Day #267

Sermon - Audio
Esther 6-10 - Audio
Esther 6-10 - Reading

Daily Insights - Please Comment

6

The most original act of the bungling King Ahasuerus is to have a sleepless night (v. 1). By means of this coincidence, the king comes to have the chronicles of his “memorable deeds” read to him, which in turn uncovers that he has done nothing to honor the man who saved his life (vv. 1–3). Haman’s early arrival at court shows his eagerness to execute Mordecai (vv. 4–5). But Haman’s overweening pride (what the Greek tragedians called hubris) is his undoing when, thinking that the king cannot possibly want to honor anyone more highly than him, he prescribes a litany of honors that he is immediately commanded to perform for his mortal enemy Mordecai. Again a note of satiric humor dominates the story. -ESVLB-

*This is just one of the few instances we see God working behind the scenes in the book of Esther.

*The king wants to reward Mordecai for his efforts.

6-9 = Haman believes that the king is talking about him, so he gives an answer that Haman would want done for himself (exaltation).

10-11 = His jaw must have dropped.

12-14 = Haman must think quick or all of this will come to pass.

7

The second banquet that Esther stages for the king and Haman brings the plot against the Jews to defeat. Speaking briefly but courageously, Esther acquaints the king with the plot against her nation and makes an accusation against Haman (vv. 3–6). The inept king’s most decisive act results from misinterpreting Haman’s intention when he sees Haman falling on the queen’s couch to plead for his life (vv. 7–8). The downfall of the villain is climaxed with poetic justice when Haman is hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. -ESVLB-

1-4 = Notice that Esther still has not said that she herself is a Jew.

5 - The king has no idea who would have done this to Esther and her people, and is angered.

9-10 - The climax and resolution of the story...Haman dies.

8

1-2 - Mordecai is put over the house of the guy who tried to kill him. As a king's official, Haman would have been rather wealthy.

4-6 - The decree still stood as of now...even if Haman was dead.

7-14 - This may be hard for us to understand, but a king was unable to take back a decree. His word was as if it came from God. So, the king issues a counter-decree encouraging all of the Jews to fight for themselves if anyone tries to kill them.

17 - Many people were now being influenced by God's people...the way it should have been all along.

9

1-5 - Some within the king's kingdom still tried to carry the original decree out, but with little success. Now we see Mordecai not only being promoted, but gaining favor in the kingdom.

6-10 - They killed the people coming after them, but left the plunder to the cities/king.

11-17 - "They did not lay a hand on the plunder." This is used 3 times in this chapter meaning that there is significance. The Jews were not trying to "take over" anyone/anything.

“Now it was God’s intent that a last conflict should take place between Israel and Amalek: the conflict which began with Joshua in the desert was to be finished by Mordecai in the king’s palace.” -Spurgeon-

Ending - Mordecai writes down the happenings so the people would never forget. A festival, Purim, would be instituted in honor of the events...It is still a popular Jewish festival.

10

Mordecai is 2nd in the kingdom...huge honor/influence. The final resolution to an epic story.

Day #266

Sermon - Audio
Esther 1-5 - Audio
Esther 1-5 - Reading

Daily Insights - Please Comment

The Story - The book of Esther is a story par excellence. It has virtually all of the ingredients that people through the ages have most loved in a story—a beautiful and courageous heroine, a romantic love thread, a dire threat to the good characters, an ideally villainous villain, suspense, *dramatic irony, evocative descriptions of exotic places, sudden *reversal of action, *poetic justice, and a happy ending. God does not enter the action as a named character, but he is the understood presence behind the “seen.” The ostensible purpose of the story is to explain how the annual Jewish celebration of the Feast of Purim began, but the religious meaning of the story is universal. It is a story of divine providence and of the need to resist evil in reliance on God. The book also presents a model for maintaining one’s spiritual identity instead of giving in to cultural pressures when they are ungodly.

Theological Themes:

(1) Providence: the book embodies the theme of providence in the action itself.
(2) Human heroism: we see in the behavior of Esther that heroism is a possibility even in a sinful and pagan world.
(3) The covenant: it is not just any nation whose story is told but specifically the covenant nation of Israel, and we are led to see that the survival of the covenant nation was carefully orchestrated by God.
(4) Sin and judgment: the story of the villainous Haman shows that sinners reap what they sow.

The Book of Esther in the Master Story:

In the OT, the story of salvation history is largely the history of a specific nation, Israel. The nation is nearly rendered extinct in the events that are narrated in the book of Esther, and we are led to feel how miraculously God protected the messianic line until Jesus was born. -ESVLB-

v1 - This king Ahasuerus is well known to history, though more commonly under the name Xerxes. He inherited the vast Persian Empire from his father, Darius I (who is mentioned in passages such as Ezra 4:24, 5:5-7, 6:1-15; Daniel 6:1 and 6:25; Haggai 1:15 and 2:10).

v3-9 - 3 feasts (1st - government officials, 2nd - citizens of the capitol, 3rd - women)

v13-22 - Because Queen Vashti refused to go before the king, the king will issue a decree to make an example of her for the men/women within the kingdom.

2

v1-4 The queen who will replace Vashti must be chosen.

v5 - We see Mordecai, a Jew, Benjamite (Saul's line), being introduced in the story.

Esther (whose Jewish name Hadassah means “Myrtle”; the Persian name Esther means “star”

v8 - Seems like Esther had no choice

V12-14 - The women would put spices and oils on them in preparation for their meeting with the king.

v19- This position indicates that Mordecai was associated with the decision makers and men of influence in the kingdom. - inside the King's gates.

v21-23 - Mordecai saves the king's life.

3

Haman was a descendant of Agag, who was the king of the Amalekites, the people who were Israel’s sworn enemy for generations (Exodus 17:14-16).

*Haman becomes the perfect villain within this drama. He hates the Jews and wants to rid the land of them. Haman casts lots and determines that the 13^th day of the month of Adar would be the propitious time to annihilate Mordechai and his people. After securing the king's permission, Haman sends edicts out to all 127 provinces in Achashveirosh's kingdom, informing them of the new decree.

4

Summary - *The Jewish people are in morning and fear is upon them. Mordechai asks Esther to intercede, and she agrees to risk her life by going before the king unsummoned.

v1-3 - Traditional way of mourning/grieving

v14 - Despite his emotional turmoil (v. 4), deep down Mordecai is sure that the Jews will survive. This reflects his faith that God will protect his people, though the text does not make this explicit. -ESVSB-

v16 - The people fast and pray for Esther's success.

5

*Summary - Not only does Esther go before the king, but she lays a trap for Haman as well. The first banquet would be a setup for the 2nd. Not only was Esther beautiful, but smart as well.