THE BOOK OF ESTHER
Lesson 3: Chapters 4-5
Mordecai and Esther Implore God's Help
Holy and Eternal Lord,
When Your holy people are caught in the grip of evil men
and nations, You are with them. You sustain them in their struggles and give
them confidence that You have the power to overcome the forces of their enemies
to turn their suffering into victory. The stories of the misery and distress
of Your covenant people in the Bible are meant to remind us that if they can
endure and remain faithful, then so can we. Please send Your Holy Spirit,
Lord, to guide us in our lesson as we study the humility and faith of Esther
who, in her obedience to You and love for her people, stood against the evil
goal of a powerful empire and its king. We pray in the name of God the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
+ + +
Nothing else is
symbolized by the arrogant Haman than the opulence of the powerful of
the world who take advantage of the benefits conceded to them by divine mercy.
They despise allowing their neighbors, who are given to them as companions by
nature, to have as sharers of such grace. Therefore, they are guilty of
striving to transfer to themselves the honor and reverence that are rightly due
to God alone. And so, they pursue with hatred all those who do not want to act
according to such behavior or comply with it. [...] The sinful are caught in
their own traps; the impious will be handed over in their stead.
Rabanus Maurus,
Archbishop of Mainz (848-856), Explanation on the Book of Esther 6
The fact that
Esther put on all her royal robes on the third day undoubtedly signifies that
the Church of the nations, in the third time of the world, that is, after the
Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection of Christ, clothed herself through the
Sacrament of Baptism and the confession of the Holy Trinity with faith, hope,
and charity.
Rabanus Maurus, Archbishop
of Mainz (848-856), Explanation on the Book of Esther 8
Significant dates associated with King Ahasuerus/Xerxes I:
The Greek historian, Herodotus (484-425 BC), wrote extensively about Xerxes and described him as tall and handsome (History, 7.187.2).
The books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Zechariah, and Esther use a double system of naming months. The ordinal number of the more ancient Israelite calendar and the month name adopted by the exiles from the Babylonian calendar via Aramaic. For example, the first month in the liturgical calendar in Exodus is Abib/Aviv (Ex 13:4), but after the Jews returned from the exile, they adopted the Persian month name of Nisan (Esth 3:7).
In 3:1-5, we discovered that the ancient enmity between Israel and the Amalekites is the background that formed the hatred between Haman and Mordecai. Haman's hatred for Mordecai and the Jews is fueled by both personal and ethnic reasons. King Saul of Israel (Mordecai's ancestor) led the attack that resulted in the massacre of the Amalekites and their king (Haman's ancestor (1 Sam 15). The Amalekite connection is highlighted in the Jewish Synagogue's lectionary cycle reading, on the Jewish Sabbath preceding Purim, the passages in Deuteronomy 25:17-19, Remember what Amalek did to you ... you shall blot out the memory of Amalek. The haftarah (Scripture passage read after the Torah reading) from 1 Samuel Chapter 15, containing the story of kings Saul and Agag, is read on Purim, and the Torah reading concerns the battle between Israel and the Amalekites in Exodus 17:8-16.
Mordecai was not immune to this historical enmity which is probably his reason he did not show Haman the respect commanded by the king (Esth 3:1-4). Mordecai had not yet discerned the connection between his dream (LXX1a-l) and his relationship to Haman the Amalekite, the descendant of a people who were the mortal enemies of the Israelites. Mordecai and Haman are the two great dragons in Mordecai's dream, and his refusal to show Haman the honor due his exalted status was in essence, "poking the dragon." When Haman learned this disrespectful official was a Jew, he became determined to destroy Mordecai and all Jews living in the Persian Empire.
In 3:7, Haman cast a pur or lot to determine the most favorable date for the destruction of the Jews. The word pur was originally an Akkadian word. The Akkadian Empire was the first ancient empire in Mesopotamia, centered in the city of Akkad and its surrounding region. Sargon the Great founded the city of Akkad and the Akkadian Empire and ruled from 2334-2279 BC. Even after the fall of the Akkadian Empire, the Akkadian language remained the language of diplomacy in ancient Mesopotamia until Aramaic replaced it. The practice of casting lots using a small stone die was known in Mesopotamia, Greece, and in Israel where the high priest determined the will of God through lots called the Urim and Thummim (Ex 28:29-30; Lev 8:8; Dt 33:8; Ez 2:36; Neh 7:65). Casting a lot was the practice used by the Apostles to choose a replacement for Judas Iscariot in Acts 1:23-26. After Pentecost, Christians abandoned the tradition of casting lots since they determined His will by the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer (Acts Chapter 2).
