I hope that all of you had a wonderful time of giving thanks last week. My family gathered on both sides, over a period of seven days, and it was a tremendous blessing. Yes, we ought to always give thanks, in all things. But, it is a treat to gather around the table with your friends and loved ones to focus on Father Yahweh’s many blessings.
Now, we are going to return to our study in the book of Esther. This is the ninth teaching from this marvelous book. I hope that the study has thus far been a blessing to your walk with our Mashiach.
Esther chapter 7, Esther session IX
1So the king and Haman came to dine with Queen Esther,
2and as they were drinking wine on the second day, the king asked Esther again, “Whatever you request, even as much as half of the kingdom, it will be given to you.”
This banquet was primarily a banquet of wine, which meant that wine and desserts were served. Haman, however, was feeding on ashes....
“Again” - - In chapter 5, verse 8 Esther had said she’d divulge her request at the next banquet. So, the king is once again giving her the opportunity to do that. This was the third time he had put the question to her. Lots of things in the Bible happen in 3s. Recall that that Esther fast likewise lasted 3 days.
The commentary from Matthew Henry says this: “When we petition great men, we must be cautious not to give them offence; even just complaints must often be kept back. But when we approach the King of kings with reverence, we cannot ask or expect too much. Though nothing but wrath be our due, God is able and willing to do exceeding abundantly, even beyond all we can ask or think.”
Other commentators have noted that the phrase “with Queen Esther” was not present in the mention of the first banquet, chapter 5, verse 5. From this, they conclude that she had fulfilled her previous vow of fasting for the full 3 days, which meant she did not eat or drink at the first banquet. They also note that it was a miracle of God that the two men, troubled as they were in spirit, still attended the banquet and (the King especially) seemed to still be pleasantly disposed toward Esther. He was still eager to fulfill her request, whatever it was, up to half his kingdom.
In the Hebrew there are two different words for “request” (which implies a personal “ask”) and “petition” (which implies an “ask” on behalf of others). The word translated “petition” is stronger. (We will see this in verse 3...) The word used here in verse 2 is Sh-ay-lah-TAKE, which is the word for “request”. He also referred to her by her regal title, reminding her of her royal position and authority, as well as of his affection for her.
So, here we go, and “it’s on like Donkey Kong”, as the trendy expression goes. She throws down.
3So Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in the eyes of the king, and if it pleases the king, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare the life of my people—this is my request!
4For we have been sold, I and my people, for destruction, slaughter and annihilation. If we had simply been sold as male and female slaves, I would have remained silent, for such distress would not be worth disturbing the king.”
It seems unnecessarily redundant to say “if I have found favor in the eyes of the king and if it pleases the king”.... In some translations, in the first use of “king”, the K is capitalized. The commentators say the first phrase is directed to the ultimate King, the King of Heaven, Father Yahweh, while the second is directed to Ahasuerus.
Now, about that “petition”/”request” thing....in the Tree of Life Bible, it is as I read it. The JPS translation reverses the two words. Let’s look at the original Hebrew to solve this mystery - - the first word used is Sh-ay-lah-TEE (my request) and the second is vah-kah-shah-TEE (my petition), agreeing with the JPS. And, this translation “jives” with the original meanings of the two words.
Why bother with this “minutiae”? Well, it points out that when you know, understand and analyze the original Hebrew, you see meanings that you don’t ordinarily see in English translations. I find that fascinating, although I realize I’m in the minority with that.
Now, it may seem that by asking that her own life be spared first, she was putting her personal safety above that of her people. However, it appears that she knew the king very well and that by arousing his protective instincts concerning her, she was increasing the chances of his favor toward her people as well.
Sold - - had the Jews been “merely” sold into slavery, Esther states she would not have troubled the King, due to the fact the Torah warned the Jews repeatedly that their wandering far from their God would result in such a thing. However, the Torah NEVER states the Jewish people would be (depending on the translation) destroyed, slaughtered, annihilated, exterminated. In using the word “sold” Esther was revealing that she knew of Haman’s attempt to bribe the king with a huge sum of money (over $563 million) for the lives of the Jews.
