Sonship Women’s Bible Study & Fellowship

The Book of Esther - Chapter 7 September 3, 2016

DIVINE JUSTICE

Welcome back, sisters! We are now in our Fall 2016 – Summer 2017 season. As I announced at Service, we will be adding three Saturday studies. We will have them on the 3rd Saturday of the month every 3 months. Check the Bulletin for the next date. Before we pick up our study at Chapter 7, let’s refresh some of what we learned from the Book of Esther: Major Theme The book of Esther reads like a novel and is full of great spiritual lessons. The greatest lesson is that God protects and provides for His people. Though God is not directly mentioned by name in the book of Esther,

His presence fills the pages. The circumstances that occur in the book of Esther were not the result of chance,

but of God’s grand design. God is sovereign over every area of life. He may not always do things in the way we think He should,

but the book of Esther shows that He is in control even when we don’t see Him.

Background & Setting The events in the book of Esther occurred: While Persia was in power

[before the Greeks and then the Romans came into power].

More than a century after the Babylonian captivity -

The Babylonian captivity (or Babylonian exile) is the 70-year period in Jewish history during which a number of the Jews of the ancient southern kingdom of Judah were taken captive by the evil King Nebuchadnezzar and exiled to Babylon (modern day Iraq) and other foreign lands.

Then, Cyrus the Great, the King of Persia, defeated and captured Babylon.

Cyrus allowed the Jews who were exiled in Babylon to return to their homeland.

Cyrus was not a Jew but God used him to bless His people and fulfill His own promise!

The return of the exiled Jews was a gradual process rather than a single event. And, there were a large number who didn’t return to Judah.

They settled all through the Persian Empire, and multiplied.

This leads me to our main characters in the Book. The book is named for a young Jewish girl, Esther. Esther’s parents were killed when she was very young and

she was adopted and raised by her older cousin, Mordecai. (Esther 2:7) Esther and Mordecai were born in Babylon. Their ancestors were part of the Jewish community that were exiled to Babylon. Esther was not her Jewish name.

Her name in Hebrew is Hadassah.

It was customary for the Jews in exile in foreign lands to be given foreign names. We know from Scripture that at some point she was renamed Esther (Esther 2:7). [The Scriptures don't say - but one writer has speculated that Hadassah may have taken the Persian name Esther when she was taken to the palace into the king’s harem because she didn’t want to make her Jewish heritage known because of anti-Semitism (Esther 2:10).]

Esther and Mordecai, along with many other Jews, seemed content to stay in exile in the fallen Babylon - now, Persia. The story is set in a palace in Susa (or Shushan),

the capital of Persia,

during the first half of the reign of Persia’s King Ahasuerus (reigned: 486-465 BC) better known by his Greek name, Xerxes, He was King Cyrus’ grandson. He ruled over 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia (app. 50 million people)

Esther grew up in Persia,

residing in Susa with Mordecai.

The book was written several decades after Xerxes’s reign, around 400 B.C.

[Esther 10:2 speaks as though Xerxes’s reign has been completed.]

SUMMARY of Chapters 1-6 Chapter 1 Through a series of God-ordained events,

Vashti, the queen of Persia,

was deposed after defying the king, Xerxes. The search for a new queen began. Chapter 2 All the beautiful young virgins were gathered in for the search. They were forced to enter the king’s harem and

participate in a contest to choose a new queen. Esther was among them. She was 14 years old. It was not known to the Persian leaders that Esther was a Jew.

With no rights and little access to the king, it was better for Esther at this time not to reveal her identity. Though it is our responsibility to identify ourselves as Christians, at times it’s wiser to keep quiet until it is the right time to be heard. But we can always let people see the difference God makes in our lives. (LAB)

Esther was chosen to become the successor to Vashti.

God placed Esther on the throne even before the Jews faced the possibility of complete destruction, so that when trouble came, a person would already be in a position to help. No human effort could thwart God’s plan to send the Messiah to earth as a Jew! (LAB)

A seemingly insignificant story appears in the last few verses of chapter 2.

