Sacrifice Offerings of the Lord: Pt 2: www.seachord.org

Sacrifice Offerings of the Lord: Pt 2 - Why, Intro            February 29, 2020

Joshua 13:14  The Territorial Assignments; The Land Given to the Tribe of Levi: Moses hadn’t assigned any land to the tribe of Levi: instead, they were given the offerings brought to the Lord.

Joshua 13:33 But Moses had given no land to the tribe of Levi for, as he had explained to them, the Lord God was their inheritance. He was all they needed. He would take care of them in other ways.

Joshua 14:1-3 These are the areas which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel distributed as an inheritance to them. (2) Their inheritance was by lot, as the LORD had commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes and the half-tribe. (3) For Moses had given the inheritance of the two tribes and the half-tribe on the other side of the Jordan; but to the Levites he had given no inheritance among them.

Moses had already given land to the two and a half tribes on the east side of the Jordan River. The tribe of Joseph had become two separate tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim, and the Levites were given no land at all, except cities in which to live and the surrounding pasturelands for their cattle.

·       Joshua 13-21 – Distribution of the Land

·       Joshua 13:8 – ½ Tribe of Manasseh East

·       Joshua 13:15 - Tribe of Reuben

·       Joshua 13:24 – Tribe of Gad

·       Joshua 13:29 – ½ Tribe of Manasseh East

·       Joshua 14:1 – Tribe of Judah

·       Joshua 16:1 – Tribes of Joseph (Ephraim and 1/2 Tribe Manasseh)

·       Joshua 16:5 – Tribe of Ephraim

·       Joshua 17:1 – Tribe of Manasseh

·       Joshua 18:11 – Tribe of Benjamin

·       Joshua 19:1 – Tribe of Simeon

·       Joshua 19:17 – Tribe of Issachar

·       Joshua 19:24 – Tribe of Asher

·       Joshua 19:32 – Tribe of Naphtali

·       Joshua 19:40 – Tribe of Dan

Joshua 21:2 “The Lord instructed Moses to give cities to us Levites for our homes, and pastureland for our cattle,” they said.

Provision for Priests and Levites according to sacrifice.  Important,

They did not have a land inheritance in Israel.

Deuteronomy 18:1-4 "The priests, the Levites: all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and His portion. (2) Therefore they shall have no inheritance among their brethren; the LORD is their inheritance, as He said to them. (3) "And this shall be the priest's due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it is bull or sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach. (4) The firstfruits of your grain and your new wine and your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him.

The Sacrifices were required to be done in the Lord’s Home, the Temple, Altar or Tabernacle.

**Genesis 3:21 Adam and his Eve, made tunics of skin, {first animal sacrifice}

**Genesis 4:3-5 Cain {fruit of ground} and Able {firstborn of flock} made Sacrifice to God.  They had to know about Sacrifices.

**Genesis 8:20-21 Noah built an altar with burnt offerings, clean animal

**Genesis 12:7,8 Abram built an altar  

Abraham to Sacrifice of Isaac – Burnt Offering – Where we left off.

Genesis 22:2 Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

Genesis 22:9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.

Genesis 26:25 So he {Isaac} built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's servants dug a well.

We know the rest of the story Abraham and Isaac

Genesis 33:20 Then he {Jacob} erected an altar there and called it El Elohe Israel.

Jacob receives God’s covenant, His promise

Genesis 28:13-14 And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: "I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. (14) Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

The point is that the promises that God made to Israel are only, one way; unconditional.  Cannot be change.  Only punish to return to the Lord.

If they are unconditional, One Way, there is

·      no way Israel can forfeit her promises, 

·      no matter how much idolatry she has, 

·      no matter how unfaithful she becomes. 

God redeem them in Exodus, and He cured them of idolatry with the Babylonian captivity.  This is why Ezra was so very important to Israel.

One of the commands that were given to Israel is the Altar of Stone.

Exodus 20:22-25 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. (23) You shall not make anything to be with Me; gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves. (24) An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you. (25) And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it.

