Bobby has studied WW1 and has concluded that it is one of the worst wars in history.

The book of Esther represents the first world wide movement of hatred against the Jews. The Jews are still God’s people, even though they are no longer a client nation to God. The Jews no longer lived in the Land of Promise, this 26 centuries before. This book has a lot to say about the grace which is extended toward us and toward the Jews. We should find this book to be poignant, relevant.

Took place 465 b.c. in Perian, the ancient name for what is today Iran (Persia would have been a part of Iran). The Middle East links Europe, Asian and Africa. Israel sits smack dab in the middle of this. Xeres is the king who Esther married.

At the time of Persian’s zenith, it was the largest empire to that time. It included portions of Greece, etc. There were no boundaries and it was not until the end of the Turkish empire in 1919 (the Ottoman empire) which ended this empire and it was carved up like you see them today. Iran has only been that name since 1935. Comes from Aryan, which originally meant noble. Hitler infected this word with racist notions. Hitler’s use of the term ruined it. It originally referred to a language. The Aryan nation is no more Aryan than the Germans.

Modern-day Iranians are not racially Arabs, they don’t speak Arabic, even though they use an Arabic script. Phasian or Aryan is the actual language. It is not related to Arabic at all. It is closer to Greek, Latin or English.

A later form of Aramaic is what our Lord spoke in his incarnation (probably). Esther was written in Aramaic and it is very close to ancient Hebrew. This indicates the influence that the Jews had on surrounding nations.

Chaldean (or Babylonian empire) preceded the Persian empire. Daniel resided in the the Chaldean empire. Nabolpollasar was the first leader of Chaldea. Nebuchadnezzar was his son. Nebuchadnezzar pursued the Egyptians, but he passed by the beautiful city of Jerusalem. Nabo. died, so Neb decided that he liked this city. He took various groups of people back to Chaldea. Zedekiah was an apostate king and the Jews revolted, and in 586 b.c., he leveled Jerusalem and took back all the jews who were not killed. He put Zedekiah’s eyes out after seeing all of his sons killed.

In Dan. 5 we have the fall of the Chaldean empire in 539 b.c. God used Chaldea to discipline Israel, but you cannot persecute the Jews without problems from God.

Cyrus, one year after he began his reign, he decreed that the Jews could return to Israel and rebuild the Temple. Zerubbabel took 50,000 Jews back to the land. It was Cyrus influenced by Daniel who decreed that it could happen. Ezra 1:1–2 is a perfect example of Jesus Christ controlling history. God’s sovereignty does not abrogate man’s free will. both co-exist in human history. Cyrus sent a portion of the Jews to the land.

Kambises was not friendly to the Jews. He was not related to Cyrus and he was the next Persian king. He did not want the Jews to rebel against him. Same anti-semitism.

Darius the Great, in the line of Cyrus, 522 b.c., he became the great king. He reconfirmed that decree of Cyrus. Ezra 5–6, and 516 b.c. marks the end of the Jews being outside the land.

Xerxes is the next king and he was Esther’s husband. Everyone in this book of Esther, at one time or another, looks bad.

Esther is a narrative of God in his care of the Jews during the dispensation of Israel. Anti-Semitism and terrorism against Jews is represented here. This sort of movement has ben faced by Israel since their inception. Abraham was promised a land, a people or a nation; and a protection covenant: “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.” If Satan can destroy the Jew, then he has proven God wrong.

Christ controls history for His own victory in the angelic conflict. Esther is a much a part of history as David, Daniel, etc.

Geography of the Persian empire. He Persian empire, which was at its zenith, was the largest empire of its kind up until that time. It extended to Africa (actually, Egypt), parts of Europe, and much of the Arab region. Susa is the city in which our story takes place.

Kingly chronology is available in the library. Persian empire intimately related to Greece at this time; they were enemies. Heroditus. History of Chaldean empire began by Nabopolaser and was followed by his son Nebuchadnezzar. Genius as a solider, a leader, as an architect. Nebu. saw a city on the hilll and decided to take it (Jerusalem). In 586 b.c. he leveled the city. This began the Babylonia captivity. Esther was a descendant of those who were marched to Babylon in 586 b.c. Persia had been an empire which was consolidated by Cyrus, who destroyed the Chaldean empire in 539 b.c. (Daniel 5).

538 b.c., Cyrus decreed that the Jews could return to Jerusalem, 50 years after its fall and destruction (Ezra 1–3). Zerubabel was a leader of Israel. Cyrus was a pragmatist. He had a large empire with a great army, but was not certain as to how he could hold onto this empire. He put some groups of people out and set them up to act as buffer states so that he would not have to continually defend his boarders.

Cyrus also didn’t mind getting the favor of the Jewish God in all of this (he was not necessarily a believer, but recognized that maybe such a god had power). 50,000 Jews sent ack to the land, which was a fairly small percentage.

530 Cyrus died and Cambises took over (and he was not friendly to the Jews and he was not as intelligent as Cyrus). Cambises was fed lies about these Jews that they were building walls instead of the Temple.

Darius I in 522 b.c. (After 8 years of disaster of Cambies). Darius reviewed the decrees of Cyrus, recognized their validity and even subsidized the Jewish building of the temple.

Hersu Iros, in the line of Cyrus, who is the king during the time of Esther. Xerxes (is this the same person?). Decided to go to Greece and invade. He defeated them. While his navy in 479 b.c. were crusing off shore, that they were decisively deeated. Over 100,000 Persians killed or wounded and this one of the decisive battles of history. The entire destiny of the world was affect and changed. Greek culture became dominant.

1400 a.d. was a time of great apostasy for the church; 2 popes, one in France and one in Rome, and they were constantly at war. All of this led to the Reformation. Christianity refocused on the Bible. 1588 a.d. the Spanish Armada decided to destroy the English. The English destroyed the Armada, and this was because England was to be a client nation to God.

This defeat of Xerxes by the Greeks had a great impact on Esther’s story. After his defeat, Xerxes “attended to his harem.” He decided no more wars of conquest and decided that he would enjoy the high life, which is where we will find him at the beginning of the book of Esther.

Artexerxes is the son of two main characters of the book of Esther; of the queen and of Xerxes. Persia prospered.

445 b.c. Nehemiah returned to the land. He was a warrior and he oversaw the building of the walls.

From 586 b.c. for another 70 years, the Jews were under discipline. However, God never forgot His promises to Israel, and God would keep His promises to His people. Many remained in Persian, as they had been born their, and they grew up there and they prospered there. This is Esther and Mordeca. God fulfills His protection clause in this book.

Esther became queen just in time to foil Haman’s plot. Mordecai’s attention was called to a previous plot, just in time for the king to honor him, which he failed to do.

Later, the kind experienced insomnia, and he had the court records read to him to help him to fall asleep. He discovers that he never rewarded Mordicai. Xerxes was self-centered and did not recall some of his promises. However, he comes across this just in time to foil the plot of ὴαμan.

Jews instituted the Feast of Purim, which is a large part of the later part of the book of Esther.