Mordecai learned of a plot to harm the king. He informed the new queen who then passed the news along to the authorities. The men involved in the plot were hanged. This becomes important in the middle of the story (chapter 6).

Chapter 3 One of the chief servants of King Xerxes was Haman, an Agagite, enemy of the Jews. Haman was an extremely proud and arrogant man

who demanded obedience and worship from those under him. However, when the king ordered all men to bow to Haman,

Mordecai refused.

He did what was right based on his faith in God. He had the courage to stand alone. Doing right might put you in the minority, but to obey God is more important than to obey people. (LAB)

This infuriated Haman.

Haman’s anger was not only directed toward Mordecai, but toward the Jews’ dedication to God as the only authority worthy of reverence. (LAB)

He convinced the king to pass a law for genocide of the Jewish race. Neither Haman nor the king suspected that the new law would affect Queen Esther. Chapter 4 Mordecai and the Jews began to mourn and fast. They knew their time was limited.

Mordecai mourned in sackcloth and ashes. He refused to accept the clothing that Queen Esther sent to him.

(She had apparently been shielded from the news of the coming destruction.) When she sent a servant to find out from Mordecai what the trouble was,

he returned with the news of the decree.

Mordecai asked that Esther go into the presence of the king

to plead for the Hebrew nation. Esther told him that she could not speak with the king without an appointment.

An attempt to do so could result in death. Mordecai said that Esther would not escape from the death sentence

even though she was queen. He proposed that Esther may have been chosen as queen for

such a time as this

to be a champion for her people. With great fear and resolve, Esther determined to approach the king. She asked that her people pray and fast for her over the following three days:

Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish. (Emphasis added) (Esther 4:16)

Note: Though Esther’s reply does not mention prayer, it was traditionally a part of any Jewish fast. In the OT, prayer always accompanies fasting.

Though Esther was queen and shared some of the king’s power and wealth, she knew she needed God’s protection and wisdom. (LAB)

Chapter 5 Esther worked up enough courage to approach the king. Xerxes accepted her into his presence and asked what her request was. She invited both the king

and Haman - to reveal his wickedness – to her house for a meal and she would tell her request at that time.

When the two guests arrived Esther invited them for a meal once again the next day. Haman was filled with pride at the thought of being invited twice to Queen Esther’s house. However, between those two occasions, Haman met Mordecai in the streets. Mordecai still refused to bow before Haman. This enraged wicked Haman and he did not want to wait for the decree to eliminate Mordecai. He ordered a special gallows to be built so that he could have Mordecai hanged the next day. Chapter 6 King Xerxes could not sleep that night. He requested that someone read to him the history of his reign. The story of how Mordecai stopped the plot against the king (from chapter 2) was read to him.

This seems coincidental, but God is always at work -sometimes behind the scenes. Xerxes realized that he had never publicly thanked Mordecai for the work he did to protect the king.

God was saving Mordecai’s reward for the right time. (LAB)

That same night, Haman came to visit the king to get his blessing on Haman’s plans to hang Mordecai the next day. Before Haman could tell why he was at the king’s house so late, King Xerxes asked Haman what the king should do for a man that he wanted to honor. Thinking that the king wanted to honor him,

Haman thought up an elaborate parade which included the honoree riding the king’s horse through town while wearing the king’s robe and crown.

Imagine Haman’s surprise when the king said that

Haman should make all the arrangements to honor Mordecai in the way Haman proposed.

Haman was mortified and furious as he led Mordecai through the streets. But he could not stay angry very long before it was time to

return to Queen Esther’s house for the second banquet with the king and queen.

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Chapter 7 DIVINE JUSTICE1

Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the LORD that a man gets justice. - Proverbs 29:26 Our trust for justice to be done is not found in man, but in God.

