Esther Overview Notes I. Esther A. Setting: Persian Empire (As With

Esther Overview Notes

I. Esther a. Setting: Persian Empire (as with Ezra/Nehemiah) i. Diaspora Jews (those that did not return to the land) gives a unique glimpse into their life. ii. During the reign of Xerxes I who is called Ahasuerus –in the book. Vashti wants control refuses to obey and loses control Esther obeys and gains control. Mordecai refuses to bow to Haman– the plot and– the deliverance. b. Title, Author, and– Date i. Esther (Hadassah – Jewish name: myrtle ) is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible ii. No author stated:– The Talmud says“ the men” of the Great Synagogue wrote it. Josephus says Mordecai wrote it. The author was intimately familiar with Persian customs and culture. iii. Date of composition: between 464 and 330 B.C. Probably closer to the 464 date. c. Canon i. The book is not cited anywhere else in the Bible (including NT) and was not present in the Qumran cache. ii. The Greek text (LXX) is considerably longer than the Hebrew text (almost 2x) but these verses are considered apocryphal with little historical value. d. Some have questioned the books canonical value since it does not mention God. e. Purim i. Only festival inaugurated outside of the Pentateuch. ii. From the word for lots : Haman cast lots to determine the best month for the destruction of the Jews. It also underscores the chance that is in“ the ”book. iii. Celebration of victory modern Mardi Gras for the Jews. Talmud“ encourages” drunkenness so that Blessed by Mordecai and cursed be Haman cannot– be distinguished. f. Theology “ i. God s providence ” 1. God s control of events is central. Many coincidental happenings’ (Mordecai overhears the plot on the king, the king s insomnia,’ etc.) are signs of God s providential control. History is divinely directed. ’ ’

2. Human action is important: Mordecai and Esther have to act and God uses this. There is also the fasting an effort to appeal to God and have Him act. 3. Yet, God’s providence is not seen as dependent– on human action: 4:14 and 6:13. A knowledge of Israel’s past history and God’s salvation of the people in the past is present. ii. God’s hiddenness 1. God is not mentioned even once! Strong similarities with the Joseph narrative in which Yahweh basically remains concealed. 2. Delibrate? a. Affirming that God’s hand is present but also that this is sometimes difficult to perceive b. We end up reading the story carefully, knowing the history of the Jewish people, and look for God’s hand in events. This is exactly what the author intended. We are supposed to ponder God’s role. Compiled

i. The book is not cited anywhere else in the Bible (including NT) and was not present in the Qumran cache. ii. The Greek text (LXX) is considerably longer than the Hebrew text (almost 2x) but these verses are considered apocryphal with little historical value. d. Some have questioned the books canonical value since it does not mention God. e. Purim i. Only festival inaugurated outside of the Pentateuch. ii. From the word for lots : Haman cast lots to determine the best month for the destruction of the Jews. It also underscores the chance“ ” that is in the book. iii. Celebration of victory modern Mardi Gras for the Jews. Talmud encourages“ drunkenness” so that Blessed by Mordecai and cursed be– Haman cannot be distinguished. f. Theology “ i. God s providence ” 1. God s control of events is central. Many coincidental ’ happenings (Mordecai overhears the plot on the king, the king’ s insomnia, etc.) are signs of God s providential control. History is divinely directed. 2. Human action’ is important: Mordecai and ’ Esther have to act and God uses this. There is also the fasting an effort to appeal to God and have Him act. 3. Yet, God s providence is not seen as dependent on human– action: 4:14 and 6:13. A knowledge of Israel s past history’ and God s salvation of the people in the past is present. ’ ii. God s hiddeness ’ 1. God is not mentioned even once! Strong similarities ’ with the Joseph narrative in which Yahweh basically remains concealed. 2. Delibrate? a. Affirming that God s hand is present but also that this is sometimes difficult to perceive b. We end up reading’ the story carefully, knowing the history of the Jewish people, and look for God s hand in events. This is exactly what the author intended. We are supposed to ponder God s’ role.

