that he is also trusted in the presence of the queen (perhaps not unlike Nehemiah later on). As he passes the gate, however, he espies Mordecai and observes that he does not regard Haman in either fear or respect; Haman’s threat of annihilation bruised him emotionally, but it has not broken or beaten him into submission or defeat. His seeming inability to affect Mordecai infuriates Haman, but he checks himself for the sake of his plan; attacking Mordecai early and without permission will raise too many questions. He proceeds home, still steaming along the way.

Once he arrives at home, he boasts to his family and friends of his success; his position, wealth, and power are seemingly unmatched by anyone. Yet, Mordecai proves to be both the fly in the ointment and a persistent thorn in Haman’s side. As a means of satisfying his jealous anger, they recommend that he build Mordecai a grand execution: a 75 foot high gallows in the courtyard of his own house, so that everyone may see what happens when someone crosses Haman. Presumably, the feast Haman is to attend will be in the afternoon, so he plans to ask the king for permission to hang Mordecai in the morning.

That night, however, GOD moves to thwart Haman and protect Mordecai from harm. King Xerxes is unable to sleep, so he asks for the chronicles recording the acts of his reign to be read to him. I suppose that reveling in the memories of past glories would help him be more at ease. As the records are read, a crucial point that arises is the assassination attempt by two of the king’s servants in chapter 2. Furthermore, it is discovered that, although Mordecai played a crucial role in saving the king’s life by reporting the plot, he has as of yet received no reward for his valorous service.

In the morning, when Haman arrives to ask permission to hang Mordecai, Xerxes asks him for advice on how to honor/reward a man who has pleased him. Being the egotistical type, Haman believes that the king means this reward for himself, and recommends royal treatment (wearing the king’s robe, riding the king’s horse, etc.). Pleased with his advice, Xerxes orders Haman to personally deliver these honors to Mordecai; much to his own chagrin, Haman does so, caught by his own words and pride. Following Mordecai’s public reward, Haman quickly runs home, so embarrassed that he puts a bag over his head.

Seeking comfort from his wife and friends, Haman receives only a foreboding warning. While the Jews are a conquered people, their reputation is still widely known among the nations; the legends of the Exodus, David and Solomon, and all the rest are hard to forget. Based on the past experiences of those who have opposed the Jews, they suspect that Haman has set himself up for a fall, and that this is only the beginning. Just then, the king’s servants arrive to escort Haman to Esther’s banquet, and he goes to where his and the Jews’ fates will be sealed.

July 2, 2012

In chapters 3 and 4, the story begins to accelerate; the main villain is introduced, and the critical purpose for Esther’s becoming queen is revealed.

In chapter 3, Xerxes makes an appointment similar to Darius’ raising of Daniel to an ultimate position of authority; in this case, however, it is the opposite – an evil man is given power over the entire kingdom, and it is his objectives, not those of his enemies, that are sinister. He plots both personal murder and genocide, and the two are intimately linked together, for the man and the people are the same in his eyes. He proceeds through deception and bribery, and he manipulates the law system to engage all the kingdom and its peoples in his crime.

The new prime minister (for all intents and purposes) is Haman, and his family descent is from a man called Agag. For those not familiar with him, let us make a quick review of Israel’s early history; when the Hebrews first came out of Egypt in the Exodus, a nation of desert raiders called the Amalekites attacked them from behind. It was during this time that Aaron and Hur held Moses’ hands up while Joshua led the people into battle; so long as Moses’ hands were raised (in prayer to GOD), the Israelites beat back their enemies. Because of their conflict with Israel, GOD commanded Saul, Israel’s first king, to completely wipe out the Amalekites.

Ignoring GOD’s command, however, Saul spared the best of the Amalekites’ possessions, along with their king, whose name was Agag. Although Agag was later killed by the prophet/judge Samuel, his family line apparently survived, as evidenced by Haman. This leads us to the next salient point: Mordecai’s civil disobedience in refusing to bow and give homage to Haman. He did this for different reasons – first, Haman represented Israel’s failure to obey; second, to bow was to worship, and as a Jew, Mordecai gave that devotion to GOD alone. The fact that the king had commanded all his servants to do so brings to mind another parallel to the book of Daniel – particularly the Fiery Furnace incident.

Upon learning of Mordecai’s objections – and how his entire nationality shares them – Haman begins formulating a plan to remove them all from the land of the living. He contrives a half-truth to convince Xerxes that a racial genocide is necessary to provide stability and prevent insurrection in the empire, promising to pay for it out of his own pocket. In return, he gains the king’s signet ring, which in essence provides him with carte blanch to put whatever laws he needs into effect to succeed.

Mordecai vents his grief in the traditional manner of that time (sackcloth and ashes), and refuses to cover it up when Esther sends fresh clothes, perhaps fearing that he is making a scene. He then sends a copy of Haman’s edict as evidence of the danger and cause of his grief. He also sends a plea that Esther intervene on the behalf of their people. He reminds her that, if she does not do so, GOD will find another way to save the Jews, but that He placed her where she is for just such a reason; should she refuse to act, she can be just as easily removed.

