Esther 4: The Book of Esther's Prophetic Timeline

The Bible often tells us exactly when events occur in the biblical lunar calendar, given to the Jews by Adonai (God) Himself.  Most of the time, Christians brush right past these mentions, because they have no meaning for us, as most of the "modern" world operates on the Julian solar calendar.  However, when we take the time to study those scriptural mentions, we can learn new ways to celebrate that God's timing is perfect.

My pastor, a few Sundays ago, told of a preacher who would tell "the end" at the beginning of his sermon, and then go on to the beginning, working his way through to the ending he shared ... at the beginning.  That's want I'm going to do now.

The dates of the denouement1 in the book of Esther are significant, because they parallel Jesus' triumph over the grave.  It's amazing and glorious, really.  Let me show you.

The climax of the story of Esther takes place in the biblical month of Nisan, specifically on Nisan 14-17.  Here are the mentions of dates/times in the book.

Esther 1:3 - - - 3rd year of Ahasuerus' reign which, "going with" the Cambyses II dude, would be
527 BCE.2
Esther 2:1 - - - "Some time later..."
Esther 2:16 - - 523 BCE - - month of Tebeth, 7th year of king's reign, usually Dec.-Jan.
Esther 3:7,12 - - 518 BCE - - 13th day of the first month, that is, the 13th of Nisan.  (The king's issued command, instigated by Haman, was that by the 13th of Adar, the 12th month, all the Jews would be annihilated.)
Esther 4:15-16. Esther proclaims a 3-day fast for all the Jews in Susa, from Nisan 14-16.
Esther 5:1-4. "On the third day", that is, the 3rd day of the 3-day fast, that is Nisan 16 - - this was the first day of the banquet.
Esther 7:1. The setting of this chapter is the very next day, Nisan 17.  This is the second day of the banqueting.  Haman is exposed by Esther, defeated and hanged on the 75-foot gallows he had ordered constructed for the hanging of Mordecai.
Esther 8:1. "On that day" or "That same day"... Nisan 17 - - complete restoration of the Jews

Nisan 15-17 are very significant dates in the Bible.  Let's look at other occasions on which the Lord God triumphed over Satan on Nisan 15-17.3  In Hebrew, the word translated in English as “nes”, means “miracle”.  Therefore, Nisan is often viewed as the “miracle month”.  Often in the Bible, prophecies have more than one fulfillment.  What has happened before, will happen again.

It was in the month of Abib, another name for Nisan, that is, the first month of the Hebrew calendar, that God instituted the Feasts of Unleavened Bread, of Passover and of First Fruits.  This is recorded in Exodus 13 and 14.  It was also the time period during which the Hebrew people were delivered from Egypt and crossed the Red Sea on dry ground.

King Hezekiah is often viewed as a foreshadow of Messiah for several reasons, but let's look at this one occasion in particular.  His story begins in 2 Chronicles 29.   (Remember that Nisan is month 1.)

 17They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they reached the portico of the LORD. For eight more days they consecrated the house of the LORD itself, finishing on the sixteenth day of the first month.

18Then they went in to King Hezekiah and reported, “We have cleansed the entire house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table of the showbread with all its utensils. 19Moreover, we have prepared and consecrated all the articles that King Ahaz in his unfaithfulness cast aside during his reign. They are now in front of the altar of the LORD.”

20Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the city officials and went up to the house of the LORD. 21They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And the king commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the LORD.

So, on Nisan 17, King Hezekiah arose early {according to most translations} and re-dedicated the Temple, restoring the service of the house of the Lord. (Who else rose early on Nisan 17?!)

Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver on Nisan 13, and Jesus was crucified on Nisan 14, buried before sundown.4  Jesus was in the grave before sundown in the waning hours of Nisan 14 through Nisan 16 and arose early in the morning on Nisan 17, the Feast of First Fruits.  So, it appeared Satan had won, on Nisan 14-16, just as Haman thought he had "cancelled" the Jews of the Persian Empire.  But, Nisan 17.... Hallelujah!  Jesus Christ arose from the dead!

Isn't God amazing?  So, you see that Haman's defeat on Nisan 17 was no accident nor mere coincidence.  His downfall and death on that date show a perfect picture of God's judgment and His mercy to His chosen people.  The events that followed show God's continued redemption at work in the lives of His people.  Mordecai's elevation on the same day typify the coming Messiah's triumph over death and the grave.  Messiah brings complete restoration, of the human soul (His first advent) and of all creation (2nd advent - - His Second Coming.) Anytime you read “on that day” (as I happened to be reading in Micah this morning), it is referring in some aspect to the final restoration of God’s people, during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.5

This is the last of my Esther posts, and I hope they have been a blessing.  Not an exhaustive treatment of the book, by any means...


Sources:

1   https://www.google.com/search?q=define%3A+denouement&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS829US829&oq=define%3A+denouement&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i58.3488j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

2    https://resplendentdaughter.blogspot.com/2020/06/esther-1-ahasuerus-and-vashti.html

3    https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4333602/jewish/12-Facts-About-the-Month-of-Nisan-Every-Jew-Should-Know.htm (Keep in mind this is a Jewish source.)