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The Book of Esther

ESTHER. according to Est. 2:7, Esther’s Jewish name was Hadassah (Myrtle). The name Esther may be the equivalent of the Persian stara (‘star’), though some find a link with the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. Esther married Ahasuerus (Xerxes, 486–465 BC). Herodotus and Ctesias say that the wife of Xerxes was Amestris (who is probably Vashti), and that she went with Xerxes on his expedition to Greece, which happened after the events of Est. 1. On the way home she incurred Xerxes’ anger by mutilating the mother of one of his mistresses and nearly starting a revolution (Her. 9. 108f.). Small wonder that Xerxes remembered his original plan to divorce her, and now looked for a successor, which he found in Esther. Amestris came into power again as queen mother during the reign of her son, Artaxerxes I, and may indeed be the ‘queen’ of Ne. 2:6. If we assume that Esther died within a few years of the events recorded in the book that bears her name, there is no difficulty in harmonizing the two queens. Although Esther was a brave woman, who risked her life to save the Jews (4:11–17), the Bible does not commend her encouragement of the Jews to massacre their enemies in ch. 9. Here she was the child of her age.

ESTHER, BOOK OF. This book tells how *ESTHER, a Jewess, became the wife of a Persian king, and was able to prevent the wholesale massacre of the Jewish race within the Persian empire.

I. Outline of contents a. 1:1–22. Ahasuerus deposes his wife, Vashti, for refusing to appear at his banquet. b. 2:1–18. Esther, the cousin of Mordecai, a Jew, is chosen in Vashti’s place. c. 2:19–23. Mordecai tells Esther of a plot to kill the king. d. 3:1–15. Mordecai refuses to bow to Haman, the king’s favourite, who thereupon plans to massacre the Jews on a fixed date. e. 4:1–17. Mordecai persuades Esther to intercede with the king. f. 5:1–14. Esther invites the king and Haman to a banquet. g. 6:1–14. The king makes Haman honour Mordecai publicly as a reward for revealing the plot against him. h. 7:1–10. At a second banquet Esther reveals Haman’s plan to massacre the Jews, and Haman is hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. i. 8:1–17. Since the edict for the massacre cannot be revoked, the king sends a second edict allowing the Jews to defend themselves. j. 9:1–19. The Jews take advantage of this to kill their enemies. k. 9:20–32. The deliverance is commemorated at the feast of Purim. l. 10:1–3. Mordecai is put in a position of authority.

II. Authorship and date

The book was written some time after the death of Ahasuerus (1:1), which would be after 465 BC if Ahasuerus is identified as Xerxes. Some Jews regarded Mordecai as the author, and the references in 9:20, 32 could suggest this. Much of the contents may have been inserted in the annals of the king, as mentioned in 10:2 and perhaps 6:1, and this would account for the omission of the name of God, although the reference to fasting for Esther in 4:16 certainly implies prayer, and the doctrine of providence is stated in 4:14. It should be noted that the Gk. versions of Esther contain 107 extra verses, which do include references to God by name. These are collected together in the Apocrypha of our English Version, and are numbered as though they followed 10:3. In fact, their order in the Gk. is as follows: 9:2–12:6; 1:1–3:13; 13:1–7; 3:14–4:17; 13:8–15:16; 5:3–8:12; 16:1–24; 8:13–10:3; 10:4–11:1. The date given in 11:1 is 114 BC, and could be the date when the Gk. translation or expanded version was made.

III. Authenticity

The story as such has not been confirmed by any Persian records, and it is often supposed that it cannot be fitted into what is known of Persian history. King Ahasuerus is usually identified with Xerxes (486–465 BC). If he is Xerxes we have an explanation of the strange gap between the third

