What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? - Romans 8:31
This morning’s sermon is titled “The Jews Strike Down Their Enemies”. It is the 9th message in our current series through the book of Esther. Before we begin this morning, let’s play a little game. I am going to describe a character from the story, and you tell me who it is. Ready?
He plotted to kill the Jews, but was ultimately found out and hanged. (Haman)
She lost her position as queen after refusing to obey the king’s request. (Vashti)
He saved the king’s life, was honored for it, and became the new prime minister. (Mordecai)
He was king of the Persian Empire. (Ahasuerus)
She became queen, prepared 2 feasts for the king, and urged him to spare the Jews. (Esther)
Did you guess them all correctly? Great! At the close of last week’s sermon, Mordecai had written and dispatched a law, authorized by the king, which allowed the Jewish people to take up arms and defend themselves from their adversaries on the day that had been set aside for their destruction.
I. THE JEWS’ SUCCESS (v1-5)
In accordance with Haman’s murderous law, when the 13th day of Adar (the 12th month of the year) arrived, the enemies of God attacked the Jews intent on destroying them all. However, the Jewish people had the upper hand. Jews assembled in every city throughout Persia to defend themselves and their adversaries could not stand before them. Even the provincial leaders and officers - the princes, governors, satraps, and others - favored the Jewish people, as they respected Mordecai and his great leadership. Thus, the Jews struck down their enemies.
Generally speaking, the Jewish people do very well in battle - oftentimes despite overwhelming odds - whenever they are humble before and obedient to the LORD. In instances of rebellion or disobedience, however, such as when Achan hid plunder from Jericho (Joshua 7) or King Saul consulted a medium (1 Samuel 28-31), the Jews don’t fare as well. Their success or failure in battle is dependent upon God, who fights on their behalf (Deuteronomy 20:4). This seems to be true for both Biblical Israel and modern-day Israel.
II. VICTORY IN SUSA (v6-15)
At the citadel in Susa, where the king resided, the Jews killed 500 of their enemies including the 10 sons of Haman, but did not take any plunder. When this news was reported to King Ahasuerus he asked Esther if there was anything further he might do for her. She requested that he extend the battle for an additional day and have the 10 sons of Haman hanged on the gallows. He agreed. The next day, the 14th of Adar, the bodies of Haman’s son were hanged and the Jews assembled again. They killed another 300 adversaries, but still took no plunder.
As discussed earlier in this series, hanging a person’s dead body was thought to bring shame, disgrace, and a curse upon them. In fact, even if the deceased had died in some other way, such as being killed in battle, their corpses might be hung publicly as a means of humiliation and taunting. The Philistines did this to King Saul by fastening his decapitated body to the wall of Beth-shan. In this instance, Queen Esther wanted the sons of Haman to be hanged.
Following the exodus, God commanded Joshua and the Israelites to completely destroy the Canaanites when they took possession of the promised land. However, Israel disobeyed and remnants of the Canaanites remained. As a result, their pagan influence and worship of false gods continually led the Israelites astray. Esther didn’t want such a thing to happen again, so she requested an additional day so that the Jews could finish the job. If you allow even a little sin to remain, it can defile the whole community (Galatians 5:9)..
III. VICTORY IN THE PROVINCES (v16-17)
Outside of Susa, throughout the 127 provinces of the vast Persian Empire, Jews assembled in every city to defend themselves against their haters. Like those in the capital city, they also were quite successful. In total, the Jews killed 75,000 of their enemies, but did not take any plunder. Their resounding victory was accomplished in a single day, on the 13th of Adar. The Jews celebrated joyfully and feasted on the following day.
Just out of curiosity, I divided the numbers to discover that the Jews killed an average of 590 rivals in each province. Obviously the actual amount would be higher in the more populated provinces and lower in the less populated provinces, but the average does help us understand the scope of what happened. Haman’s plan to slaughter the Jews failed, resulting instead in a great Jewish triumph over their enemies.
IV. 2 DAYS OF CELEBRATION (v18-19)
The Jews living in Susa fought against their enemies for 2 days, on both the 13th and 14th of Adar, per Esther’s request. As a result, they made the 15th a day of feasting and gladness. However, the Jews in the provinces and more rural areas battled their enemies for just 1 day, the 13th of Adar. As stated in the previous point, they made the 14th a day of gladness, feasting, and sending portions of food to one another.
Thus, there were 2 days of celebration. The 1st day, which applied to the overwhelming majority of Jewish people scattered across Persia, took place on the 14th day of the month. The 2nd day, which applied specifically to the Jews residing in Susa, took place on the 15th of the month. These were times of joy set aside by the people of God to praise Him (Psalm 20:5).
CONCLUSION
In last week’s message, we emphasized that God has not removed His people from the presence of their enemies. Rather, He has commanded and empowered His people to fight back. The main idea of this morning’s message is very similar. As the people of God faithfully defend themselves from those who would destroy them, the LORD will fight on their behalf and will overcome their adversaries. This is true both physically and spiritually.
I am always amazed by the almighty hand of God. The Bible doesn’t state how many, if any, Jews were killed during this battle. I wonder if any of them were? If you were anticipating a fierce conflict between 2 evenly matched opponents, sorry to disappoint… The same can be said of The Battle of Armageddon which will be fought when Jesus returns at the end of the age. Many people think that this will be an epic struggle between good and evil in which many casualties will be inflicted on both sides, but it appears to me that Jesus will handily destroy both the Antichrist and his followers while the armies of God won’t suffer so much as a scratch (Revelation 19:11-21).
Next week, we will read about how Esther and Mordecai took steps to memorialize the events we’ve discussed. As you may recall, the name of this series is “Esther’s Story: How Purim Began”. Join us this coming Sunday as we discover how this holiday originated.