The Divisions of the Law

The Law can be divided into three major divisions: the moral law, the civil law and the ceremonial law.  

Moral Law is typified by the 10 commandments in Exodus 20, that is in effect, God’s claim on His human creatures.  

Civil Law found in Exodus 21-23, which are social regulations to regulate their lives (slavery, possession, murder, etc).  These are to give guidance to an individual or judges.  

Ceremonial Laws is the third group of laws, deal with the religious life (the purification, the priests, the implements, ceremonial observations, etc).  

**Matthew 5:18 because I tell you with certainty that until heaven and earth disappear, not one letter or one stroke of a letter will disappear from the Law until everything has been accomplished.   {new Heavens and Earth}

        {Notice, Does the law go away, No, Jesus said}

The Book of Leviticus deals with the ceremonial laws.

Upon entering the courtyard of the Temple, the first item to be encountered was a bronze altar for sacrifices to be offered in accordance with the various Levitical ordinances.

The Altar of Incense {Golden Altar}

Numbers 4:11 "Over the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth, and cover it with a covering of badger skins; and they shall insert its poles.

Exodus 30:1 "You shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood.

·      Members of Israel could only go to Brazen or Bronze Altar, only 

·      Aaron and sons could go on to the Golden Altar.

If we think about sacrifices as gifts given to God.   We take an animal, we kill it and sacrifice it through the Priests and God received the smoke of the burning sacrifice as a pleasing odor.  

Leviticus 1:13 but he shall wash the entrails and the legs with water. Then the priest shall bring it all and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD. {or an aroma that will be pleasing to the LORD."}

Leviticus 3:16 and the priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma; all the fat is the LORD's.

Sweet aroma means a savor of satisfaction, enjoyment or pleasant smell.

There are 40 verses that says animal sacrifice with fire to God is a sweet aroma to the Lord.  The incense Jesus loves.

God enjoyed a fellowship meal with human beings in God’s dwelling on earth; The Temple before the Temple was destroyed.

We covered in the past, animal sacrifice will be re-instituted or start up again during the millennial kingdom in the Temple. We will not cover it here.

Now, we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit and He dwells in us and enjoys us.  Our prayers are important to the Father.  

Is not our prayers special to the Lord

Psalms 141:2 Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.  {like an aroma}

Revelation 5:8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Our prayers are the pleasant smell of incense that goes to the Father and collected in golden bowls and offer it on the golden altar before the Father Throne.

Revelation 8:3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

We understand our prayers are like the sweet aroma the Lord receives.

We know the Temple is called a house and has furnishings, such as a lamp and a table.  The altar was a cooking surface, like a barbecue, where sacrificial animals was cooked.

Instructions for the performance of various types of sacrifices are found in the first seven chapters of the book of Leviticus. There are five main types of grain and animal sacrifice plus a drink offering later added: 

We covered in the past about where there will be animal sacrifices in the Millennial Temple according to Ezekiel Chapter: 40-48.  We will not cover it here.

This is as far as I will go on general sacrifices, I would like now to cover something I think is important.

Important:  What about women making sacrifices or offerings in the Temple.

Leviticus 12:2-3 "Tell the Israelis that a woman who conceives and bears a son is unclean for seven days. Just like the days of her customary impurity, she is unclean. (3) On the eighth day, the flesh of the baby's foreskin is to be circumcised.

The purification process to be undertaken by a woman following childbirth. The process has two stages: first come the days of her flow (Leviticus 12:2), seven days when a boy is born and two weeks for a girl. 

Then, the mother must remain in the blood of purity (12:4) for thirty-three days when a boy is born or for sixty-six days when a girl is born. 

After purification, she must go to the priest and offer a lamb as a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering (12:6). Scripture mentions an alternative offering for women who cannot afford a lamb: "And if she cannot afford a sheep, she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering. And the priest shall effect atonement for her, and she shall become clean" (12:8).