3 year in 1:3 and the seventh year of 2:16, since between 483 and 480 BC he was planning and carrying out his disastrous invasion of Greece. Herodotus (7. 114; 9. 108f.) gives the name of Xerxes’ wife as Amestris, but we do not know from secular historians whether or not he had more than one wife. Although, according to Herodotus (3. 84), the Persian king was supposed to choose his wife from one of seven noble families (cf. Est. 1:14), rules of this kind could generally be evaded. Xerxes had no scruples about taking any women that he chose. The author is alleged to be in error in 2:5–6, when he describes *MORDECAI as having been taken captive in 597 BC. By this time he would have been over 120. On the principle that a translation that makes sense is preferable to one that makes nonsense, we may refer the word ‘who’ in v. 6 to Mordecai’s great-grandfather, Kish, as the Heb. allows us to do. Other supposed improbabilities are largely a matter of subjective opinion. Thus, would *HAMAN have attempted the massacre of all the Jewish race simply because one man defied him, and would the king have permitted it? And would Haman have fixed a date for the massacre so far ahead? Massacres and wars have been sparked off many times through the injured pride of one or two individuals. Persian kings also were easily swayed by their favourites, and in this case Haman represents the Jews as traitors (3:8). Haman is depicted as a thoroughly superstitious man, and the day of the massacre was chosen because the

4 casting of lots indicated that it would be a lucky day (3:7). The gallows 25 m high (7:9) would be the typically extravagant display of a thwarted man in power, while the $ 2½ million offered as a bribe to the king in 3:9 is hardly to be taken seriously; what the king would understand was that a large proportion of Jewish property would be put in the royal treasuries, and with Oriental politeness he replies that Haman may keep it for himself (3:11): both parties would understand that, so long as the king received a substantial share of the spoil, he would turn a blind eye to whatever Haman took for himself. One strange interpretation of the book demands brief notice. This is the mythological origin postulated by some. Esther is the goddess Ishtar; Mordecai is Marduk; Haman is the Elamite deity Humman; Vashti is Mashti, an Elamite goddess. The story may have concerned a conflict between Babylonian and Elamite gods. It would be strange if the Jews had made use of a polytheistic tale, or cultic ceremony, to account for a

Jewish festival; and even if *PURIM could be shown to have been originally a pagan ceremony, a whole new story must have been written round it, and in this story it is unlikely that the names of gods and goddesses would have been retained. It might still be true that the names of the characters in the book of Esther have some connection with the names of gods and goddesses, since there are other examples of Jews being given extra names that probably contain the names of some god or

5 goddess, e.g. Dn. 1:7; Ezr. 1:8. Moreover there is another Mordecai mentioned in Ezr. 2:2. Esther is said to be a second name in Est. 2:7.

Persian Wars Timeline

 492 BCE

Darius I of Persia invades Greece.

 490 BCE - 470 BCE

Corcyra does not participate in the Persian Wars.

 11 Sep 490 BCE

A combined force of Greek hoplites defeat the Persians at Marathon.

 480 BCE

Thebes sides with Persia during Xerxes invasion of Greece.

 480 BCE

Cycladic states contribute to the victorious Greek forces against the Persians at the Battle of Salamis.

 Jul 480 BCE

Xerxes I makes extensive preparations to invade mainland Greece by building depots, canals and a boat bridge across the Hellespont.

 Aug 480 BCE

Battle of Thermopylae. 300 Spartans under King Leonidas and other Greek allies hold back the Persians led by Xerxes I for three days but are defeated.

 Aug 480 BCE

The indecisive battle of Artemision between the Greek and Persian fleets of Xerxes I. The Greeks withdraw to Salamis.

 Sep 480 BCE

Battle of Salamis where the Greek naval fleet led by Themistocles defeats the invading armada of Xerxes I of Persia.

 479 BCE

Cycladic city states contribute to the victorious Greek forces against the Persians at the battle of Plataea.

 479 BCE

Xerxes' Persian forces are defeated by Greek forces at Plataea effectively ending Persia's imperial ambitions in Greece.

 c. 479 BCE

Eleusis is destroyed by the Persians.

 449 BCE - 448 BCE

Peace between Greece and Persia.

