Ester 1

Ester 1

Guzik - This king Ahasuerus is well known to history, though more commonly under the name Xerxes. He inherited the vast Persian Empire from his father, Darius I (who is mentioned in passages such as Ezra 4:24, 5:5-7, 6:1-15; Daniel 6:1 and 6:25; Haggai 1:15 and 2:10). The fact of the existence of this king and circumstance is extremely well attested; archaeologists have discovered the ruins of the very palace where these events happened. At this time (approximately 483 b.c.), Ahasuerus was planning for a doomed invasion of Greece, which would take place several years later. At this time the city of Athens was in its classical glory and in Greece they were celebrating the 79th Olympic games. At this time, the Persian Empire was the largest the world had ever seen. It covered what we call today Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel; and also parts of modern day Egypt, Sudan, Libya, and Arabia. Also at this time Ezra had returned to Jerusalem after it had been conquered by the Babylonians. The temple had been rebuilt some 30 years before, although more simply and withouth the glory of Solomon’s temple.. In 40 years, under the successor of Ahasuerus (Artaxerxes I), Nehemiah would return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the previously conquered city. (Enduring Word Bible Commentary Esther Chapter 1) Historical Background: After Israel was divided into 10 northern tribes, usually referred to as Israel, and two southern tribes comprising the nation of Judah, both nations succumbed to idolatry. The 10 northern tribes were defeated by and exiled in Assyria in 722BC. The southern nation of Judah (Judah and Benjamin) were taken into exile into Babylon in three waves. In 605BC Nebuchadnezzar took Daniel and his friends (among others) into exile. Then in 597BC Ezekiel and 10, 000 were taken into exile. Finally in 586BC Jerusalem and the Temple were sacked and the third group of exiles was taken to Babylon. In this final siege… Those who had escaped from the sword (Nebuchadnezzar) carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete. (2Chr 36:20-21). Comment: And so for 490 years prior Judah had failed to let the land rest every seventh year. But this passage also indicates that Judah would be freed from Babylonian exile after the 70 years. In fact over 150 years prior to Judah's return from Babylonian exile, Isaiah records an incredible prophecy in which God promises that the Jewish exiles in Babylon will be released and return and rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple… Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, "I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone, 25 causing the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, Causing wise men to draw back And turning their knowledge into foolishness, 26 Confirming the word of His servant And performing the purpose of His messengers. It is I Who says of Jerusalem, 'She shall be inhabited!' And of the cities of Judah, 'They shall be built.' And I will raise up her ruins again. (Note that this prophecy is given over a century before Jerusalem was destroyed and here God says He will rebuild it!) 27 "It is I Who says to the depth of the sea, 'Be dried up!' And I will make your rivers dry. 28 "It is I Who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.' And he declares of Jerusalem, 'She will be built,' And of the temple, 'Your foundation will be laid.'" (Note that King Cyrus of Persia will not even be born for another 150 years! God "plans ahead" for His people Israel and beloved He does the same for your life and mine!) 45:1 Thus says the LORD to Cyrus His anointed, Whom I have taken by the right hand, To subdue nations before him And to loose the loins of kings; To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: (Note this might refer to the iron gates of the impregnable fortress of Babylon which Cyrus entered with relative ease because after diverting the river and entering through the river bed into the city, they found the iron gates unlocked making the capture of city relatively easy.) 2 "I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars. 3 "I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden wealth of secret places, So that you may know that it is I, The LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. (Note that God wanted King Cyrus to understand it was He alone Who had raised up the king.) 4 "For the sake of Jacob My servant, And Israel My chosen one, I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor Though you have not known Me (Note that Cyrus was used by the God even though he did not have a personal relationship with Him!, cf Pr 21:1). 