5/1/2021 0 Comments Esther CommentaryOnce upon a time in the kingdom of Persia, there lived an orphan girl by the name of Hadassah ("Myrtle"), who by fortune, was taken in as an unofficially adopted daughter of her older cousin Mordecai, who are both from the tribe of Benjamin, the same tribe from where the first king of Israel hailed, under whose rule the Amalekite king Agag was hacked into pieces some 550 years ago. Since 486 BC, a Persian king ruled in her days by the name of Ahasuerus, or Xerxes as the Greeks called him. est 1
The king throws a big lavish and wanton celebration, in his vain confidence, for morale boosting before the battle with the Greeks. celebrity news flash: queen Vashti disobeys the king. The matter quickly escalates. Unhealthy mix of ego, and extrapolation of the influence of Vashti on women of the world = dethroning of the Queen. You are fired. The guy sent out a PSA for men to have control of their women in every language in every nook and cranny of his kingdom. Now that's a celebrity. es 2 Esther (Hadassah) is part of a beauty pageant to be Queen of Persia. Esther wins the crown. The unsuccessful ones become concubines for the king. Mordecai saves the king from assassination. No mention of God here...so He is not behind the scenes...or is He? es 3 The Agagite's long tribal feud with the Jews still smoulders, and Haman carefully with the help of his idols chooses a day. Haman plays after Xerxes' lust for admiration to get permission for genocide. While the schemer and the vain idiot celebrate together, the whole people are scratching their heads at the racism and cruelty. Day of "Purge" has been set for the nation within a nation to be exterminated. Esther has not made known her ethnicity to the king yet. This is the end for God's covenant people....isn't it? es 4 beautiful chapter of interaction between Mordecai and Esther under duress: faith in sovereign plan of God, and proper response to duress: the parable of the unrighteous steward in action. You are on a sinking ship. Your life, and all it holds are destined to perish anyway, sooner or later. You have nothing to gain by holding onto something you cannot keep anyway. You are given a privilege by virtue of your station. With it comes responsibility. Use it while it lasts to fulfill your responsibility. And "if I perish, I perish." es 5 It is unknown whether Esther's asking for a second banquet was the plan all along, or it was spontaneous decision. But the delay in Esther's entreatment to the king allows for Haman, drunk with privileges, to be reminded of how annoyed he is at Mordecai's presence. Haman celebrates his station with his friends, and plans to kill Mordecai tomorrow morning before the banquet. This is a perfect example of good story-writing: emotional rollercoaster. Just when you think you have the upper hand, you are brought down in despair. Soon you will be lifted to a new high. Persian form of "hanging" is probably impaling, the early primitive father of Romans' crucifixion. es 6 Hm...for some reason the king is having insomnia, and is browsing the chronicles...break of dawn...oh wait...Mordecai is written here, and he has been forgotten and given no reward for his deed...until now. Oh wait...Haman is in the area? Bright and early? Perfect timing. Let's call him in. Let's ask him what shall be done for a certain someone for whom king wants to honour. Let's have Haman, who wants to commit pogroms and impale Mordecai, parade Mordecai in honour. Perfect irony. Now Haman going to the banquet set by the secretly Jewish Queen, rather than feeling like a huge validation, feels like a sheep is being led to the slaughter. es 7 Day 0: Esther learns of the threat. 3 Days of preparation for war. Day 4: Esther delays attack. Day 5: A humiliated Haman becomes a terrified Haman. Neural synapses fire up processing Esther's unveiling of her ethnic identity and her reiterating of the exact keywords of Haman's murderous decree, and "annihilate" all dignity of Haman. Haman is hanged by his own wood that he made. Oh, the irony of ironies. Poetic justice. It is too perfect. It is the most wild, serendipitous chain of contingencies ever to be orchestrated by mere human beings...or is it? es 8 Resolution of the story of Esther: While the Persian decree cannot be revoked, another decree can be sent. The Jews now have the royal blessing to defend themselves against any potential enemy on the day of Purge. By the power of the righteous living of the Jews, and the horrifyingly dramatic news of the turn of events, people convert to become Jews. Purim is thus commemorated. es 9,10 the harm that the enemies of the Jews meant, returns on their own heads. The ones who cursed the Jews got cursed themselves...hm, that sounds familiar... 75000 are slaughtered in one day throughout the Empire. 800 are killed in the capital in two days. Esther requests the king to extend the day of killing to two days. None of the Jews take the plunder of their enemies. They had no monetary interest in killing their enemies, demonstrating their killing was purely defensive. The two-day commemoration of the preservation of Israel is established. True leaders like Mordecai serve for the good of his people.
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CategoriesAll Discourse Doctrines Gospel Humour NT Commentaries OT Commentaries Tactical Life Date
August 2023
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