I. Ruth Outline a. Time frame/setting: the period of the judges – probably late in that period (just prior to or during Samuel?) Boaz is three generations before David so this gives us a general idea. b. Authorship and date of writing: Uncertain i. A literary work of art. ii. Babylonian Talmud: Baba Bathra 14b – author is Samuel iii. Date hinges on purpose 1. Ezra and Nehemiah – book is late polemic against their strict laws against inter-marriage. 2. Legitimization of Davidic monarchy – book is during or just after David and Solomon. 3. 4:7 – explaining an archaic custom indicates some time has passed. 4. Most conservative scholars view it as during early monarchy but that the purpose is not exclusively tied to Davidic line – at least not with respect to being an apologetic for it. c. Purpose i. Primary reason for it is not stated. ii. God is in control even (and especially) in seemingly coincidental actions. Worldview illustrated! A nice breath of fresh air after the judges! d. What is a Moabite anyway? Is it something you need to call pest control about? i. Southeastern plateau stretching out from the Dead Sea ii. Son of Lot from the incestuous relations with the oldest daughter. iii. Rocky relationship at best: Eglon, Baal-Peor. 1. Eating with the Moabites on Moabite soil at Baal-peor brought destruction to Israel 2. Eating with them on Moabite soil in the book of Ruth will be the beginning of salvation! e. Levirate Marriage (Deut. 25) – references to it but not really the issue in the book since that deals with a brother-in-law marrying the widow f. Go’el – redeemer (Lev. 25) – redeeming property as in Jeremiah – doesn’t have anything explicit about marriage. Customs in Ruth seem to be off the official biblical record or an interpretation of them. g. Theology of the book: i. God’s sovereignty and involvement: out of 85 verses 23 mention God. ii. Worldview: God is in control of the details and there is no such thing as a coincidence or fluke. The people in Ruth depend on God and assume the above to be true! God is always acting.

iii. Hesed usually means covenantal faithfulness but in Ruth it is related to kindness. It is the working out of faithfulness to God in particular through right behavior with respect to one’s fellow human beings. iv. God’s hiddeness? 1. Is God hidden in the book? 2. Faith even when God just works through existing structures and people. 3. No overt miracles in the book 4. God is present in the everyday happenings of life. v. The book emphasizes that non-Israelites have a role in God’s plan of redemption. His desire was always for restoration for the entirety of His creation. vi. God’s role in the monarchy: It was arranged for by God long before the major players (Saul, David) were actually brought onto the scene. It is not an after-thought but part of the divine plan.

2 RUTH: AWOMAN OF FAITH

Her story has both captivated and significantly challenged us over the years in many ways. Her bravery, faith, and obedience have encouraged us to be a better follower of Christ. Her name is Ruth, and for someone so new to the faith in the book of her namesake, she shows us a map for our own journey that is uniquely remarkable.

One of the things I sense most about her story is that it is subtle, much like our own. She doesn’t have a great position or come from a famous, godly family. She’s a widow from an enemy nation with no prospects. Yet, God moves so mightily in her story and uses it to encourage millions.

When you read the book you’ll be able to see the fingerprints of God all over her life. You won’t see God’s voice thunder down like in other stories, or see miraculous happenings that change everything. What you do see is her life being gradually led by a God who she believed in, and at the end, you can look back and see how He orchestrated natural events for His divine glory.

There are many things we could learn from her story but five, in particular, are worth mentioning.

1. Don’t Let the Past Hold You Back

At the beginning of the book Ruth is living in her home nation of Moab; a place and people that the Israelites frowned down upon. On top of that, she has lost her husband and is now living with her widowed mother-in-law. She also lost her husband without a child, some believing she may have been barren.

The pain Ruth must have been in was immense. As she embarked on her first journey to Israel, she must have been nervous. Ruth had so many reasons to shrink into a shell and live in obscurity. But she didn’t. Ruth didn’t allow her past to hold her back but believed there was life still to be lived and move forward in that confidence.

You have a purpose regardless of what lies behind you. Although your confidence might be wavering, your calling does not.

2. Be Full of Faith

Ruth showed remarkable faith for such a young believer. Faith that there was still a purpose for her ahead. Faith to believe that God was who He said He was. And faith to believe that God would provide for her and Naomi.

If you’re in an unsure place, start with faith. Hebrews 11:1 describes faith as, “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

You might not be able to see what God is doing, but trust that He is moving.

3. Value Great Character

Character is who you are when nobody's watching. Ruth had no idea her story would be showcased for millions to read and yet showed incredible character in her obscurity.