Esther is not an easy book; it is thought to be just a myth, because it comes out so perfectly. So don’t even want it in the Bible. It is the only book which never mentions the name of God or any designation of Him.

The gaps in the narrative. It is written elliptically. The history of Esther is accurate, based upon the divine inspiration. There are times when the Bible is in opposition to secular history. Their view is that the Bible is not the Word of God. Therefore, secular scholars challenge the book of Esther. Many see this as mythological or as an allegory. We interpret the Word of God in a literal sense. God is not hiding a deeper meaning behind the text; nor is this a novel. There are many historical accuracies which have been proven and no facts ofEsther are proven wrong.

7^th year of reign was the same year that Esther was taken as his queen (Esther 2:16). This was the time that he called it quits as a ruler?

In the center of this empire was Exatana (the summer palace). Susa is the winter palace city, which is where the book of Esther took place. The king took Esther as his queen. The narrative of Esther has been traced to the most minute detail. Much about Xerxes in exra-Biblical accounts. We have an historical account which is close to this time frame.

There is evidence that this book was written inthe heart of Persia and it appears as though the author was closely associated with the people of this narrative. Most scholars believe that it was written by Mordecai, although we do not know that for certain.

Critics are concerned that Esther is not mentioned by Xerxes; the wife he mentions is a cruel woman and does not fit with Esther’s character. Malechah (הָחל-מ). MLKH would be how this was written in the original Hebrew. The Hebrews could look at their words in context and they would be able to figure out what they are. Mal^echah means queen, but it had a different connotation than ours of a queen. This would refer to a principal wife in a harem.

Scholars disputed the existence of Belshazzar. Heroditus omitted Belshazzar’s name from any of his accounts, which is an argument from silence. Later discoveries show that Belshazzar was a real king.

Mordecai’s existence was questioned. However, a Marduk aia was discovered, and this is the Persian spelling of Mordecai. Esther never mentions that she is a Jewess and throughout uses her Persian name, instead of Hadassah, her Hebrew name.

There are many more problems and many more solutions. Esther is a part of the Word of God and is therefore reliable.

Cannonicity has been questioned. The name of God never occurs in this book. This is the only book which lacks the name of God. The providence of God is attested to over and over again. God’s name remained hidden just as His actions are often hidden from the affairs of man.

There are things which Mordecai and Esther do which are not commendable. Another reason for God’s silence. God continues to preserve the Jews despite their unfaithfulness and despite all kinds of persecution against them.

The cannonicity of this book is challenged on moral grounds. Esther and Mordecai act immorally. Esther hid her faith, had sex outside of marriage, she married a Gentile, and she and Mordecai ordered the slaughter of many of their enemies. The actions of believers in Scripture are not always in keeping with God’s will. Many examples are given. Rahab, David, Samson, etc.

Esther and Mordecai were used by God in a very special way. They are often interpreted as marvelous and nice people who never got out of line. However, this is not accurate. God used them despite their failures.

Critics cite the lack of religious devoutness; there is a very secular setting for this book. However, this book has a different purpose than other books of the same era (Ezra, Nehemiah).

The Jews valued the book of Esther for its unabashed support of the Jews in captivity. This book was a reminder of God’s continued care. A book read for the celebration of freedom.

No mention of prayer in this book. Esther does mention fasting, which was related to prayer. It represented mourning, sorrow or petition to God. Her fasting implies prayer.

The critics are straining to find problems with this book. This book was read during the Feast of Purim.

This book is divided in half. Chapters 1–5 danger of the Jews extermination. 6–12 deliverance. Esther 1: dethroning of Queen Vashti. Esther 2: choosing of Esther as queen. Esther 3–5 plot of Haman. Esther 6:Mordecai. Esther 7: public hanging of Haman. Esther 8–9: Esther 10:

There is a meaning which goes beyond the narrative.

1. This book is about the Lord’s care of the Jews being persecuted outside the land.

2. This is about God’s eternal commitment to the Abrahamic covenant.

3. This is about Jesus Christ controlling history.

4. This book is about us as believers in the church age.

a. We have a place in the plan of God. We have more than Israel by way of spiritual assets.

b. Israel was temporarily set aside for her apostasy and will remain so until the resumption of the Age of Israel (after the exit of the Church).

c. In the meantime, we believers can expect the same control of history by Jesus Christ as the Jews had in their day to work for the absolute benefit

d. Esther is just as much an encouragement to us as it was to the Jews living in exile. This does not mean that we have usurped the place of Israel. We are not Israel and God’s plan for us is separate from His plan for Israel. They looked forward to the cross and we look back. We have many more assets than they do.

We study this book because it has direct bearing upon us. Throughout all of our problems and successes, God always is taking care of us.

He asks, “How will you get the most out of this book?” This is not a treatise on doctrine. It is a narrative. Bobby’s golfing buddies suggest for him to give golfing tips if he runs out of things to talk about. In studying Esther, we will need to focus on certain things. God’s unlimited power, His sovereignty, His grace, and His provision for His people. The God of Israel is also our God.

2. The promise of the Abrahamic covenant; specifically the anti-Semitism clause. I will curse those who curst you and bless those who bless you.

3. Jesus Christ controls history. We will in fact see His power, sovereignty and grace.

4. We must be able to apply from Esther’s time to our own time with respect to your own life, time and circumstances.

Bobby does not know what we are like, and therefore, we will have to make some of this application himself. Apparently, the audio behind the glass fell out here. You know you are teaching right when everything goes wrong.

We need to see the big picture before getting into the narrative. Est 1:1 And it cometh to pass, in the days of Ahasuerus--he is Ahasuerus who is reigning from Hodu even unto Cush, seven and twenty and a hundred provinces--

The Indus River borders Pakistan in the east. This area had been conquered and consolidated by Darius the Great. On the West, we have Ethiopia (or Cush) is the upper Nile Region. Xerxes = Ahasuerus. He decided to conquer Greece, so as to follow in the footsteps of previous Persians. He was soundly defeated. This entire area of the Persian empire contained 127 Provinces. Heroditus speaks of the organization of the empire into 20 satripies (which are like states). These numbers don’t match. 127 provinces and 20 satripies. The Hebrew word for provinces is Medina (ה-נ̣ד∵מ) [pronounced meh-dee-nah], or .מדינה (med-ee-naw'î) From H1777; properly a judgeship, that is, jurisdiction; by implication a district (as ruled by a judge); generally a region: - ( X every) province. Strong’s #4082.

We have an election coming up, and we might become discouraged with the bombastic egos and lies. We do not need to fear the evil of men in high places. God vindicates those leaders who follow divine establishment principles. God’s plan took into account all that would happen; He knew all of our politcal things. Our focus should be upon Jesus Christ, Who controls history. We do not need to worry about politics.