All of this is somewhat surprising and interesting, that men made no similar sacrifice upon having children or offering during circumcise.  Men were required to visit the Temple during the Festivals to bring the sacrifices. 

Women’s visits to the Temple were marked personal events related to her life cycle.  She must bring the offerings to the priest to satisfy this requirement and instruct the priest how to sacrifice them.  If the priest failed to follow her instructions, the sacrifice was invalid. 

Men are required to have their sons circumcised, but not responsible for the offering or sacrifice in the Temple and to celebrate his birth in the Temple.  It seems the wives are not allow to be in the main room for the circumcise celebration.  The ceremony for the child starts after he has been passed among the relatives, beginning with the mother (in a separate room; she is customarily secluded at this time).

After the actual circumcision, the child is handed to the father, then the blessing, the boy’s name is announced.  Circumcision is not a sacrifice, because nothing is loss.  **Circumcision of John the Baptist: Luke 1:57-66

Leviticus 12:4-8 She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled. (5) 'But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days. 

(6) 'When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 

(7) Then he shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who has borne a male or a female. (8) 'And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons--one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.' "

What about Jesus circumsicion

Luke 2:21 And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

This is when Jesus was names. Now Jesus is Presented at the Temple

Luke 2:22-24 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (23) (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "EVERY MALE WHO OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD" ), (24) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS."

With this Sacrifice, this show Mary and Joseph were somewhat poor.  This                                   offering has shown that it is not dishonorable to be poor.  So the timeline for Mary with Jesus would be 40 days, it would put the  time line somewhere around Oct/Nov.

Proverbs 7:13-14 So she caught him and kissed him; With an impudent face she said to him: (14) "I have peace offerings with me; Today I have paid my vows.

Women were required to perform a number of offerings, including:

·      The offerings following childbirth as described in Leviticus, just covered

·      Thank offering and its accompanying meal offering following recovery from illness or danger.

·      The Passover sacrifice on Passover. Women could offer the sacrifice and hold a Passover Seder themselves if they wished, even if married.

·      Sin offerings or guilt offerings in atonement for transgressions and unintentional errors.

·      Offerings relevant to fulfillment of, or transgression of, the Nazirite vow.

·      Offerings following cure from certain diseases and unusual bodily discharges.

Women could also voluntarily participate in a number of other offerings and rituals for which they were not obligated, including:

·      First Fruits on the holiday of Shavuot.

·      Temple tax - The half-shekel tax for Temple needs.

·      Voluntary offerings, peace offerings and a variety of other voluntary and donative offerings.

·      Laying on hands of sacrificial animals for sacrifices they were not required to perform.

·      Women could slaughter their sacrificial animals themselves if they wished.

·      Women could make vows {**Numbers 30:4-8}

·      Did Hannah give a portion of the offering of Elkanah {*1 Samuel 1:4,5}

·      Hannah made a vow to God {**1 Samuel 1:11}

·      Hannah made a sacrifice to God {**1 Samuel 1:24-28}

Next time we will cover the actual sacrifices

Esther: Chapters: 9, 10 February 26, 2020 www.seachord.org

Esther: Chapters: 9, 10               March 09, 2019

The Jews Destroy Their Enemies  

·      We learn that Persia’s like their Banquets or feast and their drinking wine according to the law.

·      King Xerxes goes to war against the Greece and loses. 

·      King needs a Queen since he replaced the prior Queen and Esther is made Queen.

·      King needs money since he is broke and Haman showed the king how he can refill the treasury.

·      Haman said we can kill a group of individuals and take their property and put in into the kings treasury.

·      Mordecai forced Esther to go before the king to save her people.

·      Esther points out Haman want to kill her and her people.

·      Haman is impaled on what he built for Mordecai.

·      Haman was dead.  The Remaining Challenge

·      The tables had now been turned, but the Jews were still left with a major problem:  The King’s command to kill the Jews was still in effect.

·      It was now the 3^rd month, and there were 9 months to go from throwing lots before the fateful day when the Jews could legally be slain.

