Esther 9:20-10:3.  Here we are at the end of Esther.  The book ends much like it started.  But there are some differences too.  Although we do not know when these events ere written down in the form we have them nor by whom we see in today’s reading that Mordecai wrote them down and sent them around to all of the provinces in the empire.  Remember there was no email in those days, no twitter, no face book.  They didn’t have printers or Xerox machines.  Everything would need to be hand written and hand copied.  And then delivered by hand.  E have already seen that they had a pretty efficient mail system in the empire by the two decrees which were sent out.  It still would have been costly to send but Mordecai had the position and authority to set up this day of celebration.

It seems interesting that part of the celebration was giving food to each other and gifts to the poor.  Sharing food is a sign of community as is caring for the poor.  What we have here is a picture of a group, a community, within the empire.  God had made the Israelites a group, he had made promises to that group and about them, and in our story we see that he stood by them even when many had really forgotten him.  Remember that people had been returning to Jerusalem for the past 40-50 years, so the people still spread throughout the empire had made decisions not to return.

It was probably a tricky position to be in for Mordecai as such a high official in the empire.  His actions could have been seen as divisive or even treasonous.  He was encouraging people to think of their special group.  In Esther 3:8 Haman made a similar point about the Jews being a separate kind of people, though he overstated their disregard for the laws of the land.  So it is interesting that here at the end of the book that Mordecai is careful to give Xerxes credit for the outcome.  Esther 9:25 says that the “king commanded by letter…”  We know that the letter and solution to the first decree came from Mordecai and Esther (Esther 7:8).

Verse 28 tells us that this was to be a permanent celebration so the Jewish people would not forget how they were delivered.  We also learn that Esther also put here seal of approval on the letter.  I’m not sure if there was some sort of official power behind here signing the letter but it certainly would be useful.  Maybe it echoes back to the beginning of the story where the former queen, Vashti, rebelled against the king.  She was disrespectful and there was concern that her disrespect would influence women in the empire to be disrespectful of their husbands.  So Esther’s approval of the holiday may have been a sort of positive contrast to Vashti’s actions.

Verse 31 contains an interesting comment about the holiday involving fasting and lamentation.  Wait a minute, I though this was a day of celebration and food.  Well it was but fasting involves not eating, often because we are busy doing something else.  Maybe all the taking food to the neighbors and gifts to the poor cause the people to miss breakfast.  Also they were to spend time thinking about what had happened, that could have caused them to miss a meal too.  The word lamentation comes from a root that means to cry out or cry for help.  It would certainly be appropriate for the Jewish people to remember the help God had given in the time of Esther and look for similar help in their own lives.  The history of the Jewish people since the time of Esther hasn’t been one of personal ease and group security. Most of their history has involved living as a people scattered and often as a people persecuted.  It is a good thing for them to remember that they are a chosen people with a faithful God.

The last chapter of the book again gives credit to Xerxes and praises his power but it is really Mordecai that is being noticed.  Again we see the balance between the truth of what God is doing and living in a world filled with ego maniacs who are subject to fits of rage and selfish ambitions.  We have certainly seen that sort of character in Xerxes who is about as unstable as it gets, his life was all about his pleasure.  In light of certain archaeological discoveries, specifically an inscription where Xerxes called himself the great king, the only king of the whole earth, we see that he did not quite elevate himself to the status of a god, but almost.  For Mordecai to bring, Yahweh, the one true God openly into the picture might have caused the whole event to go a different way.  It’s just so confusing when we compare Daniel, who was sort of “in your face” about God and Mordecai who was very “politically correct”.  I think I lean toward Daniel in theory but in practice I have seen myself acting like Mordecai.  In the end Mordecai is honored for having the same heart as God with respect to the Jewish people.  At the end of the day we see that God is able and will do want it takes to see his plans accomplished.  Whether he gets the credit here and now or not.  We also see it is appropriate to look for his hand acting in our histories and to take the time to remember the great things he has done for us.

God help me remember.  Help me have your heart.  Help me be faithful.  Help me be wise.  Help me understand when to be open and bold about you and when to work for you behind the scenes.  I know you will get what you want done, done, but I want to live a life that pleases you.  I can see we live in a complex world and it can be easy to make excuses.  Let me not hide you unless for some reason you want to stay in the shadows.  Give me wisdom and in the end let me be a light to those around me illuminating what a great and caring God you are.  Help me see you in the circumstances and outcomes in life.  Help me remember.

Esther 9:1-19.  Finally the thirteenth of Adar came, the day of the battle.  But by the time the fight came not many were interested in attacking the Jews.  In the months between Mordecai had become quite powerful in the government of Xerxes, so even the kings governors and generals would not fight against the Jews, in fact many fought with them.

What is very interesting in all of this is three times we are told that the Jewish people would not take the possessions of those they killed.  This was about self defense.  Even Xerxes was impressed at the end of the day when he found out 500 people had been killed by the Jews in the capital alone.  This time he went to Esther and offered her whatever she wanted.  What she wanted was a second day of fighting in the capital, she also wanted the bodies of the sons of Haman which had been killed that day to be hung up for everyone to see.  Esther’s actions may seem harsh by we have no idea the situation in the capital.  This second day of fighting may have been necessary to assure peace in the capital.  The first day was a response to the first edict it was defensive.  The second day would have been a display of power by Esther.  The message from the second day of fighting and the hanging of the bodies would be clear, “Don’t mess with the Jews anymore.”  And even on that day they were not offensive but defensive, if the other people in the kingdom had just walked away there would have been no more loss on the second day.

After the fighting the Jewish people who did not live in the capital made a day of rest on the following day, the fourteenth of Adar.  In Susa the capital the fighting continued on that day so they had a day of celebration on the fifteenth.  Evidently by the time Esther was written the annual day of remembrance was celebrated on two different days so verse 19 explains the difference as a reflection of the actual events.  In Jeremiah 30:14-17 God explains to the Jewish people that they are suffering because thay have been unfaithful to him but he eventually will destroy those who try to destroy the Jewish people.  Even when we are distant from God he is near us and caring for us.  The Bible teaches that the God causes the rain to fall on those who are right with him and those who are not (Matthew 5:45).  We also know that he doesn’t want any to perish (2 Peter 3:9) and that Jeus died for everyone’s sins (1 John 2:2).  The sad reality is that some will perish, many will be sent to the hell for eternity.  Not because God wanted to destroy them but because they chose to continue to fight against him.  In Luke 11:23 Jesus told his followers that those who were not for him were against him.  In Luke 9:50 Jesus told his followers that the person who was not against them was for them.  It appears there is not middle ground we each must decide if we are for Jesus or not.  John told us that as many as receive Jeus will be considered a part of God’s forever family.  And Paul told the people in Corinth that today was the day to decide (2 Corinthians 6:2).  God is there right beside you turn to him today and follow him forever.

God thank you for being so faithful.  Thank you for being there when I turned to you.  Thank you that even though my faith was very small and weak you stayed there, calling to me, encouraging me to follow more.  Thank you for your unending love.  Increase my love for you each day and be honored in my life among all who are around me.