ROLLING HILLS COMMUNITY CHURCH. Esther The Impact esther /29/2018

Transcription

1 ROLLING HILLS COMMUNITY CHURCH Esther The Impact esther /29/2018 Main Point There are times when we must stand up for what we believe. Christianity is not a passive faith. This is our time to truly be bold and to invest our lives in what matters. God uses men and women to accomplish His will, but, our faith is not simply in one another, but rather in God. Introduction As your group time begins, use this section to introduce the topic of discussion. Would you say there is more behind you in terms of spiritual victories, or more still to come? Explain. What is an area of victory you long to see in your life? Are you the type of person who sees something through until the end, or who tends to give up somewhere along the way? Explain. As we come to the end of Esther s story, we find that even though the battle against Haman will be won, there is another battle still left to fight to finish what God wanted to accomplish. Understanding Unpack the biblical text to discover what the Scripture says or means about a particular topic. Have a volunteer read READ ESTHER 7:1-10. How does the phrase full circle describe what took place here? Did Haman reap what he sowed? How so? Did Esther reap what she sowed? How so? What does this passage teach you about God? 1 of 6

2 Two lives hung in the balance in this confrontation Esther s and Haman s. The king had the power to decide the fate of both people. In this case, God protected Esther and Haman was killed. What is used against you, God will use for you. You don t have to worry about paying anybody back for anything. What you do to others will be done to you. Have a volunteer READ ESTHER 8:3-8,16-17 Haman had been killed. Why was Esther still crying? What power was at Esther s disposal? How did Esther undo what had been done? Do you tend to focus on what has been done to you by others, or what is ahead for you in Christ Jesus? Why? The edict remained in effect because, under Persian law, the king could not revoke it. But Esther was neither hopeless or helpless. She could enact a new edict to counter the first. Trusting God with our whole hearts requires more than one faithful act of obedience. Esther had to go the extra mile, and so do we. Have a volunteer READ ESTHER 9:1-10. What reversal of fortunes took place here? Ultimately, why did this happen? What could the Jews have done but chose not to do? Why do you think they didn t plunder their enemies? The two contradictory edicts unleashed 24 hours of violence in the rural areas of the empire as the two sides fought openly in its streets and fields (Esth. 9:1-32). The Jews quickly overcame all opposition in these areas. God frequently operates within the sphere of the human situation. In performing supernatural deeds, God often uses forces of nature (the wind in the parting of the Red Sea). Likewise, the Lord commonly works through imperfect servants (David), or even wicked human beings (Nebuchadnezzar). Here, God limited His work to an edict that used a unique feature of Persian law. This does not lessen the miraculous nature of God s activity. Rather, it ought to cause God s people to recognize His presence and power in everything that happens. When we fight, we fight not for self-interest but for the glory of God. Have a volunteer READ ESTHER 9: After doing what needed to be done in battle, what did the Jews do? Why? Do you take regular time to cherish God s goodness and deliverance in your life? How so? Why is it important to regularly remember what God has done? The Jews deliverance from their enemies gave rise to a national Jewish festival, Purim, celebrated on the anniversary of their triumphs. The Jews were to take two days of feasting and rejoicing. The Jews also were 2 of 6

3 to exchange food with each other and give gifts to the poor on the festival days. These activities reflected the great reversal in Jewish fortune. Fasting and mourning had given way to eating and celebration. The exchanging of food reinforced a sense of community. The celebration of Purim should remind us to recount the victories and the things God has done. Have a volunteer READ ESTHER 10:3. How is Mordecai described here in the last verse of Esther? What do you think Mordecai learned through this whole experience? Is there someone in your life God has used to change you? Do they know how you feel about that? Why or why not? The Book of Esther ends by extolling Mordecai. When God wants to exalt somebody, there aren t enough forces or people in the world to stop Him. Is there anybody in your life whom God has used as a source of great blessing and deliverance? Honor them. Let them know you stand here today because they said yes to Jesus. Application Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage apply directly to their lives. Is God asking you to do something courageous or costly? How have you responded to that call so far? How have your previous spiritual battles impacted your view of your present and future battles? What has God impressed most upon you in this study of the Book of Esther? How can this group pray for you going forward? Pray Praise God that no one can destroy what He wants to protect, that evil and wrong will reap what they sow, and that His blessing is a source of hope and deliverance for others. Commit to finish the battles He calls you to for the glory of His great name. Commentary ESTHER of 6

