Week #: 33 Text: Esther 1-10 Title: Feast of Purim Songs: Videos: Purim Song – The Maccabeats Audio Reading: Book of Esther Feast of Purim Purim is an annual celebration of the defeat of an Iranian mad man’s plan to exterminate the Jewish people. Purim is celebrated annually during the month of Adar (the second month of Adar) on the 14th day. In years where there are two months of Adar, Purim is celebrated in the second month because it always needs to fall 30 days before Passover. It is called Purim because the word means “lots” – referencing when Haman threw lots to decide which day he would slay the Jews. The fourteenth was chosen for this celebration because it is the day that the Jews battled for their lives and won. The fifteenth is celebrated as Purim also because the book of Esther says that in Shushan (a walled city), deliverance from the scheduled massacre was not completed until the next day. So the fifteenth is referred to as Shushan Purim. Traditions for the Feast of Purim: It is customary to read the book of Esther – called the Megillah Esther – or the scroll of Esther. It means the revelation of that which is hidden While reading it is tradition to boo, hiss, stamp feet and rattle noise makers whenever Haman’s name is mentioned for the purpose of “blotting out the name of Haman”. When the names of Mordechai or Esther are spoken, hoots and hollers, cheering, applause, etc., are given as they are the heroes of the story. It is customary to have a party during Purim, and also to dress up, especially as kings and queens. Gifts are often given during Purim to friends, family and charity. Hamentaschen is a triangular fruit-filled cookie that is common to make for Purim as well. Hamentaschen is pronounce like “Ha-men-tah-sh-en” and literally means “Haman’s pocket” and is meant to represent Haman’s three cornered hat. Masks are worn because it is a story in which everything is hidden. Here are some things that are hidden in this story: . Esther’s identity and family heritage. She is renamed ESTHER, but her Hebrew name is HADASSAH. Mordecai saving the life of the king . Haman’s deception of his plan to kill the Jews . Purpose for Esther being queen – for such a time as this 1 . Esther’s name means to conceal or to be hidden . God’s name is hidden in the book of Esther – it’s the only book in the Bible in which it does not appear, yet God is clearly working throughout the story. In Deuteronomy God says He is going to one day hide His face from them because of their turning to other gods. This is now when that is taking place. Daniel was in the same place as Esther – different times though. Nehemiah was also in the palace – the same place where Esther was – and possibly during the same time frame as Esther. The Queen & the Cupbearer: Connections between Esther & Nehemiah The Old Testament book of Nehemiah takes place during a time of exile and captivity for the Jewish people. In this fascinating account, Nehemiah, the Jewish cupbearer to the Persian King Artaxerxes, successfully petitions to take a group back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls after hearing they are in disrepair. Recently I noticed a few interesting connections between Nehemiah and the story of Esther. In Nehemiah 1 we read that the setting is the “citadel of Susa”. This is the same city in which the young Esther was forced to participate in a “beauty pageant” at the whim of a king named Xerxes (Esther 1). As you may remember, Esther becomes the next Queen of Persia and eventually risks her life to save the Jewish exiles living in Persia from extermination. 1. Esther and Nehemiah as Contemporaries I’ve heard many sermons on Nehemiah in my lifetime, but don’t recall anyone ever mentioning this connection between Esther and Nehemiah. This may have to do with the fact that the books of Nehemiah and Esther are not placed in chronological order in the Bible. The Book of Esther is placed after the Book of Nehemiah, but her story actually came first [3]. This opens the possibility that Esther and Nehemiah could have lived as contemporaries in the same city for a period of time. Here’s where it really gets interesting! 2. The Relationship between Artaxerxes 1 and Esther King Artaxerxes not only allowed Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem, he even agreed to a request for supplies (Nehemiah 2:8). From what we know of Artaxerxes heritage, this is hard to understand. What made him sympathetic to the plight of the Jewish homeland, even to the point of providing resources? Was it his personal relationship with Nehemiah that accounted for his behavior, or was there something more? There may have been some political reason for his sympathy, but there are also some personal factors to consider. Most scholars believe that Artaxerxes was the son of Esther’s husband, Xerxes. (Some have suggested that he was the son of Esther and Xerxes, but it is more probable that he was born to one of Xerxes’ other wives). Regardless, this means that depending on how long she lived, Esther and Artaxerxes may have lived on the palace grounds at the same time. While we can’t be sure a personal relationship existed, we can safely assume that Artaxerxes would have been very familiar with the story of Esther. 3. Esther’s Mission Extended – Beyond Saving the Jews? I had trouble finding much historical evidence about the connection between Artaxerxes 1 and Esther in my brief search. But I did find this interesting article written for the Huffington Post by Yaacov Cohen: “After the immediate danger to her community passed, Queen Esther stayed with Ahasuerus (Xerxes). Why did she stay with him, rather than restart her life? We need to put the Book of Esther into an historical context to better understand Esther’s choice. The story of Esther happened after Cyrus, the 2 first Persian King, called for all deported Jews to return to Jerusalem to build the House of God (538 B.C., Ezra 1:2). Most of the Jews preferred the comfortable life of the Persian Empire to an arduous life rebuilding their devastated homeland. The Talmud sees Haman’s decree as a punishment from Heaven to these Jews. When, several years later, Nehemiah asked the Persian King for permission to return to Zion and rebuild Jerusalem, “the Queen is sitting by him” (Nehemiah 2:6), and she influenced the King’s decision to approve Nehemiah’s request. The Queen described in the Book of Nehemiah is Queen Esther. She stayed with Ahasuerus and sacrificed her personal happiness to complete her ultimate mission to enable the building of the Second Temple and the return to Zion”. The Significance of the Connection for Women Whether or not Cohen is right about the queen mentioned being Esther, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Artaxerxes’ sympathy for the Jews probably had a lot to do with her witness, influence and integrity. This would be consistent with a pattern seen often in the Old Testament, in which God intentionally chooses a woman to play an instrumental role in accomplishing his purposes (take Miriam, Deborah, Jael, and Huldah, for example). [Note: Huldah was a prophet mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in 2 Kings 22:14–20 and 2 Chronicles 34:22–28. According to Jewish tradition, she was one of the "seven prophetesses", with Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, and Esther.] Despite the prevalence of the patriarchal societies that developed after the Fall and the disruption of gender relationships recorded in Genesis 3, this pattern occurs often enough to suggest that these stories are more than incidental – I believe God was clearly making a point! When studied alone, the book of Nehemiah can come off as a very “male-centric” story. It is mostly men who build the wall, and when the “roll” of Israel is recorded only men’s names are recorded. But if we look at the story in historical perspective and consider all of the players involved, it is not hard to make a case that there was more to Esther’s mission than the initial saving of the Jewish people from extinction recorded in the Book of Esther. Esther’s long obedience in the same direction laid the groundwork for the eventual restoration of Jerusalem. In a sense, the rebuilding of Jerusalem is just as much Esther’s legacy as it is Nehemiah’s. 3 Esther 1 – Queen Vashti Deposed This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush: 2 At that time King Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa, 3 and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present. 4 For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. 5 When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest who were in the citadel of Susa. 6 The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars.