While I am not a Jew, as a Christian I feel it's important to study the old books. It's where our heritage comes from. Jesus is a Jew, and there is so much more understanding of what He did when we know the old scriptures. In the next week on the Jewish calendar is the celebration of Purim. It comes from the story of Esther, a truly fascinating story. And as happens so many times, the stories repeat themselves. The names of the players will change and sometimes one player may be played by a group. Today we are living the story of Esther. The book is 10 chapters, it's a pretty easy read. I encourage everyone to take the time to read it, either before of after the blog, I am certain that you will learn something from it.
The story has four main characters, king Ahasuerus, Mordecai, Esther, and a politician named Haman.
Let's now look at the character and actions of our main characters.
King Ahasuerus was a weak king. He had a poor ego and needed to please everyone. I equate the spirit of Ahasuerus to today's liberal society. Constantly blown by the winds of the current fad. Always seeking approval from peers and not wanting to offend people. Or at least people with the same mind set. Very easily influenced by outside pressures.
Our next character is Mordecai. While I can't find an exact title pr position for Mordecai, he was a Jewish elder of sorts. A wise unbending man to whom many sought for guidance and instruction. Certainly not a person blown by the whims of society, keeping focused on God's law and common sense. Today I place President Trunp in the place of Mordecai.
Our next character is Esther, after whom the book is written. Esther was an orphaned Jewish girl who was raised by Mordecai. I'm not sure what the relationship actually would be called, Esther was the daughter to Mordacai's uncle, so I would guess a cousin. Most commentaries that I've read consider Mordecai to be Esther's uncle. In any case they are kinn. Esther's primary claim to fame is that she is a beauty. But unlike some of today's beauties, she is quite intelligent and shrewed.
In this timeline today, the spirit of Esther is in the people who are truly seeking the truth. Not blown by social causes, or blindly accepting the word of government of news agencies.
Our final character is Haman. Haman is a boot licking politician. The absolute best description of a politician is a line from the movie "Hunt For Red october".
"I'm a politician, which means I'm a cheat and a liar. And when I'm not kissing babies, I'm stealing their lollipops. It also means I keep my options open."
Yes this is Haman. Haman needs his ego stroked constantly. He wants everyone to recognise that he is above the dregs of society. And Haman hated Mordecai, because Mordecai would not recognize that Haman was superior. Today the spirit of Haman is in Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Shumer.
Again, I encourage people to read the whole story, I want to pull out some highlights here. One character who had a minor part was Ahasuerus's first wife Vashti.
She too was a beauty, what some would call a trophy wife. One time when Ahasuerus was in a drunken stupor with some friends, he commanded Vashti to parade around before his friends so he could show off his trophy. Some commentaries believe that his request was for her to be naked, except for her crown. The dress is not important, as Vashiti responded to the kings request, in Persian of course; "Kiss my ass". This response cost ther her position as queen, and most believe that it cost her life. I believe that Vashti was right, no man should ask his wife to parade around for any reason.
This left a vacancy on the throne for a queen, and so it was decided to hold a kingdom wide beauty pagent for a new queen. And the winner of this was Esther.
This is how she came to be queen. Well at least part of it. After winning the contest, Esther was taken to the king's palace and educated and pampered. When it came time for her to entertain the king (for lack of a better term). Esther was wise in that she asked members of the court what turned Ahasuerus on. That combination of beauty and smarts earned Esther the crown.
In the course of events, there were some evil men who conspired to kill the king, and as fate would have it, Mordecai learned of the plot. Mordecai got word to the king through Esther and the plot was foiled. But apparently king Ahasuerus never really understood from where the hot tip came.
Meanwhile Haman is making a name for himself, but Mordecai is a thorn in his side. He conspires to kill not just Mordecai but all Jews. Through flattery and bribes, Haman convinces the king that a "certain" people (Republicans today) need to be removed. And as the king is weak to the flattery and bribes, he agrees. This makes Haman quite glad and full of himself. He returns home bragging on all of his accomplishments.
While Haman is celebrating and having a party, king Ahasuerus is having trouble sleeping. I believe that The Holy Spirit was working on him. So the king calls for a scribe to read the minutes of the court. Think about someone reading to you the minutes of some official court meeting. That should put anyone to sleep. But as fate would have it, the scribe reads the story of how Mordecai saved the king form a plot to kill him. At this Ahasuerus wakes up, and asks who this was and if he was rewarded. The king is told it was Mordecai and no he was not rewarded. Again as fate would have it, or perhaps divine intervention, Haman arrives in the king's court at this exact moment. Haman is quite happy right now as he has plans to hang Mordecai. King Ahasuerus asks Haman what he should do to honor a man who did the king a service. As Haman is filled with conceit, and convinced of his greatness, he is certain that Ahasuerus is referring to him. Here we see how God has such a great sense of humor. Ahasuerus tells Haman to go and all do of those things to honor Mordecai.
I want to pause right here because this is where I'd like us to be. We the people actually are on the edge of being destroyed, the king in today's story doesn't realize it yet. But conspiracies will come against all people eventually, including the "woke" of today. We need some sleepless nights when people can look at where Mordecai (or President Trump) has saved them from so much evil. Just as in this story, Haman has tried twice now to hang Mordecai and failed.
The final events in the story of Esther reveal the plot of Haman to the king. Of how he plans to kill all of Esther's people, all because of the hatred of one man, Mordecai (or today Donald Trump). Haman had so many chances to do what was right but did not, he ended up hanging from the same gallows that was constructed for Mordecai.
I was recently moved to re-read this book and I believe it's pertinent for our time. God is moving across the face of the earth. I am certain that He has anointed President Trump to do a specific task. And just as in the story of Esther, God's people are to be saved. Be encouraged today, while we see so much evil, God is still in control. And while we may not see all that He is doing, in His time and in His ways, the evil will both be revealed and removed.
