2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Today it is time to begin a new series of messages. There is a Jewish holiday which is celebrated in the Spring just before Passover, which I didn’t have time to write about until now. It is based on a story of great courage of faith, one that uplifts a believer every time it is read. The book of Esther is the only book of the Bible accepted as Canon that has no mention of God’s name in it in the story line itself. However, the name “Jehovah” is hidden four times as an acrostic (ES 1; 20; 5:4; 5: 13; 7:7) always at a crucial point in the story. Also the name “Ehyeh” (I Am Who I Am) is found once in acrostic form in ES 7: 5. That has caused one commentator to say, “This cannot be of chance, and the difficulty of constructing such forms will be apparent to anyone who attempts it.” These are some of the answers to those who would argue that this story doesn’t belong in the Bible and isn’t real. God’s hand can be seen throughout the story as it unfolds. It is also interesting to note that the book of Esther is the only one which was not found when the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. I personally believe it hasn’t been found yet, but there are some people who dispute its truth. Esther, whose name means “star” in the Persian language, also has her Hebrew name. It is Hadassah, which means “myrtle” in Hebrew. There is a very active Jewish charitable organization called Hadassah named in her honor.
This is quite appropriate, because of the traditions of the Jewish modern-day celebration of Purim, the holiday that commemorates the story of Esther and lights the fire of children’s imaginations and interest. On the afternoon of Purim, Jewish children often have parades and costume parties depicting the story of the book of Esther. While it is a day of taking pleasure, it is also a day of giving it. This is done by performing tzedakah (za-dah-kah) by donating food or money to at least two people in need and practicing mishloah manot (mish-low man-ot), gift giving by bringing a plate of sweets to at least one friend. On the evening before the Purim celebration, I remember from my childhood some silliness that was a lot of fun. We took a little vacation from being ourselves and would go to the synagogue dressed as either a villain or a hero of our choice. We would find that the rabbi and the cantor switched roles that night only. The cantor usually had a good voice, and the rabbi didn’t. This led to some good laughs. The cantor would comically imitate the rabbi reading the Scroll of Esther, while the rabbi would make his feeble attempts at imitating the cantor sing. It delighted me as a child to recall a story where the principle character was a woman of courage. I’m sure that is because most of the Jewish heroes were men.
I’ll have more on the celebration of Purim later, but for now let’s get to the actual story behind it. ES 1: 1-2, “From his royal throne in Persia’s capital, Susa [also known as Shushan meaning “lily” in Hebrew], King Ahasuerus (also known as Xerxes) ruled 127 provinces, all the way from India to Sudan.” There were a group of non-observant Jews living in Persia who preferred Persia’s prosperity to the rigors of the life that a small remnant of Jews were living under Zerubbabel [Ezra 2] after having returned to Jerusalem. This book was probably written some time after the death of Ahaseuerus during the reign of his son, Artaxerxes I (464-424 BC). It was around 445 BC that Artaxerxes officially ended the captivity of the Jews which had begun with the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar’s, incursions into the southern kingdom of Judah in 605 BC. Later, the Medo-Persians had toppled the Babylonian empire, which explains why these Jews were then living in Persian territory under a Persian king. The story actually begins in 483 BC [Ahasuerus came to power in 486 BC].
Because we are blessed enough to live in a country which is a democracy, it is hard to imagine the kind of absolute power that these kings of old had. However, as the story unfolds, we get a good look at it. ES 1: 3-5, “In the third year of his reign he [King Ahasuerus] gave a banquet for all his officials and administrators. The armies of Persia and Media were present, as well as the governors and noblemen of the provinces. For six whole months, he made a show of the riches of the imperial court with all its splendor and majesty. After that, the king gave a banquet for all the men in the capital city of Susa, rich and poor alike. It lasted a whole week and was held in the gardens of the royal palace.” ES 1: 9, “Meanwhile, inside the royal palace Queen Vashti was giving a banquet for the women.” It is interesting to note how long some of these events went on in ancient times. I’m guessing that is because it was their way of entertaining themselves, since they didn’t have access to our modern ways of doing this. Considering that enormous amounts of the wealth of Persia were spent on the indulgences of royalty, it wouldn’t surprise me to imagine there were some pretty hard feelings amongst the people as a result. The inherent lack of humility in spending so much time showing off the imperial court’s riches must have been another source of trouble if not to mention a compromise of national security. But, these last comments are the thoughts of a modern day Jewish believer in Christ and not mentioned in the Scriptures.
ES 1: 10-12, “On the seventh day of his banquet, the king was drinking and feeling happy, so he called in the seven eunuchs who were his personal servants, Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas. He ordered them to bring in Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown. The queen was a beautiful woman, and the king wanted to show off her beauty to the officials and all his guests. But when the servants told Queen Vashti of the king’s command, she refused to come. That made the king furious.” It is interesting to note the frequency of the number seven in this story. When the king needed advice as to what to do, he turned to his seven advisors, who were from both Media and Persia and were considered the holders of the highest offices in the kingdom other than the king himself. In ES 1: 16, one of them, Memucan, declared that the queen had not only insulted the king, but that she also insulted his officials and, in fact, every man in the empire! This is followed by an explanation that no modern day woman would like to hear in (18). “When the wives of the royal officials of Persia and Media hear about the queen’s behavior, they will be telling their husbands about it before the day is out. Wives everywhere will have no respect for their husbands, and husbands will be angry with their wives.” Later in (19), Memucan suggests that a royal proclamation be issued that Vashti may never again be allowed to appear with the king, and that her place should be given to a better woman. He goes on to say in (20), “When your proclamation is made known all over this huge empire, every woman will treat her husband with proper respect, whether he is rich or poor. The king liked this idea, so a proclamation was sent out saying, “every husband should be the master of his home and speak with final authority.” The stage was set for the remarkable events to follow.
PRAYER: O Lord, stories such as that of the book of Esther are handed down to allow us not only to have a knowledge of mankind’s history, but so that we can see your hand in it. When we begin to understand Your divine sovereignty and our responsibility to respond to it, You also reveal to us the foibles and sinfulness of which mankind is capable. We thank You for granting us the Holy Spirit, Who enables us to reach toward Your lofty and righteous perspective on these people and events, so that we can come closer to Your ways. Any discernment we gain from studying Your Word is a gift You give us through the Holy Spirit. We thank You for blessing our lives and ask for Your continuing guidance in them. In Christ’s name, amen.
It is my hope you will find this story interesting and that you will see the benefit in faith-building that knowing it brings. Our Lord loves us all. He is to be praised for all the grace He showers on us. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn