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Or Politics Matters the Book of Esther

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Or Politics Matters the Book of Esther 1 Esther is not Yester… or Politics Matters The Book of Esther: A New Interpretation Robert Case Faith Presbyterian Church, Tacoma, WA 2017 Introduction “Lawrence of Arabia Overture” “Lawrence of Arabia Overture” was writing in l962 by Maurice Jarre for the Oscar winning movie, Lawrence of Arabia starring: Peter O'Toole, Anthony Quinn, Omar Shariff, Alec Guiness, Anthony Quail, Jack Hawkins and directed By David Lean. Considered by some critics to be the greatest movie ever made, The movie is a 1962 epic historical drama film based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. The film was nominated for ten Oscars in 1963; it won seven. The film depicts Lawrence's experiences in the Arabian Peninsula during World War I, in particular his attacks on Aqaba and Damascus and his involvement in the Arab National Council. Its themes include Lawrence's emotional struggles with the personal violence inherent in war, his own identity, and his divided allegiance between his native Britain and its army and his new-found comrades within the Arabian desert tribes. In 1991, Lawrence of Arabia was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected for preservation in the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry. The overture is played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Maurice Jarre wrote all the music for Lawrence and won his first Oscar. His second collaboration with David Lean on Doctor Zhivago in 1965 earned him another Oscar. He collaborated with Lean again on Ryan's Daughter in 1970 and A Passage to India in 1984 for which he received his third Academy Award. (Lawrence theme performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra) “We’re off on the Road to Morocco” “We're off on the Road to Morocco” is a song composed in 1942 by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke, for the movie, Road to Morocco, which was the #4 top grossing movie for 1942. In Road to Morocco, it was performed by Bing Crosby and Bob Hope as they ride on camels in the opening scene. In December 1944, Mr. Crosby and Mr. Hope recorded their duet version which reached #21 on the Billboard charts. The song was included as #95 in AFI's “100 Years...100 Songs.” Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote in these war years: "Let us be thankful that Paramount is still blessed with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, and that it has set its cameras to tailing these two irrepressible wags on another fantastic excursion, Road to Morocco. For the screen, under present circumstances, can hold no more diverting lure than the prospect of Hope and Crosby ambling, as they have done before, through an utterly slaphappy picture, picking up Dorothy Lamour along the way and tossing acid wisecracks at each other without a thought for reason or sense. The short of it is that Road to Morocco is a daffy, laugh-drafting film. And you’ll certainly agree with the camel which, at one point, offers the gratuitous remark, “This is the screwiest picture I was ever in.” “We're off on the road to Morocco This camel is tough on the spine (hit me with a band-aid, Dad) Where they're going, why we're going, how can we be sure I'll lay you eight to five that we'll meet Dorothy Lamour (Yeah, get in line). Off on the road to Morocco Hang on till the end of the line (I like your jockey. Quiet) I hear this country's where they do the dance of the seven veils We'd tell you more (uh-ah) but we would have the censor on our tails (Good boy). We certainly do get around Like Webster's Dictionary we're Morocco bound. We're off on the road to Morocco Well look out, well clear the way, 'cause here we come Stand by for a concussion The men eat fire, sleep on nails and saw their wives in half It seems to me there should be easier ways to get a laugh (Shall I slip on my big shoes?) Off on the road to Morocco Hooray! Well blow a horn, everybody duck Yeah. It's a green light, come on 2 boys. We may run into villains but we're not afraid to roam Because we read the story and we end up safe at home (yeah) Certainly do get around Like Webster's Dictionary we're Morocco bound. We certainly do get around Like a complete set of Shakespeare that you get In the corner drugstore for a dollar ninety-eight We're Morocco bound. Or, like a volume of Omar Khayyam that you buy in the Department store at Christmas time for your cousin Julia We're Morocco bound (We could be arrested).” (“We’re Off on the Road to Morocco” performed by Hope & Crosby)(2:11) A little levity to begin an in-depth look at a very serious book of the Bible. Now on to Esther. The book of Esther was written to give God’s people hope during periods of hostility by showing God’s faithfulness even when overwhelming odds are arrayed against them. As one scholar put it, “If an orphaned, exiled, foreign woman could rise to royalty in the center of the world’s greatest power, who couldn’t take heart in the most marginal of circumstances.” (Timothy Laniak, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, 2003). There are few books in the Bible, maybe no other book in the Bible, more relevant to Christian life in a dominant post-Christian culture hostile to Christianity and powerful enough to enforce its hostility, than the book of Esther. Most of the modern commentaries on Esther were written before the geo-political background of Esther exploded on front pages of western newspapers in the late 20st century. Now with the emergence of Iran, Iraq and radical Islam, there is new interest in the history of Persia. Until the 20th century, the country was known as “Persia.” It was only in March, 1935 that the ruler of Persia, Reza Shah Pahlavi, issued a decree asking foreign delegates to use the term “Iran” in formal correspondence. The new reality began in the 1970s, when the Shah of Iran (son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi) issued his proclamation concerning the Cyrus Cylinder, which was engraved in about 540 BC, as the oldest known declaration of human rights (except for the Bible). The proclamation brought Cyrus to the European consciousness. And with this new interest came a popular Western culture fascination with Persian (and Babylonian) tyrants in post-1970s movies, video games and graphic novels, all of which we have with us today. The events narrated in the book of Esther happen over only about a 10 year period beginning from about 483 (Esther 1:1-3) to 473 BC, from the start of Xerxes reign to when Esther and Mordecai institute the festival of Purim in letters sent to the Persian Church after Xerxes’ death (Esther 10:2). The book covers just a tiny sliver 3 of time in the history of the Church (probably positioned sometimes between Ezra 6 and 7 (“Now after these thing, in the reign of Artaxerxes,” Ezra 7:1) but the lessons for us, in our moment of history, are crucial. The context of Esther is between the temple completion under Zerubbabel, governor of the Persian province of Judea, in 515 BC (during the reign of Xerxes’ father, Persian king Darius I) and the arrival of more returnees to Jerusalem under Ezra in 458 BC (during the reign of Xerxes’ son, Persian king Artaxerxes I). The biblical books of prime interest to us are Haggai and Zechariah (both written about 500 during the reign of Darius 1), Esther (written about 450 during the reign of Artaxerxes 1), and Malachi (written in about 450 during the reign of Artaxerxes 1), Ezra and Nehemiah (written about 420 - during the reign of Artaxerxes 2). The books of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi (the last three books of the Old Testament prophets) and 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther (the last four books of the Old Testament Church history) were all written approximately between 500 and 400 BC. Historically interesting is that, both Ezra (Nehemiah 1:1, et al.) and Nehemiah (Ezra 2:2) appear in biblical books other than their named books. They appear in each other’s books – twiddle dee and twiddle dum. Queen Esther is never heard from again after the close of her named book. After the prophet Malachi, the LORD would be silent for over five centuries until Mark in the New Testament, which was written in about 50 AD. The books of the Apocrypha (e.g., 1 and 2 Maccabees, Judith, Tobit, etc.) were written during this inter-testamental period between the Old and New Testament of roughly 400 years. All of these ancient dates are, of course, approximate. The post-exilic books of 1 and 2nd Chronicles, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Ezra and Nehemiah were all written to encourage the Church remnant who had 4 returned to Jerusalem because of Cyrus’ decree. The book of Esther is the only complete book in the Old Testament to be written to those members of the Jewish Church who happily stayed behind and assimilated themselves in a foreign, hostile country, Persia. In fact, we read in 1 Kings 17 (6) that when Israel was taken captive by the Assyrians under Shalmaneser in the first captivity (724 BC), during the reign of King Hoshea (733-724 BC), they were settled in the “cities of the Medes.” That means that for 250 years before Xerxes, Jews were living in the land of Persia.
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