Esther, Chapter
1: Introduction January 12, 2019
Esther is a story of human
love, palace intrigue, bad and good people, possible murder, war, banquets, is
a party animal
book, drinking and eating and during the perfect glory days of the
Persian Empire.
· Esther is
the last of the historical books of the Bible, so its main character is named Esther (Mordecai, Jewish cousin named, Hadassah).
· The deeds of
Queen Esther cast a ray of light forward into Jewish’s history from a dark time.
· Esther name is not mention in any other part of
the Bible except in the Book of Esther. Maybe implied in Nehemiah 2:6.
Nehemiah 2:6 Then the king, with the queen
sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take,
and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a
time.
· The Book of Esther is titled by the Jews, "the
volume of Esther," or simply "the volume."
· In ancient times, it was always written on a separate
roll, which was read entirely at the Feast of Purim.
· The Greek translators retained only
"Esther," which thus became the ordinary title among Christians.
A Jewish maiden, elevated
to the Throne of Persia as queen, and is used by God to preserve His people
against a Hitler-like holocaust.
The Book of Esther celebrate
the deliverance of the Jews, on this day—the Feast of Purim. We find”
•
No mention of the
name of God;
•
No reference to
worship or faith;
•
No prediction of
the Messiah;
•
No mention of
heaven or hell...nothing “religious” about it.
•
It is a gripping
tale, but why is it here in the Bible? Is it a revelation of God’s invisible
hand behind His people. Martin Luther
believed it should not be part of the Canon!
The Apostle Paul tells us
these stories are examples, to teach us and warning or instruction for us today
to give us encouragement so we might have hope:
*1 Corinthians
10:11; *Romans 15:4
· This is an actual history, historical events: not just
a story, but told and written in a story format.
· It deals with the escape of the Jews in the whole
world at this time from being completely destroyed.
· The book takes place in the Persian period, after many
Israelites had returned from the Exile to the land of Palestine to rebuild the
temple.
· The events in this book occurred roughly 10 years between
those recorded in Ezra 6 & 7, and before the Book of Nehemiah by about 30
years.
The King's Royal Banquets,
Feasts
Esther 1:1
This is what happened during the time of Xerxes {Greek
name or Ahasuerus, Persian name}, the Xerxes who ruled over 127
provinces stretching from India to Cush {or Ethiopia}:
· Xerxes is well known to history and he inherited the
vast Persian Empire from his father, Darius 1 {mention many times in the Bible}
· Xerxes reigned for twenty-one years after his father
Darius (485-465 B.C.) He had a number
of wars against Greece.
·
The two
countries, India and Ethiopia, are chosen as the extreme boundaries of the
Persian empire. We would say, Maine to
California. The Persian Empire was the
largest the world had ever seen.
Esther 1:2 At that time King Xerxes reigned from his
royal throne in the citadel {or palace} of Susa {or Shushan},
{map}
Nehemiah
said he was in the citadel of Susa, *Nehemiah 1:1
·
Ezra had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple
·
Nehemiah (cupbearer to Xerxes) would return to Jerusalem 40 years later
to rebuild the walls.
· Shushan the Royal palace”: ten-acre citadel is located
on an elevated area, about 200 miles E of Babylon, 150 miles north of the
Persian Gulf;
· Temperatures soared to as high as 140 degrees in the
summer, the court moved north to Ecbatana.
Shushan
– Susa: The palace was a square building over 350 feet on each side, featuring
seventy-two stone columns each estimated at sixty-five to eighty feet tall. The ruins have been located where these
events happen.
Shushan,
the kings of Persia used to keep their courts in
winter, as at Exbatana in summer (higher elevation and cooler weather).
Esther 1:3 and in the third year of
his reign he gave a banquet {or feast} for all
his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the
princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present. {lasted 6 month-party}
· Xerxes did have an irrational temper, occasionally
exhibiting fits of rage
· His drinking parties were known to host up to 15,000
guests at a time
· Susa 6 month party was the start for 4 years
preparations to invade Greece in 481 B.C.
· He will marry Esther four years later, in the 7th year
of his reign;
· Xerxes made feast for officials and servants – 180
days (Esther 1:3)
· Xerxes made feast for all the people - 7 days (Esther 1:5)
· Queen Vashti made feast for the women (Esther 1:9)
Along with these three banquets,
at least six other feasts are recorded in this book:
· Esther’s coronation banquet (Esther 2:18);
· Haman’s celebration feast with the king (Esther 3:15);
· Esther’s two banquets for Haman and the king (Esther 5
and 7);
· The Jews’ banquets when they heard the new decree
(Esther 8:17);
· The Feast of Purim (Esther 9:17-19). Celebrated to this day.
Esther 1:4 For a full 180 days he displayed
the vast wealth of his kingdom and
the splendor and glory of his majesty.
· Xerxes character wanted to Impress others, of course,
his pride.
· He shows the riches of his kingdom to his nobles and
chief officers
· His huge army of over 2 million when he invaded Greece.
·
The Persian feasts were known for their
length and luxury.
Esther 1:5 When these days
were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king's palace, for all the people from the least to the
greatest who were in the citadel of Susa.
· Now, all the males of Susa were entertained with food
and drink.
· The women were entertain by Vashti the queen in the
palace
· The enclosed garden complex measured 150 by 50 feet
area contained many trees and plants.
Esther 1:6
There were white
and blue linen curtains fastened with
cords of fine linen and purple on silver rods and marble pillars; and the couches were
of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of alabaster, turquoise, and white and
black marble.