The King's edict, dictated by Haman, was a cleverly constructed piece of propaganda which fed on the fears and greed of the majority of the Persians. It relates that their good king learned from an impeccably reliable source (referring to Haman himself) that a group of people whose laws are contrary to the king's laws, meaning their laws separate and alienate the Jews from other citizens, are prevent the king from bringing the prosperity he desires to his people. The only solution to this grievous threat to the empire, according to the edit, was to annihilate this evil and subversive population of the Jews: every man, woman, and child.
Esther 4:1-3 ~ Mordecai and the Jewish Communities Receive
the News of the Impending Holocaust
1 When
Mordecai learned what had happened, he tore his garments and put on sackcloth
and ashes. Then he walked into the center of the city, wailing loudly and
bitterly, 2 until he arrived in front of the Chancellery
[king's gate], which no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter. 3 And in every province, no sooner had
the royal command and edict arrived, then among the Jews there was great
mourning, fasting, weeping, and wailing, and many lay on sackcloth and ashes.
[...] = literal Hebrew, IBHE, vol. II, page 1309.
Sackcloth and ashes were the typical signs of grief (i.e., Jonah 3:6 and Neh 9:1). However, in this case, the wearing of sackcloth and ashes also served as a public protest against the injustice of the edict.
Question: Is Mordecai in any way to blame for the crisis
of the edict commanding a massacre against all Jews living in the Persian
Empire? See Esther 3:1-6.
Answer: It must be admitted, if Mordecai, as a
minor official, hadn't insisted on disrespecting Haman who outranked him, he
probably would not have come to Haman's attention nor would Haman have learned
he was a Jew. Mordecai's disrespect fueled Haman's hated for the historical
enemies of his people that resulted in the edict.
The Persians were known for their swift message delivery system from the king to the various provinces. News of the proclamation would have reached those living in Susa first. Mordechai and the other Jews respond to the horrifying news by adopting the signs of mourning for the dead by wearing sackcloth and ashes.
The word translated "Chancellery" is literally "gate" or "gatehouse" in Esther 2:19; 3:2, 3; 4:2, 6, 5:9, 13, 6:10 and 12. Archaeologists excavated the main city gate of Susa in 1970 and uncovered the gatehouse where Mordecai presented himself in sackcloth and ashes as a sign of his grief over the issuing of the edict and the peril of his people. The gatehouse was an imposing structure about 87.5 yards (80 m.) east of the palace with a center room about 23 yards (21 m) square. The Greek historian, Herodotus (484-425 BC), wrote that supplicants who cried before the Persian king's gate had to observe the rule that no one could enter the gate wearing sackcloth, and petitioners could come as far as the gate but no farther (History, 3.117). It is probably the same prohibition referred to in verse 2.
Esther 4:4-8, LXX 8a-b = Latin version ~ Esther's
Servants Inform Her of Mordecai's Display of Grief
4 When Queen
Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her, she was overcome with grief. She
sent clothes for Mordecai to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he refused
them. 5 Esther then summoned
Hathach, a eunuch whom the king had appointed to wait on her and ordered him to
go to Mordecai and enquire what the matter was and why he was acting in this
way. 6 Hathach went out to
Mordecai in the city square in front of the Chancellery [gate], 7 and Mordecai told him what had happened to him
personally, and also about the sum of money which Haman had offered to pay into
the royal treasury to procure the destruction of the Jews. 8 He also gave him a
copy of the edict of extermination published in Susa for him to show Esther for
her information, with the message that she was to go to the king and implore
his favor and plead with him for the race to which she belonged. LXX
8a "Remember your humbler
circumstances," he said, "when you were fed by my hand. Since Haman, the
second person in the realm, has petitioned the king for our deaths, 8b invoke the Lord, speak to the king for us and
save us from death!"