She went above and beyond in showing respect and honor to her bitter mother-in-law. She worked hard in the field to provide food for her and Naomi. Ruth proved to be a woman of integrity with Boaz. Everything she did represented a woman of great character and God honored her.

Strive to be a woman of character. Refuse any gossip in the name of a prayer request. Share with your husband the shopping addiction you find yourself in. Stop relying on food to make you feel better. Be the woman you know God created you to be and Jesus died so you could embrace.

4. Believe Redemption is Possible

Against all odds redemption is always possible. Ruth had no reason to believe she had earned anything but believed God was everything she needed. Ruth believed God would provide and in that place of faith God did a miraculous work to redeem Ruth.

He took a poor, hurting outcast and healed her, provided for her, and brought her a great love with Boaz.

Redemption is possible in your life. No matter where you come from or what you've been through, God has a plan for you that far surpasses all of that.

5. Leave a Legacy

Perhaps one of the best parts of Ruth’s story is the legacy God established through her. God brought her and Boaz together and

4 they conceived a child. That child would be in the lineage of Jesus, the Savior of the world. Ruth, a Moabite, was made part of the lineage of Christ.

If you commit your life to God and your calling is firm in Him, there is no limit to what God can do through you. Leave a legacy to your family and those all around you--a legacy of faith.

It wasn't an easy life for Ruth. She grew up in a wicked nation. She suffered the loss of her husband. She followed Naomi to a foreign land and lived in poverty. All very difficult circumstances to say the least. However we can see God’s fingerprints all over Ruth's story and there is no doubt He was at work the entire time. It was a long and difficult journey, but it ended with redemption. Ruth started out empty, but she ended full!

No matter what your season may be, remember that God is at work in your life. He is weaving a beautiful tapestry of your life; it's not finished, but it is in progress. Know that God is gracious, good, and that He loves you. If you find yourself discouraged on

5 this journey, take another look at the life of Ruth and remember that God works for the good of His people.

RUTH: A WOMAN OF FAITH

1:16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

1. Don’t Let the ____ Hold You ____.

1:18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

1:20 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest. 2. Be Full of _____.

2:2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. 3. Value Great ______.

2:10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? 2:11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. 2:20 And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen. 4. Believe ______is Possible.

4:10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from

2 among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. 12 And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman. 13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. 16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. 17 And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David. 18 Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, 19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, 19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, 20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, 21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, 22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David. 5. Leave a ______.

SUMMARY

-God’s plans include Gentiles.

-Faith is demonstrated in kindness and covenant.

-The promise of Messiah cannot be sidetracked.

Samson and Ruth Compared

Compare and contrast Samson and Ruth.

These two biblical persons could not be more unlike. Samson is an Israelite with the heritage of a Nazirite. He is biographed in Judges 13:1- 16:31 as a judge of the military warrior type. He is known for his unusual strength but he has a major character flaw in his desire for a Philistine woman. Even his final act in pulling down the pillars of the temple of Dagon is an act of revenge rather than one of repentance. The author of the book of Judges presents Samson as a heroic figure in the tradition of the judges of Israel but also reveals him to be a tragic figure due both to his personal failure and also in his inability to lead Israel to victory. (HOTHB, 436) He brings to a close the ineffective nature in trusting judges to lead the people in obedience to Yahweh and with incomplete military victories sustaining the occupation of the Promised Land. Yet Samson is briefly listed as a man of faith in Hebrews 11:32. Foreign people and their gods were assimilated into the practices of the Israelites rather than removed thereby violating the oath of the covenant to which they had sworn obedience. This also violated the promise in Genesis 12:1- 3 and the commandments in the Decalogue. His failure ended with the epitaph “all the people did what was right in their own eyes” Judges 17:6; 21:25. This had been the warning given that they were not to “do evil in Yahweh’s eyes” Judges 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; and 13:1. Second they desired to be like the other people around them in leadership for the wrong reasons when the people declared “There was no king in Israel” Judges 18:1; 19:1.

