Bible Brad

Purim 2

5 min read

Context

Written around the time that the Israelites were returning to the land after the Babylonian captivity

The book is written in a way that never mentions prayer nor God, but points to God

Written as a chiastic (abccba) with the focal point of Mordecai’s exaltation

Book Overview

  • The king (Ahasuerus - akh-ash-vay-rosh) throws a 6 month feast, culminating in a final week
  • The queen (Vashti) throws a separate feast for the women of the palace
  • On day 7, the queen was called upon to literally be shown off, and she refused
  • His council recommended banishing the queen and replacing her, and the king agreed
    • They said that women would dishonor their husbands across the entire country
    • This would show em!
  • The king calls for young women to be sought and delivered to him to replace Vashti
  • A man serving in the citadel, Mordecai, was acting guardian of Hadassah (Esther), his cousin, as she was orphaned
  • Many women were brought to the king, including Esther and Esther quickly became a favorite; though she kept her Jewish heritage a secret
  • He offers her make-up and food, 7 maids, and the best room in the area given to prepare the women
  • After a year, she, along with the others selected, flounced before the king, individually
  • Esther is favored above all the others and made queen
  • Meanwhile… Mordecai overhears an assassination plot and alerts (now queen) Esther, who tells the king, who finds it true and executes the two
  • Roughly 8 years later, Haman (boo!) is set as second in command
  • Mordecai refuses to bow to him, so Haman plots to kill all Jews, as Mordecai was esteemed
  • Haman brings this plot to the king, saying that the Jews follow their own laws
  • He casts lots (called Pur) to decide the date, landing on the 13th day of the 12th month, about 11 months later
  • The king gives Haman authority to do as he pleases with the Jews
  • Mordecai becomes aware of the edict and writes Esther
  • Esther responds “the king’s word is law” to which Mordecai reminds her that she, too, is Jewish and encourages that God put her in her position for such a time as this
  • Esther calls for the Jews to fast food and water for 3 days, then she’d approach the king
  • After three days, she approaches the king and asks that Haman join them; the eat and she asks for another dinner the next day
  • The next day, Haman (boo) brags about his position and his wife suggests building a 75-foot gallows to hang Mordecai in; he agrees to have them built
  • That night, the king cannot sleep so goes back and reads the record of Mordecai saving him from assassination; he asks “what did I do to say thank you” to which the answer was “nothing”
  • Haman, who was approaching to ask about the gallows, is asked “what would you do to honor someone?”
  • Thinking it was in regard to himself, he answers to have royal attire and allow them to ride the king’s horse, and then paraded around
  • The king instructs that Haman (boo) is to do this for Mordecai; so he does
  • He complains to his friends and wife, who tell him that he will lose it all if he’s falling to a Jew; he leaves for dinner with Esther
  • At dinner, Esther’s request is her own life, and her people’s lives, be saved from death
  • The king asks who is killing them and she points at Haman (boo)
  • The king, furious, leaves for his garden
  • Haman stands by to beg Esther for his life; he throws himself onto the couch where she was lying as the king walked in
  • The king accuses him of trying to rape Esther and a eunuch calls out that there is a 75-foot gallow near Haman’s house
  • The king orders that Haman be hung on it, so they did
  • After Haman was killed, all of his estate was given to Esther; gives his signet to Mordecai to run the estate
  • Esther begs that the edict to destroy the Jews be revoked
  • The king gives Esther and Mordecai his ring to say whatever they wish
  • They cannot reverse the ed
  • The Jews do defend, and win over all who plotted against them
  • The feast is instated as a remembrance

Conclusion

9:23-26, 29

So the Jews committed themselves to continue what they had begun to do and to what Mordecai had written to them.  For Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised plans against the Jews to destroy them. He had cast pur
 (that is, the lot) in order to afflict and destroy them. But when the matter came to the king’s attention, the king gave written orders that Haman’s evil intentions that he had devised against the Jews should fall on his own head. He and his sons were hanged on the gallows. For this reason these days are known as 
Purim, after the name of pur.

So Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter about Purim.

What does it mean?

  • Well, the fact that God isn’t mentioned gives us hope that, no matter how things look, God is working to save his people
  • Neither Esther nor Mordecai are exactly model Jews (skipping Passover 3:13, marrying a gentile Deut 7:2-3) but God still uses them
  • While it’s questioned if Jesus kept this celebration, it is thought by some that John 5 (healing at the pool of Bethesda) takes place during Purim

Important

Question: what do you take from this passage

Graph View

Backlinks