This morning’s sermon is titled “The Jews Strike Down Their Enemies”. It is the 9th message in our current series through the book of Esther. Before we begin this morning, let’s play a little game. I am going to describe a character from the story, and you tell me who it is. Ready?
He plotted to kill the Jews, but was ultimately found out and hanged. (Haman)
She lost her position as queen after refusing to obey the king’s request. (Vashti)
He saved the king’s life, was honored for it, and became the new prime minister. (Mordecai)
He was king of the Persian Empire. (Ahasuerus)
She became queen, prepared 2 feasts for the king, and urged him to spare the Jews. (Esther)
Did you guess them all correctly? Great! At the close of last week’s sermon, Mordecai had written and dispatched a law, authorized by the king, which allowed the Jewish people to take up arms and defend themselves from their adversaries on the day that had been set aside for their destruction.
I. THE JEWS’ SUCCESS (v1-5)
In accordance with Haman’s murderous law, when the 13th day of Adar (the 12th month of the year) arrived, the enemies of God attacked the Jews intent on destroying them all. However, the Jewish people had the upper hand. Jews assembled in every city throughout Persia to defend themselves and their adversaries could not stand before them. Even the provincial leaders and officers - the princes, governors, satraps, and others - favored the Jewish people, as they respected Mordecai and his great leadership. Thus, the Jews struck down their enemies.
Generally speaking, the Jewish people do very well in battle - oftentimes despite overwhelming odds - whenever they are humble before and obedient to the LORD. In instances of rebellion or disobedience, however, such as when Achan hid plunder from Jericho (Joshua 7) or King Saul consulted a medium (1 Samuel 28-31), the Jews don’t fare as well. Their success or failure in battle is dependent upon God, who fights on their behalf (Deuteronomy 20:4). This seems to be true for both Biblical Israel and modern-day Israel.
II. VICTORY IN SUSA (v6-15)
At the citadel in Susa, where the king resided, the Jews killed 500 of their enemies including the 10 sons of Haman, but did not take any plunder. When this news was reported to King Ahasuerus he asked Esther if there was anything further he might do for her. She requested that he extend the battle for an additional day and have the 10 sons of Haman hanged on the gallows. He agreed. The next day, the 14th of Adar, the bodies of Haman’s son were hanged and the Jews assembled again. They killed another 300 adversaries, but still took no plunder.
As discussed earlier in this series, hanging a person’s dead body was thought to bring shame, disgrace, and a curse upon them. In fact, even if the deceased had died in some other way, such as being killed in battle, their corpses might be hung publicly as a means of humiliation and taunting. The Philistines did this to King Saul by fastening his decapitated body to the wall of Beth-shan. In this instance, Queen Esther wanted the sons of Haman to be hanged.
Following the exodus, God commanded Joshua and the Israelites to completely destroy the Canaanites when they took possession of the promised land. However, Israel disobeyed and remnants of the Canaanites remained. As a result, their pagan influence and worship of false gods continually led the Israelites astray. Esther didn’t want such a thing to happen again, so she requested an additional day so that the Jews could finish the job. If you allow even a little sin to remain, it can defile the whole community (Galatians 5:9)..
III. VICTORY IN THE PROVINCES (v16-17)
Outside of Susa, throughout the 127 provinces of the vast Persian Empire, Jews assembled in every city to defend themselves against their haters. Like those in the capital city, they also were quite successful. In total, the Jews killed 75,000 of their enemies, but did not take any plunder. Their resounding victory was accomplished in a single day, on the 13th of Adar. The Jews celebrated joyfully and feasted on the following day.
Just out of curiosity, I divided the numbers to discover that the Jews killed an average of 590 rivals in each province. Obviously the actual amount would be higher in the more populated provinces and lower in the less populated provinces, but the average does help us understand the scope of what happened. Haman’s plan to slaughter the Jews failed, resulting instead in a great Jewish triumph over their enemies.
IV. 2 DAYS OF CELEBRATION (v18-19)
The Jews living in Susa fought against their enemies for 2 days, on both the 13th and 14th of Adar, per Esther’s request. As a result, they made the 15th a day of feasting and gladness. However, the Jews in the provinces and more rural areas battled their enemies for just 1 day, the 13th of Adar. As stated in the previous point, they made the 14th a day of gladness, feasting, and sending portions of food to one another.
Thus, there were 2 days of celebration. The 1st day, which applied to the overwhelming majority of Jewish people scattered across Persia, took place on the 14th day of the month. The 2nd day, which applied specifically to the Jews residing in Susa, took place on the 15th of the month. These were times of joy set aside by the people of God to praise Him (Psalm 20:5).
CONCLUSION
In last week’s message, we emphasized that God has not removed His people from the presence of their enemies. Rather, He has commanded and empowered His people to fight back. The main idea of this morning’s message is very similar. As the people of God faithfully defend themselves from those who would destroy them, the LORD will fight on their behalf and will overcome their adversaries. This is true both physically and spiritually.
I am always amazed by the almighty hand of God. The Bible doesn’t state how many, if any, Jews were killed during this battle. I wonder if any of them were? If you were anticipating a fierce conflict between 2 evenly matched opponents, sorry to disappoint… The same can be said of The Battle of Armageddon which will be fought when Jesus returns at the end of the age. Many people think that this will be an epic struggle between good and evil in which many casualties will be inflicted on both sides, but it appears to me that Jesus will handily destroy both the Antichrist and his followers while the armies of God won’t suffer so much as a scratch (Revelation 19:11-21).
Next week, we will read about how Esther and Mordecai took steps to memorialize the events we’ve discussed. As you may recall, the name of this series is “Esther’s Story: How Purim Began”. Join us this coming Sunday as we discover how this holiday originated.