4    http://resplendentdaughter.blogspot.com/2018/03/first-fruits.html

5   “Shadow Pictures from the Book of Esther", Dr. Jennifer Scrivner, May, 2020

Seeing Beauty - - Parenthetical, Travel Log

Snake River, where it enters Lake Jenny

“... let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.”  

Song of Songs 2:14b

Today, I took a memorable photo.  No, not the one above, though it ain’t shabby.

Cousin Carole and I are currently vacationing in parts of our great country I’d never seen.  On our way from Thermpolis, WY to Jackson Hole, we diverted through Grand Tetons National Park.  Today is July 4th.  Understandably, people were wall-to-wall.  We pulled into the visitors’ center at Lake Jenny, because Carole had seen it back in 1994 and wanted me to see its beauty.  However, she was unable to remember how to get to the view she remembered.

There were NO parking spots at the Visitors’ Center.  I mean, NONE.  People were even parked along the main road for quite a distance.  We decided to let Carole out, while I “circled” (like a buzzard,lol!) as best I could.  Almost as soon as she got out, though, a space opened up right there at the center.  Hallelujah!  Because I am pretty sure only God could do that miracle.
We were directed by other tourists to a trail, leading down to the lake.

Carole has quite a good memory.  What she remembered most about her trip many years ago was how the Grand Tetons were so perfectly reflected in the waters of the lake.  Carole is also quite verbal.  Accordingly, as we came to an observation point, she was bemoaning the fact that the mountains were not mirrored in the water.  With my Lake Jenny virgin eyes, however, I saw a stunning view.  Whipping out my phone, I grabbed a shot.  We walked on down to the boat ramp and then headed back.  (Carole is not much for long hikes.)

When we reached our destination this evening, we began to look at the pictures captured today.  Carole was gobsmacked by the shot I got at the lake.  Why?  Because she was looking for something else, and she had not even recognized the beauty right in front of her at the time.

I have done that too, haven’t you?  Failed to see a gift of God because of looking for something else?
Under-appreciating what I have been given because I was looking for something “more”?  Today was a powerful reminder to me of God’s love and generosity, and of my oft-times blindness and bullheadedness!  (Those who know me can’t imagine...haha)

I have another wonderful friend, Lynn, who is married to Raymond, an octogenarian. They have been very respectful of covid-19, and have been quarantining to a high degree.  She sent me 3 videos today about how she set a lovely table in the backyard, grilled a delicious dinner and celebrated this Independence Day with her husband.  Today, she chose to focus on beauty and on joy, to see beauty, despite less-than-ideal circumstances.  What a gift!

By contrast, the town of Jackson Hole has lost its mind over covid. As of yesterday’s order from the city council, masks are required in every building of any type.  What a juxtaposition against the Independence Day so many Americans are celebrating today.  So many are giving in to extreme fear, and missing the joy of every day living.

On this trip I have very much valued my morning quiet times.  Currently, I am reading in Hosea, even though our bible study group just studied that minor prophet.  In so doing, I am finding gems each day, despite having just studied it.  God has such beauty for us to find, in scripture, and in our lives as a whole, if we will just look for it!  Beauty in nature and in scripture - - both by the Creator, to draw us closer and closer to Him.

Esther 3: "Then Came Amalek..."

About a month ago I joined the ranks of ancestry-seekers.  My sister and her daughter were bitten by the genealogy bug, which proved to be a contagious disease.  I began to be fascinated with genealogy in high school, going on to be just one course shy of a science minor in college.  Blood types, Punnett Squares and other mechanics were interesting in their own right, but I loved seeing physical and behavioral traits in members of my family.  Here's an example from last week.

My brother, who owns a heating and air business, stopped by my mother's house while I was visiting.  On the dashboard of his truck was a huge assortment of boxed parts, invoices, cigarettes and other items I did not take the time to analyze.  The point was...it was crammed full of "stuff".  Our mother remarked that the only other family member she knew of who exhibited this same behavior was our great-uncle Oscar, whom neither of us really knew.  He died when we both were quite young.  Now, you might say this was a coincidence, but I'm not so sure.

The Hebrew people were fanatics about genealogies.  In fact, one of the most crushing blows in Jewish history was when the Second Temple (the one Nehemiah and Ezra rebuilt) was destroyed in 70 C.E., because the genealogical records were destroyed as well.  Since that time, no Jew has been able to definitively prove he or she is from a particular tribe of Israel.

In the last post, I shared about the family lines of Kish and those of the Agagites.  To illustrate how important genealogy is, and its relevance to the Book of Esther (did you think I'd forgotten, lol?!), we are going to look today at the Curse of Amalek.  It's quite extraordinary.

There were three personages in the Bible prophesied about before they were born.1  One was King Cyrus the Great, the Persian regent who gave permission for the Jews to return to the Promised Land.  Over 100 years before he was born, the prophet Isaiah spoke of him by name, and prophesied about that he would do (Isaiah 44:28-45:1-4).  Another was King Agag, mentioned in Numbers 24:7, several years before his birth.  And, the third was Amalek.