Esther married the king in the seventh year of his reign in 479 BC. It is now the twelfth year of his reign, in 474 BC, and she has been queen for six years as the ancients counted (five years as we count years). The harem was a luxurious prison for Esther. She could not leave it, and Mordecai could not enter. If he took off his sackcloth, he could come within the palace precincts, which was why Esther tried to send clothes to him, but not the harem (2:11). The news of the king's edict had not reached Esther until Hathach communicated the information to her. However, the text does not reveal how Mordecai knew about the bribe Haman offered the king (verse 7; see 3:9).
8 He also gave
him a copy of the edict of extermination published in Susa for him to show
Esther for her information, with the message that she was to go to the king and
implore his favor and plead with him for the race to which she belonged.
There were other ways to communicate with the king, but
Mordecai knew a face to face interview with the king was her best hope of
intervening on behalf of her people.
LXX 8a "Remember
your humbler circumstances," he said, "when you were fed by my hand. Since
Haman, the second person in the realm, has petitioned the king for our deaths, 8b invoke the Lord, speak to the king for us and
save us from death!"
Mordecai asks Esther to remember her heritage as an
Israelite/Jew and that he raised her as his daughter.
Question: What advice does he give her in addition
to speaking to the king?
Answer: He tells her to remember her origins and
to "invoke the Lord," meaning to pray to God for divine intervention.
Esther 4:9-11 ~ Esther's Response
9 Hathach came
back and told Esther what Mordecai had said; 10 and she replied with the following message for Mordecai, 11 "Royal officials and people living in the
provinces alike all know that for anyone, man or woman, who approaches the king
in the private apartments without having been summoned there, there is only one
law: he must die, unless the king, by pointing his golden scepter towards him,
grants him his life. And I have not been summoned to the king for the last
thirty days."
Archaeologists verified the law Esther refers to in verse 11 found in Persian royal documents. Also see the predicament of the Persian king who was Daniel's friend in Daniel 6:6-9, 13-16. The king couldn't save Daniel, but Daniel's God could and did save him. Not only was it forbidden for someone to come into the king's presence without being summoned, but even if someone was legally in the king's presence, he or she could not speak to the king unless invited. This was the case for Nehemiah who had to wait five months for King Artaxerxes' permission to speak before he could petition the king to let him go to Jerusalem to rebuild the city's walls (Neh 2:1-6).
"And I have not been summoned to the king for the last
thirty days."
Question: Why is it significant and why is Esther
fearful that the king hasn't summoned her for the past month?
Answer: His lack of interest in Esther means he
has a new favorite.
Esther 4:12-17 ~ Esther and Mordecai Continue to
Discuss What to Do
12 These words of
Esther were reported to Mordecai, 13 who
sent back the following reply, "Do not suppose that, because you are in the
king's palace, you are going to be the one Jew to escape. 14 No; if you
persist in remaining silent at such a time, you and your father's whole family
will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to the throne for just such a
time as this." 15 Whereupon
Esther sent this reply to Mordecai, 16 "Go
and assemble all the Jews now in Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink day
or night for three days. For my part, I and my waiting-women shall keep the
same fast, after which I shall go to the king in spite of the law; and if I
perish, I perish. 17 Mordecai went
away and carried out Esther's instructions.
In verses 13-14, Mordecai warns Esther that her life is also in danger. Living within the palace walls as a Persian queen will not save her, and she will perish along with her entire family line, which consists only of Mordecai who is all that survives of her father's house.
14b "Perhaps you
have come to the throne for just such a time as this."
As in all the verses from the Hebrew text of Esther, God is
never mentioned, but Mordecai's comment here can be understood as a reference
to God and His mysterious plan for the salvation of His covenant people living
in Persia.
15 Whereupon
Esther sent this reply to Mordecai, 16 "Go
and assemble all the Jews now in Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink day
or night for three days. For my part, I and my waiting-women shall keep the
same fast, after which I shall go to the king in spite of the law; and if I
perish, I perish. 17 Mordecai went
away and carried out Esther's instructions.
Notice in verses 15-17 that there is a role reversal.
Instead of Mordecai instructing Esther, now Esther gives orders to Mordecai, and
he carries them out (cf. 2:10, 20). She has made up her mind to intervene on
behalf of her people despite the Persian law and asks Mordecai to have the Jews
in Susa fast and presumably pray for her. When Esther says, "and if I
perish, I perish," she was consigning her fate entirely into the hands of
God.