Esther surely realized that the punishment that would fall on Ahasuerus, and his dynasty of which Esther was a part, would be huge. She had to have had that in the back of her mind as well.
The original text is a bit obscure for this next phrase, but the literal translation says “for not the enemy could compensate for the loss of the king”. Most translations ignore this wrinkle, sadly. The JPS translates that as “for the adversary is not worthy of the king’s damage”. In other words, Haman, the adversary was unconcerned about the many layers of damage his destructive actions would cause Persia and King Ahasuerus personally - - temporal damages and, even more important, spiritual damages. Haman was totally focused on his own vendetta, without regard to anyone else.
5King Ahasuerus responded to Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is the man that presumed to do this?”
6Esther replied, “The man—the adversary and foe—is this wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen.
Note that she “fingered” as the culprit not the king, but instead “the adversary” in verse six. And, she did so correctly. “Adversary” refers to Haman, in the temporal realm, but the real adversary was THE adversary, the spirit of the Amalki, ultimately haSatan. King Ahasuerus was somewhat of a pawn in the whole affair, though obviously not entirely.
Some have been perplexed by the king’s confusion - - that is, not knowing what Esther was talking about. But, consider:
If you think back, Haman did not identify this people he had planned to exterminate.
King Ahasuerus did not know Esther was a Jewess.
Had the king been given 40 guesses to guess Esther’s request/petition, he probably would NOT have accurately predicted it. So, taking all of that together, it is easy to see how he could have been completely taken aback and a bit confused that he was unaware of this! He must have also been thoroughly shocked to hear that Haman was “behind it”. As with most CEOs, I’m sure this one hated “surprises”.
Speaking of shock and awe, a surprise “on steroids”, imagine Haman’s shock. Obviously he knew about the plot to annihilate the Jews, as he had instigated it, but he most certainly did not know that Esther was one.
It’s not so much what we know that trips us up, but rather, what we don’t know. This reminds me of a bit of advice given to me when I first moved to Cherokee and began to work here as well. It was this: “You’d better be careful about what you say to someone, about another person, because chances are they are related to them.” I have to wonder if it would have significantly changed Haman’s plans had he known that Queen Esther was a Jewess.
Another thing to note in this verse is that Esther did not merely accuse Haman of perpetrating a sinful act; she accused him of being an intrinsically evil person. The Hebrew here is “whose heart has filled him”, hearkening back to our previous teaching on the role of the heart in the evil person. Haman was “filled” with his evil heart, and his evil heart was leading him straight to his own destruction.
He is feeding on ashes. A deceived heart has led him astray, so he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, “Isn’t what is in my right hand a fraud?” Isaiah 44:20
The commentators uniformly say that Haman realized he could not defend himself in the presence of both the king and the queen. Esther’s divinely-inspired plan was brilliant.
7Enraged, the king got up from the banquet of wine and withdrew to the palace garden. But Haman stayed behind to plead with Queen Esther for his life, for he realized that the king had determined a catastrophic end for him.
Don’t you love the level of detail in the book of Esther? To his credit, the king did not murder Haman “on the spot”. In a way, this shows a progression in the development of the king’s character; perhaps he had presumably learned something from the times he had done something in haste. The fact that he left the room to “cool off” was another of God’s divine interventions, because it gave Haman additional time to further incriminate himself! Haman realized that appealing to the king directly was futile. As a last-ditch effort, he sought redemption through the queen, with whom he believed he had some, slight chance of survival. The JPS Tanakh says he “begged for his soul”. But, as the commentator Benson said: “the queen was his prosecutor, the king his judge, and his own conscience a witness against him”.
We have to wonder if, while out in the cool of the garden, the king realized his own part in this near-disaster, a fact the queen wisely did not remind him of. However, at some point, the king, despite his probable inebriation, realized he had just left his queen alone with a murderous fiend. So, he wisely returned to the room, where he was greeted with additional malfeasance on the part of Haman.