The name Amalek appears as early as Genesis 14:7, referring to a people group attacked and conquered by an alliance of Mesopotamian kings, in the days of Abraham.  100 years later, Amalek himself was born, the grandson of Esau (Genesis 36:12).   The Edomites and the Amalekites --- both descendants of Esau, though separate nations.

Amalek's people were mentioned again, after the Israelites entered the Promised Land, in Exodus 17:14, that battle where Joshua is leading the Israelites against the Amalekites, while Moses has his arms raised up.  Verse 14 pronounces God's curse on the Amalekites.

8Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. 10So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

14And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. 15And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah Nissi: 16For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

The curse is reiterated again in Numbers 24:20 , where the Amalekites were called "the first among nations", paralleling and typifying how Satan was the highest-ranking of the angels before his ignominious fall.  Like Satan, that people group's end would be "utter destruction"; so will be Satan's fate.  Through the wicked prophet Balaam, God is speaking - - -

Then he looked on Amalek and took up his discourse and said, “Amalek was the first among the nations, but its end is utter destruction.”

Numbers 24:20 (ESV)

We see the curse yet again in Deuteronomy 25:17-19, where the Amalekites are described as a people who did not fear God.  This passage gives more details of how, as the Hebrew people were fleeing Egypt, the Amalekites attacked the rear flank of the group, killing those straggling behind, probably the very old and infirm.  In both the Exodus and Deuteronomy passages, God instructed His chosen people to "blot out all memory of Amalek from under Heaven."  1 Samuel 15:2 mentions the curse yet again.

The Amalekites were nomadic, plundering marauders, dwelling predominantly in the desert region between Egypt and Canaan.  They constantly raided and disrupted the Israelites' food supplies, in later skirmishes (Judges 3:13 and 6:3).2   Isn't that what Satan tries with the people of God, the true Church, today?  He knows he has no true power over us; yet, he disrupts our spiritual food supplies in every way he can.  However, the battle victory is OURS, through faith, in our Messiah.  Hallelujah!

The Deuteronomy passage is read on the Sabbath before Purim EVERY YEAR, because the story of Esther is a story of God versus the Spirit of Amalek, of righteousness versus evil, of Jehovah God versus HaSatan (Hebrew version of Satan's name).  In Scripture, Amalek is a "type" for Satan.

So, the last mention of the Amalekites in Scripture was in the book of Esther.  Remember, Haman is described as a descendant of King Agag, who was king of the Amalekites.  Haman, the Agagite.
Do you see now how Haman is a "type" of Satan and of the Antichrist, the False Messiah, in the Esther story?

In the Exodus 17 passage, do you really think it was Moses' raised arms that gave the Israelites the victory?!  (I mean, come on, what the heck?). No, Moses was first standing and then (as fatigue set in) seated on a hill, his raised arms like a battle flag, a battle "standard", to use the older English word.  A battle BANNER.  It is NO accident that, after that victory, Moses built an altar to Jehovah God, and revealed the name Jehovah-Nissi, the first time we see this name for God in the Bible.  "Nissi" means "banner".  Our God, our Banner.  To Him alone belongs the victory.

One more deep dig, and I'm done.
In the last days, many theologians believe the spirit of Amalek, manifested through history in such evil persecutors of the Jews and Christians as Roman Emperors, Adolf Hitler, Mussolini, Muslim fanatics and others will again power the Antichrist, the last incarnation of the spirit of Amalek (1 Corinthians 15:20).  Satan's last attack on God's people will be just before Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus Messiah, returns.  Once again, He will have the absolute, complete victory because the battle is already won.  God has decreed it, and it is so.

Isaiah 11 is a chapter describing the Millennial reign of Messiah, Jesus Christ.  Note what 11:10 says - - "On that day, the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples".  Jesus Christ, our Jehovah-Nissi.  For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:14) 

Don't you look forward to that day?

Sources:
1   "Shadow Pictures from the Book of Esther", Dr. Jennifer Scrivner, May, 2020
2   https://www.gotquestions.org/Amalekites.html

Esther 2 - - Esther, Mordecai, Haman

In today's post, we will look at some other key players in the Esther story.  Let's start with the heroine.

Esther
Her name is a derivative of a Babylonian word (Ishtahar) which means “beautiful as the moon”. Hebrew is “astir”, meaning “hidden or covering or concealed”.  She is also called Hadassah, which means “Myrtle tree”, a tree which features prominently in the Jewish Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles).  Myrtle was also used in Jewish marriage ceremonies, where the branches and leaves were worn as a garland crown.  Myrtle trees are plentiful around Jerusalem, and are often believed to represent Jerusalem, in the scriptures.  (See Zechariah 1:8-11.)
Esther comes on the scene in the seventh year of Ahasuerus' reign, about four years after Vashti has been deposed/divorced.  Esther is the ward of her first cousin, Mordecai, a high-ranking official in the Persian Empire.  Both are of the tribe of Benjamin, although both conceal their Jewish heritage through most of the story.
Esther represents the bride of Messiah, believers of all tribes and nations.  Not only that, she represents a surrendered and obedient Bride, one willing to risk her very life to accomplish the will of God.