Esther 4:LXX 17a-i (13:8-17) ~ Mordecai's Prayer 1
17a Then calling
to mind all the wonderful works of the Lord, he offered this prayer:
17b "Lord, Lord,
Almighty King, everything is subject to your power, and there is no one who can
withstand you in your determination to save Israel. 17c You have made heaven and earth, and all the
marvels that are under heaven. You are the Master of the universe and no one
can resist you, Lord. 17d You know
all things, you, Lord, know that neither pride, self-esteem nor vainglory
prompted me to do what I have done: to refuse to prostrate myself before proud
Haman. Gladly would I have kissed the soles of his feet, had this assured the
safety of Israel. 17e
But what I have done, I have done rather than place the glory of a man
above the glory of God; and I shall not prostrate myself to anyone except,
Lord, to you, and, in so doing, I shall not be acting in pride. 17f And now, Lord God, King, God of Abraham,
spare your people! For our ruin is being plotted, there are plans to destroy
your ancient heritage. 17g Do not
overlook your inheritance, which you redeemed from Egypt to be yours. 17h Hear my supplication, have mercy on your
heritage, and turn our grief into rejoicing, so that we may live, Lord, to hymn
your name. Do not suffer the mouths of those who praise you to perish."
17i And all
Israel cried out with all their might, since death was staring them in the
face.
Mordecai's prayer consists of four parts:
He addresses God as "Lord" (Kyrios) seven times in his prayer (17b twice, c, d, e, f, and h).
First, Mordecai acknowledges that God is the true Almighty King, literally "King of kings" (not Ahasuerus), who made heaven and earth, and all of creation is subject to His authority, even the Persian king who cannot stand in His way if God chooses to save the Jews. Next, he attempts to justify his behavior when he refused to bow down to Haman and protests that he was not acting in pride. However, perhaps he protests too much and is feeling guilty that his actions have led to this terrible threat to all Jews living in Persia.
Mordecai protests that he can only give honor to God, yet there is nothing in Scripture or the laws of the Sinai covenant that stated one could not show deference to rulers, officials, or prophets:
Gladly would I have kissed the soles of his feet, had
this assured the safety of Israel.
Mordecai's admission that he wouldn't have defied the
king's command to withhold homage to Haman had he known his action would have
jeopardized "the safety of Israel" belies his assertion that he couldn't bow
down to any human and only to God. But then in the next verse, he immediately
attempts to justify his actions a second time: 17e
But what I have done, I have done rather than place the glory of a man
above the glory of God; and I shall not prostrate myself to anyone except,
Lord, to you, and, in so doing, I shall not be acting in pride.
17f And now, Lord
God, King, God of Abraham, spare your people! For our ruin is being plotted,
there are plans to destroy your ancient heritage. 17g Do not overlook your inheritance, which you
redeemed from Egypt to be yours. 17h Hear
my supplication, have mercy on your heritage, and turn our grief into
rejoicing, so that we may live, Lord, to hymn your name. Do not suffer the
mouths of those who praise you to perish."
In his petition, he mentions the name of Abraham, the
physical father of the Jews with whom God made the Abrahamic covenant. To invoke
Abraham's name is a subtle way of reminding God of His irrevocable promises to
Abraham to give his descendants land, as many descendants as the stars in the
sky, and a world-wide blessing
(Gen 12:1-3; 15:5; 17:5-11; 22:15-18).
there are plans to destroy your ancient heritage and have mercy on your heritage refers to Mordecai and Esther both speak of Israel as God's "heritage/inheritance" (17f, g, and h; and Esther 17m and o). God promised the Israelites at the covenant formation at Mt. Sinai that they were to be His "personal possession," "a kingdom of priests," "a holy nation" (Ex 19:5). And just before the conquest of Canaan, God promised the new generation of Israelites that "Yahweh's portion was his people, Jacob was to be the measure of his inheritance" (Dt 32:9).
17i And all
Israel cried out with all their might, since death was staring them in the
face.
Presumably, this means not just the Jews living in Susa,
but all the Jew living in Persia who were now aware of the holocaust awaiting
them and their children.
Esther 4:LXX 17k-z (14:1-19) ~ Esther's Prayer
17k Queen Esther
also took refuge with the Lord in the mortal peril which had overtaken her.