Est 1:2 in those days, at the sitting of the king Ahasuerus on the throne of his kingdom, that is in Shushan the palace,

A primitive root; properly to sit down (specifically as judge, in ambush, in quiet); by implication to dwell, to remain; causatively to settle, to marry: - (make to) abide (-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell (-ing), ease self, endure, establish, X fail, habitation, haunt, (make to) inhabit (-ant), make to keep [house], lurking, X marry (-ing), (bring again to) place, remain, return, seat, set (-tle), (down-) sit (-down, still, -ting down, -ting [place] -uate), take, tarry. This means to simply occupy the throne as king in this context.

Ancient warfar often starved people out. The king was in Shushan, the northern (?) Palace. Daniel was here for his visions.

Est 1:3 in the third year of his reign, he hath made a banquet to all his heads and his servants; of the force of Persia and Media, the chiefs and heads of the provinces are before him,

A lavish 6 month party with 1000's of his closest friends in attendance with him. Kings often showed their prowress by the size of their parties. 483 b.c. was the time that he was making plans for his conquests.

You may wonder, who is running the empire. Probably the leaders were rotating in and out.

Est 1:4 in his shewing the wealth of the honour of his kingdom, and the glory of the beauty of his greatness, many days--eighty and a hundred days.

Est 1:5 And at the fulness of these days hath the king made to all the people who are found in Shushan the palace, from great even unto small, a banquet, seven days, in the court of the garden of the house of the king--

He parties for 6 months and then has another 7 day party. The Septuagint is helpful in heping us to know the meaning of the Hebrew. This second party was a drinking party (from whence we get the word potted—so Bobby jokes). This was a party for nobles and commoners and there were only men—no women. It was held in the court, the garden of the king’s citadel. This is where the people would come during times of seige.

Est 1:6 white linen, white cotton, and blue, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on rings of silver, and pillars of marble, couches of gold, and of silver, on a pavement of smaragdus, and white marble, and mother-of-pearl, and black marble--

Blue was the royal color of the Persian kingdom, which might be the word rendered blue.

Est 1:7 and the giving of drink in vessels of gold, and the vessels are divers vessels, and the royal wine is abundant, as a memorial of the king.

Drinks were served in a variety of different containers. Biblical account and the archeological accounts of these kinds of materials match.

Est 1:8 And the drinking is according to law, none is pressing, for so hath the king appointed for every chief one of his house, to do according to the pleasure of man and man.

Saqah is the word for drinking (the Hiphil infinitive); to cause to drink. Heavy drinking was normal activity during this sort of party. This gives us background for v. 9. Dat is the word for law and we only find this word used during the Persian period. The proclamation was that no one had to drink. However, you could drink as much or as little as you preferred. There were no limits. “You could consume mass quantities” if you so desired. There were no limits on the maximum or the minimum. It was an open bar.

Xerxes decides that this party could stand having some women. It was not a very holy thought. This one thought put into motion the circumstances that would save the Jews.

Est 1:9 Also Vashti the queen hath made a banquet for women, in the royal house that the king Ahasuerus hath.

Est 1:9 Queen Vashti also held a banquet for the women at the royal palace of King Xerxes.

6 month party, banquet; but it was also for planning to take over Greece. This was followed by a 7 day banquet. He needed to woo his army and supporters to support him in this plan.

Vashti is a Hebrew word. Vahista is the Persian counterpart. It means the best, the one who is desired. She was a very beautiful woman and one who was desired. Vashti is throwing a quieter party for all of the women. There would have been commoners present as well as VIP’s. This means that the king did not deny to his women what were allowed to men. This separation of sexes was not required, although it probably was a matter of decorum.

Est 1:10 On the seventh day when the king was drunk on wine, he ordered Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who served under King Xerxes,

Bobby’s take—these are thugs from Bulgaria. They had been castrated for the purpose of serving in the harem of the king. This kept them from tampering with the king’s girls. Also, there would be no thoughts of taking the king’s crown and beginning their own dynasty. However, they were still up to intrigue.

Est 1:11 to bring Queen Vashti in front of the king, wearing her royal crown. He wanted to show the people, especially the officials, her beauty, because she was very attractive.

He thinks, why not bring in the women? God’s plan for the deliverance of the Jews began with a small thought in the head of this king. Bring on the wimmen. It is this bawdy thought which will result in God’s plan being fulfilled. The last thing on his mind was fulfilling the plan of God.

Some sorces think that Vashti was to appear with her crown and nothing else on. There is no evidence of that. She is still asked to show up and look beautiful for all of the drunks in town so that Xerxes could show off his wife. Maybe, had he been sober, he might not have done this. It is bad enough to be a fool, but it is worse to expose this to everyone in your kingdom. He may have used the age-old excuse, “I was drunk and I didn’t know what I was doing.” He is responsible to his kingdom and to those to be sober and to know what is going on. The responsibility of leadership is to remain sober. The judgment of the leader is impaired and he makes some very poor decisions. Isa. 32:6 says: Godless fools speak foolishness, and their minds plan evil in order to do ungodly things. They speak falsely about the LORD. They let people go hungry and withhold water from thirsty people.

God is control of history. His plan will be fulfilled regardless of our volition and the volition of anyone else. God’s plan moves forward despite of the volition of every person.

Est 1:12 But Queen Vashti refused the king's command that the eunuchs delivered to her. As a result, the king became very angry, and his rage burned inside him.

The king was fully gapped; however, he was pretty pissed that Vashti didn’t show up. Some pastors launch into marital problems based upon this verse. Can’t wait to point out that she didn’t do her duty to her husband. Eph. 5:22 is quoted to indicate that she should have shown up. Eph. 5:22 has a context. Vashti is a pagan queen who is not subject to the Lord. The husbands also have responsibilities. A wife needs something to respond to. She must have personal and impersonal love. Or the wife will become a reactor—possibly a nuclear reactor. Women are responders. The highest form of love is respect. The husband provides leadership, and this does not necessarily come naturally to the husband. It is growth in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. When the husband fails in leadership, the wife fails in her response.

A growing woman learns patience. Marriage is a two-way street. The man is not to be a bully and the woman is not to be a sarcastic bitch. The woman is to show humility and respect as to the Lord. The husband is to be a leader in their relationship.

If the husband is threatening or violent, then there is no obligation to stay. Allowing yourself to be beat is not being subject to a husband. The term abuse is often abused. Improperly applying this in order to get your way is not just.

There are grey areas in marriage and it takes spiritual growth to deal with them.

In this context, Ahasuerus is making an unreasonable request of his wife. She did not belong there in that all-male party. Nor was it her responsibility to show up to this drunken party. Once he gives the order, he cannot allow himself to be refused. He put himself in a lose-lose situation. He sends out his queen and he announces that his gorgeous wife is going to make an appearance. She flat out refuses. Thousands of male guests will wonder, what kind of a king is this that he cannot rule his own wife? Even in his drunkenness, the king recognizes that he is in a bad situation. When people see this kind of weakness, they begin to think that we need a new king.

1. Vashti is a pagan queen who made a tough decision without any divine viewpoint. This decision was based upon her own standards (which was a good decision).

3. We can make the right decisions with doctrine and we can allow God to handle the consequences.

4. The Lord never lets us down, under any circumstances. This is greater than any human viewpoint solution. What would I do and how would I do it?