Mordecai
Mordecai represents the True Messiah, the Second Adam, who has triumphed over His ancient enemy, Satan, and will rule and reign over Heaven and Earth forever and ever.  Mordecai's ancestors were among those who were taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar several decades earlier (Esther 2:6).  While many Jews returned in three waves to Jerusalem after King Cyrus the Great, through his appointed regent, Darius the Mede, gave them permission to go1 - - - the family of Mordecai did not return.  He became a high-ranking official in the Persian government of his day.  This is reflected by the note in Esther 2:19, that he sat at the king's gate.  This is where the high-ranking officials of the realm congregated. (See Nehemiah 11:1.)
Many Jews did not return to Jerusalem, in any of the commonly acknowledged 3 waves of return, over a 110-year period.  Even in Jesus' day, the region of Babylon remained heavily populated by Jews.  Babylon was referred to as "the East", even though the area is more to the northeast of Jerusalem.  Hence, the "wise men" or Magi, who came to bring the infant Jesus gifts, were likely Babylonian Jews, whose ancestors, like Mordecai, never left the region.  (I digress...)

It is important to look at Mordecai's family history.  We are told in Esther 2:5 that he descended from Kish, a Benjamite.
Mordecai was a humble, righteous man, who did his duty to Esther and to the king without seeking recognition or reward.  He was also discerning.  He recognized early on the danger all the Jews of the Persian empire faced if Haman were not stopped; he also recognized Esther's divinely-appointed, pivotal role in preventing their annihilation.

Haman
Although like Mordecai in that both were high-ranking governmental officials, the similarities between these two men ended there.  Introduced in Esther 3, Haman was a deceiver, a vain and arrogant man, always seeking his own promotion, regardless of the harm he caused others.  His desire for advancement was so extreme, it blinded him to the most basic truths and rules of conduct.  He is the villain of the Esther story, providing the conflict to the story's plot.  While he presents himself as a loyal servant to the King, he is merely using the king for his own evil purposes.  Haman represents in this story of God's redemption the False Messiah, the concealed False Messiah.  False Messiah is the Jewish term for the Antichrist.

Let's dig a little deeper into this business of Who's Yo Daddy?, and why it matters to this story.

Take a look with me back at 1 Samuel 9:1-2.  Who was Kish's son?  That's right, Saul, the first king of Israel.  By all appearances, Saul would have made a fine king.  Unfortunately, he turned to disobedience, and his disobedience to God figures into the Esther story.  Now, let's look at 1 Samuel 15:1-11.  Of particular interest is verse 9.

9Saul and his troops spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calvesb and lambs, and the best of everything else. They were unwilling to destroy them ...

Do you see it?  Saul is a picture of Adam, the first man and ruler of Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden).  Adam and Saul failed to uphold righteousness.  God had commanded Saul to destroy utterly all of the Amalekites, including Agag, their king.  When Haman is called an Agagite in Esther 3:1, it means he was a descendant of Agag, who is a picture of Satan.
Once again, history repeats.  In the Esther story, we have an Agagite trying to destroy the Jews.
HAD SAUL DONE AS GOD COMMANDED HIM, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO AGAGITES, meaning, no Haman, no crisis, no pending extermination of the Jewish people, hundreds of years after Saul, in the 5th century B.C.

When we consciously disobey God, thinking we know better than He (or for whatever god-forsaken justification) we rarely can foresee the long-range consequences of our disobedience.  Thankfully, He allowed descendants of Kish to redeem that family name through their submissive obedience, because both Mordecai and Esther surrendered to His leading at this critical point in Jewish history.

As Mordecai pointed out to Esther (Esther 4:13-14), if she had said, "No!", God would have raised up someone else to deliver His chosen people.  Both Mordecai and Esther were devout Jews, who were well aware of the covenants which God had made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. They knew He would keep His word, which declared He would not allow His chosen ones to be utterly destroyed.  The question was, "Would Esther and Mordecai fulfill the purpose to which God had called them, in this cosmic battle?"  Would they embrace the task, risking their very lives for Him? Or, would they decline, and miss the blessing God had for them, even if that blessing was in the form of death?

Here is something that Christian martyrs have understood for two milennia, whether you are talking about first century Christian martyrs or those ruthlessly killed by Muslims in Nigeria over the past two years. 2 Yes, this genocide is still going on.  If Christians are living in the center of God's will, fulfilling His purpose for them, then death is not a punishment.  They understand that following hard after Jesus Christ, their Savior, is better than physical life and that, in the end, physical death is ... irrelevant.

Esther knew this truth too.  Not only did she know it, she acted on it.  Ultimately, her acts of submission and obedience caused glad tidings of freedom and salvation to be broadcast far and wide across the Persian Empire (Esther 8:9-14).

