75. Beginner Bible Course: The Book of Esther, the story behind Purim

EPISODE 75  The simple Bible overview of…THE STORY OF ESTHER AND PURIM

We left that rebuilding and Judah at about five 15 BC and fast forward 30 years. There's no biblical record of what happened in Judah. During those 30 years, though, we'll learn in our next episode, they didn't do very good job living out. Hey guys, warning that godliness is not contagious, but ungodliness is we pick up the historical account about four 83 back in Persia with the account of Esther three years earlier in four 86, Xerxes had taken over from Darius. The great they had divided up the second world kingdom media Persia into 127 districts.

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Xerxes brings his officials from all of these districts to the Capitol city Susa for a special celebration. It lasted for six months and an opulent display of his wealth and power. It was finished off with a grand ball. No expense was spared. While the King held a dinner for the men, the queen held her own dinner for the prominent women in the kingdom, in the middle of these two dinner parties, the King summoned queen Vashti to show her beauty to his male guests. VASH de declined the invitation dessert seas. Hadn't seen it as an invitation, but an order. And this was very unusual to disobey a King's order.

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Xerxes was embarrassed and furious and probably a little inebriated. He immediately consulted with some of his advisers. They blow this thing way out of proportion. If you allow your wife to disregard your orders, this is going to be heard all over the kingdom. And every woman is going to think she's important to has a mind of her own and can disregard their husbands orders. So it's paramount. You make an example of her, tell her to pack her bags and get down to the camel. Stop divorce. Her Xerxes thought that sounded good. So he wrote an official letter sending it to all 127 provinces.

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It said this, every man should be ruler of his own home, but a short time later, Xerxes sobered up and started thinking more clearly. And he thought that probably wasn't a great idea. So once again, he assembled his advisers. They suggested they hold a beauty contest. We'll have our own little version of the Persian bachelor, and you can pick one out. The story continues in Susa. There was a certain captive of Judah named Mordecai and he had a cousin. He was caring for Hadassah from now on we'll call her Esther. I should pause for a moment and say, it's an Ester that the children of Israel are called Jews.

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I'm guessing it's short for the Judah. People just shortened to Jews. As far as I know, this is the first time that term Jews shows up in the text. Apparently Hidatsa slash Esther was stunning. She's seen pain and made a contestant in this queen contest. She's prepared for a long time. You read the account, it's actually kind of cool. Creepy. You might've guessed asteroids the contest. I mean, it's not even close. Xerxes is smitten. Yeah. By her through it all Mordecai instructs his cousin, make sure you keep your nationality a secret Esther does she also finds a way to get more to Chi close to the palace?

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It's here. We're introduced to our villain in the story. Haman Xerxes promotes him to as prime minister and as the prime minister Xerxes had commanded that all other officials should show honor to Haman by bowing down when he passed by Mordecai is now one of those palace officials, but like Daniel's three friends before the statute Nebuchadnezzar set up Mordecai won't bow before any pagan prime minister when Haman discovers it. Yes, he's furious. So he hatches a plot. He decides how to get rid of that guy. And not only that guy, I'm going to ethnic cleanse his entire people group.

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He cast Deiss to discover when his God thought would be the best day to do this ethnic cleansing. By the way, the dice called poor we'll come back to that term. The dice came up, do it on the 13th day of the 12th month of the year. Haman goes to the King and explains that there is a people group in his car, the kingdom, the defy, his orders. They have such different rules. They're just not worth keeping around. Hey man adds this. If you'll let me get rid of them, I'll pay for it. Myself. I'll put 300 hundred and 75 tons of silver into your treasury desserts. It doesn't do his homework. He trusts his prime minister and says, go for it.

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So Haman sends a decree out under the King seel to all 127 provinces declaring that on the 13th day of the 12th month, all Jews and all provinces of the kingdom will be exterminated. When Mordecai reads the public pronouncement, tears, his clothes in grief, then he leaks word to the queen. She can't believe what she's hearing. A few days, days later Mordecai sends her a message. You've got to go to the King and reveal your identity and plead for the lives of you and our people. Esther informs Mordecai for a palace official. You know, the custom here, right? Anyone going to the King without being summoned is put to death.

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The only exception is if the King graciously puts out a Sceptre and allows the interruption, she also must have been thinking of Vashti. Vashti broke custom and protocol by saying no. Now Mordecai was asking her to break customer and protocol by just barging into the King. You know, how could a wife conceive of doing such a thing? I mean, Xerxes, as the ruler of his home, Mordecai sends back a message. I understand that. But under this edict you'll die as well. And who knows, maybe you have been brought to the throne for just such a time as this Esther sends a message back.

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I'll do it. But first you've got to promise me you and all the Jews in Susa will fast for three days. I in my maids will also fast and then I'll go. And if I perish, I perish Esther does go to King Xerxes. And when she arrives at the doorway, he smiles and holds up his Sceptre he's in the Esther mood. He knows this must be important. So he asked her, why did you come? What do you need? I'll do anything for you. Esther instead of asking straight out, she invites he and Haman to a special dinner. She's prepared. The King is thrilled. And of course, so is Haman ladies. The way to a man's heart really is through his stomach.

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So she feeds them this sumptuous dinner. At the end of dinner, he asks, what do you want? Esther anything, even half my kingdom. She said, this is what I want. Honey, come back to dinner one more night. Let's do dinner again. Together. Tomorrow night, the King knows he's picked the right woman. What a special thing to be invited to dine twice with the King and queen. When Haman leaves the party, he walks by Mordecai of the palace official again, even under a death order, Mordecai won't bow, his knee. Haman decides he can't wait for the 13th day of the 12th month. He goes straight to his house and orders his servants to build a gallows 75 feet tall.