She took off her sumptuous robes and put on sorrowful mourning. Instead of
expensive perfumes, she covered her head with ashes and dung. She mortified her body severely, and the former scenes of
her happiness and elegance were now littered with tresses torn from her hair.
She besought the Lord God of Israel in these words:
17l "My Lord, our
King, the Only One, come to my help, for I am alone and have no helper but you
and am about to take my life in my hands. 17m
I have been taught from infancy in the bosom of my family that you,
Lord, have chosen Israel out of all the nations and our ancestors out of all
before them, to be your heritage forever; and that you have treated them as you
promised. 17n But we have sinned
against you, and you have handed us over to our enemies for paying honor to
their gods. Lord, you are upright. 17o But
they are not satisfied with the bitterness of our slavery: they have pledged
themselves to their idols to abolish the decree that your own lips have
uttered, to blot out your heritage, to stop the mouths of those who praise you,
to quench your altar and the glory of your House, 17p and instead to open the mouths of the
heathen, to sing the praise of worthless idols and forever to idolize a king of
flesh. 17q Do not yield your scepter,
Lord, to what does not exist. Never let our ruin be matter for laughter. Turn
these plots against their authors and make an example of the man who leads the
attack on us. 17r Remember, Lord;
reveal yourself in the time of our distress. As for me, give me courage, King
of gods and Master of all powers! 17s Put
persuasive words into my mouth when I face the lion; change his feeling into
hatred for our enemy, so that he may meet his end and all those like him! 17t As for ourselves, save us by your hand, and
come to my help, for I am alone and have no one but you, Lord. 17u You have knowledge of all things, and you
know that I hate honors from the godless, 17v
that I loathe the bed of the uncircumcised, of any foreigner whatever. 17wYou know I am under constraint, that I loathe
the symbol of my high position bound round my brow when I appear at court; I
loathe it as if it were a filthy [menstrual] rag and do not wear it on my days
of leisure. 17x Your servant has
not eaten at Haman's table, not taken pleasure in the royal banquets, nor drunk
the wine of libations. 17y Nor has
your servant found pleasure from the day of her promotion until now except in
you, Lord, God of Abraham. 17z O
God, whose strength prevails over all, listen to the voice of the desperate,
save us from the hand of the wicked, and free me from my fear!"
[...] =
literal Greek, Anchor Bible Commentary, page 212
Esther "took refuge in the Lord"; she took off her "sumptuous robes" (literally "clothes of glory") including her royal crown. She put on clothes appropriate for distress and mourning and covered her head with ashes and dung. Using ashes was the standard practice (see Lam 4:5; Is 3:24; Judith 9:1), but the use of animal dung was an extreme gesture.
She mortified her body severely, and the former scenes
of her happiness and elegance were now littered with tresses torn from her
hair. She besought the Lord God of Israel in these words ...
As she prepared to fast for three days, Esther also
"mortified her body severely," perhaps referring to striking her body to
inflict pain, and she also tore out her hair as she began a prayer to the God on
behalf of her people. For other references to tearing out one's hair as a sign
of grief see Isaiah 22:12;
Jeremiah 7:29; 48:37;
Ezekiel 27:30-31;
Amos 8:10;
Micah 1:16 and
Ezra 9:3.
Esther also addressed God as "Lord," literally Kyrios, seven times in her prayer (17l, m, n, q, r, t, and y) and her prayer is twice as long as Mordecai's and divides into seven parts:
Her prayer is closer to the New Testament style of petitions but also similar to the litany in Psalm 136 that the Jews call the "Great Hallel."
17m I have been
taught from infancy in the bosom of my family that you, Lord, have chosen
Israel out of all the nations and our ancestors out of all before them, to be
your heritage forever; and that you have treated them as you promised.
The covenant family (nuclear and extended) was the
primary means of transmitting the religious traditions and history of the works
of God on behalf of His people, Israel (see Dt 6:20-25).
17q Do not yield
your scepter, Lord, to what does not exist. Never let our ruin be matter for
laughter. Turn these plots against their authors and
make an example of the man who leads the attack on us.