5. Vashti had no such comfort as we have through the faith-rest drill. She made a good decision; however, her motivation was “I don’t want to do that.” We have the ability to make these decisions and God can handle the fallout. She didn’t have that to depend upon.

The capture of Sadam Hussein tells us that Jesus Christ controls history. Obviously, the opposition party will find something wrong with what happened.

Vashti made her husband appear to be a fool. So what is the big deal for Vashti to come into this banquet and show herself off as the king’s wife. This saves the king’s face and Vashti does not put herself at risk. She knows that she is putting he king in an impossible situation.

Today, their would be a march; some bombastic rhetoric, and a call to be able to play in the tournament on the king’s golf course.

So, what’s wrong with Vashti that she would make this sort of decision. We don’t know what her motivation was. We have the actions, but nothing else. Bobby will speculate, even though we do not know her actual motivation. There is probably something else going on behind the scenes for this standoff. Maybe Vashti had her own conspiracy going on to topple the king, and it didn’t work out. She probably was right in not coming. She could have simply gone out and compromised. However, she will pay a very steep price for her choice. She had great status before the incident and now she will have none.

1. No matter what decisions are made by our leaders, this should not cause us mental or spiritual difficulties.

2. God will always fulfill His purpose for our lives. Even though this king’s inebriated decisions, God will fulfill His purpose.

Est 1:12b As a result, the king became very angry, and his rage burned inside him.

Xerxes was a man of extremes; he could be quite magnanimous and he could be a complete jerk. When anger took over, he would be difficult to be around.

3. If anger continues and becomes bitterness or vindictiveness, it will act out in some form or retaliation.

4. Anger is always related to being a fool. Ahasuerus is a fool. Do not be eager in your heart to be angry for anger resides in the bosom of fools.

5. Anger turns any person into a fool. Many stupid and embarrassing things are done in anger. You need to isolate that sin of anger and confess it and forget it.

6. Anger will always destroy the function of impersonal love. Anger will destroy relationships. The other person needs a superabundance of impersonal love. An angry person is a lonely person.

7. Anger always overflows to the bystanders. Prov. 29:22. An angry man always stirs up stirfe and a hot-tempered man...

8. The angry nation is destroyed. Xerxes is the angry leader of a nation about to go down. Amos 1:11

9. Anger is associated with grieving the Holy Spirit. Eph. 4:30–31 There are many other mental attitude sins will reside with anger.

10. Anger always hinders effective prayer. I Tim. 2:8 You’re out of fellowship and your prayer won’t be heard. Furthermore, you won’t want to pray for the person that you are angry with.

12. When anger is perpetuated, it is the motivation for many other sins. Don’t let the sun set on your anger.

Ahasuerus commands Vashti a very foolish command and now he can’t be objective in his anger.

Est 1:13 Now, the king usually asked for advice from all the experts in royal decrees and decisions,

Est 1:14 from those closest to him—Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. These seven officials of the Persians and Medes had access to the king and held the highest rank in the kingdom. The king asked these wise men who knew the times,

The king was about to invade Greece and he could not have his authority questioned. His leadership will be suspect if he doesn’t do something in a hurry. He lost the Greek campaign. His leadership lacked something, which is obvious because of this incident. When it was clear that Vashti was not going to show, there was certainly a reaction in that place. There needed to be some royal damage control. King’s of Persia wanted to be seen as superior, distant and godlike, commanding everything around them in their own good way. Only on special occasions did the king or queen show themselves.

This would have ruined the king’s image and ego. This may have been why Vashti didn’t go out; Vashti also was a part of this godlike image and was not going to show under those circumstances. It was not in keeping with her personal status as queen over the kingdom.

Xerxes consults his 7 wise men, who are listed above. Chakam = astrologers, magicians, wise men; men who read the stars. All the ancient courts in the ancient world had men who read the stars. Sometimes these astrologers were demon-possessed—especially those who could accurately predict the future. Sneaky men and political men. Much of their advice simply pandered to the king.

These men were also experts in the laws of the Persians. Xerxes needed to take some king of action against his queen. Calling for the advisors indicate that he at least had a thought. These counselors were often his only connection with the outside world. He greatly depended upon them. Whatever they told him, he pretty much believed. Probably tremendous infighting amongst these men.

Est 1:15 "According to the royal decrees, what must we do with Queen Vashti since she did not obey King Xerxes' command, which the eunuchs delivered?"

Est 1:16 Then Memucan spoke up in the presence of the king and the officials, "Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the officials and all the people in every province of King Xerxes.

Memucan suggests that all women will begin to act in this way. Avah = wrong, crime, Memucan was using this incident to finesse the king into doing what he wants. He suggests that the marital relations of the entire empire are in danger. He is probably henpecked. His advice will end up giving advice that will cause more problems than what we would have had. It makes you wonder how they could have handled an empire.

Est 1:17 The news of what the queen has done will spread to all women, and they will despise their husbands. They will say, 'King Xerxes ordered Queen Vashti to be brought to him, but she would not come.'

Est 1:18 Today the wives of the officials in Persia and Media who have heard what the queen did will talk back to all the king's officials. There will be contempt and short tempers.

Est 1:19 If it pleases you, Your Majesty, issue a royal decree. It should be recorded in the decrees of the Persians and Medes, never to be repealed, that Vashti may never again appear in front of King Xerxes. Furthermore, Your Majesty, you should give her royal position to another woman who is more worthy than she.

Est 1:20 When you issue your decree, your whole kingdom, great as it is, will hear it. Then all the wives will honor their husbands, regardless of their status."

Est 1:21 The king and his officials approved of this, and so the king did as Memucan suggested.

Memucan will totally captivate the completely confused Ahasuerus. This is a study of two fools: Memucan and Ahasuerus.

As a part of a husband’s leadership, he is never to get angry with his wife, no matter how wacky she gets.

We are going to go from Esther 1:16 through 2:4: If these problems continue, this will spell destruction for the entire kingdom, so thinks Memucan. He is worried about the behavior of the king’s wife will cause all the other women to flip out.

Esther 1:16 Then Memucan spoke up in the presence of the king and the officials, "Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the officials and all the people in every province of King Xerxes.

Esther 1:17 The news of what the queen has done will spread to all women, and they will despise their husbands. They will say, 'King Xerxes ordered Queen Vashti to be brought to him, but she would not come.'

Esther 1:18 Today the wives of the officials in Persia and Media who have heard what the queen did will talk back to all the king's officials. There will be contempt and short tempers.

Esther 1:19 If it pleases you, Your Majesty, issue a royal decree. It should be recorded in the decrees of the Persians and Medes, never to be repealed, that Vashti may never again appear in front of King Xerxes. Furthermore, Your Majesty, you should give her royal position to another woman who is more worthy than she.

Esther 1:20 When you issue your decree, your whole kingdom, great as it is, will hear it. Then all the wives will honor their husbands, regardless of their status."

This guy is suffering from pure fantasy. Women are a mystery to him. This edict will have exactly the opposite affect that he wants. He you demand respect and honor, then you are not going to get it.