5 "I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; 6 That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other (Note that this is one of the great aims of fulfilled prophecy - that there is no god but Jehovah!), 7 The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these. (Note that God is sovereign over life and death.) (Isaiah 44:24-45:7) And so Esther opens some 60 years after the first return of Jewish exiles to Jerusalem and after the Temple was rebuilt. In Biblical chronology, the events in Esther take place between Ezra 1-6 and Ezra 7-10, a book which chronicles the first and second return of the Jews from Babylonian exile. Donald Curtis has some interesting remarks… You cannot read Esther without asking questions. Why is there no reference to God or religious activities? Why does Esther hide her Jewish identity? Why is there no reference to the Feast of Passover even though the date for that feast may be inferred? Why did Vashti not appear before the king? Why did Mordecai refuse to bow to Haman, and why does Haman react so out of proportion? Did Ahasuerus ever have an original thought? Did anyone ever eat at the banquets or only drink? Why did Esther not just come out and accuse Haman instead of doing the two banquets? You can see that Esther is a deeper book than meets the eye, but what purpose do these literary devices serve? The answer is that they underpin the central message in this book, which is the providential care of God for His people. Both Mordecai and Esther are non-practicing Jews. Even more so, Mordecai’s behavior places all Jews in Persia under a death sentence. In the telling of the history, the central characters do not appeal to their God; they do not make the connection between Passover and the crisis crashing on them. Mordecai and Esther seek a human solution with a foreign king. By highlighting the paired events, ironic reversals, and puzzles, the author of Esther begs us to see God behind the scenes. We see that God rescued His people because He cares for them. We are also challenged to see the hand of God in the events surrounding our lives… The Lord still works today. I would hope that, after this study of Esther, you would look at events in your life from the perspective that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). Behind friends, families, enemies, leaders, events, and so forth, He moves and directs to bring about His purposes on the earth. The interesting thing about Esther is that it offers the hope that every once in awhile, we may be able to see His hidden hand. (Esther - Irony and Providence) Ray Stedman calls Esther a strange book for the Bible - For many this little book is a puzzle, for it seems to be out of place in the Bible. There is no mention in it of the name of God; there is no reference to worship or to faith; there is no prediction of the Messiah; there is no mention of heaven or hell—in short, there is nothing religious about it, at least on the surface. It is a gripping tale, but one might rather expect to find it in the pages of the Reader’s Digest than the Bible. (Studies in Esther) Swindoll writes "Though God may at times seem distant, and though He is invisible to us, He is always invincible. This is the main lesson of the Book of Esther. Though absent by name from the pages of this particular book of Jewish history, God is present in every scene and in the movement of every event, until He ultimately and finally brings everything to a marvelous climax as He proves Himself Lord of His people, the Jews. (Esther: A Woman of Strength and Dignity - Page 2) Paul Ferguson writes that… Most commentators, however, believe that the primary reason the Name of God is not directly mentioned is to give a graphic and a classic illustration of the hidden workings of God in providence. This book is like an unsigned painting that makes us search for clues by thinking even more deeply about the artistic style of the artist… The Book of Esther practically challenges us in our own lives to actively decide and acknowledge the hand of God in our circumstances in life or alternatively dismiss those things as merely coincidence. It calls us to a life of walking by faith not by sight. God can use the lowliest and most insignificant person and by providence control the circumstances around them to allow them to be a mighty instrument of His salvation. There are no blind impersonal forces at work in human history. We must see God in the foreground of every single detail of our life from the time, place and family we were born into and even till the time and place of our death (Rom. 8:28-39). The micro as well as the macro details of our life are subject to His purpose. Therefore, there is true meaning and purpose to every aspect of your life. All of this needs to be submitted to God's will. (God in the Shadows - The Life of Esther ) Comment: It follows that as we read and study Esther, we seek not for great miraculous movement of God, but carefully observe His orchestration of events seemingly behind the scenes, but always in complete control. This truth should encourage each of us that the "invisible" but invincible God of the Book of Esther is the same God in our lives, working in the seemingly mundane, humdrum circumstances of our lives, whether they be good or bad. John