She petitions God not to let humans usurp His sovereignty
over the destiny of His covenant people. The scepter was a symbol of an earthly
king's power and authority (cf., Gen 49:10; Num 24:17). It is her argument that
if God does not choose to rescue His people from destruction, He has, in
effect, surrendered His divine power and authority to mere mortals and their
false gods, literally "to them who are not" (cf., Wis 13:10-19; 14:13; 1 Cor 8:10). When she pleads, Turn these plots against their authors and make an
example of the man who leads the attack on us, she makes a petition that
emphasizes the Biblical concept of retributive justice (justice based on
punishment for the offenders rather than rehabilitation). Up to this point,
Esther has been interceding for her people, but now she begins to petition for
herself in verses 4:17s-z.
As for me, give me courage, King of gods and Master of
all powers! 17s Put persuasive
words into my mouth when I face the lion; change his feeling into hatred for
our enemy, so that he may meet his end and all those like him!
She begins the personal part of her petition by
proclaiming God's greatness over all false gods (cf., Dt 10:17; Ps 136:2-3).
17s Put
persuasive words into my mouth when I face the lion
The lion was usually a symbol of kingship. If the animal
represents the king, the animal could symbolize the king's strength (Jer 49:19), his anger (Prov 19:2), his ferocity (Prov 20:2; Sirach 28:23), or
inescapable judgment (Amos 5:19). However, since Esther probably knew the
stories of the prophet Daniel, it could be a petition to God to save her as He rescued
Daniel when he was shut up in the lions' den by a king (Dan 6:17-25/16-24). In
the last part of 17s, she asks that the Lord change the king's feelings into
hatred for Haman, "so that he may meet his end and all those like him!," a
petition that God will fulfill at the end of the story. Notice Esther mentions
Haman only once in her prayer in verse 17x but alludes to him twice (17s and
z).
We think of Esther's life as the queen of the most powerful nation in the ancient Near East as a life of luxury, but in 17s-y, Esther recounts how loathsome her life has been since the King chose her:
Given the Jewish ritual taboos on menstruation (Lev 15:19-24), one cannot imagine a stronger expression of Esther's abhorrence for her royal crown than comparing it to the rag she uses when she is menstruating. She is horrified that her position as queen causes her to break God's laws concerning what is clean and unclean as far as foods are concerned and the prohibition against marrying a pagan.
Esther's prayer is a tribute to her character. So strong are her religious scruples that she finds her royal garments and obligations repugnant. Her prayer identifies Yahweh (in Greek Kyrios replaces the Hebrew YHWH) as the supreme creator who is omnipotent, righteous, merciful, and the only true God.
Chapter 5
Esther LXX 5:1a-2b (15:4-19) ~ Esther Dares to Approach the King
1a On the third
day, when she had finished praying, she took off her suppliant's mourning
attire and dressed herself in her full splendor. Radiant as she then appeared,
she invoked God who watches over all people and saves them. With her, she took
two ladies-in-waiting. With a delicate air she leaned on one, while the other
accompanied her carrying her train. 1b Rosy
with the full flush of her beauty, her face radiated joy and love: but her
heart shrank with fear. 1c Having
passed through door after door, she found herself in the presence of the king.
He was sitting on his royal throne, dressed in all his robes of state,
glittering with gold and precious stones; a formidable sight. 1d He looked up, afire with majesty and, blazing
with anger, saw her. The queen sank to the floor. As she fainted, the color
drained from her face and her head fell against the lady-in-waiting beside
her. 1e But God changed the king's
heart, inducing a milder spirit. He sprang from his throne in alarm and took
her in his arms until she recovered, comforting her with soothing words. 1f "What is the matter, Esther?" he said. "I am
your brother. Take heart, you are not going to die; our order applies only to
ordinary people. Come to me." 2 And
raising his golden scepter he laid it on Esther's neck, embraced her and said,
"Speak to me." 2a "Sire," she
said, "to me you looked like one of God's angels and my heart was moved with
fear of your majesty. For you are a figure of wonder, my lord, and your face
is full of graciousness." 2b But
as she spoke, she fell down in a faint. The king grew more agitated, and his
courtiers all set about reviving her.
Esther fasted and prayed for three days. In Scripture, the number three always represents something significant about to happen in God's divine plan. See the document "The Symbolic Significance of the Third Day in Scripture." At the end of the three days, she took three actions:
Esther enters the inner court of the king (where it was forbidden to come unsummoned) to carry out the first part of her strategy. When the king saw her, he was angry that she came without a royal summons, and his fierce look caused her to faint. Esther may have needed to lean on her maids and may have fainted for two reasons: she was weak from hunger from fasting for three days and filled with fear that she was about to die.
e But God changed
the king's heart, inducing a milder spirit.