No respect and no honor would be involved here. True love require free will on both of their parts. The leadership of the husband should never be tyrannical. The husband must have the woman’s best interests in mind. These men are not leaders, and their behavior has gone far beyond their authority.

You have problem solving devices for marriage no marriage is going to be conflict-free. Vasti is gone; she is probably scrubbing floors in the harem. She returns, as history tells us, along with her son Artexerxes. This decree was moronic. This decree did further damage to his reputation. This decree probably had very little influence beyond the palace walls. But this action cleared the way for Esther and Mordecai to step into history.

Esther 1:21 The king and his officials approved of this, and so the king did as Memucan suggested.

Esther 1:22 He sent official documents to all the king's provinces, to each province in its own script and to the people in each province in their own language: "Let every husband be the ruler in his own house and speak with authority."

The king is happy, as are the guys are. The men probably got an earful after this decree. The Persian empire had an excellent postal system. Note, that there is no provision for enforcing this. A good marriage does not require any outside influence, apart from the Word of God.

Esther 2:1 Later, when King Xerxes got over his raging anger, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what had been decided against her.

The king suddenly realizes that he is lost without a wife, so he decides to send out to get a wife. As the king, he can basically do whatever it is that he wants. However, such a man should not be idolized. He is vulnerable to incredible arrogance. A perfect description of Ahasuerus—he cannot reverse his decree. To a fool belongs his folly.

He is saturated with arrogance and he cannot back down; anyone who is led by arrogance. David became arrogant; he rebounded and returned to an attitude of grace. Hoshea and Zedekiah could both have used David’s lesson.

Shakak means has subsided and is used of a flood receding under Noah. It comes in with a roar and slowly recedes, and leaves devastation in its wake. The Hebrew language is very dynamic, very pictural, and very expressive. Even Hebrew names often make word pictures. Then we have zakar, which means to remember, to remember specific past experiences. The king expresses some regret here, and would probably like to have Vasti back. However, because he is the king, he can’t retract his position. Psalm 37:8: Cease from anger and forsake wrath. Do not fret and do not stew; it leads only to evil.

When you listen to doctrine, it becomes wisdom in your soul; and you can deal with problems and complexities. Ahasuerus can blame Vasti, his advisors, his drunkenness; but the fault must be laid at his feet. He made he decision to call for Vasti.

What About Chapter 1? We first learn about Ahasuerus. He is hot tempered. He is easily swayed. He is unstable and unpredictable. Under pressure, he will make the wrong decision. This is a problem for Esther, Mordecai and the Jews as a whole. All of this isa working out of God’s plan. This bring us to chapter 2.

Esther 2:1 Later, when King Xerxes got over his raging anger, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what had been decided against her.

This is sometime after the drunken party and Vasti refusing to obey the king. Shakak = has subsided. The same verb used in Gen. 8:1. A flood devastated the entire area that it inundates. It leaves nothing behind but devastation. This was like Ahasuerus. This describes the effects of anger in general.

Zakar = to remember a specific previous experience. Ahasuerus is no longer enraged; however, even though he recalls the good times with Vasti. If he could have reversed this decision, he would have. There is a hint of regret at this point. He is rash and self-centered. He makes htis decree without thinking much. He must carry it out in order to save face. He realizes that he has made a real mess for himself. He must take responsibility for his own actions. Everything which occurred afterwards is because of him.

Points of Application

1. When you do sometime wrong, takes responsibility for your actions. Do not rationalize them, don’t blame others.

2. It takes humility in order to do this, instead of arrogance.

3. Along with humility goes teachability. They go together. These two together equal grace orientation.

4. This grace orientation is the way of life that God has mandated for us. This is our way of life; this is our attitude in life. If we grow and advance spiritually, we will become humble. You do not have to work at it or strain to get it.

5. With teachability, you can learn from your failures. You won’t blame others and you won’t disassociated from you failures. You learn from your mistakes, and that take humility.

6. Tthe fool has no humility. They continue to go back and forth over the same old bridge of arrogance. If you don’t learn from your mistakes and you continue to have arrogance, you will do this again and again. You need doctrinal orientation as well. The solution is to rebound, metabolize doctrine, and that develops grace orientation, which is teachability.

7. When you utilize these solutions, you may not undo past damages from your failures and past bad decisions. You can recover and you can avert future problems. You need to be able to respond to an outside authority. Genuine authority will follow.

8. This is why grace orientation is such a critical problem solving device. Grace orientationi was a central theme of that book.

Esther 2:2 So the king's personal staff said to him, "Search for attractive young virgins for the king.

Esther 2:3 And appoint scouts in all the provinces of your kingdom to gather all the attractive young virgins and bring them to the fortress of Susa, to the women's quarters. There, in the care of the king's eunuch Hegai, the guardian of the women, they will have their beauty treatment.

Esther 2:4 Then the young woman who pleases you, Your Majesty, will become queen instead of Vashti." The king liked the suggestion, and so he did just that.

This advisors want to make certain that Vasti does not return. They cook up this scheme of a beauty contest. This idea pleases the king. He is about to be the only judge at the Miss Universe contest; he will keep the winner as well as all the runners up.

Ahasuerus is a confused, unhappy man. He is manipulated by those around him. In short, he is pretty much like us. There is a major difference. We have resources from doctrine that he does not have and never will. We can overcome the pitfalls which trapped Ahasuerus. If he made better choices, he would not have had these problems. He had nothing that he could do apart from damage control.

6 Resources for Us

1. We have rebound, the filling of the Holy Spirit, and Bible doctrine that we can metabolize. These are the 3 power skills.

2. You can have humility and teachability.

3. With these two, we can have the clarity and wisdom of epignosis doctrine in the soul. Clarity means that we can see ourselves as we really are. Not hazy, not through a fog; we can see what we are and who we are. In arrogance, we must overlook all of our flaws in order to operate in this life. Seeing yourself in the light of doctrine tells you that you can do nothing to improve your lot. You see yourself more and more clearly. Your arrogance begins to fade and you are able to solve your problems. Arrogance tells you that you are dependent upon yourself, and you will only go as far as your flaws will take you. You will discover yourself if you see yourself in the light of doctrine.

4. Once you have grace orientation, then you can also have true spiritual self esteem. When you recognize your flaws, and that Jesus has done something about them, then you can actually do something about them. God has done everything for us. This is a resource that we have to crawl out of the hole that we made for yourself.

5. Then we can have personal love for God and impersonal love for others. As we begin to love Him, we see others in the light of the Word of God. The first leads to the second. You need to be able to tolerate the faults of others. When you recognize your own faults, you can accept them in others.

Ahasuerus has none of these things, so he has no way out of the hole that he dug for himself. Many of us do that; escape from one problem and fall into another. For us, confusion about life and problems in life can be steadily reduced by these problem solving devices. Wehn you live at the discretion of divine viewpoint, you do not have to live on the discretions of human viewpoint. Anxiety steadily fades away. It can be continually reduced in our life. This puts us many steps ahead of Ahasuerus. And he is a king and rules an empire; yet we have much more than this man who has everything.