Sources:

1  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_to_Zion

2  https://www.christianpost.com/news/fifty-christians-burned-alive-in-pastors-home-in-nigeria-78303/

Esther 1 - - Ahasuerus and Vashti

This is the first in what I’m planning as a series of blog posts on the book of Esther.  Many of my readers are familiar with the story and even know that Jews have a celebration each year, surrounding this book of the Tanakh (Old Testament).  That celebration occurs in the spring, not long before Passover, and is called Purim (Poo-REEM). 

From whence does the name Purim come?  When you see an "im" on the end of a Hebrew word, it indicates the plural.  For example, Elohim is plural for our Triune God, Three-in-One.  Kohanim is a word that means priesthood, a plurality of priests.  The word purim means "lots".  Jewish people of the ancient world would cast lots to discern God's will in a decision, sort of like the modern-day equivalent of rolling dice.  So, you might call the Jewish Feast of Purim the Feast of Lots, or the Feast of Dice.  At various points in the Esther story, it seems that events are spiraling out of control.  They are never, however, out of God's control.  By the end of the story, the will and hand of God cause every "lot" to fall into His perfect will.

Recently, I studied the book of Esther with Dr. Jennifer Scrivner of Beth HaShomer Ministries, Joseph Good of Hatikvah Ministries, and some friends. I learned a lot about its historical connotations and symbolism.  It’s those aspects I hope to add to your understanding of this great book, as we journey through.
I am not going to re-tell the basic story here.  To refresh your memory, it is recommended you re-read Esther before jumping into these blog posts.

One of unique features of the book of Esther is that it never mentions the name of the LORD directly.  It is the only book of the Bible with this distinct feature.  Some scholars of Judaism believe The Name is hidden in various verses as an acrostic in four different verses, a concealment of sorts. Concealment, hiddenness, is a theme of the book.  A couple of examples: Mordecai and Esther concealed their Jewish heritage from the king.  Haman concealed his ulterior, evil motives from the king.
At any rate, the rabbis debated and debated whether or not to even include the book of Esther in the Tanakh, because of the fact that The Name, the Tetragrammaton (YHWH, the name of the LORD too holy to be spoken aloud) is not explicitly mentioned therein.
In the Temple, the ineffable, personal name of the L-RD was only invoked in certain areas - - the inner court (the Azarah) - - for example.  When the priests pronounced the blessing on the people, and heard that Name spoken aloud, they fell prostrate on their faces before Him.  The only other time it was said aloud was when the priest performed the annual Yom Kippur service, and then he said it 8 times in the Holy of Holies.

Along with the theme of concealment, other themes in the book have to do with the (future) False Messiah and his demonic hatred of the Jews, as well as the Messianic Kingdom of the last days. These will be developed more fully later in this study.  The date span, over which the Esther story took place, is given in the book to be between Nisan 13 and 17, roughly the dates of Passion Week, in Jesus’ day.  Again, this will become more relevant later in our study.

Now, let’s look at the key players in this story and what many scholars believe they represent.

The King (Ahasuerus)

{Parenthetical:  at this point my study truly went down a rabbit hole.  For two days, I studied the various Ahasueruses and Dariuses of the Bible. Do not proceed if you want to keep your sanity, as there were 3 different Dariuses listed in the Bible, and also 3 different Ahasueruses, lol!
Here is what I was able to put together from various sources about those rulers.}

There are 3 separate Persian dynasties which flit in and out of scripture.
1. Ahasuerus (Cyaxares I).  He had two sons: Cambyses I and Darius the Mede.  Cambyses was the father of Cyrus the Great, overarching ruler of Persia from 590-530 B.C.  During Cyrus’ reign, he appointed his uncle, Darius the Mede, as prefect/satrap over Babylon; he served in that capacity from 538-536 B.C., right after Babylon fell.) This is the Darius of Daniel 6:1 and 9:1.  Cyrus the Great was succeeded by Cambyses II, also known as Ahasuerus (the second Ahasuerus mentioned in scripture). Some believe this "second Ahasuerus" was the Ahasuerus referred to in Ezra 4.  At first, I did not believe so.  However, after careful study, I believe he actually was.  Cambyses II ruled for only about 8 years, 530-522.  The reason I believe he was the Ahasuerus of Esther and of Ezra is because of the historical dates of each ruler's reign.  This king died, leaving no heirs, a very important point.  Accordingly....
2. The next dynasty to come to power was through the Persian satrap, Hystaspes, because Cambyses II left no heirs.  Hystaspes' son was Darius I (Darius the Great), who reigned from 522-487 (Darius #2 in scripture).  Darius' son was Xerxes I (aka Ahasuerus - - the third Ahasuerus in scripture).  Xerxes I ruled from 487-465 and, as previously mentioned, some scholars believe he is the Ahasuerus of the book of Esther and Ezra 4.  Xerxes I is also sometimes called Artaxerxes, but it was actually his son who was Artaxerxes I and who succeeded him.
3. The third Darius in scripture is mentioned in Nehemiah 12:12.  This “Darius the Persian” is Darius Codomannus (336-331) of history, the last ruler of Persia before the Persian Empire was defeated by Alexander the Great.