4 7:1-10 Up to this point two intertwined conflicts have remained unresolved: the primary conflict, the threat of extinction of the Jews because of Haman s royal edict; and the secondary conflict, the personal struggle between Mordecai and Haman. The national threat is not resolved until chapter 9. This short chapter concludes the confrontation between Haman and Mordecai with poetic justice. 7:2 King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) did not literally expect Esther to ask for half the kingdom, but her delayed answer must have convinced him that she had a well-thought-out, significant request. 7:3-4 Esther s request was direct and to the point: spare her life and spare her people. Esther continued with a carefully nuanced assertion: For my people and I have been sold out. She could hardly charge her husband directly ( You sold me out ), but she couched it in an indefinite passive voice ( have been sold out ; Hb nimkarnu). Esther had not told the king she was Jewish, and she did not identify her people. But as she continued her plea, the king was given a clue: they had been sold out to destruction, death, and extermination, a direct quote from the edict crafted by Haman and authorized by her husband (3:13). 7:5-6 Both Ahasuerus s questions and Esther s reply reflect the intensity of their emotions. The term terrified (Hb niv at) is the same word used to describe King David s terror when he was confronted by the angel of the Lord with a sword in his hand at Araunah s threshing floor (1Ch 21:30), and to portray Daniel s intense fear when the angel Gabriel approached him (Dan 8:17). 7:7 For the first time in the book of Esther the king had to make crucial decisions without his counselors. Suddenly he was forced to choose between his prime minister and his wife. But if he deposed Haman for threatening his wife and her people, would not Haman counter by revealing that the king himself had approved of the plan? While the king struggled with his decisions in the garden, Haman stayed back with Esther to beg (Hb lebaqqesh) for his life. Before, it was Esther (v. 3) who had sought ( desire, Hb baqqashah) to be spared, but now the tables were turned. 7:8 If the king was still undecided about Haman s fate as he returned from the garden, his decision was made certain as he caught Haman fawning over the queen. Court documents from the Assyrian period state that a man must not come closer than seven steps to one of the women in the palace (D. J. Clines). 7:10 The irony demonstrated in this verse is stated proverbially in Pr 26:27 and Mt 26:52. 8:1-2. All in the same day Haman was forced to honor Mordecai (6:4-11), went to the second banquet and was charged with trying to kill the queen and her people (7:1-8), and was hanged. The theme of reversal continues into chapter 8, as Esther, once threatened by Haman, was awarded his estate, which elevated her uncle Mordecai. 8:3-4. Many commentators have maintained that verse 3 introduces a new scene into the story, but the phrase then Esther addressed the king again need not be understood this way. While Esther was certainly pleased 4 of 6

