INTERNET BIBLE STUDIES Esther Lesson 08

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Esther - Lesson 08   

Esther Chapter  9-10

Distributed by:  Internet Bible Studies

Website: www.internetbible.net
e-mail:  mail@internetbible.net
 
Lesson Outline on Esther by: E. L. Bynum

Memory verses for this week: 2Pe 2:9  The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

Introduction:   We conclude our study on the book of Esther this week as we cover chapters 9 and 10.   As we closed last week, Mordecai by the authority of the king, had drafted a law sent throughout the provinces telling the Jews that they had the right to fight back if anyone attempted to harm them.

I. THE VENGEANCE EXECUTED

Est 9:1  Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)
Est 9:2  The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them fell upon all people.

The time that the hated Jews were to be killed. By the help of Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai, things had drastically changed.   Now there was a fear of the Jews in the land.  It would have been a fatal day for the Jews, but God had not forgotten them, and so this was the day that the tables would turn.   The bible is full of examples of the goodness of God.   Remember how David experienced God's deliverance in II Samuel.

II Sam. 22:41, "Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me."

Just like David was comforted and strengthened by God in his day, there is coming a day when God will judge the enemies of His people.

Rev. 11:18, "And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."

In our text, verse 2 gives three reasons why the enemy could not prevail.

First the Jews were assembled and unified. This holds true for a New Testament Church as well.

Heb. 10:25, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

Secondly, no man could withstand them.   When we have God on our side, there is no enemy too strong.  

Thirdly, the people were now afraid of the Jews.  They had heard what happened to Haman, and how Mordecai had been promoted.

Josh. 2:9, "And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you."

Est 9:3  And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the deputies, and officers of the king, helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.
Est 9:4  For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater.

The rulers in the provinces were also afraid of Mordecai, and so they helped the Jews. This reminds us of the experience of Jacob.

Gen. 35:5, "And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob."

Bible stories show over and over how God's people had similar experiences.

Deut. 2:25, "This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee."

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, but we have few wise men and women today.  An unbelieving world today does not fear God.   They are like Pharaoh of long ago who questioned who was God that I should obey his voice.

Rom. 3:18, "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

Ex. 5:2, "And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go."

If we walk close to God and let the Holy Spirit lead us, there is no doubt that Christians can see that God is among His people today.

I Cor. 14:25, "And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth."

Many churches are not what they should be, and fall far too short of God's will.   In Revelation, the vast majority of the churches in Asia had problems and God reproved them.

Song of Sol. 6:10, "Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?"

Rev. 3:17, "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."

We must remember that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but spiritual.

II Cor. 10:4, "(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)"

In verse 4, we see that  Mordecai continued to increase in fame and power.    God was with him, and the people recognized it.

 

II. The Fatal Judgment. 

Est 9:5  Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto those that hated them.
Est 9:6  And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men.
Est 9:7  And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha,
Est 9:8  And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,
Est 9:9  And Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vajezatha,
Est 9:10  The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, slew they; but on the spoil laid they not their hand.
Est 9:11  On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the palace was brought before the king.
Est 9:12  And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: or what is thy request further? and it shall be done.

In the Shushan Palace, the palace of the king, five hundred enemies were slain.  It seems that right under the king's nose there were five hundred loyal followers of Haman. Remember that they had been following and Amalekite, who hated the Jews with all his might.   Even in 2002 A.D. the enemies of the Jews are trying to kill them in the land of Israel. The Jews have a God given right to defend themselves.   In verse 12, the ten sons of Haman were slain.  These were probably instigators of the attacks as they knew what had happened to their father.  But Haman's ten sons were hanged on the gallows that Haman had built to hang Mordecai.   (Same gallows where he died.)

 

Est 9:13  Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews which are in Shushan to do to morrow also according unto this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.
Est 9:14  And the king commanded it so to be done: and the decree was given at Shushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons.
Est 9:15  For the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shushan; but on the prey they laid not their hand.
Est 9:16  But the other Jews that were in the king's provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey,


The Jews fought in self defense, and they were not interested in the "prey" (booty).     The same thing happened throughout the provinces.   They had been given the right in Chapter 8:11 to take the possessions of the enemy, but they did not do so.   The slaying of 75,000 seems like many, but it was a small number compared to the total population of possibly 100 million.

It is amazing that these foes of the Jews attacked them at all, after they learned that the King and the government did not want them to do so.  However, hatred for the Jews seems to bring out the worst in men both then and still even to now.   The Jews were saved because they believed the King's decree (8:10-11), and obeyed it. If they had not they would have perished. It was the only way that they could be saved.

Both Jews and Gentiles only have one way of salvation today. They must repent and believe the gospel, or they will be eternally lost (I Cor. 15:1-4).

1Co 15:1  Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1Co 15:2  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1Co 15:3  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1Co 15:4  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

 

John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Acts 4:12, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

Matthew Henry said this about the battles the Jews won over their enemies.

We have here a decisive battle fought between the Jews and their enemies, in which the Jews were victorious. Neither side was surprised; for both had notice of it long enough before, so that it was a fair trial of skill between them. Nor could either side call the other rebels, for they were both supported by the royal authority.