8When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the same couch where Esther was. The king exclaimed, “Will he also assault the queen while she is with me in the palace?” As soon as these words came out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.
Recall in the ANE, people of stature ate in a reclining position. They would recline on one side, propped up on an elbow, and would use the other hand/arm to eat. That painting of the Last Supper was inaccurate, lol! So, instead of sitting in banquet chairs, they reclined on what might look more like chaise lounges. We see a reference to this in Esther 1:6, in the description of the banquet hall that housed the grand feast of the king, the feast at which Vashti was commanded to appear. One commentator stated that it was common for supplicants in the ANE to grab hold of the garments or of the feet, or some commentators say even the KNEES of the person to whom the supplication was being made. We see this occurring in the Scriptures, concerning the ministry of the prophet Elisha.
But when she arrived at the mountain, up to the man of God, she caught hold of his feet. Then Gehazi stepped forward to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is bitter within her, yet Adonai has hid it from me and has not told me.” 2 Kings 4:27
IF Haman was conforming to that custom, can you imagine how that must have looked to the king? Had he done that to me, I’d have been kicking the fool out of him when the king returned to the room!
Now, interestingly, some commentators put forward that Haman fell on the queen’s sofa to try to implicate her and “bring her down with him”. If his actions HAD been interpreted that way, the edict against the Jews would have presumably “stood”, which would have been disastrous. While I suppose that is possible, I think it is much more likely he was totally focused on saving his own hide.
The Scriptures make it plain that the king interpreted Haman’s actions as an attempted assault on Queen Esther. As soon as he had uttered such a serious charge against Haman, vice regent or not, the servants quickly realized that he was doomed, and, accordingly they covered his face....presumably so that the king would not have to look upon such a heinous visage ever again. What a revolting, possessed human! I did read a note, though, that it was a common practice in that part of the world to cover the face of one condemned to death. And, if you remember from your study of history, that practice endured in several civilizations, including the Romans.
The Cambridge Bible for School and Colleges offers this proof: “Curtius in his history of Alexander the Great (vi. 8) speaks of this as done to Philotas, who had served with distinction under that monarch, when, on a confession of treason having been wrung from him by torture, he was about to be stoned to death. Livy also (i. 26) mentions it as a Roman custom.”
This custom makes me think of the eternal separation of the unsaved person from a holy God, at the moment of death. At that point, the condemned can no longer look on the face of God or dwell anywhere near his presence. It has been said that the most horrible aspect of Hell will be that eternal absence.
Welll, these chamberlains were something else, as we are about to see. I think they influenced matters, at least in this particular kingdom, more than the common subjects of the kingdom ever knew!
9Harbonah, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “Look {or “Furthermore”, in some translations}, a gallows fifty cubits high is standing next to Haman’s house. Haman himself made it for Mordecai, who spoke good on behalf of the king!” The king said, “Hang him on it!”
10So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s rage subsided.
It is said (Yosef Lekach) that Charbonah was one of the chamberlains (unnamed in 6:14) who were sent to fetch Haman to the banquet, and that while serving in that capacity saw the gallows and overheard Haman discussing his evil plans for Mordecai . Whether this is a true statement or not, is debatable. But, it is feasible; it could have happened. Regardless, this chamberlain Charbonah, in verse 9, knew about Haman’s gallows and the intent for it. He wisely contrasted the evil Haman with the much more righteous Mordecai. He also mentioned the obscene height of the gallows. It did not take the king even a half-second to sentence Mordecai to be hanged on it, to be “hoisted on his own petard”. He did not feel the need to consult with any of his advisors on the matter.
There is another opinion from the commentators that Charbonah was a co-conspirator with Haman and that he spoke up so quickly to keep Haman from implicating him in the proceedings. However, that is conjecture, as far as I am concerned.