Points to Get Us Back into the Narrative

1. As we get deeper into this narrative, we find a maze of human helplessness.

2. In this narrative, we will see every combination of craftiness, conspiracy, double-dealing idiocy and .

3. Through it all an in spite of every roadblock, the plan of God is constantly in motion. Don’t focus on evil; focus on God’s plan. God’s plan doesn’t stop because you are in the middle of a problem.

4. Always consider the principle of Jesus Christ controlling history.

a. Direct control of history through His divine essence. Noah’s flood. This preserved Noah and his family and destroys the half breeds. This was the attempt to pollute the human race genetically. Destruction of the 185,000 Assyrians. The Jews woke up and 185,000 of their enemies who were killed. The Red Sea is an example. These are all Old Testament illustrations. The 1^st advent of Jesus Christ, is the greatest direct involvement of God. This is the center of history. The 2^nd advent. Today, God still intervenes directly. However, we are rarely cognizant of it. The canon was closed in 96 a.d.; however, we do not know what that intervention is.

b. Indirect control of history through the Laws of Divine Establishment. Once man acquired a sin nature, man would have the power to destroy himself and history. To preserve man during this rebuttal phase. When man observes these laws, the old sin nature is restained. This explains good in a fallen world. Volition, marriage, family and nation. All of these has systems of authority. Each institution as it is fulfilled has a bearing on the history of the world.

c. Permissive control. God permists human volition to function during the angelic conflict. Man’s decisions have an affect on the course of history as well. All of these things work together at the same time and affect the course of history.

If we focus on the theme of Jesus Christ controlling history and evaluate this book from that perspective, then we can also learn to evaluate the events of our own life from this same perspective. Why are these things happening in my life? Some ask this frequently. Then we need to ask, how do thees circumstances connect with the plan of God. If you can ask yourself these two questions, you can begin to see yourself in the light of the plan of God. This is the first step in realizing that the plan of God is working in spite of our problems. We know all of these events have a purpose. Sooner or later, if we trust in the plan of God and we know His plan is working for us, sooner or later, we will see the big result. You need to get to this point first.

This is a Sunday. This evil of mankind is this doctrine of total depravity, which we will study another time. This is a working out of God’s plan at a particular time for a particular people in a particular place. Jesus Christ controls history, in spite of all we do.

How Jesus Christ Controls History

1. Direct control of history—the flood of Noah. The Nephalim were half-men and half-angels. God preserved an indisputably human descent. This fully human aspect of Christ’s character was necessary. Proto-evangel is the first place the gospel is given (Gen. 3:15). There are several pronouns in this verse, so Bobby assigns them correctly. Satan’s seed refers to him and to his kingdom of darkness, along with all those who serve him. Crushing the heel is not a mortal blow, but it hurts tremendously. This is the first time salvation is presented in Scripture. God must fulfill His promise to Adam. If Satan can destroy the human race or if he can destroy the Jewish race, then Satan is again the victor. This is why the Jews are so persecuted and why they are so central and important to history.

2. Secondly, through the laws of divine establishment. Obedience to these laws is one reason that there is good in the world. In keeping these laws, man has a hand in perpetuating human history and affecting it for the better.

3. God’s permissive control, where He allows human volition to function in the angelic conflict. The sovereignty of God and the free will of men coexist in history. Believers and unbelievers can make good decisions, and these good decisions further the plan of God in history. Even their bad decisions can be overcome by the plan of God. Our volition is truly free and our volition has a bearing on the plan of God. Each of these methods is found in the book of Esther.

As we examine the book of Esther and her circumstances in the light of the plan and Word of God, we will also make those same evaluations for our own life and circumstances. You may not understand immediately the invidividual events as they occur in our life, but if we continue to apply, we will realize that these events have a purpose, even if these events are grim and horrible. There is a reason for everything that happens in our life. The more you can think in this way, the more you can discern the trends of history and your place in the plan of God. Bobby is not teaching the book of Esther so that we can enjoy a good Bible story or to find out what happens next in the book of Esther—will she be untied from the railroad tracks before the train comes? This does, by the way, describe her life. Week after week, we put divine viewpoint in our soul. You must have practice to play well, in sports. Practice to playing ratio should be 10 hours of practice to one hour of play. You must repeat over and over again. Mechanics, plays, moves must all be done over and over again; so that we can do these things in our sleep. It is the same in our spiritual life. If we practice enough, we will be able to play in the spiritual game. We practice in Bible class to get the doctrine we need, so that it becomes second nature to us. When you face a situation where you need it, application is second nature to us. Sooner or later, with practice, we should be able to recognize what is happening around us. In order to analyze contemporary history, we must recognize how any situation relates to the plan of God; what does it mean. In Esther, we have the answer. Practice your spiritual skills and soon you will be able to apply them in the game of life. When we understand that Jesus Christ controls history, including our own history, 3 things will happen: (1) we can evaluate the trends of history in the light of the plan of God; (2) we will have a perspective unavailable to 99.9% of the world. (3) We have a source of comfort and wisdom beyond the comprehension of those who do not have it. When people observe this in you, people wonder, where do they get that strength and ability to endure?

Esther 2:5 In Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite

Mordecai comes from Marduk, which is an Akkadian name. Mardukai was a high ranking official during the time of Ahasuerus. Marduk is the chief god of the Babylonian pantheon. What did this Jew have a name like this? Idolatrous names came from this time period. They did this to protect themselves. They were given a Hebrew name and a Babylonian name. Anywhere we have Jews, we have Jews who immerse themselves in the culture of their surroundings, in order to blend in. They are less conspicuous; they can’t be found and persecuted as easily. This is why Mordecai had his name; it helped him blend into this culture and society.

Satan’s objective is to wipe out the Jews. No believer in Jesus Christ should ever be involved in any form of anti-Semitism. We should never ever be anti Semitic. If you harbor anti-Semitic feelings, get out of Berachah.

It is God’s promise to these people which protect them. They can run, but they cannot hide from Satan and his unholy minions. They cannot depend upon their own devices. They must depend upon the Lord for their deliverance. This is read during the feast of Purim year after year after year, and they do not see it. God still protects His people, even though most of them have rejected the Messiah. Even though they are faithless, God has a plan for Israel. Jesus Christ will rule over Israel or a literal 1000 years and we will rule with Him. In our era, all believers are a part of the church, not Israel. The Church and Israel are two separate entities. Israel has been temporarily set aside. They are not a client nation today. However, as a people, they are protected forever under the anti-Semitic clause in Genesis.

586–444 b.c. there was no client nation. The return to Jerusalem returned the client nation status to Israel. By allowing this reestablishment of the client nation, the Persian empire were supporting the Jews, and this brought them great prosperity for over 100 years. Ahasuerus was blessed, and all he wanted was a more obedient wife.

Esther 2:6 who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away.

Esther 2:7 And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter. For she had neither father nor mother, and the young woman was fair and beautiful, whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.