1IamlargelyfollowingtheexcellentformatoftheHolmanOldTestamentCommentary,asnotedinmoredetailintheBibliographyherein.

Haman had no idea of what was coming. He probably regained his calm as he was taken back to the palace. But, he was in for another horrifying surprise when

Esther revealed him as the man responsible

for plotting against her life and all the Jewish people!

READ CHAPTER 7 I. COMMENTARY Main Idea: Violence begets violence, and evil intentions turn back on themselves, resulting in ruin or destruction. A. Accusation (vv. 1-6) Supporting Idea: Esther’s well-calculated plan comes to a climax with the revelation of Haman’s evil and violence. vv. 1-2 The eunuchs hustled Haman away from his home to dine with the king and queen. Mordecai, who had public recognition for a day, was now back at the gate. Haman was dining with the royal couple…again. The three relaxed around the wine course of the banquet. As he had done the previous day, the king, using court etiquette, asked Esther,

What is your wish?... What is your request? v. 3 This time, Esther came right to the point.

If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request.

She identified herself with the Jews.

She placed herself at great risk in that moment of solidarity with her people

since she didn’t know what the king would do.

v. 4 Esther reveals that Xerxes had been tricked into

ordering the death of the queen. But, she carefully worded her explanation in the passive voice,

avoiding direct reference to the king: For we have been sold

(Refers back to Haman’s bribe in 3:9 [read]. Haman had “bought” the king’s agreement to his plan.)

I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated.

(Esther used the exact language of the edict in 3:13.)

Then she uses an exaggerated comparison to appeal to the king’s self-interest.

“The compensation our adversary [Haman] offers cannot be compared with the loss the king would suffer.” (NIV) If he were to make the Jews his slaves, he would at least have their free labor. By killing them, he will lose a valuable asset.

v. 5 Xerxes couldn’t believe what he was hearing. To threaten the queen’s life was the height of treason! He is outraged and wants to know who has done such a thing. The telling sign in this verse is that Esther’s Jewish identity is not known;

for if it had been known, the king might have known that Haman was responsible.

Haman’s mind must have been reeling.

Surely the queen was not a Jew, was she? How could he have missed such an important detail? He didn’t have long to think about his huge blunder…

v. 6 Esther’s answer was short and exact. By announcing Haman as the guilty person, she revealed her Jewishness. Her plan unfolded as she had hoped and prayed. As for Haman – his honor was quickly turned to humiliation, and then to horror.

His plot and his lies had been uncovered.

He knew he was doomed.

B. The Verdict (7:7-10) Supporting Idea: After a life devoted to selfish interests and the accumulation of wealth and prestige, Haman’s ruin was swift and complete. v. 7 Esther’s revelation of Haman’s plot threw Xerxes into a rage. He stormed out into the palace garden. He must have remembered the empire-wide decree

that Haman had convinced him to authorize a few months earlier. He had been swayed at the time based on Haman’s misrepresentation

of the Jewish people as a potential threat to the empire. Now the king realized he had been tricked into making a decree

that meant the death of his own queen. This time, there were no counselors to consult.

His most trusted advisor was the source of his anger. He had to make a decision on his own. He probably wanted to compose himself and consider his options.

Haman, on the other hand, had a clear picture of the doom he faced.

v. 8 In his panic, Haman broke all court protocols:

He threw himself before the queen pleading for mercy.

No men, other than assigned eunuchs and kings, were to come within 7 paces of harem women.

Esther was reclining at the table; Haman probably kneeled with his hands or arms on the couch, as depicted in the painting below, or grabbed her feet, kissed them and begged for forgiveness - all customary in certain cultures.

Ironically, his journey from hatred to violence began when a Jew wouldn’t bow down to him.

Now, with his own life on the line, he groveled before a Jew.

Xerxes returns from the garden and misinterprets Haman’s action and

accuses him of attacking the queen. He pronounced the decree to execute Haman. A veil was placed over the face of someone condemned to death

because Persian kings refused to look upon their face.

v. 9 The king’s attendants told him of the gallows Haman had built to execute Mordecai.