·      There were about 15 million Jews among the estimated 100 million people in the empire.  This is the complete Persian Empire.

·      Esther Saves the Jews - Bloody Reckoning

The Feast of Purim;  The Jews Destroy Their Enemies 

Esther 9:1 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the time came for the king's command and his decree to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them.

Remember, those who hated the Jews, formed themselves into groups against the Jews to kill them, so the Jews knew who these groups were.

·      When the king is on Jews side, it does not matter who was against them.

·      When the appointed day of the battle came, 

·      The tables were now turned on the enemies of the Jews.

 Esther 9:2 The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those determined to destroy them. No one could stand against them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them.

·      As the Jews assembled in various cities to face their attackers, the Gentiles became afraid of them and possible the fear of the God of the Jewish people. 

·      Why were the people afraid, considered Haman was hanged, Mordecai the Jew advanced, and that the Queen herself was a Jew, and that the Jews had the royal grant to act both defensively and offensively; and no doubt, but panic was of God. 

·      Number of individuals converted to become Jewish.

·      Other writings said Haman sons vowed to avenge their father’s death

Esther 9:3  And all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps {or lieutenants}, the governors and the king's administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them {fell upon them}.  {interesting}

·      The fear of them fell upon all people because of Mordecai, ruler under the king.  Protect themselves politically of Mordecai power & popularity

·      The government authorities helped the Jews but why did they help them, not because they had any kindness for them, but because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.  

Esther 9:4 Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful.

·      By God’s intervention was Mordecai now in a position of authority. 

·      The throne that had once condemned the Jews now protects them.

God’s throne protects us today, 

Paul tells us to reflex that God is for us, who can be against us and there is nothing that separate us from the love of God.  * Romans 8:31-39

Esther 9:5 The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them.     {face to face, hand to hand}

We see the Jews take the sword to begin the slaughter and the destruction of their enemies who hated them at their discretion.

Esther 9:6-10 In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men.  (7)  They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,  (8)  Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,  (9)  Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha,  (10)  the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not lay their hands on the plunder.

Interesting side:  The Jews, when on the feast of Purim they read this book of Esther, require of themselves to read the names of Haman's ten sons all in one breathe, without any pause, because they say that they were all killed together, and all gave up the ghost just in the same moment.

Notice, only men were killed, not the wives and children and took no plunder.  Other Jewish writing mention this about the family members.

Day of the battle (13th day of the 12th month, i.e., in March 473) 

·      The execution of the ten sons of Haman completed the utter destruction of Amalek that King Saul was supposed to do and did not.

Esther 9:11 The number of those killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king that same day.

Esther 9:12 The king said to Queen Esther, "The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in the citadel of Susa. What have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? It will also be granted."

Esther 9:13 "If it pleases the king," Esther answered, "give the Jews in Susa permission to carry out this day's edict tomorrow also, and let Haman's ten sons be impaled on poles."

·      Given one more day to carry out the task of rooting out the ones who were trying to destroy them

·      Did the enemies of the Jews have weapons, why needed a 2^nd day 

·      Haman sons were already dead, but impaled as a warning to others to those who sought the destruction of the Jews.

·      On the second day the Jews killed an additional 300 men.

·      This is where Esther received her perception from the people.

·      Many said she showed a lack of love towards her enemies, but would not settle for less than total victory, same principle found with Joshua.

·      Reported over 75,000 killed in all of the provinces.

Esther 9:14  So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they impaled the ten sons of Haman.

·      Why impale the dead bodies of Haman’s 10 sons

·      Not unusual practice in the ancient Middle East

·      A visual warning that others better not commit the same crime as the punished ones. 

·      Zeresh Haman wife fled with family member according to the Targum

Esther 9:15  The Jews in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to death in Susa three hundred men, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder.

·      Herodotus, the Greek historian, records that Xerxes returned home after his defeat in the Greek campaign, about 480 B.C. 