Esther 2:8 And it happened when the king's command and his order was heard, and when many young women had been gathered to Shushan the palace, into the hand of Hegai, Esther was also brought to the king's house, into the hand of Hegai, keeper of the women.

Esther 2:9 And the young woman pleased him, and she received kindness from him. And he quickly gave to her purifiers and her portion. And seven young women who were fit to be given her, out of the king's house. And he moved her and her servant women to the best place in the house of the women.

I took notes on this twice? Once when it happened and later when I was catching up.

There is a spiritual message which goes along with the book of Esther. Man has no more ability to free himself from his tendency to do evil than he could even save himself from his own sins. In the book of Esther, we see how God takes up the slack for our shortcomings. We will look at man’s complete depravity on another day. Christ controls history, despite everything that man attempts to do to mess it up.

This is not simply a nice Bible study for us to have. There will be application and practice in order the function in varying circumstances. Practice to playing should be 10 hours of practice to 1 hour of playing. This plays must be those that can be done in your sleep. Without practice, you will be a loser. In the spiritual life, there is practice as well. In Bible class, we learn the various spiritual skills. When we practice continually, then our actions become second nature. One question must be kept in mind: how does any situation apply to the plan of God. When doing this ourselves, we don’t always have the answer.

Christ controlled history during the time of Esther just as He controls history today. When we recognize this, three things will happen: (1) You can evaluate the trends of history in the light of the Word of God and you can see the plan of God through history and through your own life. (2) You can have a perspective unavailable to 99.9% of the world. (3) You have a source of comfort and wisdom which is beyond the comprehension of others. You can solve your own problems and you will have comfort and wisdom that others do not have. When you have these things, you are a beacon of light to others; you are a witness for Jesus Christ.

Esther is a star, in the sense of a movie star. She is attractive and charismatic. Mordecai is her cousin and he took her as his own daughter.

Est 2:5 In the fortress of Susa there was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai. He was the son of Jair, the grandson of Shimei, and the great-grandson of Kish.

Marduk is the Jewish equivalent to Mordecai and his name is found on a stone or something from the time of Ahasuerus. What was he doing with this idolater name. It was common practice for a person to be given a Persian and a Jewish name. They are less conspicuous when they adopt names and customs of the country where they are.

All Jewish persecution of history is ultimately the plan of Satan. No believer should every be involved in any form of anti-Semitism. Therefore, no matter how much the Jews try to blend in, Satan knows who they are and he will attack them.

It is God’s promise to Abram which protects the Jews. Their only salvation is the promise that God made to Abraham in Gen. 12:1–10. Even though the book of Esther is read every year at the Feast of Purim, they miss this point year after year. Even though they are faithless, God has a plan to protect them. In the Church Age, all believers are a part of the Church. The Church is not spiritualized Israel. There will never be a time when God’s promises to the Jews are not in effect. No matter what they may try, their true security is in the promise of God. Similarly, our only salvation is what God has promised us.

From 586–444 b.c., there was no client nation Israel, as they had been kicked out of the Land of Promise. The client nation was re-established at a later date. The Persian empire, by allowing this, supported the Jews, and they received blessing for about 100 years.

Hadassah is Hebrew for Myrtle. V. 5 is the first mention of Mordecai and is one spelling of Marduk, who is like Zeus in the Greek pantheon. Mordecai = Marduk - ay - a. It is important to document these things, as the book of Esther is questioned with regards to its historicity. Customarily, Jews took two names, which began in the Babylonian captivity. They did so for protection and self-preservation. Wherever the Jews were distributed in the world, they were hated and persecuted. It is Satan’s objective to exterminate the Jews, which is because of God’s promise to Abraham. Gen. 12:3: “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.” If these were not God’s people, then Satan would not be so interested in them. The Jews would be God’s people forever. The Messiah would come through Abraham. Satan, of course, did not want Christ to appear. The incarnation means that Satan loses the angelic conflict strategically. If there are no Jews, then Christ could not be born into the Jewish line. Since Christ has come, Satan failed in this first attempt. However, he continues to attempt to exterminate the Jews. The Jews are also promised to be God’s people forever. In order to have this kingdom, you must have Jews for Christ to return to and use to set up the Millennial kingdom.

Today is the time of Satan’s desperation. He becomes more and more desperate to destroy the Jews as time goes on. His desperation will culminate in the tribulation. He will pull out all the stops to kill the Jews. There is no place that the Jews can hide from Satan and there are no ruses that the Jews can do in order to deliver themselves from his horrible persecution. Nothing seems to work against anti-Semitism.

Another problem for the Jews is the fact that so many of them have rejected Christ as Savior. This keeps them under the 5^th cycle of discipline. God is waiting for Jews to look to Him and depend upon Him for their security. Many Jews do not even believe in a Messiah anymore. Some feel that is simply a myth which came out of that sort of culture. There are many other Jews who do not even consider theological issues. There are a few who still believe in a future advent of the Messiah; however, they do not realize Who He is. Those still expect to put the crown before the cross. They want the promised kingdom, but they will never have it apart from the cross. The last great inauguration into the kingdom will be at the end of the Great Tribulation.

Even though there is a Jewish nation today, it is not a client nation to God. No matter where the Jews reside, God will never forget the Jew.

Mordecai will not come across very well in the early narrative. First, what is he doing staying in Persia, when he had the option to return to the land where Zerubbabel already was? Why did he remain in Persia? Persian was not the Land of Promise. Only about 50,000 Jews actually returned with Zerubbabel; when Ezra went back, 2000 went with him. Even fewer returned a few years later with Nehemiah when he returned to build the walls. This is a pitiful population. God gave a party and no one showed up. A large number of Jews stayed in Persia. Why didn’t they return? They had made a life for themselves in Persia. They had been in Persia for 100 years and they were prospering and they had assimilated themselves in Persian society. Most of them didn’t know the land. Why uproot from a place where they are successful and pick up and go to another land where they have to start from scratch.

Abraham by faith did what God asked him to do, even though he was very wealthy in Ur of the Chaldeans. The rest decided not to go along. This does not make them unbelievers, but it makes them men of little faith. The Jews who stayed in Persia were not in God’ geographical will. Abraham was prosperous in Ur but he enjoyed even greater prosperity in the Land of Promise. The Jews had taken, as Lot did, what they believed to be the most desirable ground. They felt that they made the right choice. Lot ended up in Sodom and Gomorrah. His own wife was turned into a pillar of salt (which could have been good or bad). Because of the faithlessness of Esther and Mordecai, they will face a Jewish massacre. Pogrom—a collection and massacre of Jews, which is repeated in history. We must always provide a place for the Jews if we expect to continue being blessed as a nation. When they no longer find safe haven in the United States, you can bet that the time of the United States will be over.

Application: If God protects the Jews, he will protect us, believers in Jesus Christ. We still have an option to grow or to not.