There’s an interesting Hebrew nugget associated with the phrase “Then the king’s rage subsided”. The word translated “subsided” or “abated” is shah-KAH. It is a verb usually spelled shin-kaf-hay, that is, with only one kaf. However, here, as it is used in verse 10, there are two kafs used. The Hebrew sages have wondered why. The most common explanation is this: the anger of two kings subsided, not just one. King Ahasuerus, but more importantly, the King of Kings.
All of today’s proceedings occurred on the 17th day of Nisan.
And, that concludes our analysis of chapter 7.
When we begin to study chapter 8, we will see that the first 8 verses also occur on Nisan 17. There will then be a parenthetical set of verses, 9-14, which occur on the 23rd of Sivan, a little over two months later, and then, with verse 15, the setting will return to Nisan 17, through the end of chapter 8.
So, now, we are going to look at the timeline of Nisan 15-17, and how it brings additional prophetic relevance to the Esther story. I’m using as a commentary for this section of our study a Substack blog post called “Easter, Esther and the Third Day” by James Bejon.
There is a Christian popular music group called Third Day. I'm guessing they chose that name because Yeshua was resurrected on “the third day”, which associates the concept of the third day with new life. However, if you view that as strictly a New Testament concept, have I got a deal for you! In 1 Cor. 15:4 and also in Luke 24:46, the writers emphasized that the Lord had risen from the dead “as it was written” or “according to the Scriptures”.
The Book of Esther is just one of the remarkable occurrences of this precept that God has woven into the life of His people and His Scriptures. Let’s take a look at a few, and then we will end with analyzing how this is found in the book of Esther.
Let’s begin by looking at The Akedah, which is the story of Abraham obeying God’s command to offer his only son, Isaac, upon an altar. Genesis 22:4
On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from a distance.
The “place” (Hebrew: makom) was Mt. Moriah. {Tell the story}
In Hebrews 11:17-19, we see the writer of this epistle echoing that story from Genesis 22 and elaborating on it.
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. Yes, he who had received the promises was offering up his one and only son—
the one about whom it was said, “Through Isaac offspring shall be named for you.”
He reasoned that God was able to raise him up even from the dead—and in a sense, he did receive him back from there.
Another place we see this appear is at Mt. Sinai, in Exodus 19, when God is commanding the Hebrew people to cleanse themselves in readiness for God to descend and meet with them and give to them His Torah.
10Adonai said to Moses, “Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow. Let them wash their clothing.
11Be ready for the third day. For on the third day Adonai will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
Previously, Father Yahweh had revealed Himself through miracles and to individuals. But, with this revelation on a third day, He did a huge revelation of Himself. He loves to do big things on the third day.
Hosea 6:1-2 is a prophetic passage, which many believe was fulfilled at the end of the Babylonian exile.
1Come, let us return to Adonai. For He has torn, but He will heal us. He has smitten, but He will bind us up.
2After two days He will revive us. On the third day He will raise us up, and we will live in His presence.
3So let us know, let us strive to know Adonai. Like dawn His going forth is certain. He will come to us like the rain, like the latter rain watering the earth.
Isn’t that beautiful?! Personally, I believe this passage ended up being a dual fulfillment passage, which Messiah Yeshua fulfilled during the time of the latter rains (March/April) when He paid the penalty for our sins through his death, burial and resurrection.
King Hezekiah was one of the most righteous of the kings of Judah. Yet, in 2 Kings 20 he found himself extremely ill and his nation on the brink of being overtaken by overtaken by a vicious enemy. Let’s read.
1In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. So Isaiah the prophet son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says Adonai: Put your house in order. For you are dying, and will not live.”
2Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to Adonai saying:
3“Please, Adonai, remember how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in Your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4Then it came to pass, before Isaiah was gone out of the middle court, that the word of Adonai came to him, saying:
5“Return, and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people, thus says Adonai, the God of your father David: ‘I have heard your prayer and I have seen your tears. Behold, I am going to heal you. On the third day you will go up to the House of Adonai.
6Then I will add 15 years to your life. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; I will defend this city for My own sake, and for My servant David’s sake.’”
On what day was Hezekiah miraculously healed? On the third day.