·      That his wife, Esther, was a “cold and vindictive” queen.

·      Her Public image, we can see where that could be true.

·      Why not take of the plunder is from the example of Abraham, who scorned to enrich himself with the spoils of Sodom.

·      The Jews would not kill women and children because of their humanity forbade them to do that, so not take spoil, but left it to the women and little ones, whom they spared, for the subsistence, otherwise they would starve to death. 

Esther 9:16  Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king's provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousands of them but did not lay their hands on the plunder.

·      Three times in the record it’s stated that the Jews didn’t take any of the spoil (vv. 10, 15-16). 

·      Why, another reason, It was in taking spoil from the enemy that King Saul lost his kingdom, and the Jews didn’t repeat his mistake (1 Sam 15:12-23).

Esther 9:17 This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.

The Feast of Purim established

Esther 9:18-19  The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.  (19)  That is why rural Jews—those living in villages—observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other.

That feasting was made the day of Puram and celebrated even today.

Only in Susa did the fighting last for two days. For that reason Jews in Susa celebrated on the 15th day of the 12th month (after the slaughters on the 13th and 14th), whereas Jews in the villages celebrated on the 14th (after the slaughter on the 13th).

The Feast of Purim Established

·      It was commanded by Mordecai and by Esther 

·      Simply a time of grateful remembrance of their deliverance. 

·      Morning of the 14th day, the Jews again go to the synagogue

·      The Esther story is read again, the congregation engages in prayer. 

·      Story about Moses and the Amalekites is also read (Ex 17:8-16). 

·      Then they go home to a festive holiday meal with gifts, special foods

·      The celebrating continues on the next day. 

·      Not wrong in giving present to each other.

Esther 9:20-21 Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far,  (21)  to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar

1^st Letter sent out to all the Jews, charging them to keep the feast of Purim

It is from this verse that it has been broadly concluded that Mordecai may well have been the author of this book.

Esther 9:22  as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

God set before the Jews the use of this feast which was for the relief from their enemies, the remembrance of God's deliverance, the maintenance of mutual friendship and relief of the poor. 

Esther 9:23-24  So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them.  (24)  For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction.

The pur became a symbol of God’s using circumstances to deliver His own.

Esther 9:25 But when the plot came to the king's attention, he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back onto his own head, and that he and his sons should be impaled on poles.

Esther 9:26-27 (Therefore these days were called Purim, from the word pur.) Because of everything written in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them,  (27)  the Jews took it on themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed.

·      March 20 sunset to March 21 nightfall, 2019, this year

·      The principle of remembering God’s great deliverance is good, we too often forget His great works in our lives.

Esther 9:28  These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews—nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants.

Esther 9:29 So Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim.

·      Notice Queen Esther also joined Mordecai in sending a second letter, laid their requirement on the Jews to observe the days (1 year later)

·      2^nd Letter sent out to all the Jews, charging them to keep the feast of Purim

Esther 9:30-31 And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of Xerxes' kingdom—words of goodwill and assurance {peace and truth} (31) to establish these days of Purim at their designated times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed for them, and as they had established for themselves and their descendants in regard to their times of fasting and lamentation.

Encourage them to live in peace with one another and their neighbors and in the true religion, in the most loving and sincere manner.

Esther 9:32 Esther's decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, and it was written down in the records.

·      A copy of her letter was also included in the royal archives 

The Greatness of Mordecai 

Esther 10:1 King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores.

Tribute may refer both to taxation and forced labor that the king imposed on all his territory.

Esther 10:2  And all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whom the king had promoted, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia?

Esther 10:3  Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.

Mordecai began promoting the Jewish interest as much as he could with his power.

·      It may have been Mordecai who engineered a new system of tribute as a substitute for war and plunder as a source of kingdom wealth.

·      This is why Purim was celebrated yearly with such rejoicing: to help the Jews remember that God is in control and that people should faithfully worship and serve their great God.

·      This is the last of the historical books of the Old Testament,