Unit: Esther
Theme: A Hero’s Portrait
Lesson Text: Esther 9:18-32; 10:1-3
Supplemental Texts: Esther 8:9—9:17; Psalm 147:1-7; 1 Peter 1:1-8; 1 Thessalonians 4:4-7; Luke 15:1-32
Aim: Celebrate the Lord’s victories with joy.
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Download a PDF of this week’s lesson material (the study by Mark Scott, the Application by David Faust, and Discovery Questions): LOOKOUT_July28_2024.
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By Mark Scott
When oppressed people are liberated, they are joyful. That was certainly true for Esther, Mordecai, and their fellow Jews following the victory over Haman’s evil and deceitful edict. King Xerxes very much took a “do whatever you want” attitude with the new edict. The Jews’ fear of the people was reversed and became the people’s fear of the Jews. Some people even declared themselves to be Jews—even though they were not—so they would not be harmed (Esther 8:17). The very day of doom became the actual day of victory for the Jews (9:1).
Purim Established
Esther 9:18-28
Moses commanded three feasts to be observed by the Jews: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. The Feast of Purim, however, did not come about until the time of Esther during the Jewish captivity. The word pur means “lot,” as in casting lots to discern God’s will. The Jews cast lots to see what day(s) to celebrate God’s reversal of their circumstances . . . of God’s deliverance of his people. This feast was to be celebrated on the 14th and 15th of the month of Adar.
The celebration consisted of joy, resting, feasting, and the giving of presents, specifically gifts to the poor—a type of Hanukkah celebration. Word traveled slower in those days—thus allowing more than just one day for the festival to be observed. Mordecai took care of the details. He not only recorded (to write down or to enroll) the events, but he also sent letters throughout the provinces. The Jews were to celebrate that their sorrow had been turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
One might say the Jews were celebrating the irony of God. Wicked Haman had cast lots to see what day to kill, destroy, and annihilate the Jews. But there was a reversal that came back onto his own head, for ultimately Haman and his sons were impaled on poles. Therefore, Purim became a national holiday celebrated every year. The Jews wanted to be sure the day was never forgotten. Joy came to the Jews by God’s grand reversal.
Positions Established
Esther 9:29-32; 10:1-3
Not only did the Jews thwart their enemies, the events that Purim celebrates also propelled Esther and Mordecai into even more significant positions of authority. Esther was already queen, but she used her position of influence to write a second letter concerning the future celebration of Purim. This became an official document that ensured an ongoing annual celebration for, as the text said, it was written down in the records.
Mordecai’s influence and power were enlarged. He continued to correspond with the Jews in all 127 provinces of Xerxes’ kingdom. These official government documents were written with words of goodwill and assurance and also designated times of fasting and lamentation. Esther 10:1-3 indicated that accurate records were kept of all these proceedings. The book of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia is lost to us today, but it was still well-known at the time of the writing of Esther.
Mordecai was second in rank to King Xerxes. Not only was he preeminent (delightfully respected) by the Jews, but the people of Xerxes’ kingdom also had to respect him. He was the Jewish advocate from this time forward.
Perspective Established
While the way the book of Esther ends pleased the Jews, it can create intellectual challenges for Christians today. After all, it is estimated that 76,000 people lost their lives by virtue of the Purim reversal. As this is being written, the nation of Israel has killed more than 35,000 people in their war against Hamas. The terrorists killed just over 1,200 Jews in the original incursion of Jewish territory (October 7, 2023). How are Christians to think about such things?
Sometimes God’s people can become overly zealous and are more interested in being right than in being righteous. The Bible Knowledge Commentary (by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck) states that nowhere in the book of Esther does it say that “Mordecai was a righteous individual or that he was careful to follow the Law.” Did Mordecai go too far? While the Jews did not plunder, they did kill. Was this killing commanded by God or permitted by God? When Ezra held his mass divorce session, was that what God intended or did Ezra go too far (Ezra 10)? These are hard issues for Christians to think through. Remember, not all things recorded in the Bible automatically have God’s approval.
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