The enemies of the Jews were the aggressors. They hoped, notwithstanding the latter edict, to have power over them, by virtue of the former (Est_9:1), and made assaults upon them accordingly; they formed themselves into bodies, and joined in confederacy against them, to seek their hurt, Est_9:2. The Chaldee paraphrase says that none appeared against the Jews but Amalekites only, who were infatuated, and had their hearts hardened, as Pharaoh's against Israel, to take up arms to their own destruction. Some had such an inveterate implacable malice against the Jews that Haman's fall and Mordecai's advancement, instead of convincing them, did but exasperate them, and make them the more outrageous and resolute to cut all their throats. The sons of Haman, particularly, vowed to avenge their father's death, and pursue his designs, which they call noble and brave, whatever hazards they run; and a strong party they had formed both in Shushan and in the provinces in order hereunto. Fight they would, though they plainly saw Providence fight against them; and thus they were infatuated to their own destruction. If they would have sat still, and attempted nothing against the people of God, not a hair of their head would have fallen to the ground: but they cannot persuade themselves to do that; they must be meddling, though it prove to their own ruin, and roll a burdensome stone, which will return upon them.

III. THE VICTORY CELEBRATED

Est 9:17  On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
Est 9:18  But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.

On the thirteenth day of the month of Adar and also on the fourteenth, they had a day of praise and rested.    Days of rest, feasting and gladness were found for the Jews.  This was very appropriate, since they had miraculously been delivered from an almost certain death.  Christians need to have times when they reflect upon their deliverance by the salvation of the Lord.

Est 9:19  Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another.
Est 9:20  And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far,
Est 9:21  To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,
Est 9:22  As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.

On the 14th day of the month, the celebration quickly spread through the unwalled villages. Notice that they made it a time of generosity by the giving of portions of food or possession to others.  Christians above all people should be a giving people. We can give of our substance, and we all can give the gospel.

The Jews instructed by Mordecai to celebrate this date each year as a memorial.  It became known as the feast of Purim.    The kind of celebration they were to have was mentioned in verse 22.   They were to turn from sorrow to joy, and send gifts to the poor.

John Gill said this about the feast of Purim.

Est 9:22  As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies,.... Having slain all those that rose up against them, and assaulted them:

and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning unto a good day; for in this month Adar, on the thirteenth day of it, they expected to have been all destroyed, which had occasioned great sorrow and mourning in them; but beyond their expectation, in the same month, and on the selfsame day of the month, they had deliverance and freedom from their enemies; which was matter of joy, and made this day a good day to them:

that they should make them days of feasting and joy; keep both the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month as festivals, eating and drinking, and making all tokens of joy and gladness.

Est 9:23  And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written unto them;
Est 9:24  Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;
Est 9:25  But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
Est 9:26  Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,
Est 9:27  The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year;
Est 9:28  And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.

This day was called the feast of Purim, and was to be kept each year for all generations.  Purim comes from the word Pur which means a "lot" or "piece." It comes from a Hebrew which means to "break" or "crush." This is what Haman meant to do to all the Jews.

Est 9:29  Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim.
Est 9:30  And he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth,
Est 9:31  To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry.
Est 9:32  And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book.


Esther and Mordecai wrote new letters to all the Jews in the provinces to keep this feast of Purim.   The Orthodox Jews celebrate the feast of Purim every year down to this modern time. On the 13th day of March they meet at the synagogue and read the book of Esther. Whenever the name of Haman is read they cry out, "may he be accursed" or "may his name perish." Children bring a rattle and use it to make a noise each time Haman is mentioned. On the 14th day they return to the synagogue and read the book of Esther again. They also read of Moses' experience with Amalek from Exodus 17:8-16.

While we don't celebrate the feast of Purim, Christians celebrate the Lord's Supper, not on a certain date, but as a special remembrance.

I Cor. 11:26, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come."

As Christian Americans we do well to celebrate our patriotic holidays, such as July 4th.    The feasts and special days of remembrance of the law were eliminated when Christ died on Calvary.

Col 2:13  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Col 2:14  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Col 2:15  And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Col 2:16  Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Col 2:17  Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

 

IV. THE VICTOR ELEVATED.

Est 10:1  And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea.
Est 10:2  And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?
Est 10:3  For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.

As the book of Esther comes to a close, this passage surely extols the greatness of Mordecai.   Notice that this book of Esther opens with two Jewish cousins who have no authority or power in the kingdom of Persia. Even when Esther is elevated to a position as queen, she remains isolated in a palace where she knew nothing of what was going on. She had no access to the king except on rare occasions, and Mordecai was a nobody who was powerless. By the time we come to the end of the book, the queen has great power and is writing a message that is to be distributed to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the Persian Empire. Mordecai is the Prime Minister exercising great power by the authority of the king.

This is a fitting illustration of the following Scriptures.
I Sam. 2:8, "He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them."
Psa. 113:7, "He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, [and] lifteth the needy out of the dunghill."

 

 

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