Esther 8:1-9:17
On September 11, 2001, many of us became aware of the term, jihad. Segments of Islam declared a jihad, or “holy war,” against America. Within Islam, there is a debate over the use of this term – whether the Koran means it to be symbolic or literal. Some interpret jihad to be an inner struggle; some see it as an all-out war against infidels (meaning anyone who fails to believe in Islam). History is clear that Mohammed justified and even participated in the killing of people in the name of Allah. (We Christians also have embarrassing blemishes on our historical record.)
The term “holy war” offends our modern ears. There doesn’t seem to be anything holy about war. After all, we’ve seen the carnage of bombed-out embassies and the collapse of the World Trade Center. Jesus said we are to “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” (Romans 12:14), yet in our text today, 75,800 Gentiles were killed with the blessing of both Mordecai and Esther. For most of those killed, it was probably the Gentiles who attacked the Jews first, causing the Jews to protect themselves… but how do we explain a Jewish jihad, especially in light of what Jesus taught about loving our enemies?
1. Mordecai and His Power (8:1-17)
“That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. The king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed him over Haman’s estate” (vv. 1-2). As a traitor to the throne, Haman’s property was confiscated and given to Esther, the offended party, who in turn appointed Mordecai over the estate. There is great irony here. Haman’s plot to destroy Mordecai and his people led to Mordecai acquiring both Haman’s position and his property. As mentioned before, this perfectly illustrates Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
The king’s anger seems to have subsided with the death of Haman (7:10). This suggests the king was not angry that Haman had plotted to kill a whole race of people, but that Haman had hurt the king’s pride and damaged his ego. The king had allowed himself to be a pawn in the hand of his assistant, an affront to his honor. Feeling embarrassed for being fooled, the king was more interested in how things affected him than how they affected an entire race of people, including his queen. Thus, “Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman, the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews” (v. 3).
Haman was dead, but the evil he had set in motion was alive and well. Once again, Esther pleaded with the king for her people, and again he extended his royal scepter to his queen. But the king’s edicts were irrevocable under Persian law. To change or rescind the law would reveal the king had been wrong, and that would be unthinkable! The only solution to this dilemma was to write another decree that would counteract the first one with equal force. The helpless Jews would now be empowered to defend and protect themselves. Thus Mordecai legalized (with the king’s blessing) a civil war between all Jews and Gentiles in his kingdom.
The king said, “Now write another decree in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews as it seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring – for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.” At once the royal secretaries were summoned…They wrote out all Mordecai’s orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and nobles of all the 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush” (vv. 8-9). These orders were written in all the languages of the people. They were taken by couriers who rode horses especially bred for the king.
The strong language of the new decree would neutralize the first decree (vv. 11-13). This second decree came two months after Haman’s original decree, thus giving the Jews nine months to prepare. It’s difficult for us to understand how a ruler would allow a racial and religious minority (the Jews) to slaughter his subjects, but we have already seen that Xerxes was quite indifferent to the lives of his people. (Incredibly, history reveals that years before, on his way to fight the Greeks, a wealthy supporter had requested that his oldest of four sons serving in the army be exempted from battle and allowed to stay home, thus preserving the family name. Instead of exempting him, Xerxes had the oldest son cut in half and had the army march between the two halves!)
Haman’s original decree had caused “great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing”(4:3). In fact, after the decree had gone out, Mordecai had clothed himself in sackcloth and wailed loudly. He couldn’t enter the king’s gate due to his state of mourning. In chapter eight, the counter decree is issued and the exact opposite occurs. No longer mourning, “Mordecai left the king’s presence wearing royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen” (v. 15). How did the city of Susa respond to the new order? “And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration.” Why were Mordecai and the people so happy? “For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor. In every province and in every city, wherever the edict of the king went, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating” (v. 16). It was like Christmas! They would be able to defend themselves! They would live! Verse 17 adds, “And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.” The words “became Jews” occurs only here in the entire Old Testament and its meaning is debated. Were these people truly converted? Probably not. The citizens of the empire wouldn’t have known of all the events leading to this second decree: Esther’s secret, Mordecai saving the king’s life, the king’s insomnia, Haman’s demise, etc. They would have known only two things: the man who wrote the first decree was dead, and the man who wrote the second decree was a Jew. Most likely Mordecai’s new found power prompted so-called pseudo professions of faith, but exactly what the author meant by the words “became Jews” is unclear.
2. Civil War ( 9:1-17)
Almost a year from the date that Haman had cast lots, the day of reckoning finally arrived. The Jews were prepared. They probably didn’t fully realize it then, but this day would go down in their history. “On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was 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” (v. 1). The Jews assembled to attack those seeking their destruction and no one could stand against them because the Gentiles were afraid of them (v. 2). In fact, the Persian leaders helped the Jews because of Mordecai’s growing powerful reputation in the palace (vv. 3-4). Some Gentiles obviously took advantage of the promise of confiscated property when they defeated Jews, but God’s hand of protection was on the Jewish people.
The Jews didn’t limit themselves to self-defense. “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. In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men” (vv. 5-6).
They also killed the ten sons of Haman, but did not lay their hands on the plunder. At the end of the day, Xerxes asked Esther if there was anything else she desired (vv. 11-12). To which she replied, “ ‘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 hanged on gallows’” (v. 13).
Esther’s response shocks us; it disturbs our sense of right and wrong. Hanging the ten sons was actually having them publicly impaled on posts, serving as a deterrent and a sign of victory. This seems barbaric to us but this was customary in ancient warfare. Esther’s other request to add another day to the battle added significantly to the death toll. Three hundred more men in Susa were killed on the following day.
The official death toll was 75,800 Gentiles killed in the entire empire. The rest of the empire rested on the 14th day of Adar while Susa continued to fight one extra day at the request of Esther. We assume the Jews killed only after being attacked. Yes, verse five states that some Jews went beyond the intent of the decree; sin always does that. It’s also interesting to note that the author tells us three times that even though Mordecai had given permission for the Jews to plunder their enemies’ property (compare 8:11 with 9:10b,15-16), they refrained from doing so. They weren’t greedy; for the most part, they simply protected themselves, while they destroyed their enemies.
In our story we read of two decrees: one was a decree of death and the other a decree of life. God gave humanity an irrevocable decree of death in the Garden of Eden, but He also issued a counter-decree of life to redeem people. Holy war is about God warring against sin and evil. Jesus Christ fought the ultimate holy war and won. Because of His victory, we too can have victory in Him.
How do we reconcile a Jewish war in light of Jesus’ teaching to love our enemies? As a minority, the Jews felt the need to provide themselves extra protection by defending themselves when they had the chance. It was also a different day. Jesus hadn’t come yet. Additionally, some Christians have been opposed to war citing Exodus 20:13, “You shall not murder.” However, what God has forbidden individuals to do, He directs nations to do; namely, go to war (Deuteronomy 7:2).
God works the same way today as He did in the book of Esther. Esther invites its readers to think about the nature of faith in a world where God is unseen. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as “…being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” In other words, the very definition of faith calls us to a certainty in the unseen reality behind or beyond the events we do see. Events like those which happened in the story of Esther are an encouragement to view our lives with the certainty of God’s presence and power. Do we really believe in God’s sovereignty and providence, even when it feels like our lives are falling apart? That God can take seemingly unrelated events in our lives and weave them together to accomplish His will? That Jesus Christ will win the ultimate holy war? May God give us grace to do so.
Take Home Truth: Jesus Christ fought the ultimate holy war and won!
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