Ruth is a foreigner and a daughter of the land of Moab. As such she has no credentials in the culture of Israel. She exemplifies a person who having become a widow leads a life of service and good works. Because of this, she is able to marry Boaz a Jew integrating her into the people of Israel and the ultimate blessing of being in the line which will produce David. Her blessing fulfils the promise of Genesis 12:1-3 which is in contrast to Samson who loses the blessing. She is blessed more importantly by Yahweh for her obedience in devotion to Naomi, her selfless integrity in a foreign land, and her faithful obedience in believing in the God of the Israelites. She is an example in the mold of Rahab of Jericho as a Gentile who converts to Judaism. The timeframe is roughly 1100-1000 B.C.E which is probably similar in time to the life of Samson. Since she is a foreigner and a widow, Ruth has little to offer society whereas Samson had much to offer but failed to do so. Further Ruth fulfils the levirite law which is intended to insure succession for the families of Israel as recorded in Deuteronomy 25:5-10 (Ruth 4:1-12). Additionally she upon her marriage to Boaz fulfils the obligation for Boaz to become a kinsman redeemer in redeeming Naomi’s land. (Leviticus 25). As a reward from God she becomes the mother of Obed who becomes an ancestor to David and through him to Jesus Christ. Matthew 1:5-6, 16. Finally the providence of God is reflected in the continual working out of His plan and purposes to bless the covenant people of Israel and to incorporate Gentiles into His covenant. (The Complete Bible Handbook, Bowker, 110-111).

Who was more faithful to Torah? How do you know? Ruth was more faithful to Torah. First she fulfilled the promise of blessing in Genesis 12:1-3. Second she fulfilled a part in the prophecy of the defeat of Satan through Jesus Christ in Genesis 3:15-16. Third she fulfilled the Noahic covenant to be fruitful in bearing Obed as stated in Genesis 9:1, 7. Fourth she fulfilled the Abrahamic covenant by faithful obedience, as a Moabitess in her role in making Abraham the father of many nations, by undoubtedly having Obed circumcised as a sign of obedience, by being in the genetic line to produce the promised heir, by occupying the land (Bethlehem), and coming to rest in the Promised land (Genesis 11 and 17). Fifth she fulfilled the Decalogue in fulfilling the first five commandments of which the first four were in obedience to God and the fifth in devotion to her family (Exodus 20:1-12). Finally she is the facilitator of the kinsman redeemer obligation in Leviticus 25 and Deuteronomy 25:7-10.

Which of the two characters is more worthy of emulation?

Obviously the person who is most worthy of the two is Ruth. She is faithful, obedient, unselfish, and kind. Samson is a mighty warrior but lacks spiritual discernment, is driven by lust and revenge, is disobedient to his Nazirite vows, and does not have the qualities of leadership to practice what is right in the sight of God. Ruth reflects strength in moral and spiritual character while Samson reflects strength of physical character. Ruth reflects faith followed by good works whereas Samson reflects good works (military victories) which is not based upon true faith. Ruth glorifies God while Samson all but dishonors God until the end in the destruction of the idolatrous temple.

The Pentateuch Covenants in the Book of Ruth

The Pentateuch covenants are in effect in the book of Ruth because it shows how God will continue to establish His will and sovereignty. Ruth, although a Moabitess is faithful to Israel’s God as Noah, Abraham, and Moses had been before her. (DOTHB, 436). Her act seeking a kinsman redeemer reflects on two aspects past and future. First it reaffirms God’s divine plan to restore all of creation expressed in the promise to Adam and in the Noahic and Abrahamic covenants. Second it points forward to the redemptive work of Christ on the Cross which accomplished the prophecy in Genesis 3:15-16. The law of redemption in Ruth is linked to Leviticus 25:47-50. The law of Levirite marriage is linked to Deuteronomy 25:5-10. Ruth is the Gentile bride of Boaz just like Christians are to be the bride of Christ. (Revelation 19:7-10; Ephesians 5:22, 23; and 2 Corinthians 11:2). Naomi had to be exiled from the Promised Land before Ruth could be married to Boaz and become ancestor to the seed promised and fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

The Feast of Purim

is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It (םיִר ּוּפ .Purim (Heb commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination.