So.....
The Persian Empire, at the time of Esther, stretched from Egypt to India (Esther 1:1 and 8:9).
The setting of the story is either 527 B.C. or 483 B.C., depending on "which Ahasuerus" you subscribe to.  After their 70 years of captivity to the Babylonians (608-538), some of the Jews had been allowed to return to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding the Temple (which was finished in 516 BC).  The story of Esther takes place during a lull in the construction of the Temple.  Therefore, if Xerxes I reigned from 486 to 465, and the Temple was completed in 516 B.C., Xerxes I would not be Esther's king.  Jewish tradition holds that Ahasuerus had halted the rebuilding for a short time and that it was during this lull that the story of Esther took place.  The prophet Ezra says this:

4  Then the people of the land set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to build. 

5  They hired counselors against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

 6  At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, an accusation was lodged against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

7  And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes.

Ezra 4:4-7

A careful reading of these verses shows that the opposition to rebuilding, which had been occurring for decades, off and on since the reign of Cyrus, intensified to an accusation to King Xerxes I and an outright letter of appeal to his son, King Artaxerxes I.  The actually stoppage was ordered by Xerxes I’s son, Artaxerxes.

Here is an interesting tale about Xerxes I (just for the fun of it).  He invaded Greece with an army, it is said, of more than 2,000,000 soldiers, only 5,000 of whom returned with him. Leonidas, with his famous 300, arrested his progress at the Pass of Thermopylae, and then he was defeated disastrously by Themistocles at Salamis. Xerxes I had quite a temper.  It’s reported he was so angry at this naval loss to the Greeks, he commanded that his troops “whip the Mediterranean Sea” (with whips!) for the entire 3-day journey from Athens back to Persia!

Regardless of which Ahasuerus you subscribe to, Cambyses II or Xerxes I, the king represented ultimate authority and supreme worldly power.  Although a corrupted, idolatrous pagan, he is a picture of the authority of the Most High God.

Queen Vashti

In the Oral Torah (the Midrash), Cyrus the Persian (Cyrus the Great) and Darius the Mede were at the infamous banquet on the night King Belshazzar of Babylon died (Daniel 5:2-4). If you recall, it was at this banquet Belshazzar ordered the sacred items from the Jewish Temple brought out of storage and used as common tableware.  At that time, “the writing on the wall” appeared.  The Midrash says that in the pandemonium which took place after Daniel interpreted the writing, a chandelier fell from the ceiling onto Belshazzar, killing him instantly.  9-year old Vashti is identified as the orphaned daughter of Belshazzar. The Midrash goes on to say that King Darius the Mede married her off to Ahasuerus, his son, also known as Cambyses II, years later.  Belshazzar died in 539 B.C., and the banquet of Cambyses II (Ahasuerus) took place in 527 B.C., the third year of his reign.  If Vashti were 9 when Belshazzar died, she would have been around 21 when the banquet described in Esther took place, IF you believe the Ahasuerus of Esther was Cambyses II.
The third year of Xerxes I's reign would have been 484 B.C., which would have made Vashti somewhere in her late-60s when the story of Esther took place.  Not likely.
Regardless....

When the biblical story of Esther begins, Vashti is the Queen.  She is referred to as Queen Vashti until she refuses to answer Ahasuerus’ summons to appear before his guests at a banquet held in the third year of his reign.  After her refusal, her royal title is revoked. The divorce from Queen Vashti occurred after the infamous, royal banquet.  The Oral Torah (Midrash) states that the Esther 1:11 summons for Queen Vashti to appear “in her crown” to be actually “nothing but her crown”, in other words, to be paraded around butt-naked, which would amply explain why she refused.

Some scholars believe Vashti represents those caught up in paganism, including faux-Christian paganism, who reject King Jesus’ summons (Luke 14:16-24) and who will be replaced with the true Bride of Christ (both Gentile and Jewish believers).

We will continue in the next post, with the remaining characters in the story.

Sources:

https://biblehub.com/topical/a/ahasuerus.htm


https://www.gotquestions.org/Darius-in-the-Bible.html

Cahn, J., The Book of Mysteries: "The Cosmic Dice", p. 189, Charisma House Book Group, Lake Mary FL, 2016

https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/vashti-midrash-and-aggadah


https://www.sefaria.org/Megillah.12b?lang=bi

Walking Among the Dead

Yesterday, I got to see my mother for the first time in two months by making a visit to her home.  She and I have been very careful with our covid-19 isolation.  So, we decided to take the risk of a visit.  We spent the day going for car rides around the countryside, enjoying the gorgeous North Georgia spring day.

One of mother’s “jobs” is to keep nice-looking, fake floral arrangements on the family grave plot, across the old highway from my family’s home church.  Because the four she had ordered arrived, one of our stops was at the church cemetery.  We put the retiring arrangements in the trunk of her car.  See, there is a “pecking order”, of sorts.  Our immediate family gets the newest “freshest” (an incongruent descriptor....) floral creations, while the more old, tired, faded ones are handed down to the graves of more distant relatives.  Accordingly, we next visited the graveyard where other relatives are buried, appropriating two of the arrangements there.  And finally, we visited a third cemetery, where we graced the graves of mother’s great-great-grandfather and also the graves of family friends with the remaining two.