· The color of white and blue {or violet} were the royal
colors of the Persians: A man describing
it?
· Mosaic floors laid in designs forming them into
pictures.
· Persians rested or leaned
upon couches or sofas on which the guests reclined at meals.
· Guests were permitted to drink as much or as little as
they chose.
Esther 1:7
And they served drinks in golden vessels, each vessel being different from the other, with
royal wine in abundance, according to the generosity of the king.
This is a small point,
which must have come from an eye-witness, or from one who had received the
account of the banquet from an eye-witness.
Esther 1:8 By the king's command each guest was
allowed to drink with no restrictions, for the king instructed all
the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished.
According to the law - An exception to the ordinary practice of required to
drink each time the king raised his cup had been made on this occasion by the
king’s
order.
Women’s banquet or feast for the women
Esther 1:9 Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes. {3rd feast mention}
· The women and men stayed separate and did not feast
together unless in the privacy of domestic life.
· The Queen gave a party to the women.
· The name “Vashti” means “beautiful woman.”
· Vashti is identified as a granddaughter of
Nebuchadnezzer in some Rabi sources.
Xerxes probably took her
to wife as soon as he was of marriageable age, and before he ascended the
throne, had a son by her, who in his seventh year was grown up.
· Now, we will see some important distinctions between
the status of women and men in the Persian court and see what Esther had to go
through.
Queen Vashti's Refusal
Esther 1:10 On the seventh day,
when King Xerxes was in high spirits {or drunk} from wine, he commanded the
seven eunuchs who served him, Mehuman,
Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Karkas
Eunuchs act as harem
attendants and as agents of communication between the king and his harem.
Because of the level of trust these men could attain, they might also function
as administrators in the kingdom as well.
Eunuchs would be less likely to become involved in conspiracies, because
they would have no heirs to put on the throne.
Esther 1:11 to bring before him Queen
Vashti, wearing her
royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look
at.
{was she expected to show
herself in an immodest way – partly naked?}
To bring Vashti the queen
- This command, though contrary to Persian customs, is not out of harmony with
the character of Xerxes; and is evidently related as something strange and
unusual. Otherwise, the queen would not have refused to come.
Esther 1:12 But when the attendants
delivered the king's command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and
burned with anger.
{She said no, an order which required her to make an indecent exposure
of herself, to be paraded in front of drunken people – no veil}
Esther 1:13,14 Since it was customary for
the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the
wise men who understood
the times (14) and were closest to the king—Karshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memukan, the
seven nobles of Persia and Media who had special access to the king and were
highest in the kingdom.
·
The Persian kings were very seldom seen
by their subjects
First level of
advisors, Persian kings had a panel of judges with lifetime
appointments whom the king relied upon for interpretations of the law,
men of
practical wisdom, who knew the facts and customs of former times.
These 7 families of the
first rank in Persia, their chiefs were entitled to have free access to the
monarch's person.
History's profile of Xerxes
shows him to be an unreasonable and foolish man in many cases.
Example from History: On one occasion,
Xerxes executed the builders of a bridge because an ocean storm destroyed it;
then he commanded that the water and waves be whipped and chained to punish the
sea.
Esther 1:15 "According to law, what must be done
to Queen Vashti?" he asked.
"She has not
obeyed the command of King Xerxes that
the eunuchs have taken to her." {this is a big deal, what must he do}
·
King desired to know what law was provided in such a case
·
What to be done according to the law:
Esther 1:16 Then Memukan replied in
the presence of the king and the nobles, "Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against
the king but also against all the
nobles and the peoples of all the
provinces of King Xerxes.
These are the individuals
telling the king what they think the king wants to hear. Anything other than this, they would be
telling the King He is wrong.
Esther 1:17 For the queen's conduct will become known
to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands and say, 'King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before
him, but she would not come.'
Esther 1:18
This very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about
the queen's
conduct will respond to all the king's nobles in the same way. There
will be no end
of disrespect and discord.
Esther 1:19 "Therefore, if it pleases the king, let
him issue a
royal decree and let it be written in
the laws of
Persia and Media, which cannot be repealed, that Vashti is never
again to enter the presence of King Xerxes. Also let the king give her royal
position to someone else who is
better than she.
The law once given, it cannot
be changed.
Daniel example
where King Darius issue the decree and put it in writing so
that it cannot
be altered
*Daniel 6:8-9
· Vashti’s punishment did not include execution or
divorce.
·
She was simply
demoted within the harem so that she would have no
chance of an official presence in Xerxes court.
·
This would effectively strip her of power and prestige,
· Remove her from a position
where she could hope to receive favors from the king.
Esther 1:20-21
Then when the king's edict is proclaimed throughout all his vast realm,
all the women
will respect their husbands, from the least to the greatest."
(21) The king and his nobles were pleased with this advice, so the
king did as Memukan proposed.
Esther 1:22 He sent dispatches to all parts of the kingdom,
to each province in its own script and to each people in their own language,
proclaiming that every man should be ruler over his own household, using his native tongue.
· Type of pony express to send out these letters to the
king’s provinces.
· It could be published very quickly.
·
The system as featuring
stations for every day of the journey with a man and a horse for each day.
·
That neither snow, rain, heat or darkness deters them from their task.
Xerxes writes
letters to each of his provinces telling everyone that men should be the
masters of their houses. (all I can say, Nice touch)
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