(It seems the servants knew more than those at the top.)

(The gallows Haman built towered above the city.) And they provided Xerxes another reason to execute Haman:

Haman had intended to kill someone who had saved the king’s life. v. 10 With this information, Xerxes needed no more evidence. With a word from the king,

Haman was condemned to execution on the death instrument he had built for Mordecai. It was the final irony.

The evil that Haman planned for his enemy fell on him.

It was the ultimate expression of justice.

What happened to Haman shows the often violent results of setting any kind of trap for others. It is a good reminder that the Lord sees all and will one day make everything right. The story isn’t over though.... With Haman’s death, the king’s fury subsided. But the order of annihilation that Haman had put into effect is still intact. More is at stake here than just Mordecai’s life or the King’s honor;

also at stake are the lives of all of the Jews in the Persian Empire.

Xerxes appeared unaware of the unresolved issues he faced. To be continued in our study of Chapter 8 in October.

Main Idea Review: Violence begets violence, and evil intentions turn back on themselves, resulting in ruin or destruction. II. CONCLUSION MYOPIA (Nearsightedness)

Haman is dead, and Xerxes was appeased.

The exposure of Haman’s plots were viewed through Xerxes’s ego. Even the threat to his Jewish queen Esther was seen as an attack on the king’s honor. And Haman’s begging for mercy was seen as violence against the king. All the events were reinterpreted by Xerxes as direct assaults on him.

He had no vision for the effect on others or

the greater catastrophe that still hung over the Jews. This is pride. Once pride gains control,

the light of understanding diminishes. It becomes difficult to see another viewpoint or to comprehend someone else’s feelings or concerns. Pride eclipses everything outside its single concern for self.

Our impatience, our disinterest, our irritation, our jealousy (a feeling of entitlement)

our prejudice (considering ourselves better than others) our control issues, and a bunch of other unbecoming habits can be traced back to a devilish pride that haunts the human condition.

Both Haman and Xerxes epitomized the

self-focused,

self-indulgent life – nearsighted and hopelessly narrow.

They exhibited uninhibited pride. Principles What principles have we seen in this Chapter?

• God responds to the prayers of the righteous. “We labor as if all depended on us, and then fall back on the Lord with the calm faith which knows that all depends on Him.” (C.Spurgeon) Esther and Mordecai had to wait for God to act in their favor through the king.

• Evil eventually comes back upon itself.

The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Ps. 9:15-16 My enemies have set a trap for me. I am weary from distress. They have dug a deep pit in my path, but they themselves have fallen into it. Ps. 57:6 (NLT) Whoever digs a pit will fall into it. Proverbs 26:27

• Violence creates more violence.

• Timely spoken truth has great power.

• Pride destroys the prideful as well as others. III. LIFE APPLICATION

It is the nature of a seed to reproduce; that is its purpose.

Pride, hate, love, gentleness, brutality, forgiveness, bitterness, and many other characteristics and attitudes have this same innate power to reproduce. Haman, Xerxes, Esther and Mordecai exhibited traits in harmony with what they nourished and fed in their lives. If we examine our own lives and habits, our demeanor and responses, we will understand where we have tended our souls, and where we have allowed ungodly and destructive thoughts to take hold and grow into a way of life. IV. PRAYER Lord, Help us to nurture a godly spirit

and to starve and uproot the selfish and destructive attitudes that war against our souls. Amen.

Bibliography: Larson, Knute and Dahlen, Kathy. Holman Old Testament Commentary: Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, pp. 345-353. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2005.

Esv: Study Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2007. MacArthur, John. Ruth & Esther-MacArthur Bible Studies. W Publishing Group,

Nashville, TN, 2000. MacArthur, John. Twelve Unlikely Heroes. Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN, 2012 Peach, David. What Christians Want To Know, Esther Bible Story Summary. http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/esther-bible-story-summary/