At the very moment when she needed
God's help, He "changed the king's heart" and quenched his anger.
He sprang from his throne in alarm and took her in his
arms until she recovered, comforting her with soothing words. f "What is the matter, Esther?" he said. "I am
your brother. Take heart, you are not going to die; our order applies only to
ordinary people. Come to me."
To refer to himself as her "brother" was a term of
endearment like "sister" in Song of Songs 4:9-10 and 5:12. He assured Esther
that her life was not in danger because, as the queen, she was exempt from the
restrictions concerning approaching the throne without a summons.
2 And raising his
golden scepter, he laid it on Esther's neck, embraced her and said, "Speak to
me."
See 4:11 where the king's scepter grants life. A scepter
was an ornamented a staff or baton carried by a ruler on ceremonial occasions as
a sign of his sovereignty. Both ancient and modern rulers held scepters during
their ceremonial roles. Queen Elizabeth II of England, for example, holds a
short baton-like scepter when she sits on her royal throne. The Greek
historian, Herodotus, mentioned the Persian king's scepter as a symbol of his
power and authority.2 With the king's invitation to speak, Esther
has an opening to carry forward her plan.
Esther 5:3-8 ~ The King Invites Esther to Make Her
Request
3 "What is the
matter, Queen Esther?" the king said. "Tell me what you want; even if it is
half my kingdom, I grant it to you." 4 "Would
it please the king," Esther replied, "to come with Haman today to the banquet I
have prepared for him?" 5 The king
said, "Tell Haman to come at once, so that Esther may have her wish." 6 So the king and Haman came to the banquet that
Esther had prepared and, during the banquet, the king again said to Esther,
"Tell me your request; I grant it to you. Tell me what you want; even if it is
half my kingdom, it is yours for the asking." 7 "What do I want, what is my request?" Esther replied. 8 "If I have found honor in the king's eyes, and
if it is his pleasure to grant what I ask and to agree to my request, let the
king and Haman come to the banquet I intend to give them tomorrow, and then I
shall do as the king says."
Offering "half my kingdom" is hyperbole for offering a large gift and expresses the king's very favorable disposition toward her. In the Old Testament, see the use of a similar idiom in 1 Kings 13:8. In the New Testament, also see the same offer by Herod Antipas, in about the year 30 AD, in Mark 6:23. Esther avoids answering the king's question by extending an invitation for him and Haman to come to a banquet she has prepared in the royal favorite's honor. They attend the feast (the sixth in a succession of feasts in the Book of Esther), and the king asks Esther what she desires and makes the same generous offer as before (verse 6). In verses 7-8, on the verge of stating her request, Esther interrupts herself and makes another invitation. She tells him if he and Haman come to another banquet the next day, she will tell the king what she wants.
4 "Would it please the king," Esther replied,
"to come with Haman today to the banquet I have prepared for him?"
In the Hebrew text, "let the king and Haman come this day" is the second acrostic in the Book of Esther with the
first letter of each Hebrew word spelling YHWH, the Divine Name. It and other such acrostics
are the only references to God in the Hebrew version of Esther (also see the note on 1:20 in Lesson 1).
Esther 5:9-14 ~ Haman's Joy in Esther's Invitation and
Anger at Mordecai's Disrespect
9 Haman left full
of joy and high spirits that day; but when he saw Mordecai at the Chancellery
[Gatehouse], neither sanding up nor stirring at his approach, he felt a gust of
anger. 10 He restrained himself,
however. Returning home, he sent for his friends and Zeresh his wife 11 and held forth to them about his dazzling
wealth, his many children, how the king had raised him to a position of honor
and promoted him over the heads of the king's officers-of-state and ministers.
12 "What is more," he added, "Queen
Esther has just invited me and the king, no one else except me, to a banquet
she was giving, and better still she has invited me and the king again
tomorrow. 13 But what do I care
about all this when all the while I see Mordecai the Jew sitting there at the
Chancellery [Gatehouse]?" 15 Have
a fifty-cubit gallows run up [Let a wooden be put up fifty-cubits high]," said
Zeresh his wife and all his friends, "and in the morning ask the king to have
Mordecai hanged on it. Then you can go with the king to the banquet, without a
care in the world!" Delighted with this advice, Haman had the gallows erected.