The story of Purim is told in the Biblical book of Esther. The heroes of the story are Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia, and her cousin Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his daughter. Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to become part of his harem, and he loved her more than his other women and made her queen. But the king did not know that Esther was a Jew, because Mordecai told her not to reveal her nationality.

The villain of the story is Haman, an arrogant, egotistical advisor to the king. Haman hated Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman, so Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish people. In a speech that is all too familiar to Jews, Haman told the king, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from those of every people; neither keep they the king’s laws; therefore it does not profit the king to suffer them” (Esther 3:8). The king gave the fate of the Jewish people to Haman, to do as he pleased to them. Haman planned to exterminate all of the Jews.

Purim (Akk. pūrū, “lots”) is so called (Esther 9:26) after the lots cast by Haman to determine the month in which the slaughter was to take place (Esther 3:7). In Hasmonean times it was known as the “Day of Mordecai” (II Macc. 15:36)

Mordecai persuaded Esther to speak to the king on behalf of the Jewish people. This was a dangerous thing for Esther to do, because anyone who came into the king’s presence without being summoned could be put to death, and she had not been summoned. Esther fasted for three days to prepare herself, then went into the king. He welcomed her. Later, she told him of Haman’s plot against her people. The Jewish people were saved, and Haman was hanged on the gallows that had been prepared for Mordecai.

The book of Esther is unusual in that it is the only book of the bible that does not contain the name of G-d. In fact, it includes virtually no reference to G-d. Mordecai makes a vague reference

1 to the fact that the Jews will be saved by someone else, if not by Esther, but that it the closest the book comes to mentioning G-d. Thus, one important message that can be gained from the story is that G-d often works in ways that are not apparent, in ways that appear to be chance, coincidence or ordinary good luck.

The chronological difficulties such as the identity of King Ahasuerus, and the absence of any reference in the Persian sources to a king having a Jewish consort; the striking resemblance between the names Mordecai and Esther to the Babylonian gods Marduk and Ishtar; the lack of any reference to Purim in Jewish literature before the first century B.C.E.; the language of the Book of Esther, which suggests a later date – all these have moved the critics to look elsewhere than the account in Esther for the true origin of the festival. Various conjectures have been made but the problem still awaits its solution.

The festival had long been established by the second century C.E. when a whole tractate of the Mishnah (Megillah) was devoted to the details of its observance, especially to the rules governing the reading of the Scroll of Esther, called in the rabbinic literature the megillah (“scroll”).

Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of Adar, which is usually in March. The 14th of Adar is the day that Haman chose for the extermination of the Jews. In leap years, when there are two months of Adar, Purim is celebrated in the second month of Adar, so it is always one month before Passover. In cities that were walled in the time of Joshua, Purim is celebrated on the 15th of the month, because the book of Esther says that in Shushan (a walled city), deliverance from the massacre was not complete until the next day (Esther 9:18). This day became known as Shushan Purim.

Out of respect for Jerusalem, it is said, the day is still kept by Jews living in cities which had a wall around them “from the days of Joshua“ (Meg. l:1). Thus, in present-day Israel, Purim is celebrated in Jerusalem on the 15th, but in Tel Aviv on the 14th.

The Purim holiday is preceded by a minor fast, the Fast of Esther, which commemorates Esther’s three days of fasting in preparation for her meeting with the king.

The primary commandment related to Purim is to hear the reading of the book of Esther – the Megillah. Although there are five books of Jewish scripture that are properly referred to as megillahs (Esther, Ruth, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Lamentations), this is the one people usually mean when the speak of The Megillah.

Megillot are frequently decorated, sometimes with scenes from the narrative. Since according to the midrashic interpretation the word ha-melekh (“the king”), when it is not qualified by Ahasuerus, refers to the King of the universe, some megillot are so written that each column begins with this word. It would seem that originally the megillah was read during the day, but eventually the rule was adopted to read it both at night and during the day (Meg. 4a). It is customary to fold the megillah over and spread it out before the reading since it is called a “letter” (Esther 9:26, 29).