One of the more “famous” third day instances involves the prophet Jonah, who was swallowed by the great fish and was in the belly of the fish until the third day, when he was spewed onto dry land. Jonah himself said in verse 2, chapter 2, that he was in “the belly of Sheol”, which is the Hebrew name for the place of the dead. Was Jonah saying he died in the belly of the fish? Some believe he did! In Matthew 12:39-40, Yeshua Himself affirmed that Jonah was a type of Himself, the Messiah, who would go on to be in the “belly of the earth” for 3 days and 3 nights.
The death, burial and resurrection of Yeshua and exactly WHEN on the calendar these events occurred, has been debated for generations. Some say He was crucified on Nisan 14, with a resurrection on Nisan 16 or 17. Others say He was crucified on Nisan 15 and raised on the 17th. Also...there is dispute as to whether the feast of First Fruits was celebrated on a specific calendar day or if it was celebrated on the first day of the week after the Feast of Unleavened Bread (the 8th Day). There are convincing arguments to be made, one way or the other. However, what is certain is that Yeshua’s body was in the ground for part of 3 days, and the way the Jews reckoned time, a “day” did not have to be a full 24 hours. By virtue of the fact that He was in the tomb for part of 3 days, the Jews would call that “3 days”. So, He did arise from the dead “on the third day”.
Now, as for Esther, the beginning of the miracle of deliverance from the evil Haman likewise fell on “a third day”, and remarkably, all this happened in a time frame similar to that of the Lord’s Passion, with Haman effecting his evil plan on Nisan 13. Day 1 of Esther’s fast beginning on the night that began Nisan 14, day two of the fast beginning on the night that initiated Nisan 15 and with her going into the king’s presence unannounced on the third day, the 16th, with the first banquet occurring later that same day. The ultimate redemption occurred on Nisan 17 with the death of Haman.
Remarkably, many other miraculous deeds are recorded in Scripture as having occurred on Nisan 17.
Some of them are:
• Nisan 17, Noah’s Ark safely rested on Mt. Ararat (Gen 8:4) Note that the seventh month was later designated as the first month at the time of the Exodus (Ex. 12:2).
• Nisan 17, Hebrews entered Egypt (Exo 12:40-41) 430 years before deliverance. ...even the self-same day it came to pass...
• Nisan 17, Moses led the Israelites through the Parting of the Red Sea (Exo 3:18, 5:3)
• Nisan 17, Israel entered and ate the first fruit of the Promised Land (Joshua 5:10-12)
• Nisan 17, The cleansing of the Temple by Hezekiah (eight hundred years after entering the promised land. (2 Chronicles 29:1-28)
• Nisan 17, Queen Esther saved the Jews from Elimination (Esther 3:12, 5:1)
• Nisan 17, The Resurrection of Messiah
The odds of these major miraculous events in the life of the people of God happening on the same calendar day, Nisan 17 are in the quadrillions, yes, almost 784 quadrillion.
So, now you see why, as we journeyed through this book of Esther, I made mention of the biblical calendar dates. It is always important to note a date that is mentioned in Scripture. The date is given for a specific and important reason, even if we have to “dig deep” to realize the significance. A date is not “just a date”.
Do you see how beautifully Father Yahweh set up the third-day pattern in the Tanakh, so that we would recognize it when it occurred again in the work of His only-begotten Son, our Mashiach? What a wonderful God we serve!
There is another pattern in Scripture that I want to share with you later in our study. It is called a chiastic structure. But, that will have to be a teaching for another day, as it will take some time to develop and explain. Meanwhile, the next time we are together, we will delve into chapter 8.
You would think that the story should end with the death of Haman, right? But, no. There are three more chapters, which will equate to two more teachings, as chapter 10 is very short. I’m still finalizing in my mind how to bring us to the end of the calendar year, because I’d like to start the next teaching in January. Likely, I am going to focus on Hanukkah and other related information surrounding the first coming of Messiah Yeshua.
https://jamesbejon.substack.com/p/easter-esther-and-the-third-day
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