Mordecai won’t come off very well in the harem situation either. He tells Esther to keep her identity secret. This was his way of trying to protect her and keep her from being persecuted. However, there was no real threat to the Jews at this time. It is kind of odd that Mordecai would say this to her. By not saying that she is a Jew, this almost guaranteed that Esther would be a part of the harem. She probably would have been overlooked. However, her beauty put her into the harem, which being a Jew may have kept her out of. God will use this situation to deliver these two people. God protects these people despite their own stupid choices and despite the plots of evil men.

Daniel lived about 100 years prior to this. Daniel refused to do what his captors asked; he would not eat meat offered to idols. Daniel was rising in the state department; however, his enemies noticed that he prayed to a different God than did they. That was also a place where he was attacked. Mordecai does not compare well to Daniel. The Mosaic Law states that (Deut. 7:1–4) Jews should not intermarry with unbelievers. Ezra 9:1–4 and Neh. 10 also warn against these mixed marriages. A downfall of Israel is when they intermarry with heathen. Sex and marriage was exactly the reason for the inclusion of Esther in the harem. They were there to have sex with the king. Mordecai sent Esther to the harem for this reason. She was a beautiful woman; however, this was not an excuse. Mordecai does not put up any sort of protEsther He doesn’t suggest to her to tell them that she is Jewish. Mordecai is accused of having an ambition of promotion within the Persian empire by offering his cousin Esther into the harem. They will acquit themselves well as this story progresses. This tells us that there is a chance for us to recover and grow. We can remain in our failures as long as we want; however, it is better to acquit ourselves well, as Esther and Mordecai will.

Esther 2:6 (Kish had been taken captive from Jerusalem together with the others who had gone into exile along with Judah's King Jehoiakin, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried away.)

Mordecai couldn’t be the antecedent for who in v. 6. This would make Mordecai about 120 years old and Esther 100 or so. 605 b.c. Neb took Daniel and a number of men to keep the Jews in line. Neb went back and took Jeconiah and put out his eyes and took him back as prison (597 b.c.). Kish is the like antecedent for who because in the Hebrew, the nearest noun would be who whom refers back to.

Mordecai should get some credit for raising an orphaned member of his family. Mordecai is also from the tribe of Benjamin. There is a great link between Saul and Mordecai and this provides the reason why Hamen hates the Jews so much.

Mordecai was outside of God’s geographical will. He helped Esther violate the marriage requirements, helping her to get set up in the harem. Asher is the relative pronoun who which begins v. 6 cannot refer back to Mordecai, as he would have been about 120 years old. If the person to whom this refers is Kish, then he is Mordecai’s great grandfather, and the ages all make sense. In Hebrew, the noun closest to the relative pronoun is generally the one to whom the relative pronoun refers to.

Haman means to confirm, to support, to bring up. Mordecai supported and raised Esther after the death of her parents. Mordecai does deserve some credit for taking care of Esther. Mordecai was from the tribe of Benjamin. All of this family was from the tribe of Benjamin. There is a connection between Haman and the tribe of Benjamin. I Sam. 15:3, Saul was supposed to destroy all of the Amalekites—men, women and children. They attacked Israel without provocation in Ex. 17 as they traveled to the Land of Promise.

Saul spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites. Saul began to rationalize, and decided to spare the livestock. When you begin to rationalize the mandates of God, you get into trouble. Saul’s mistake will have a bearing to the time of Esther. It should make you realize how closely you should pay attention to the mandates of Bible doctrine. Doctrine is always connected to the plan of God for our life.

Samuel partially finished Saul’s job and hacked Agag to pieces. Samuel did this before the Lord, which means that he had the approval of God. Skeptics deduce from passages like this that Yahweh was bloodthirsty. Yahweh is a pronunciation of the sacred tetragrammatan. YHWH. It appears without vowel points; and the vowel points from Adonai are added. Chamats and a segol are added: Yahweh is the best guess by scholars as to how the vowel points work. The word is considered so sacred, that it is never pronounced in a synagogue. Instead, they substitute the name Adonai. This is found throughout most of the Old Testament. This tetragrammaton came from the verb hayah, which is the verb to be. The sacred tetragrammaton is constructed from the verb to be. Ex. 3:14 helps us with the explanation. The bush continually burned. Moses turned aside to see this great sight. Moses is told to remove his shoes because he is on holy or sacred ground. Moses asked God, “What is Your name?” “I am that I am.” Absolute existence. Hayah havah, which is combined to make YHWH. This was the first time that we are aware that God make His name known to man. Whenever God appeared, this was Jesus Christ appearing (most of the time). A theophany was always Jesus Christ. God has told Saul to wipe out all of the Amalekites. Skeptics supposedly see Jesus as being in opposition to this Old Testament God. Jesus came as the Prince of Peace, as He came to reconcile God and man. This is a reference to His work on the cross. During the first advent, Jesus was not a conquering king, which is what the jews expected. Jesus was in His 1^st advent the suffering servant. Isa. 53:5–6: He was wounded for our rebellious acts. He was crushed for our sins. He was punished so that we could have peace, and we received healing from his wounds. We have all strayed like sheep. Each one of us has turned to go his own way, and the LORD has laid all our sins on him. In the 2^nd advent, things will get bloody. He will wipe out several million men. The blood will run as high as the horse’s bridle. Jesus is a God of judgment and a God of love. He is also a God of justice, righteousness and judgment. If the attribute of love is isolated, then the cross is not needed. However, all of those attributes belong to our Lord.

The Amalekites were vicious foes of Israel. So the annihilation order of Saul demonstrates just how serious the consequences are of trying to annihilate Israel. God takes attacks upon the Jews as seriously as a parent takes a threat of one of their children. In World War II, we spilled innocent blood in order to defeat Germany. Any nation which attempts to kill the Jews faces the consequences of God’s wrath, which we in part exercised. This should help to explain why God told Saul to wipe out all of the Amalekites. They had to be destroyed, because God told Saul to do it. God always keeps His promise and this sort of judgment is for the protection of Israel. We are also under the umbrella of God’s protection. This does not mean that all of our enemies will be killed off.

Haman was descended from Agag; or, this could be considered to be Agag’s people. Saul’s failure went on for another 600 years. Haman is an Amalekite. This is an old war which God declared a long time ago. This seems almost like a made up story, as this story is so tight. Everything fits together so well. But there is no reason that we should doubt God’s ability to fit a story together. There are always recurring threads and themes throughout the history of Israel. God graciously gives Israel chance after chance.

Reform or covenant theology no longer sees the racial Jews as the recipients of God’s covenant; we are seen as the recipients of God’s covenant with Abraham. God did not promise to make Abraham a great nation and then revoke it and transfer this promise to someone else. This theology impugns the immutability of God. We, as believers, have been promised eternal life. God did not tell the Jews, “You guys have screwed up so much that you will never have a part in my plan.” The anti-Semitism clause does not only apply to believing Jews. The whole race falls under this clause (only believing Jews will enter into His kingdom). No racial distinction anymore in the church. Today, there are neither Jew nor Greek.

Specials Within the Book of Esther
Mother’s Day for May 9, 2004	Jim Meyers, a missionary from the Ukraine	4th of July Special