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He wants to see Mordecai's swinging from that in the next 24 hours. Meanwhile, back at the palace, that same night Xerxes can't sleep. So this big boy King calls for a palace official to bring him a book and read him a story. The palace official brings them a history book and official record of the kingdom. He reads a Chronicle of the event where Mordecai spared the King from assassination from two palace officials. The King asked what was ever done to Mordecai, to reward him nothing. King. The King said, let's fix that right now. Who's in the palace that I can send on business. Haman happened to be in the palace.

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He just showed up in the early morning light to ask the King. If he could execute Mordecai, Haman, perfect. Bring him in. Let me ask you Haman. What should I do to someone? I really want to honor. Haman's thinking, who would he possibly want to honor more than why me? So Haman goes for broke. I put on that person, one of your special robes and one of your special crowns on his head, and then I'd put them on one of your best horses and I'd have someone lead them through the streets. Shouting. This is what happens to a man. The King really wants the other honor, Haman. You're my guy.

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Great suggestion. Go do that to Mordecai the Jew. You've got it. I need to be smiling right now, listening to this aren't you, Haman has no choice. That's exactly what he does to Mordecai. Probably for most of the day, it goes home completely <inaudible> and when he gets there, his wife dumps more on him, honey, you've just the open the can of worms and it isn't going to end well for you in the middle of this domestic conversation. Palace officials show up to a scored Haman to Esther second banquet. I imagine he didn't have much of an appetite write in the middle of dinner. Xerxes looks at Esther and says, come on, honey, what is it that you want?

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Tell me, I'll give you anything. She then reveals him plot. I'm a Jew and Mordecai. The one who saved your life is my cousin. And he's a Jew. And someone has tricked you into an order to exterminate all Jews. And the day is set the 13th day of the 12th month. The King stands up and raged who would do such a thing. She looks over at Haman. He did it. Remember it's the law of the Medes and the Persians. When you make an edict, you cannot revoke it. The King storms out on the balcony for a breath of air. And when he does Haman throws himself at Esther's knee, begging for mercy, as it is, he does the King reenters finding Haman at Esther's knee.

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He's beside himself, shouting. And now you violate the queen in my own palace, just then Haman servants, interrupt dinner. The gallows to hang Mordecai are completed. They point out the palace windows and you can see it on the city. Skyline on the room gets very quiet, take him and hang him on it. Xerxes has signed an edict posted and all the 127 provinces that the Jews on the 13th day of the 12th month will be exterminated. It shouldn't come as a surprise. One of those hundred and 27 provinces was Judah on the 13th day of the 12th month.

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00:11:18

All the Jews, the remnants who had returned in Judah were to be exterminated by the official and citizens around them under Haman's order signed by King Xerxes. If that would happen, God's promises would be nullified. God had promised through Jeremiah that a remnant would return more than that. God had promised David. One day someone from his line would sit on the throne and be King forever. God couldn't bring that King through David's line. If that line had been exterminated through genocide of the Jews, I smell a rat here in Haman. I think there's something more sinister behind this than just his hatred of Mordecai and his racism toward Mordecai's people backing up the tape.

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I smell the same rat behind queen <inaudible>, queen of Judah who tried to kill all her grandbabies and the line of David. Just missing one little baby Joe Ash, that too could have destroyed. God's promise to bring the King through the line of David. And while we're talking about it, I smell a rat in the Austrian corporal who Rose to the top of the third Reich and proposed a final solution to exterminate the Jews, men, and women and children in Europe. For some of the old Testament prophecies appear to be scheduled, to be fulfilled in our future queen Esther truly was brought to the throne for such a time.

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As this, she asked her to seize, to issue a second proclamation that on the 13th day of the 12th month Jews throughout the 127 provinces could defend themselves. And that is exactly what they did. In fact, because of the favor of Esther and Mordecai, the one who'd saved the emperor's life Mito Persian officials helped the Jews defend themselves. And when the 13th day of the 12th month arrived, the Jews were protected in all hundred and 27 provinces. And those who did attack them were killed in their self-defense. This included Haman's 10 sons in late winter, this coming year, February 25th Jews throughout the world, celebrate the holiday Purim.

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Remember poor dice. This holiday commemorates God's saving his people through Esther it celebrates the day the dice said would be there complete Holocaust as the day God through the events of Mordecai and Esther provided salvation for his people of the 66 books of the Bible. Esther is unique in that it never once mentions the name of God. If you're a member, our criteria for what God in the Bible, one of them was authoritative author irritative. It had to claim to be from or written by God Esther doesn't. So how did it get into the Bible? You're kidding me.

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00:14:15

Right. I asked my students, do you have any doubt God was behind the story of Esther behind the curtain, pulling the levers. They smile sometimes giggle in my school, the students do the Esther play in sixth grade. They know the Esther story very well. And I can't think of another book in scripture that shows more powerfully that there is a God who cares, who keeps his promises and who changes the hearts or causes the actions of even powerful Kings to accomplish his purpose. As it relates to the remnants, who've returned to Judah in four 83 BC they've been spared, but how are they coming along?

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How's the rebuilding of their nation, their cities, and more their hearts and lives going. We'll get the answer to that in our next word picture.