Part of the adventure was mother remembering (or not...) where so-and-so was buried.  “I think it’s beside that large tree.”  “Well, maybe it’s the next one.”  She did the directing, as I did the searching out and placement.  All looked more “inviting” - - really?! - - than they had before our visits.

When I was a child of 5 years old, my mother worked full-time as a school guidance counselor.  She worked outside the home all my years there.  The kindergarten in those days was a private option, for those who wanted to pay tuition.  Also, it was only half-day.  Mother dropped me off in the empty garage, where the classes were held, on her way to school in the mornings.  The only other child to arrive so early was Tony, who terrorized me on a regular basis.  (That’s another story.)

At the half-day mark, another mother would retrieve me and her children, depositing me at the home of my great-grandparents, who lived right beside their home church and even closer to its cemetery.  In those days, grandparents just fed their young grandchildren and, on sunny days, let them roam.  Where did I roam?  To the cemetery, of course!  Most of the names I did not know, but I sharpened my imagination looking at their tombstones, inventing stories about their lives.  Walking among the dead.

I thought of these memories yesterday as, once again, I roamed where I had a half-century ago.

You may not have spent much time in a graveyard, but we all walk among the dead.  Some of us are “the walking dead.”

The apostle Paul stated quite frankly in Ephesians 2:4 that, before Christians were met by the Holy Spirit and brought to spiritual life, we “were dead in our trespasses and sins”.  Christians who believe so strongly in predestination to the exclusion of free will claim it is impossible for something or someone dead to make a response or to make a choice for or against Christ.  I won’t plunge off that theological precipice here.  The point is, before we meet and accept Jesus Christ as Savior, the Bible rightly claims we are dead and totally incapable of gaining our own eternal life, achieving our own salvation, no matter how “good” we try to be.

This is a deadness so much more pernicious than physical death because, whereas physical death is a one-time happening, spiritual death leads to torment for all of eternity.  A story in the book of Luke (16:23-24) tells of the man who went to Hell and proclaimed “for I am in torment”.  He also begged for a drop of water to assuage his thirst.  Though not stated, an additional dimension of this torment will be for all who enter a one-way ticket to unending separation from God.  Hell is a place God will not be.  The worst experiences endured in this earthly life would not even begin to compare.

Which is it for you?  Are you one of “the walking dead”, or are you spiritually alive, yet walking among the dead as you live here day to day?  Whatever your answer, there is an urgency.  For the non-Christian, obviously, the urgency is to make a decision for Jesus Christ, before it is too late.  For the Christian, the urgency involves seeing those whose souls are perishing.  Both graveyards and the rest of this world are places of concealment.  The physically dead are concealed in tombs.  The spiritually dead appear to the eyes like everyone else, for the most part.  Satan is famous for deception....and complacency.  He works on both groups, to spiritually damn the former and to spiritually incapacitate the latter.

I pray God will open the eyes of those who are dead, blind or sleeping, while we still walk above ground, while (as the Bible describes) “it is still day...  For the night is coming, when no man can work.”  (John 9:4)

The Role of Judaism in a Christian's Bible Study

Leviticus fragment, from https://www.templealiyah.com/Torah_Scroll_Images

In a few days, here in the blog, I am going to embark on a study of the Book of Esther.  But, before we "go there", it will be instructive to first take a look at the role of what we Christians call the Old Testament through the eyes of both ancient and modern-day Jews.  (This study has been a real eye-opener for me, someone who did not previously know a "midrash" from a radish.)

When Christians are asked, "What is the Torah?", answers will generally range from blank stares to "it is some part of the Old Testament" to "the first five books of the Old Testament, the law of Moses".  Jews refer to the 22, 24 or 29 (depending on how they are divided up) books of the Old Testament as the Tanakh (law, prophets, wisdom writings).  TaNaKh is a Hebrew acronym:

Ta = Torah = Law

Na = Nevi’im = Prophets

Kh = Ketuvim = Writings

The first five books of the Tanakh (Old Testament) are referred to as the written Torah.
It is generally accepted the Moses wrote down the first five books (Genesis-Deuteronomy), based on what God revealed to him during the days he was on Mt. Sinai.

There is also something Jews refer to as "the oral Torah".  Back in the days of Jesus, the Sadducees were a Jewish sect that adhered strictly to the written Torah as the authority for Jewish practice.  The Pharisees, by contrast, revered both the written Torah and also the oral Torah.3  Accordingly, by the time of Jesus, there existed a significant body of oral law, which was used to interpret and translate into practice the written law.  When Jews use the term "Torah" today, they are generally referring to both, and they use both in their theological practice.

The question arises: "why would the Jews, who were so obsessive about their scribes copying the holy scriptures with no errors, depend on an oral transmission of their religion?"  One compelling reason this was done was to preserve the transmission of Judaism to only Jews, and to keep holy information from falling into the hands of other people groups for whom it was believed the information was "unauthorized".  A second reason was that the Jews interpret Exodus 24:12 to give permission for an oral tradition to be established.  Here's that verse (King James 2000 version).