5 with the king s honoring of Mordecai, the larger issue of the death sentence upon her people had not been addressed. Rather than being annoyed at Esther s breach of royal protocol by falling at his feet, the king extended the gold scepter toward Esther, allowing her to state her request. 8:5-6. Esther prefaced her request with an extended version of the normal deferential statement one would make to a king. The first two phrases were standard (1:19; 5:4; 7:3), but she continued in order to make the king s decision seem like a referendum on his love for her. Esther did not point out the injustice of the decree (which the king had approved), but focused on how it would impact her. 8:7-8. The king s response is ambiguous in the Hebrew Bible. While some commentators think he was positive toward her request, others suggest a tone of exasperation or even irritation. Possibly the Greek (LXX) translation suggests this, as the king reminded her about all he had done for her and added, What do you yet seek? (Gk ti eti epizeyteis). Nevertheless, the king gave Esther and Mordecai the opportunity to write a new decree that would counter but not rescind his original order. 8:9. Since the Jewish people were speaking Aramaic, as were many in the Persian Empire, the counter-edict that was written in their own script must have been written in Hebrew. 8:10. The edicts were sealed with the royal signet ring, once worn by Haman in order to destroy the Jews, but now worn by Mordecai to save the Jews. 8: Just as Haman s edict decreed the destruction of the Jews on the thirteenth of Adar (3:12), the Jews now had the legal right to defend themselves that same day. 8: Mordecai had once torn his clothes and gone around in sackcloth and ashes (4:1); now he wore the royal purple and white. Once the city of Susa was in confusion (3:15); now the people shouted and rejoiced. The Jews had once fasted, wept, and lamented, and... lay on sackcloth and ashes (4:3); now they celebrated with gladness, joy, and honor. While the Jews had once been in fear of the ethnic groups among whom they lived, now some of the ethnic groups were in fear of the Jews. The phrase professed themselves to be Jews is a single word in Hebrew (Hb mityahadim). Found only here in the OT, it is a reflexive verb derived from the proper noun Jew (Hb yehudi). Some understand the verb to mean to become a Jew to convert to Judaism; this interpretation is supported by the Greek text (LXX). However, it is more likely that the term means that the people identified themselves with the Jewish people; this meaning may be supported by the Latin Vulgate. 9:1. The theme of reversal comes to its culmination on an empire-wide scale. 9:6-10. Haman s anti-semitism, and the resentment of those who lost positions of influence when Mordecai replaced Haman, may explain why the Jews in the fortress of Susa had to kill 500 men. Haman had taken pride in his 10 sons (5:11); now they shared his fate. 5 of 6

6 9: The king seemed unconcerned about the death of 500 of his subjects. After asking for a casualty report from the rest of the kingdom, he offered Esther any additional help she needed (v. 12). Apparently the struggle within the royal fortress was not finished because Esther requested an additional day for the Jews to battle their enemies (v. 13). Her request to hang the bodies of Haman s 10 sons seems vindictive, but this was a common practice in the Persian period, especially for those who were convicted of insurrection ( Herodotus 3:125). Moreover, the display of Haman s sons on the gallows would serve as a powerful deterrent to any who might contemplate further attacks against the Jewish people. Again, as in verses 10 and 16, the text emphasizes that the Jews were not out to pillage and enrich themselves, but only to defend their lives. 9: The phrase got rid of is based on the Hebrew verb nuach, meaning, to rest. The death of 75,000 of those who hated them seems unusually high, but the text itself is not certain. The Greek text lists the number killed as 15,000, while the Alpha Text has 10,107. Unlike the Jews in Susa, the fourteenth day of Adar was not a day of fighting for the Jews in the provinces. Instead they rested and proclaimed a holiday. 9:19. A holiday is literally a good day. 9:21. Mordecai s letter appears to be commanding a two-day celebration for all Jews, an order that seems to conflict with verses 16-18,31, as well as later Jewish practice. However, he may have intended whatever day was appropriate for their location the fourteenth in a walled city and the fifteenth in an open village an interpretation probably supported by verse 27. 9: The meaning of verse 29 is uncertain. The sense is that both Esther and Mordecai confirmed the authority of the first letter (vv ), as well as placed their authority on the second letter (vv ), which, while odd, makes sense of the difficult syntax. Commentators come to differing conclusions about the practices of fasting and lamentation. Some maintain that this authorized certain fasts in the past (Zech 8:19) that were not commanded by the law but had become part of Jewish practice. But it is more likely that it stipulated a commemorative fast modeled on the time when the Jews mourned, fasted, and lamented (Est 4:3) after hearing of Haman s edict. That Esther s command was written into the record meant it became a permanent, official requirement for the Jewish people. 10:1-3. The mention of Ahasuerus imposing a tax throughout the land seems out of place. Some interpreters suggest this may be another example of reversal, as the tax relief given to the empire when Ahasuerus married Esther (Esther 2:18) was now made up for with the new tax. More likely this is an echo of Joseph and his role as second in command in Egypt (Gen 41:40). Like Joseph before him, Mordecai the Jew helped a Gentile king bring prosperity to the crown.the book of Esther ends with a picture of peace and tranquility, with Jewish people living in harmony and mutual goodwill with the Gentile majority. 6 of 6