Naturally, Esther is afraid; although she is the queen, she is still under the king’s authority and can act only in accordance with him or face execution (presumably on charges of treason or sedition). Nevertheless, she agrees to do as Mordecai asks, requesting that he and the other Jews in the capital fast and pray for her as she prepares to go to the king without being summoned. She is taking a huge risk, but she is willing to make it; death will be the penalty if she fails, but that would have come anyway (with Haman’s genocide), so she decides to risk her life on a possibility for success rather than await something otherwise inevitable.

Concluding the post-Exilic history books, Esther is the account of a young woman who shows great courage as she risks everything to save her people from genocide.

June 29, 2012

As I begin the look of Esther, I’d like to review a few facts about the book: 1) it is an account of the Jews who didn’t return from exile, 2) it serves as a sort of interlude between Ezra and Nehemiah, and 3) in theme, it visits Israel’s past in an account of the events written in its present.

Starting with chapter 1, Zerubabbel’s reconstruction has been going on for some time (from Cyrus through Darius’s reign), and now we come to the early years of Ahasuerus, otherwise known as Xerxes I. In secular history, one of his most notable contributions was the attempted invasion of Greece; his predecessor Darius retreated following the battle of Marathon (the present-day race named for the Greek runner who carried the message of victory), and Xerxes made his own attempt, reaching much farther but ultimately failing due to the alliance between Athens, Sparta, and the other Greek city-states.

The first feast, it is theorized, was an ongoing, conference to discuss strategy and supply for the invasion of Greece, with the second as a sort of wrap-up party to help Xerxes and the advisors relax. A possible reason for this is that the former lasted nearly half a year, while the latter extended for only a week. During this time, Xerxes is mentioned to be showing off everything he possessed; this might be viewed as a propaganda move, with the Persian monarch reviewing his ability to finance the war and giving his generals a chance to indulge themselves before entering into the field of battle.

In the following week-long celebration, it was an all male affair; the men and women were each given separate quarters in which they celebrated. It was during this time that Xerxes made a lapse in judgment, foolishly attempting to display his wife, Queen Vashti, as a trophy alongside the possessions he had until now been displaying. Her refusal is understandable; she responded in a manner indicating that, although he was a king, Xerxes would not be allowed to treat his wife in a way that undermined human dignity. Being either drunk or hung over, Xerxes was furious that he would be refused in such a way, and under advisement from his ministers (who controlled access to the king) issued a decree that effectively exiled Vashti for life, intending to make her an example to all women under Persian rule, whatever their station.

As a tangent, I would note that it was one man’s idea to exile Vashti – Memucan, to be precise. He is the last of the ministers named, perhaps indicating his youth (a similar pattern exists in Job, with Job’s friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar). For whatever reason, his is the only suggestion noted, perhaps due to the fact that it was the one that impressed the king and fellow ministers and was carried out in the end.

The gap between the first two chapters can perhaps be explained by the war in Persia, following which he turned his attention back to the affairs of the Persian empire and his own household affairs. Having had time to calm down, Xerxes no doubt regretted having banished his queen, but due to the nature of the Persian monarchy, even the king could not reverse the law. In essence, the Persians had a dash of republic in their kingdom, as even the king was subject to the law, unlike the Babylonians who preceded them; thus, Xerses could never see Vashti again.

To bring the monarch out of his slump, an idea was conceived by his servants; they thought that the best way to get over an old, bad relationship was to start a new, fresh one (big surprise, right?). Young, unmarried women from all over the Persian empire were brought to the capital in a sort of “Bachelor” event. They would undergo (this is amazing) a WHOLE YEAR of beauty treatments, perhaps to bring out their maximum appeal as women, then each one would spend one night with the king as candidates to replace Vashti as queen. Whoever failed would join the harem (having been with the king) and unless the king was pleased with her, the woman would never see the king – or any other man – again. Pretty raw deal, wouldn’t you say, ladies? ☹

Upon this note, we are introduced to two key people in the events to follow: Mordecai, a minor functionary at the palace, and his younger cousin Hadassah, whose Persian name is Esther. Mordecai is the great-grandson of one of Jerusalem’s exiles, and Esther has been raised by him since childhood. She is described as a lovely, beautiful woman, and that I believe goes beyond her appearance; for a woman to be truly beautiful, she must be of godly character, and Esther will demonstrate this time and again.

After being claimed for Xerxes’ beauty pageant, Esther is taken to the palace, but she and Mordecai remain in touch due to his position. She trusts and obeys her cousin, treating him as her father-figure, despite the circumstances of her recently elevated status. She continues to act humbly throughout her year of preparation, making no requests for worldly possessions beyond what was recommended for her. It was these traits, I think, that made her stand out to Xerxes among all the young women at his disposal; while GOD is never mentioned directly in the text, we can have no doubt that He was moving in and through events and people. His grace and guiding hand allowed Esther to move into a position that will later on allow her to influence events all over her known world.

Following the acceptance of Esther as queen, Mordecai becomes witness to a plot by two of Xerxes’ bodyguards. These two, known as Bigthan and Teresh, plan to either take the monarch hostage or eliminate him altogether; it’s unclear if they are doing this out of personal spite or if another person was bribing them to do so. Regardless, Mordecai alerts Esther, who informs the king on behalf of her cousin, although Xerxes is unaware of their connection; in order to safeguard her national identity, Mordecai instructs her to hide it, even from the king. The plot is revealed, the two would-be aggressors are executed, and the whole thing is recorded in the annals of Persia, with Mordecai’s part in the matter clearly noted.