A Matter of Life and Death As noted in a previous article, the book of Esther is built upon the theme of life and death. Lives are threatened (the king’s life by the doorkeepers, Mordecai’s life by Haman, and the lives of the Jews by Haman), lives are lost (the doorkeepers, Haman, Haman’s sons, and the enemies of the Jews), and lives are saved (Aha
God's Deliverance The day of death arrived. On the thirteenth of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, exactly one year since the writing of the death decree by Haman and its signing with the king’s signet ring, the assault upon the Jews occurred. Yet the assault was counteracted by a defense decree written by Mordecai and signed with the sa
God’s Purposes Know No Failure The full irony of Haman’s fall is disclosed in the beginning of chapter 8. Upon learning of the family relation between Mordecai and the Queen, King Ahasuerus gave the Jew his signet ring, which Haman had worn until his judgment. Someone who was very close to losing his life became the second most important person in
A Sleepless Night Providence comes through full force in this episode, and it is only the beginning of the divine power at work in the book of Esther. The night between the banquets, the night before the day when Haman was going to ask for Mordecai’s life and Esther was going to plea for her life, Mordecai’s life, and the lives of all the Jews in t
The Queen Gains Favor with the King When the Jews’ three-days fast was completed, Esther dressed-up and went before the king. The narrative begins in a slow pace, including a number of spatial and temporal markers in order to indicate where exactly she stood in reference to the palace structure and the king: Esther…stood in inner cour
Chapter four is filled with grief and anticipations of the death the Jews in Medo-Persia were going to experience due to Haman’s decree. Deep mourning is underlined through the use of several expressions: tore his clothes (v. 1) put on sackcloth and ashes (v. 1) cried with a loud and bitter cry (v. 2) great mourning among the Jews (v. 3) fasting, w