And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give you tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that you may teach them.

The "and commandments" referred to in this verse has been interpreted to mean "oral commandments", i.e. the oral Torah.  Another name for this oral Torah is the Talmud.
A third reason is that the ancient synagogues were not only places for the transmission of theology; they were also where civil and legal disputes were settled among the Jewish people of the community.  Much of the civil law for those communities was codified in the Talmud.  And, in ancient times, the Talmud was transmitted orally, from rabbi to student.  A student could make notes of his understandings of these oral transmissions, but there was no codified written "oral law" in those days.

All of this changed with the destruction of the Second Temple.  Remember that the first Temple was built by King Solomon.  It was destroyed by the Babylonians, yet rebuilt within approximately 100 years.  This rebuilt temple was the Second Temple.  It was enhanced a few years before Jesus' birth by one of the Herods, and being called one of the "wonders of the world", was quite magnificent in its heyday, when Jesus lived on earth.  At that time, the Talmud was "alive and well", happily being passed along orally.

However, when the Second Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., two huge problems arose with the oral tradition.  The first problem was that Jews were dispersed, which made passing along a trustworthy oral tradition challenging.  The second problem was that the practice of Judaism, as revealed in Torah, centered in large part around a physical Temple.  Accordingly, the leading rabbis of the second century A.D. published something today called the Mishnah, which is "an edited {written}record of the oral Torah"1, and includes the legal decisions of the Sanhedrin.
Today's Talmud, then, is comprised of the Mishnah and the Gemara, which comments on and interprets the Mishnah.
In dealing with the teachings of the Mishnah, the Gemara has multiple functions. It explains unclear words or phrasing. It also provides precedents or examples to assist in application of the law and offers alternative opinions from sages of the Mishnah and their contemporaries (known as Tannaim). Whereas the Mishnah barely cites biblical verses, the Gemara for nearly every law discussed introduces these connections between the biblical text and the practices and legal opinions of its time. It also extends and restricts applications of various laws, and even adds laws on issues left out of the Mishnah entirely (for example, the key observances of Hanukkah). Multiple opinions of sages are weighed against one another, often without presenting a conclusion. 2
A curious thing about the Mishnah, however, is that it's not what I'd call "uniform", "definitive" or "thou shalt".  This is because it presents differing opinions of rabbis on a variety of issues.  Hence, the old Jewish joke, "two Jews, three opinions", I guess.  But, the Mishnah's dialogues, arguments, persuasions, give us a picture of the context in which Jesus debated the sages at the Temple.

One final term you might run across is "midrash".  A midrash is both a conclusion and a commentary on the Talmud.  A midrash is a rabbinical commentary, sort of analogous to a New Testament Bible commentary.  It attempts to connect the words of the ancient texts to contemporary Jewish life.

Now, most conservative Christians are going to find these religious practices somewhat frightening.  In fact, some of my usual readers won't even finish reading this post.  As Christians there are several things pounded into us from our infancy in the Christian faith.
1.  The Old and New Testaments are divinely inspired and are free from error.   Accordingly, we can take this revealed word of God "to the bank".  "God said it, and I believe it and that settles it."
(I still believe and teach this, by the way.)
2.  "Much of the Old Testament was rendered irrelevant by the teachings of Jesus Christ, and should therefore be ignored."  Well, either the Old Testament is the Word of God, or it isn't.  I deem this position to be heretical, even though it is commonly held by many Christians. At least 33% of the New Testament is from the Old.4  Every book of the Old Testament is either quoted or alluded to in the New, except for the books of Nahum, Obadiah, Esther and Zephaniah.5  Consider Paul's admonition in Romans 15:4

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, 

that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures

might have hope.

Remember that the Old Testament scriptures, the Tanakh, were "the scriptures" referred to in the New Testament. Keep in mind, and this should go without saying, the New Testament had not yet been written, in Jesus' day!  I believe and teach that the gospel of Jesus Christ is concealed in the Old Testament and that the Old Testament is revealed in the New.

3.  All extraneous, "extra-biblical" ancient texts should be avoided as they were rejected and are therefore heretical.
Hmmm....well, in years past I never questioned this.  However, I began to look at the Old Testament deeply.  And, much of the time, I thought to myself, "Why do Christians avoid this teaching?" "I don't understand this."  Or, "What does this mean?"  The reason these questions arose was because of Jewish idioms and ancient practices, foreign to my current day, and just a general lack of understanding of ancient Jewish culture.  While I don't believe the Talmud, for example, rises to the level of the divinely inspired Word of God, I find that it can provide context and clues to understanding.

So, as we undertake a study of the book of Esther in the coming days, please keep all of this in mind.  I may make references to some of these terms.

Sources:

1    https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/mishnah/
2    https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/gemara-the-essence-of-the-talmud/
3    https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-Torah-Tanakh-Talmud-Midrash-Mishnah-and-other-similar-terms
4   http://www.biblecharts.org/newtestaament/percentageoftheoldtestamentfoundinthenewtestament.pdf
5    https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/pnt/pnt08.cfm