[...] IBHE, vol. II, page 1312.
Haman is joyful to receive what he believes is the Queen's desire to honor him, but he has a major mood swing when he sees Mordecai at the Gatehouse. Mordecai insults him by not standing or even acknowledging his approach. It is a greater insult than before because Mordecai did not acknowledge Haman's presence in any way; he did not even stand up much less bow. Once again Mordecai has "poked the dragon." Despite his anger, Haman restrained himself so as not to cause a scene that would have reflected badly on his exalted status. However, returning to his home, he shared the news of the Queen's special attention with his wife and friends and also his frustration and anger caused by Mordecai. The mention of his great wealth, many sons, and high station in the empire are all signs of his success (cf Job 1:1-3). Haman will forfeit all of these in the end.
13 "But what do I care about all this when all the while
I see Mordecai the Jew sitting there at the Chancellery [Gatehouse]?"
In the Hebrew text, this is the third acrostic in the Book of Esther and should read
"Yet all this avails me nothing" with the last letter of each Hebrew word spelling the Divine Name backward as HWHY.
Question: What advice does his wife give Haman?
Answer: She tells him to build a gallows and
murder Mordecai before attending the banquet.
The instrument of death Zerah refers to in verse 15 is
not a wooden gallows but is either a wooden stake for impalement or for
crucifixion, the two most frequent means of execution used by the Persians. The
two would-be assassins in 2:23 who were "hanged" were probably impaled.
Impalement was the ultimate form of disgrace. The size
of the wooden structure is exaggerated. Fifty cubits is about seventy-five
feet; not even Persian palaces were that tall.
Haman's wife's suggestion recalls Queen Jezebel's advice to her husband, King Ahab, in 1 Kings 21:1-16. Her solution to a problematic subject who would not sell his land to the king was to arrange a legal murder. Zeresh, however, doesn't bother with any legal pretense and simply urges her husband to execute Mordecai without waiting for the planned date to kill all the Jews.
When Esther came before the king, she was physically and emotionally inadequate for the challenge, but God was not. It was the Lord's intervention and not Esther's beauty or courage that made the difference. St. Augustine wrote that God's intercession was an answer to Esther's unselfish and humble petition and was a reflection on her prayer's ability to influence God to move the hearts of men. He wrote: "Why did she make this petition to God, if God does not change the will hidden in the heart of men? It could be that this woman made her prayer in vain. We see that if prayer is rooted in the selfish interests of the one who prays, the petition comes to nothing. She made her petition to the king. In brief: forced by the seriousness of the situation, she went into the presence of the king unexpectedly; in the passage, it is written that the king gave her the look of an enraged bull. The queen was filled with fear, the color went from her face, and she rested her head on the one who had precedence over her. The Lord changed him, converting his wrath into gentleness. In recording what followed, Scripture bears witness to the fact that God granted what the woman had prayed for by changing the intention of the king's heart, in such a way that the king ordered that the wishes of the queen be carried out" (St. Augustine, Contra duas epistulas pelagianorun, 1, 20, 38). Esther is the "little stream" of Mordecai's dream, unassuming and humble but guided by the God of her people who is the story's true hero.
Question for discussion or reflection:
In his prayer, Mordecai offered a justification for his
action in "poking the dragon" (Haman) and bringing about the catastrophe that
threatens to engulf Esther and all the Jews living in Persia. It is a natural
human response to try to make excuses for less than righteous or self-righteous
behavior not only to others but sadly, even to God. How does the Sacrament of
Reconciliation help us to deal with this human weakness when we confess our
sins to Christ through His agent the priest?
Endnotes:
1. The Vatican Library has several manuscripts with an
Aramaic version of Mordecai's prayer.
2. For references to scepters in Scripture see Gen 49:10; Num 24:17; Esth 4:11; 5:2 twice; 8:4; Ps 45:6 twice; 60:7; 89:44; 108:8; 110:2; 125:3; Is 14:5; Ez 19:11, 14; Amos 1:5, 8; Zec 10:11; Wis 6:21; 7:8; Sir 35:23 Heb 1:8 twice.
Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2019 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.
Catechism references for this lesson (* indicates Scripture is either quoted or paraphrased in the citation):