The megillah is read with a special cantillation. The four verses of “redemption” (2:5; 8:15–16; and 10:3) are read in louder voice than the other verses. It is customary to boo, hiss, stamp feet and rattle gragers (noisemakers) whenever the name of Haman is mentioned in the service. The purpose of this custom is to “blot out the name of Amalek.” (see Deut. 25:19; and Esther 3:1 and I Sam. 15:8–9 for Haman was a descendant of Amalek). It is the practice for the reader to recite the names of the 10 sons of Haman (Esther 9:7–9) in one breath (Meg. 16b) to show that they were executed simultaneously. The custom has also been seen, however, as a refusal by Jews to gloat over the downfall of their enemies (C.G. Montefiore and H. Loewe (ed.), A Rabbinic Anthology (1938), 53).

We are also commanded to eat, drink and be merry. There has been much discussion around the saying of the Babylonian teacher Rava (Meg. 7b) that a man is obliged to drink so much wine on Purim that he becomes incapable of knowing whether he is cursing Haman or blessing Mordecai. The more puritanical teachers tried to explain this away, but the imbibing of alcohol was generally encouraged on Purim and not a few otherwise sober teachers still take Rava’s saying literally (see, e.g., H. Weiner: 9½ Mystics (1969), 207). The laws of Purim and the reading of the megillah are codified in Shulḥan Arukh, OḤ 686–97.

Various parodies of sacred literature were produced for Purim, the best known of which, Massekhet Purim, is a skillful parody of the Talmud with its main theme the obligation to drink wine merrily and to abstain strictly from water. The institution of the Purim rabbi, a kind of lord of misrule, who recites Purim Torah, the frivolous manipulation of sacred texts, was the norm in many communities. Some have seen in all this an annual attempt to find psychological relief from what otherwise might have become an intolerable burden of loyalty to the Torah (Druyanow, Reshumot, 1 and 2). Under the influence of the Italian carnival it became customary for people to dress up on Purim in fancy dress, men even being permitted to dress as women and women as men. The Adloyada carnival in Tel Aviv has been a prominent feature of Purim observance in modern Israel.

In the Kabbalistic and Hasidic literature much is made of Purim as a day of friendship and joy and as the celebration of God at work, as it were, behind the scenes, unlike Passover which celebrates God’s more direct intervention. The “lots” of Purim are compared with the “lots” cast on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:8), what human beings call “fate” or “luck” being, in reality, only another manifestation of God’s providential care. So highly did the kabbalists esteem Purim that they reported in the name of Isaac Luria that the Day of Atonement is “like Purim” (Yore ke- Furim).

While some Reform congregations abolished Purim, others continued to celebrate it as a day of encouragement and hope, some even arguing that it helped Jews to express their aggressive emotions and to sublimate their feelings of wrath and hatred (W.G. Plaut, The Growth of Reform Judaism (1965), 224).

Jews are commanded (Esther 9:18) to send out gifts of food or drink, and to make gifts to charity. The sending of gifts of food and drink is referred to as shalach manos (lit. sending out portions). The rule is to send at least two “portions” of eatables, confectionery, and so forth, to a friend and to give a present of money to at least two poor men.

A special festive meal is eaten on Purim afternoon toward eventide. Among the special Purim foods are boiled beans and peas, said to be a reminder of the cereals Daniel ate in the king’s palace to avoid any infringement of the dietary laws. Among Ashkenazic Jews, a common treat

4 at this time of year is hamentaschen (lit. Haman’s pockets). There are many explanations as to why Jews eat these tri-cornered pastries on Purim, including that they are meant to represent Haman’s hat, or ears. Nobody knows for sure how these sweets became so heavily associated with Purim, but we do know that similar cookies known as Mohntaschen were popular in 18th century Europe, and they were adopted around this time as a Purim treat by European Jewish families. It is speculated that these cookies became a traditional Purim food because the word “Mohn,” of Mohntaschen, sounds similar to the name Haman. This association caught on, and soon the cookies were simply known as hamentaschen. During the 19th century the cookies spread to America and the rest of the world, and have remained a Purim staple ever since.